Timeless love songs by the late musician Trinh Cong Son

Among the hundreds of songs by this talented composer, "Dust," "Ancient Beauty," "White Summer," and others have deeply touched the hearts of many generations of music lovers.

April 1st marks the 16th anniversary of the passing of musician Trịnh Công Sơn. This is an opportunity for fans to listen again to his timeless lyrical songs about life and love.

"Dust"

"Which speck of dust will be reborn as my body?"
So that one day it may grow into a larger form.
Oh, wonderful dust!
The sun shines on a life of wandering...

Trịnh Công Sơn once shared: "Every song originates from a certain reason. Sometimes it comes from a random story." This is the inspiration behind his songwriting.DustIt was then that the musician watched a sad film and read a sad story. In his memoir, he wrote: "A sadness, or something close to separation, was stirring within me."

The song, imbued with the philosophy of life and the cycle of "birth, aging, sickness, and death," conveys anxieties and concerns about the brevity of human existence through the imagery of dust. However, the song is not just about lingering sadness;It reflects the lyrical persona's happiness at having lived a meaningful life.

"Diem Xua"

"The rain continues to fall on the ancient tower."
Long sleeves, how many seasons have passed with pale blue eyes?
Listening to the autumn leaves rustling in the rain, wearing down little heels.
The long, winding road makes the eyes even more captivated..."

Diem XuaWritten by musician Trịnh Công Sơn in 1960, it was released on a music tape.Nightingale 7.Diem's ​​prototypeShe was Ngo Thi Bich Diem, a student at Dong Khanh High School (Hue). Musician Trinh Cong Son once likened his love affair with Diem to a fantastical tale, half reality, half dream.

The song was translated into Japanese with the titleUtsukushii mukashi.CSinger Khánh Ly performed this version at the Osaka Fair in 1970."Diem Xua" has also been included in the curriculum for Vietnamese culture at a university in Japan. Kansai Gakuin University also has a book about the song "Diem Xua" accompanied by a DVD. NHK television chose the song as the main theme for a film about the marriage between a Japanese man and a Vietnamese woman.

"White Summer"

"Calling the sunshine onto your slender shoulders, your dress fluttering in the breeze on this long road."
Sunlight shines through sad eyes, a heart intoxicated by flowers and butterflies.
The path you walk home to is cloudless.
The path was illuminated throughout the sunny season..."

White summerWritten by Trịnh Công Sơn in 1961, after a strange dream amidst the scorching, burning midday sun of Huế, the poem about a beautiful woman in a white dress walking in a cloudless afternoon began to take shape. A week later, the musician witnessed the story of the life-and-death love between the parents of a friend. These two events stirred many haunting and agonizing feelings in the talented artist's soul.

"Then, I combined the dream of white summer flowers with this enduring, old-fashioned love, like worn-out clothes, still calling each other's names until our hair turns gray, to write this song."White summer", Trinh Cong Son wrote in his memoirs.

"Sea of ​​Memories"

"I'm leaving tomorrow"
The sea remembers your name and calls you back.
The misty tide drenched the dreamlike state.
"The heavens hold back Son Khe's steps..."

Trịnh Công Sơn composed "Biển nhớ" (Remembering the Sea) in the summer of 1962. According to many theories, the song was dedicated to a young woman named Tôn Nữ Bích Khê. Therefore, the phrase "Sơn Khê" (meaning mountains and rivers in general) is capitalized to create a specific meaning referring to Trịnh Công Sơn and Bích Khê.

Ngo Quang Canh - a fellow student of Trinh Cong Son at Quy Nhon Teacher Training College - once recounted the story of "Sea of ​​Memories": "Back then I was very young (19 years old) and Son was 23. I don't know how many nights Son spent contemplating on the Quy Nhon beach, remembering that person, that elegant and noble lady, until it finally culminated in this song."Sea of ​​Memories,"A famous love song that has been popular for almost half a century."

"A realm of coming and going"

"After so many years, you're still just leaving."
Why wander around aimlessly, making life so tiring?
On our shoulders rest the sun and moon
"Shining throughout a century, a realm of coming and going..."

A realm of coming and goingThe song carries a profound philosophy of life, conveyed through subtle metaphorical lyrics. During his lifetime, the composer admitted that he himself could not precisely interpret the meaning of this song.

"This is a very strange song, truly not easy to understand because there are lines in the song that even I find difficult to explain. I wrote it that way, but explaining it clearly is hard. When I meet many people, even those with little education, who like it, and ask them if they understand it, they say they don't understand but feel something inside. When they listen to it, when they sing it, something touches their hearts. I think in art, the most important thing is how to open the shortest path from heart to heart of another person without needing any further explanation," Trinh Cong Son once said.

Remembering Hanoi in the autumn

"...Hanoi in autumn, the crape myrtle trees turn yellow
The red-leaved Terminalia trees stand side by side.
Old streets, ancient houses, dark brown tiled roofs.
Hanoi in autumn, the autumn of Hanoi..."

Remembering Hanoi in the autumnIt evokes a sense of wistfulness and nostalgia in the listener with familiar images: the golden hue of the crape myrtle tree, the red leaves of the Terminalia catappa tree, the deep brown of the old houses... All of these depict a gentle and poetic autumn scene in Hanoi. Hanoi's autumn also carries a poignant longing that even the author cannot name. Singer Hong Nhung is the one who has most successfully performed this song.

Like a flying heron

"Is the sunshine as rosy as your lips?"
Is the rain as sad as your eyes?
Each strand of your hair...
"Falling into life like a drifting wave..."

Trịnh Công Sơn experienced many romantic relationships. For each woman who came into his life, the musician always reserved a special place in his heart for her and wished her happiness.

Composer Tran Long An recounted that the inspiration for "Like a Flying Heron" was a very beautiful girl from Hue. Later, she settled in Japan. Although they couldn't be together, the late composer still wished her happiness, even though he silently suffered..

"Let the wind carry it away"

"Living in this world requires a kind heart."
Do you know why?
"Let the wind carry it away, let the wind carry it away..."

Composer Trịnh Công Sơn believed that people live not just to exist, but "need to have a kind heart." Life is inherently fair; it doesn't give everything to everyone, but it also doesn't take everything away from anyone. Therefore, "even though the heart aches," "as long as there is life, let's be happy."

"Let the Wind Carry It Away" is a love song rich in philosophical insights into human life, subtly reflecting the moral principles of Buddhism.

According to VNE