A touching poem about the General.

• April 29, 2014 16:32

(Baonghean)In the poetry collection "The Immortal" (Vietnam Writers Association Publishing House), which contains 103 poems, I was particularly impressed with the poem "He Relies on the People's Hearts to Return Peacefully" by Nong Nan Pho, 25 years old, from Thanh Chuong, currently working in Ho Chi Minh City.

The lyrical voice in the poem is deeply individual, unshared, belonging solely to the poet—the one who refers to himself as "grandson" and addresses "Grandfather" to the spirit of the General. Throughout the poem are the heartfelt calls: "Grandfather! Grandfather!" The grandson recounts many stories to his spirit: his journey from Hanoi, the funeral ceremonies, and his return to his hometown of Quang Binh… using vivid imagery: a comrade on wooden crutches waiting for the hearse to pass, a frail old woman clutching incense sticks before his portrait for fear of collapsing, the hastily wrapped mourning wreaths, the hurried footsteps following his coffin… But these realistic images, recounted through the author's heart to his spirit, are imbued with profound emotions and reflections that deeply move the reader.

"The Kien Giang River flows peacefully."

There was a girl sitting alone by the river, screaming.

If anyone asks why? Because our homeland…”

Then silence

Place your hand on your chest and listen to your heart pounding.

"Is this the heartbeat of Quang Binh, sir?"

I whispered so much to your spirit: about the villagers' anticipation of your funeral procession and their heart-wrenching grief, about the sorrow of the plants and animals, about the ripening rice fields submerged in the raging storm. But the farmers of your homeland still uphold their pure humanity, a timeless tradition deeply rooted in Vietnamese rural culture: your grandmother carrying you to the edge of the village to welcome your mother, lovingly comforting you as you counted the leaves of the banyan tree, just as you were in your childhood when your grandmother carried you to welcome your mother. When you returned to your ancestral home, I told your spirit: stumbling upon the soil of your homeland, "formed by the small river," you stumbled upon the blood of your parents, the villagers, and a history filled with tears. You returned to warm the hearts of every village name, to the waiting of the plants, the young men and women, the "old women with only two teeth left still chewing betel nut," of every kitchen corner, thatched roof, "fragrant bamboo walls... the sweet and bitter life of people."

Born from the people, until his final moments, "He leaned on the people's hearts to return peacefully." "Nong Nan Pho" not only speaks for millions of Vietnamese hearts at home and abroad about the pain of loss before "a misfortune not seen in a hundred years," but also helps us recognize and better understand the miraculous secret of the honest character of General Vo Nguyen Giap. He was not a saint, a god, or a Buddha, but lived and breathed in this very place of "the sweetness and bitterness of human life" in Vietnam!

"He relied on the people's support to return peacefully," the poem deeply moved people!

Meritorious Teacher Le Thai Phong

Vinh City