Lean on the metaphor

(Baonghean) - She was a victim of war, destroyed by Agent Orange. Her life seemed to have reached a dead end, and there seemed to be no hope left... Then folk songs gave her faith and strength, helping her temporarily forget her sad days.

Ms. Quynh Hoa (far right) guides people in practicing folk singing.

The pain of war

During a conversation, artist Nguyen Thi Thanh (born in 1953) in Hoa Son commune (Anh Son) mentioned a disabled girl who had a strong passion for folk songs. The girl wrote a letter to share and earnestly invited the artist to spend time at her house to teach her how to sing folk songs. Moved with compassion, artist Nguyen Thi Thanh and her husband rode an old motorbike, traveling more than 50 km to find the house of the owner of the letter. Witnessing the situation of the person who wrote to her, Ms. Thanh was truly moved by her talent and passion, especially the desire to overcome adversity. And she enthusiastically taught; helped the girl distinguish each folk song of Nghe Tinh, correct each lyric and how to change the pitch up, down...

Following the instructions, we went to Tay Xuan hamlet, Giang Son Dong commune (Do Luong) to meet Ms. Hoang Thi Quynh Hoa - the disabled girl who wrote a letter to artist Nguyen Thi Thanh. In front of her house, she sat on a plastic chair, holding a notebook, surrounded by some neighbors practicing singing folk songs. We explained the purpose of this surprise visit, Ms. Hoa's mother shared: "Today is warm and sunny, and there is an upcoming cultural exchange, so the women in the neighborhood came to ask Hoa to teach them how to sing folk songs. It may look like that, but Hoa has helped the village and the commune win many cultural awards." Taking advantage of the time when everyone was taking a break, we chatted with the disabled girl who is passionate about the folk songs of her homeland.

She was born in 1976, which means that the country was completely unified and the war against the US had ended in victory. Her parents - Mr. Hoang Thai Hoa (1949) and Mrs. Thai Thi Thanh - waited until the day of total victory to hold their wedding, even though their love lasted almost the entire war. During the war against the US, he was a member of the Liberation Army's Art Troupe, and she was a soldier in the General Department of Logistics, operating mainly in the Truong Son mountains. The war gave them the opportunity to meet each other, and then they shared the wish to build a happy family when the sound of bombs and bullets had stopped. Fortunately and happily, that seemingly fragile wish came true when the two saw the flag of peace and walked side by side in a wedding hall filled with joyful cheers. Then, the female soldier of Truong Son gave birth to 4 children, 2 boys and 2 girls.

The first daughter was named Hoang Thi Quynh Hoa. When she was born, Quynh Hoa was a normal girl, except that her health was a bit weak compared to other children of the same age. She studied very hard, and every year the school gave her a certificate of merit and new notebooks. In the last years of secondary school, Quynh Hoa's health became weaker and weaker, she often got sick, her limbs often ached and convulsed. Her limbs showed symptoms of muscle atrophy, making it difficult to move, then gradually atrophied, eventually leading to complete paralysis. Loving their daughter, Mr. Hoa and his wife sought treatment everywhere but were helpless, and wherever they went, they received disappointed shakes of the head. The doctors all concluded that Quynh Hoa's illness was a symptom of Agent Orange poisoning, and there was no immediate cure. Quynh Hoa was in great pain, because from now on she no longer had hope of walking on her own two feet, because she had to put aside her dream of becoming a teacher...

Rely on proverbs and rhymes

All day long, she did not leave her bed and wheelchair, all activities had to rely on the help of her parents and siblings. The long, sad days passed, and many times she cried because of her miserable fate. Remembering her time in school, she turned to books and newspapers and considered them her soulmates. Not long after, nearly 10 years ago, Mr. Hoang Thai Hoa suddenly passed away, leaving the burden of the family to his wife after 30 years of marriage. This shock was too great for Quynh Hoa, because losing her father meant losing a solid support, not only in material life but also in spirit. When she calmed down, she thought about writing poems and composing songs to distract herself. It seemed that the artistic blood passed down from her father was still quietly flowing in her veins, now having the opportunity to flare up to bring her disabled daughter magical moments.

We could not hold back our tears when listening to Ms. Hoa read the poem “Pain” that she composed: “The war is behind us/Thirty years of pain still remain/Mother sent her youth to Truong Son/To be a nightingale guarding the Khe Sanh trail/The country is now at peace/Pity the children who became victims/The green days have quickly withered/Mother’s heart aches, her tears dry up”…

Quynh Hoa came to the folk songs of her homeland by chance, according to her, it was "the arrangement of fate". Because, a few years ago, by chance reading the Nghe An Weekend newspaper, she saw an article introducing Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh, a woman in Hoa Son who was very passionate about Vi and Giam folk songs, so she was able to mobilize to establish a club. She admired her very much, wrote a letter to get acquainted and confided that she was also passionate about folk songs but did not know how to distinguish each melody, so it was difficult to write lyrics. She hoped Ms. Thanh would arrange time to come down to her house to help and teach her how to compose folk songs. Ms. Thanh went down to Giang Son Dong, the two women who were passionate about folk songs had an unexpected and interesting reunion. Although only within a day, Quynh Hoa had basically recognized some melodies, learned how to write lyrics that were easy to remember and memorize. Since then, the close relationship between the two has become stronger and stronger, they often exchanged letters, songs they had just composed to enjoy and share joy.

It is worth mentioning that despite her disabled body, Quynh Hoa is still full of the breath of life. The village life with many changes and improvements is always present in the meaningful songs of the disabled girl. Perhaps, she has stretched all her senses to absorb the beauty of life and distilled it into simple and passionate lyrics. These are the lyrics in the song "Giang Son Dong today" she composed not long ago: "Giang Son Dong has many mountains and hills/ If you have the chance, invite your friends to visit/ My hometown has a charming landscape/ Green mountains and blue water, sparkling...oh oh pink color/ Please come visit my hometown/ On a moonlit night, listen to the folk song/ The folk song is sweet and tender/ Angry but so loving, oh oh love...". She continued the song with the Tu Hoa tune: “Oh my dear! Come to my hometown with beautiful mountains and forests/ The bustling, bustling, bustling market town/ The rice fields spread out to the horizon/ The barren hills of the past are now covered in green/ Sugarcane fields, corn fields, and cajuput trees are immense/ Oranges and lychees sway in the sweet fruit seasons/ In the rosy morning sun, birds sing a thousand songs/ Ru De in the afternoon reflects on Da Mai dam/ Mo Da is pouring hot water day and night/ One day not far away, it will become a tourist destination/ Will happily welcome friends to visit...”. And for Quynh Hoa, in her heart, there is always a steadfast love for the Party: “Oh oh oh... through many ups and downs/ My hometown has become oh oh bright, the rosy light of the future/ Thanks to the Party today/ Motherland Giang Dong, changes every day...”.

Being disabled, never having set foot in Uncle Ho's hometown, with a deep respect and sacred affection, Quynh Hoa composed the song "Following Uncle Ho's words". Starting from the simple and familiar lyrics: "Oh oh oh From far away I come to visit my hometown, Uncle/ In May, the lotus scent is everywhere/ The people sing a gentle song/ Sweetly leading you to the land of love, love". Then the image of Uncle Ho appears, dear and close: "Oh Uncle! In May, my heart is filled with sadness, missing you/ Missing your high forehead, missing your silver beard/ Your smiling eyes filled with love/ Your rubber sandals imprinted on the roads/ Your simple faded brown shirt/ Four seas and five continents searching for the truth/ Your whole life for the country, for the people...". Finally, the promise to the sacred leader: "I vow to be a lotus flower/ Fragrant in your homeland/ The Lam River flowing in all four seasons/ Bringing alluvium to beautify life...".

Up to now, Quynh Hoa has written new lyrics for hundreds of songs, recorded in thick notebooks. Whenever there is a performance, the Women's Union, Farmers' Union, Veterans' Union, and Youth Union all come to "order" Nghe Tinh folk songs. She considers it a joy, a source of comfort and encouragement, so she is always ready. Now that she cannot hold a pen, she types on her touch-screen phone, then transfers it to the computer via email, and her younger brother helps her with the printing. When meeting her, we suddenly remember Phung Quan's poem: "There are moments of discouragement/ I hold on to the poem and stand up"...

Article and photos:Cong Kien