Another evidence of the original poem "Nam Quoc Son Ha"

(Baonghean) -Nguyen Dynasty woodblocks are woodblocks with reverse characters used to reproduce documents. This is the first heritage of Vietnam to be recognized by UNESCO as a documentary heritage of humanity and was included in the "Memory of the World" Program on July 30, 2009.

The Nguyen Dynasty Woodblocks, preserved at the National Archives Center IV (Da Lat, Lam Dong), contain rich content, reflecting many aspects of social life in the Nguyen Dynasty as well as other dynasties. This is a reliable and highly accurate source of information. Among the 34,618 Woodblocks, there is a woodblock engraved with the poem “Nam Quoc Son Ha”. This is the oldest woodblock engraved with the poem “Nam Quoc Son Ha” remaining to this day.



Woodcut and embossed version of the poem “Nam quoc son ha” in the Nguyen Dynasty Woodblocks at the outdoor exhibition area (National Archives Center IV – Da Lat).

There are many hypotheses that the poem "Nam quoc son ha" existed before, but it was not until the resistance war against the invading Song army of the Ly Dynasty that this poem was mentioned when Ly Thuong Kiet sent people to Truong Hong and Truong Hat temples to recite the poem. At a time when the war against the invading Song army was taking place extremely fiercely, Nam quoc son ha - an immortal poem to encourage the soldiers' spirit - was like a message to the invaders that they would face defeat if they invaded Dai Viet's territory. The book "Viet dien u linh" reflects: "In the middle of the night, hearing the echoes in the temple reciting that poem, our army was all excited. The Song army was terrified, and they were defeated without fighting."

The poem “Nam quoc son ha” affirms the eloquent truth: Vietnam is a separate country with clear borders, the nation’s right to independence and autonomy is sacred and inviolable. Going down in history, the poem is considered the first Declaration of Independence of our nation after more than a thousand years of foreign feudal domination.
As an untitled quatrain, “Nam quoc son ha” are just the first four words of the poem that we use as its title. The poem is only 28 words long, but unfortunately, over the centuries, many people have read it incorrectly and misunderstood it. First of all, it is about the understanding of the first verse: “Nam quoc son ha Nam De cu”. This verse is translated by most textbooks as: The mountains and rivers of the South, the King of the South lives. The word “Emperor” translated as “King” is incorrect, because in the history of our nation, the people who controlled the fate of our nation in the past often called themselves Emperors (abbreviated as “Emperor”). The Emperor is the highest position, the position that has the right to appoint many people as Kings, but the King never has the right to appoint anyone as Emperor. Therefore, translating “Emperor” as “King” also means not fully understanding the very strong pride and confidence of our ancestors.

According to the Nguyen Dynasty woodblocks preserved in Da Lat, the second sentence is originally "Tiet nhien phan dinh tai thien thu", while textbooks often print the original text as "Tiet nhien dinh phan tai thien thu". Thus, the books have printed the original text of this sentence incorrectly. The incorrect original text of the poem will lead to incorrect meaning. "Tiet nhien phan dinh tai thien thu" means that the obvious thing has been clearly divided in the book of heaven. But if it were "Tiet nhien dinh phan tai thien thu", it would not have that meaning, "dinh phan" would not be reasonable and would reduce the poem's affirmation of national sovereignty that the spirit of the poem wants to convey. The only two words ("dinh phan" and "phan dinh") are different, but the meanings are very different. "Dinh phan" implies being given by heaven, inheriting a natural grace. On the contrary, "phan dinh" mainly means reflecting the ability to self-establish and affirm, reflecting a very clear inner strength to rise up. As a special work (considered as the first Declaration of Independence of the nation), respecting the original is very meaningful. So, with the sense of respecting the original, the provisional translation of the poem can be: "The mountains and rivers of the Southern country belong to the Southern Emperor/ Clearly defined in the book of heaven/ Why do the bandits dare to invade/ You will be defeated".

The engraving of the poem “Nam quoc son ha” in the Nguyen Dynasty Woodblocks is in the book Dai Viet su ky toan thu. This engraving of the poem consists of 1 page (page 9), volume 3, under Ly Nhan Tong, the engraving is still very clear. Dai Viet su ky toan thu is a history book published under the Later Le Dynasty. The Nguyen Dynasty Woodblocks not only include engravings from the Nguyen Dynasty but also engravings brought back from the Imperial Academy (Thang Long) under the reigns of King Minh Mang and King Thieu Tri, or books from previous dynasties that the Nguyen Dynasty had the original text engraved. Whether engraved under the Later Le Dynasty or the Nguyen Dynasty, this is still the oldest woodblock of the poem “Nam quoc son ha” remaining to this day. Through the Nguyen Dynasty Woodblocks, we understand more clearly the spirit of the divine poem “Nam quoc son ha”.

Le Khac Nien (National Archives Center IV, No. 2 - Yet Kieu - Ward 5 - Da Lat - Lam Dong)