To Huu: The path of life, the path of poetry

It has been exactly 10 years since To Huu passed away (December 9, 2002 – December 9, 2012). The great revolutionary and poet still sets a shining example: “To live is to give. To die is also to give” (Farewell). To Huu devoted his whole life to revolutionary activities, poetry, and art.

Chronicle of events and works of To Huu - Revolutionary, poet.

First of all, To Huu's life path is the integration of the revolutionary path and the poetic path. In the early years of his life, finding a way to revolution also paved the way for literature and poetry. Working in the Democratic Youth Union, propagating revolution among the masses, taking to the streets to protest with tens of thousands of people, To Huu, guided by senior leaders such as Le Duan, Nguyen Chi Dieu... embarked on the revolutionary path. Then he was arrested, imprisoned, tortured but still maintained his revolutionary spirit. He escaped from prison, operated secretly, led the seizure of power in the General Uprising and became the first Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee of Thanh Hoa. From here, revolutionary soldier To Huu became a revolutionary leader.

From then on, To Huu's first collection of poems was a process of overcoming Blood and Fire (27 poems), Chains (30 poems) to Liberation (14 poems). It was a collection of poems fighting for the revolution and also fighting for genuine literature and poetry. Through poetic debates (with Che Lan Vien, Nam Tran, Khai Hung...), To Huu raised the arguments of revolutionary literature like Ho Chi Minh's thought very early. At that time, the young poet was honored: To Huu - poet of the future (Moi - No. 1 - 1939).

Thirty years of resistance against the French and the Americans (1945 - 1975) were still a courageous progress on the right path. To Huu advanced as a great politician, an excellent student of President Ho Chi Minh, holding a position in a high-ranking leadership position. Poetry was truly a model of revolutionary activities. Since then, Viet Bac also passed two "fire tests" in public opinion (literary debates in 1956 and 1959) and was affirmed through the Literature Award. From a soldier on the literary front, To Huu became a steadfast commander.

In the years after 1975, the poet persisted on the path of revolutionary activities and poetry following the process of innovation and integration of the country. He still had a loyal heart, a strong belief in the Path we take. Poetry carried a new color of worldly affairs but still kept the heroic, epic sound - a new epic. Past: Not a green road. The road through which blood flowed, present: Ho Chi Minh Road is wide open (With the Party, Spring). That is the path of revolution and also of poetry. Until the last days of his life, we still saw To Huu's profound contemplative verses: The eighty-year-old is more precious to good friends/ The love for poetry is more heavy with life. We remember To Huu's heartfelt, meaningful verse: A hundred years of fate, the Party and Poetry have been together for a long time.

At the age of "late autumn", leaving politics, as a Central Envoy, To Huu felt "How excited, the pilgrimage" (Phồn Xương). The new pilgrimage into life and into poetry. Writing more lifelike and also more poetic: new romantic colors, new depth of philosophy of life. Revealing more clearly than ever the poet's ego. More poetry: "A sound of the zither" (71 poems), "You and I" (48 poems), more than the period of fighting against the French and the Americans combined! More love, with all levels, especially penetrating the loneliness of the world and touching the loneliness of the self (A sound of the zither) through life experiences. However, what needs to be emphasized is the harmony - combination and interaction of the two revolutionary paths and poetry.

The combination is truly special and rare: making revolution, writing poetry, revolutionary activities through poetry, writing poetry is a vivid and beautiful revolutionary activity, writing poetry in all circumstances, overcoming all difficulties, obstacles, and dangers (hunger strike in prison, on the way to exile, taking advantage of time to treat serious illness, busy with hundreds of thousands of tasks and affairs...).

The interaction is also very effective. Revolutionary poetry activities raise the level of artistic thought, artistic poetry activities (composition, theory) support revolutionary activities to be more lively, stronger, and more enthusiastic.

Looking back ten years to see the next hundred years. To Huu has been firmly positioned in the history of revolution and the history of national literature. Generations of readers yesterday, today and tomorrow have, are and will read To Huu. Because of an obvious truth, an obvious fact of life: the great poet of the people has opened the To Huu Way in people's hearts - the way of conscience, culture that shines forever.

According to (sggp.org.vn) - LT