Poet Nguyen Trong Tao's daughter: 'My father's ashes have returned to his homeland, the Bung River'

Poet Nguyen Trong Tao (1947 - 2019) - Photo: GĐCC

Poet and musician Nguyen Trong Tao passed away on January 7, 2019. His body was cremated at the Hoan Vu crematorium (Hanoi).

At that time, the family shared that after completing the construction of the memorial site in Nghe An, the poet's ashes would be brought back to his hometown.

Construction began in July 2022 and the memorial site for poet and musician Nguyen Trong Tao was inaugurated on June 12 in Dien Hoa commune, Dien Chau district, Nghe An province.

'My father has returned to his homeland'

The project was built right on the premises of the old house - where he was born and raised.

When designing this memorial, the son of poet Nguyen Trong Tao - architect Nguyen Vu Trong Thi incorporated cultural features of three places associated with his father's life: Hue, Nghe An and Hanoi.

His poetry, music and paintings are also reflected in the form of this special memorial.

The portrait of the poet - made by sculptor Ha Minh Tuan - is placed in the center of the memorial area.

Ms. Nguyen Thu Huong said that during his lifetime, Nguyen Trong Tao did not tell his children about his wishes after his death.

However, when talking to friends, he often pointed to his garden in the countryside and said that after he passed away he would live here.

"When he was seriously ill, I asked my father about what his friends had told me and he confirmed that he wanted to be taken back to his hometown after he died," Ms. Huong recalled.

She said: "From now on, my father will return to his homeland as he has long wished. This memorial is also a gift for his homeland Dien Hoa."

Countryside quality brings Nguyen Trong Tao to the top

Poet Nguyen Thuy Kha said that when poet Nguyen Trong Tao was still alive, he visited the poet's hometown of Dien Chau many times.

"Anh Tao was once honored by the State (State Prize for Literature and Arts in 2012 with the poetry collection Nursery Rhymes for Adults) and the epic poem The Path of the Stars ).

Today, his fans and his hometown have honored him once again. In their artistic career, not every artist has that honor," he said.

A corner of the memorial grounds - Photo: SACH NGUYEN

Nguyen Thuy Kha also recalled the brightest "moment" in Nguyen Trong Tao's poetic life.

"It was in 1981 that he wrote "Ramblings of My Time". In this poem, the poet surpassed his contemporaries and even his predecessors to reach the truth: to write poetry, one must first start from the truth", commented Mr. Nguyen Thuy Kha.

According to Mr. Kha, through his work, Nguyen Trong Tao proves to us that, as a writer, "one cannot write without believing anything" as in his 1991 poem " If you believe, then believe, if you don't believe, then don't believe ."

On the occasion of the inauguration of the memorial site, Nguyen Thuy Kha added that he used to tell Nguyen Trong Tao "your essence is that of a villager".

Mr. Kha said that God created humans and gods, and also created another species, called poets, to connect gods and humans. Poetry is Nguyen Trong Tao's career.

"God also gave him other abilities, such as music. His music is unique. Even his hometown has brought him to the top. For example, Khuc hat song que , Lang quan ho que toi ...".

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/con-gai-nha-tho-nguyen-trong-tao-tro-cot-cha-toi-da-ve-voi-que-huong-song-bung-2024061317020048.htm