“A poetic memory that has followed me for nearly half a century”

Teacher Le Mau Dat said that he did not understand why he memorized the poem so quickly. The author only read it once during the spring meeting in 1985 organized by Ben Hai District Party Committee, but the poem was deeply imprinted in his memory, only once and for 40 years, even though he did not know and had never met the author of that poem personally...

There is a comment on my friend's facebook: Giving Mr. Nguyen Quang Ha a poem from 40 years ago, I found:

I love the sea so I return to the sea

The sea is vast, I am so small

The sea water is salty, our blood is salty too.

Why does the sea keep growling at me?

I learned that this is the Facebook of retired teacher Le Mau Dat. It turns out that he is an old friend of my friend. At that time, my friend was teaching literature at Tan Lam High School, located in the mountainous area west of Cam Lo, Quang Tri; he was working at the High School General Department of Binh Tri Thien Education Department, and had led the literature teaching delegation of Binh Tri Thien province to attend the national literature teaching conference in 1980.

My friend was one of the three selected trainers in the whole province, so I knew him roughly. But my friend also did not know that for a long time he was a silent friend of the poet Nguyen Quang Ha. All of this could be called a strange fate.

Con Co Island embankment - Photo: D.T

Mr. Le Mau Dat said that since 1980, Ben Hai district has had a literary association established by the Literature and Arts Association of Binh Tri Thien province. The association has nearly 30 members, including writers and poets who later became famous such as: Xuan Duc, Hai Hien, Cao Hanh, Hoai Quang Phuong, Vu Manh Thi, Nguyen Huu Thang,...

For over 10 years, the association has published more than 10 Ben Hai Literature and Arts magazines edited by the Propaganda Department of Ben Hai District Party Committee. In addition, the association also organizes for members to present their poems at units and localities in the district very happily and regularly.

The activities of the Ben Hai Literature Association have been noticed, recognized and highly appreciated by the Ben Hai District Party Committee, especially by Secretary Phan Chung, for their timeliness, creating a new vitality, attracting and positively impacting the spiritual life of all classes of people in the district.

“Every year, on the occasion of the Lunar New Year, Ben Hai District Party Committee organizes a spring meeting for artists at the District Party Committee office,” Mr. Le Mau Dat recalled. In the spring of At Suu 1985, the district leaders invited the leaders of the Binh Tri Thien Province Literature and Arts Association to the spring meeting. Writer To Nhuan Vy, writer Nguyen Quang Ha, the editorial board of Song Huong Magazine and a few others attended. After the welcoming speech by District Party Committee Secretary Phan Chung, the artists in attendance all read poems to celebrate.

Mr. Nguyen Quang Ha read the poem:

I love the sea so I return to the sea

The sea is vast, I am so small

The sea water is salty, our blood is salty too.

Why does the sea keep growling at me?

Teacher Le Mau Dat said that he did not understand why he memorized the poem so quickly. The author only read it once during the spring meeting in 1985 organized by Ben Hai District Party Committee, but the poem was deeply imprinted in his memory, only once and for 40 years, even though he did not know and had never met the author of that poem personally. He also did not understand why he liked it and memorized it until now.

Perhaps it was due to sympathy, harmony? Or was it the meeting of thoughts and feelings at that meeting? There was only one thing that could not be denied: he liked, loved the directness like reproach and resentment of a gap between "me" and "the sea".

It was this feeling and poetic idea that later led him to write the short story “Khoàn Trống” which was published in the Ben Hai Literature and Arts magazine that same year. “Thank you to the author of the poem about the sea and the reality of life when I started working at the Department of General Education Level 3, Binh Tri Thien Department of Education for inspiring me to write that short story. It’s not good, but I think it’s still acceptable,” teacher Le Mau Dat confided.

Compared to the poem "Sea" selected in the anthology of poet Nguyen Quang Ha, there are some words that are different from the poem in the memory of teacher Le Mau Dat: This is the poem in the anthology: "I love the sea so I return to the sea/ Our love is inherently very innocent/ Our blood is both salty/ Why do you keep growling?"

Teacher Le Mau Dat shared: "Personally, the poem I remember seems better, more poetic, and more profound than the poem in the anthology."

Vo Thi Quynh

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/nha-giao-le-mau-dat-mot-ky-niem-tho-theo-toi-gan-nua-the-ky-186623.htm