Poet Hien Mac Chat is a talented poet of the tea land of Thai Nguyen. He has about 100 poems that have been set to music by musicians and left an unforgettable impression on listeners. Although not from Thai Nguyen, in his works, the theme of this land is quite common. On the occasion of the beginning of the New Year, we had an interesting conversation with him about poetry, about the land of Thai Nguyen - an endless source of inspiration for his creativity.
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| Poet Hien Mac Chat has many poetic works on the subject of Thai Nguyen land and people. |
PV: Hello poet Hien Mac Chat - "father" of The Beauty of Thai Nguyen, Mountain Girl Offering Tea, Phu Dinh Moon and many other famous works, what path brought you to poetry?
Poet Hien Mac Chat: I came to poetry from anonymous Nom stories, from folk tales, from folk songs in my mother's lullabies. Since I was little, I have listened to folk songs and fairy tales. Folk songs and fairy tales of our people are simple, easy to remember, rustic but elegant, intense but also warm and passionate. Folk songs penetrate me, haunt me, urge me to come to poetry. Folk songs of our people are rich and diverse.
I have been writing poetry since my school days but I had no intention of becoming a poet. I am a finance and planning major but I have fallen in love with poetry. I write poetry to express my thoughts and I build poetic images using folk language to convey the meaning of history, myths, legends, fairy tales, which are cultural imprints that carry the sacred soul of our country.
PV: Flowers picked to offer the beauty, oh beautiful Thai Nguyen..., many people know the lyrics of Thai Nguyen Beauty by heart, but little is known about the circumstances in which the poet wrote this poem.
Poet Hien Mac Chat: In 1992, I wrote The Beauty of Thai Nguyen. At that time, musician Cao Khac Thuy went to Thai Nguyen for work. During a working session with the artists of the provincial Literature and Arts Association, musician Cao Khac Thuy asked who could write the lyrics for a song about Thai Nguyen. At that time, the Association's President, poet Ha Duc Toan, introduced: The one who wrote the lyrics for the song is poet Hien Mac Chat.
After that meeting, I wrote The Beauty of Thai Nguyen in a week, the poem's idea was already in my head so I wrote according to my feelings and musician Cao Khac Thuy composed this poem. In October 1992, on the anniversary of the founding of Thai Nguyen City (October 19), the work was broadcast and received enthusiastic reception from the public.
PV: The words from the luong sentence/ the words from the sli sentence/ the murmur in the fairy tale, flowing back to my homeland... Why does the poem start from the luong sentence, from the sli sentence and is titled The Beauty of Thai Nguyen, dear poet?
Poet Hien Mac Chat: Sli and luon have been closely associated with the people of the mountainous regions in their ritual and family activities. They are valuable assets of ethnic minorities in particular and of us in general. Sli and luon seem to be ingrained in Hien Mac Chat, so when I wrote, I started from sli and luon.
In a flow of emotions, the lyrics appear one after another, leading each other to create the whole poem. Some people also asked me why the poem is called The Beauty of Thai Nguyen when the poem does not describe anything about a beauty. It is true that the words do not describe a beauty, but I wrote this poem to evoke pride in Thai Nguyen culture, in the richness and beauty of the heroic land, in the beauty of Thai Nguyen people.
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| Published poetry collections of poet Hien Mac Chat. |
Reporter: The poet has had many works set to music, all of which have left an impression on listeners. It can be said that the marriage between Hien Mac Chat’s poetry and music is a successful marriage. Does the poet have any secrets that he would like to share with readers?
Poet Hien Mac Chat: Many people have asked me that question, that I must have some secret to have hundreds of poems set to music, and by famous musicians. I honestly share that there is no secret, however, perhaps because my poems are influenced by folk songs in my mother's lullabies, as I said, the poems suggest melodies for the music.
In 2014, a student of the K9 Bachelor of Arts, University of Science (Thai Nguyen University), did a research project: Musicality in Hien Mac Chat's poetry. It mentioned the harmony of tones, rhymes, and rhythms in my poetry. Musicians saw the musicality in it and set my poetry to music. Music has given wings to my poetry to fly higher and farther.
PV: Although you are not from Thai Nguyen, you have composed many poems about Thai Nguyen and each poem is deeply meaningful. How does the poet explain his relationship with this land of half fields and half mountains?
Poet Hien Mac Chat: I am not from Thai Nguyen but I have a connection with Thai Nguyen. In 1979, when I was working at the Statistics Office of Son La province, I met a Thai Nguyen cadre named Ha Nhan Thang who came to Son La to work. Knowing that I had the ability to write poetry and that my wife was working in Thai Nguyen, Ha Nhan Thang asked for me to work at the Planning Committee (later renamed the Department of Planning and Investment) of Bac Thai province. I have been attached to Thai Nguyen ever since.
Thai Nguyen is a land blessed by nature with many beautiful landscapes, a land of history since the Hai Ba Trung Uprising. Thai Nguyen people are warm and sincere, a poetic inspiration for many authors and I am no exception. Thai Nguyen land and people have attracted me, absorbed me. Although I was not born in Thai Nguyen, this land has nurtured my poetry.
PV: Yes, the tea land has nurtured talented poetry. Thank you for this interesting conversation and wish your 83rd Spring will always be fresh and bustling.
Poet Hien Mac Chat was born on December 19, 1942 in Viet Long commune, Da Phuc district, Phuc Yen province, now Soc Son district, Hanoi city. He has published the following poetry collections: Moon of sixteen (Ethnic Culture Publishing House, 1991); Wild forest (Literature Publishing House, 1993); Mac nhien (Writers Association Publishing House, 2005); Men rung (Writers Association Publishing House, 2006). In addition, he has many poems successfully set to music, such as: The Beauty of Thai Nguyen (music by Cao Khac Thuy); Hoa barringtonia flower of Hoan Kiem lake, Phu Dinh moon (music by Doan Nho); Moon returns to the street, Tan Cuong love song (music by Le May); Mountain girl offers tea (music by Hoang Chi Binh)... |
Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/van-hoa/202502/nha-tho-hien-mac-chat-dat-che-nuoi-duong-tieng-tho-toi-19c1d00/
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