Pham Quynh Nhu - poet of the countryside and children

The asphalt road leading to Tran Phu village spreads out a peaceful countryside picture under the new sunshine. Poet Quynh Nhu's house is located at the end of the village, surrounded by fields and gardens on all four sides. The four seasons of nature and the rhythm of life of the homeland's land have breathed into his poetry, creating an abundant source of poetic material for him to create a rather rich "heritage" of poetry.

Pham Quynh Nhu - poet of the countryside and children.

Pham Quynh Nhu was born on September 14, 1947. In 1965, he joined the youth volunteer force against the US, working in the Cargo Team managed by the Ministry of Transport. In October 1967, he was sent to study at the University of Transport, majoring in railway bridges. After graduating, he was assigned to work at Workshop B19, Department of Construction I, Ministry of Transport, in charge of constructing the railway bridge connecting the two districts of Hung Nguyen (Nghe An) and Duc Tho (Ha Tinh). During these years, Quynh Nhu had a "fate" with poetry. The first verses he wrote were memories of his hometown and family. Since 1995, after retiring, returning to the house and the familiar countryside space that he had been attached to since childhood, Quynh Nhu has truly become a professional poet.

His poems are imbued with the atmosphere of the countryside. It is the sound of the fields and soil of his homeland that has echoed for thousands of years, the image of farmers working hard in the sun and rain, the growth and circulation of rice grains and potatoes, fields, stubble, the moon, drops of sunlight, rain, the sound of roosters crowing, the sound of waves murmuring in the distant sea... All of these have seeped into his blood and flesh. The fields and soil of his homeland enter his poems naturally and honestly, very beautiful and evocative, full of emotions. The image of the mother and the rice plants is perhaps the most typical in Quynh Nhu's poems about the countryside:

"Mother planted the rice seedlings in the mud

Stick your worries into the ground

The seedlings grow straight up.

Mother's back is more bent

Mother plants in the rain - her chin touches the waves

One hundred days of waiting for the rice to ripen

One hundred nights of restless sleep"

(Harvest)

Mother collects the field

By the first moon of the month

Share half the worries

Sleeping with the seeds in the pot

Mother hides drought and flood in her sunken eyes

(Walk with the moon)

Quynh Nhu confided: “My mother was a farmer, my father was a silversmith. Later, my wife and I also took on farmland. After ten years of plowing and planting like real farmers, I understood the hardships of farmers, and it was easy to draw images of farmers in poetry. My house is near the sea, so my inspiration for poetry about the sea is also abundant. The collection “Thirst for the Boat” has many poems about the sea for that reason. Later, I had the opportunity to travel to many rural areas in the province, the scope of topics was wide open, but I still liked to write about my hometown the most.”

After decades of being attached to poetry and her beloved homeland, Quynh Nhu's inspiration has never run dry.

When talking about Quynh Nhu's poetry, we cannot help but mention the children's theme in which he has been very successful, receiving many prestigious awards. It seems that the open-minded, pure soul of a rustic poet has helped him to have a strange sympathy with children. He can blend into the joys, thoughts, wishes, desires, and hearts of children, rejoice together before the autumn moon, listen to the sounds of nature, the earth and sky in their perception to write 4 collections of children's poetry.

The children's poetry drama won the encouragement prize of the Vietnam Union of Literature and Arts Associations, staged and broadcast on Ha Tinh Radio and Television Station (now Ha Tinh Newspaper). The collection "Earth and Sky" (also known as "Earth Shirt, Sky Shirt") won the Writers' Association Award in 2023. Notably, the poem "Grandma" (printed in the collection "Heaven and Earth") was included in the book "35 Practice Tests for Vietnamese 4" (Volume 2) published by the Education Publishing House in 2024. The poem has many unique images to depict the image of a grandmother with strong Vietnamese cultural features:

"My grandmother is over eighty years old.

During the day, I fear the sun, at night I fear the moon.

Hair like flowers of time

Floating white hair pinned across the head

Sadness and joy are sent in a piece of betel.

Smile covers all the colors of sun and rain

Summer noon swinging hammock

The lullaby is deep and low, the storks' wings are sparse...".

At 78 years old, having devoted decades to poetry and his beloved homeland, Quynh Nhu's inspiration has never run out. He has completed the manuscripts of three new poetry collections, which he plans to publish in the near future. In addition, as the Head of the Thach Ha District Literature and Arts Association (under the Ha Tinh Literature and Arts Association), he always tries to organize meetings, share and discuss literature and art with members in the area.

Amidst the hustle and bustle of life, finding the verses of Quynh Nhu, we feel light when touching the strings of the homeland's music, filled with faith and love for life:

"The dawn broadens the vision

Endless fields

Vast sky and sea

The poems come like a bunch of fragrant fruit

Fall at my feet…

Hopefully the "fragrant fruit clusters" of poetry will continue to "fall" on the pure, sincere, and gentle soul of poet Pham Quynh Nhu.

Quynh Nhu has 6 published poetry and poetic drama collections: "Tieng dong" (1999), "Qua trong vuon" (children's poetry, 2004), "Nhinh con thuyen" (2006), "Sac mau thien nhien" (children's poetry, 2019), "Pha ban Trung thu" (children's poetry drama, 2023), "Tro va dat" (children's poetry, 2023). Of which, the collections "Tieng dong" and "Sac mau thien nhien" won the Nguyen Du Literature and Arts Award - Ha Tinh Provincial People's Committee, the collection "Pha ban Trung thu" won the encouragement prize in the poetry contest for children of the Vietnam Union of Literature and Arts Associations. The collection "Tro va dat" won the award of the Vietnam Writers Association in 2023.

With this considerable poetic "fortune", in 2024, he became a member of the Vietnam Writers Association, specializing in poetry.

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/pham-quynh-nhu-thi-si-cua-dong-que-va-tre-nho-post285839.html