One afternoon on the last day of April

(QBĐT) - On the last afternoon of April

Soldiers suddenly have the same age

Young and old faces are all dark with smoke

The sun reflects the color of the road passing by

Magnificent building

Down before the eyes of the mountaineer

How many ditches of water imprison the darkness

Suddenly the flags are filled with tears

That day Saigon made the dream come true

Many old fantasies before the street disappeared

Green summer the soldiers come

Suddenly the river surface and the wind changed seasons

That day was filled with so many innocent desires

Forget the weight of the backpack just taken off

Just absentmindedly looking at the burning royal poinciana flowers

Soul flies with colored balls

How many years have passed, I've stepped back and looked at it for a long time

Sometimes I laugh at the picture of me that day.

No more lost at crossroads

But I know I have not yet understood the depths of the canyon.

Which soldier is walking quickly?

Or the surprised look of friends that day

Let us have Saigon from there

One afternoon on the last day of April.

Illustration: Minh Quy.

Comment:

50 years have passed, but the echoes of the great spring victory of April 30th still reverberate with memories, recollections, images, and passionate emotions expressed by artists and writers through their works in many rich and diverse genres. The information soldier and poet Nguyen Thuy Kha chose the last noon of April 30th to express his feelings, to think and contemplate from that precious time frame with the posture and emotions of a soldier who liberated Saigon.

The poem is like a slow-motion film, sometimes close-up, sometimes panoramic, and from there the soldier's soul is spread with sympathy. The poet is right when he discovers quite subtly with a sense of community resonance "On a noon of the last day of April/The soldiers suddenly have the same age". That age blends with the joy of national reunification - the age of a country in complete peace, the age of the victor. That is when: "Young and old, their faces are all dark with smoke". The gun smoke has made them not distinguish their age, having just gone through a long journey of fierce war, of: "The sun reflects the color of the passing inches of road". The soul lens of the soldier poet shines through the space of the streets and suddenly realizes: "So many majestic highways/Lower down before the eyes of those descending the mountains". This is a visual comparison of the dignified posture of the soldier from the forests to the majestic dark forces of the enemy.

But it is subtle and profound when the poet realizes: "Many canals and streams imprisoned in darkness/Suddenly filled with tears printed with flags". The verse is full of sobs, the mood is full of surprises because "tears" overflow with joy in victory. Victory is the starry flag coming to every small alley, to every human being imprisoned in darkness. The light color of the flags is the beautiful return of the heroic victory song. And at that moment, the leisurely and liberal moment of the gentle wind, the wind of freedom: "The green summer, the soldiers come/Suddenly the river surface, the wind changes seasons" made: "That day Saigon made the dream come true again".

Strangely, the poem is written about the noon of April 30th but there are no echoes of gunfire, and even less fierce battles, but here it opens up the vastness, the sincerity, the simplicity in the greatness of the glory of victory. That is the unique idea of ​​the poet. A truly pure innocence: "Forgetting the heaviness of the backpack just taken off/Just absent-mindedly wondering about the color of the burning royal poinciana flowers/The soul flies with the colored balloons". This is the final chord that resonates with the beauty of the soul of the liberation soldier. Going to battle, he brought with him both the memories of his students and the color of the burning royal poinciana flowers in the green summer. The colored balloons lifted the soul of the young soldier. Peace came in a very primitive and simple way, all the echoes of the war receded behind to give way to the open soul to welcome the joy of unification.

That afternoon of April 30th, there was not only the surge of victory but also many complicated things to do when the soldier poet realized: "No longer lost at the five-way or seven-way intersection/But knew he had not yet penetrated the deep alleys". It can be said that poet Nguyen Thuy Kha used many contrasting images of urban space to talk about the depth of his contemplation. A soldier in the jubilant atmosphere of victory day still did not lose his vigilance to protect peace and overcome himself before the temptations of everyday life.

The last verse is like a soldier's move to rise up with a dignified and dignified posture, a portrait of a victor entering a new war to protect the newly regained achievements of peace and unity: "Which soldier is rushing to where?" is a question and that is also the answer: "Let us have Saigon from then on". Saigon on April 30, Saigon, the city named after beloved Uncle Ho in the spring of great victory.

Nguyen Ngoc Phu

Source: https://baoquangbinh.vn/van-hoa/202504/tho-chon-loi-binh-vao-mot-trua-ngay-cuoi-cung-thang-tu-2225602/