About Phong Chau

The road between green mountains and water

The sound of the stream flowing around Hung Temple

I come from far away Central Vietnam

Incense sticks return to the mountains and rivers in time

Thousand years of worn stone steps

Even though the wind still rustles

Front and back garden paths

The green shirt blends in with the green of the trees.

People go down the mountain today

The wind blew the dust on the way up the carriage.

Fragrant garden leaves and fragrant sticky rice

Your shirt is wet with dew drops on the path

Looking up at a round sky

Down there, is the land still square?

Lang Lieu finished harvesting.

Come up to the Upper Temple, come up with me

Chicken call - a ray of noon sunshine

Suddenly a rain washed the temple

Peace all around

Mixed in the fragrance of the midlands

Four thousand years to now

The country flies under a yellow flag with stars

I come back to worship Phong Chau land

Crossing high mountains, crossing deep rivers on the day of return.

LE THANH NGHI

• Comment:

Poets when writing about Hung Temple, about Phong Chau land often exploit the sediment of historical legends of the legendary land that has left its mark on time. Military poet Le Thanh Nghi chose for himself the verse "About Phong Chau" with a slow, contemplative, simple but profound six-eight rhythm, evoking many affectionate associations. A little quiet, a little wistful, a little nostalgic in the solemn space of Hung Temple, of Phong Chau land.

Poet Nguyen Khoa Diem has a very good verse in the chapter "Country" of the long poem "Aspiration Road": "Every year, wherever I eat or work, I still know how to bow my head to remember the anniversary of my ancestors". Here, poet Le Thanh Nghi: "I come from far away in the Central region/ I stick my incense in time to return to the country"; to: "The endless sound of the stream around Hung Temple". Starting from the sound of the stream like an echo of the source, the clear, blue stream flowing from the past to the present. That source of emotion from the sound of the stream and the scent of incense creates a mental space for the soldier poet: "The green color of the shirt blends into the green color of the trees" to step up: "Thousand years of worn stone steps/ Even though the wind has stopped, the pine trees still rustle". This is the sound in people's hearts, in the sound, the echo of history. Good poetry opens up many dimensions of mood. The poet is very delicate when choosing for himself a separate angle to observe, to think, to contemplate. That angle is like a miniature lens of the soul: "People return to the foot of the mountain today/ The path to the horse carriage is blown by the wind and dust". The bustling and exciting sound of people returning to the Hung Temple festival lingers with the fragrance of "Fragrant garden leaves of sticky rice". We are reminded of the image of a poet who compared the midland hills of the land of the Hung Kings to raspberries offered to the sky and earth - a fertile land of the wet rice civilization. Suddenly we encounter the beauty of a village girl: "Her shirt is wet with dew drops on the path" youthful, pure and clear, brightening and rejuvenating the whole Phong Chau land with a rich historical sediment.

It is the aroma of sticky rice from the fields and gardens that reminds us of the legend of banh chung, banh day, round sky and square earth. A sense of calm when: "Looking up at a round sky/ Down there, is the earth still square?" like a self-questioning question. A flutter, a nostalgia, a Phong Chau echoes back to many echoes through the changes of time, through the ups and downs of history. Just one question alone stirs the heart when standing before the solemn silence of Hung Temple of the Ancestral Land. How vivid it is when the poet joins in: "Lang Lieu has finished harvesting/ Come up to the Upper Temple, come up with me". That beauty of labor reminds us of the "thầm thập" sound of the rice pounding pestle of a place name in Phong Chau.

In the poem “Returning to Phong Chau”, the poet used the technique of brushwork to draw Phong Chau like a watercolor painting imbued with the soul of the countryside: “The sound of chickens - a ray of midday sunlight / Suddenly made a rain wash the temple”. This is a seemingly absurd verse but is very reasonable with the poet’s feelings. A rain in the mind brings a pristine purity, washing away the dust of everyday life and bringing back “The vast peace on all sides / Mixed with the fragrance of the midlands”. The fragrance comes from the faint scent of incense, the fragrance of sticky rice and the fragrance of the people and the country from all over the country to the land of the Hung Kings.

The last stanza has a fleeting but very beautiful image: "Four thousand years until now/ The country flies under a yellow flag with a star" reminds us of the day of national reunification on April 30, the country is united under a star flag, which is the exact time the poet wrote this poem after 1975 when: "I return to worship Phong Chau land/ Crossing high mountains, crossing deep rivers on the day of return". The soldier poet has gone through a historical journey through many battlefields to visit Phong Chau land again after the day of national reunification with many contemplations and sacred respect.

Source: http://baolamdong.vn/van-hoa-nghe-thuat/202504/ve-phong-chau-a8b32a8/