Nature, Life and People of Hue in Nguyen Khoa Diem's Poetry.

As mentioned above, the land of Thuan Hoa - Phu Xuan - Hue has a rich cultural tradition. And literature is a visible aspect of culture that has left behind pages of life, pages of poetry that sparkle with answers to human and worldly issues of the people and this land. In that cultural flow, literature - especially poetry - plays an important role in reflecting the times and people in a specific way through the subjective lens of the author, creating a specific, unique spiritual and real world that can connect the past with the present and the present with the future.

The ancient capital of Hue in particular and the culturally rich and charming Central region are the cradles of many national poetic souls. That land has become the great cultural center of the country, the place where Mrs. Huyen Thanh Quan was deeply moved by the "heartbreaking nostalgia " of her, where Nguyen Du nurtured his heavy-hearted poems - The Tale of Kieu , the place where the great leader with the soul of a poet, Ho Chi Minh, was born..., and in the 20th century, it gave birth to and gathered bright cultural stars: Hai Trieu, Hoai Thanh, Xuan Dieu, Huy Can, Han Mac Tu, Che Lan Vien, Luu Trong Lu... and especially To Huu - the leading flag of Revolutionary poetry. The Central region, under the dry gravel and rocks, is a cool source of water that has nurtured many generations of writers throughout a long historical period.

Nguyen Khoa Diem was fortunate to be born and raised in that land. It is the deep Hue character, the passionate, dreamy, colorful soul of Hue that created the lyrical and profound poetry of Nguyen Khoa Diem, harmonizing intelligence and emotion. The ancient city of Hue, located on the Huong River, has been associated with many childhood memories of Nguyen Khoa Diem, and during the years of fighting on the Tri Thien - Hue battlefield, it has become a source of inspiration and poetic material for Nguyen Khoa Diem. Hue has entered Nguyen Khoa Diem's poetry from the poor suburbs to the majestic and ancient boulevards, from the Huong River to the roads lined with royal poinciana trees. Hue is mother, sister, younger sister, friend and comrade in sleepless nights , days on the streets . It is a gentle, discreet, yet profound lyricism like sweet whispers imbued with the traditional and cultural colors of Hue.

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Nguyen Khoa Diem was born on April 15, 1943 in Uu Diem village, Phong Hoa commune, Phong Dien district, Thua Thien - Hue province, in a "noble and prestigious" family with a tradition of patriotism and studiousness. The Nguyen Khoa family originally came from Hai Duong, and moved to Hue during the Nguyen Khoa Dang generation. Nguyen Khoa Dang was a talented mandarin who was known for his ability to pacify the people, and he was also the ancestor of the Nguyen Khoa family in the capital, of which Nguyen Khoa Diem was a fourth-generation descendant. Nguyen Khoa Diem's paternal grandfather used to be a mandarin, then followed the Can Vuong movement and retired. Nguyen Khoa Diem's paternal grandfather was a patriotic Confucian scholar who was elected to the Central House of Representatives, with Huynh Thuc Khang as its President. Nguyen Khoa Diem's paternal grandmother was poetess Dam Phuong, granddaughter of King Minh Mang. Although she was a member of the royal family, she had a progressive patriotic spirit, and was the author of many books and articles defending the rights of women and children at that time. Nguyen Khoa Diem's father was Nguyen Khoa Van, aka Hai Trieu, a revolutionary soldier, an excellent Marxist cultural theorist who fought and sacrificed for the revolution until his last breath. Hai Trieu's greatest contribution to the field of literary theory and philosophy was through two famous debates on Idealism or Materialism and Art for Art's Sake or Art for Life's Sake during the 1930s - a decade of pivotal significance for the Vietnamese revolution. During this struggle, Hai Trieu had the merit of spreading Marxist ideology and viewpoints in the public press, becoming a shining name in the Vietnamese literary world in the 1930s.

Born into a cultured family with a strong sense of patriotism, Nguyen Khoa Diem could not help but inherit the superior qualities of his family in terms of patriotism, revolution and cultural tradition. But these are not the decisive factors that make up his talent and success. It is the experience of life on the battlefield, sharing with the people the hardships, pain and loss that opens up a rich reality before the poet's eyes. Nguyen Khoa Diem's poetic career did not start from

The writing room that sprouted and bore fruit right at the forefront of the battle. Living fully in reality, deeply moved by life and developing his latent strengths, Nguyen Khoa Diem left his name in the national poetry.

The depth of traditional culture and profound philosophical knowledge with strong associations drawn from real life are two factors that make up the poetic face of Nguyen Khoa Diem. Explaining this, he affirmed: the relationship between culture and poetry is a flesh-and-blood relationship, especially in the time when the enemy wanted to destroy us culturally: " In that atmosphere filled with the smell of gunpowder, between the border between life and death, I wanted to put into the poem the most cultural images of my homeland". [11, p.124]. Born and attached to the ancient capital, with the Huong River as the cradle of Hue culture, and witnessing many historical ups and downs in the sacred land, Nguyen Khoa Diem clearly felt the influence of Hue culture in poetry: " I often see Hue in a gloomy appearance. The ancient moss there all have a gloomy and sad look... Hue also once had a "scorched earth resistance", and Hue Mau Than was terribly devastated by bombs. The nostalgic fate of the Hue people has made this land depressed. People always live with spiritual depth. Perhaps that is why many poets who met Hue have left behind beautiful, magical and profound poems... Hue's beauty and hardship always haunt me".

Born and raised in a land rich in cultural values, Nguyen Khoa Diem's poetry is imbued with the soul of Hue. Because he is imbued with the folk culture of his birthplace, when generalizing about the Country, Nguyen Khoa Diem immediately thinks of the popular folk songs of the land:

Land is where "the phoenix flies to the silver mountain" Water is where "the fish claws the ocean water".

(Road of Desire).

The pain and resentment of the days when Hue was still groaning under the enemy's feet, the lyrical folk song also broke the pain:

In front of Van Lau wharf

How many times my mother sang the folk song.

There are also the verses of " Mrs. Doi's poem", the story of Mr. Trau and the old castles gradually sinking into the green leaves covering the doors on the sad street, then:

Night after night, light a fire

Tell me the story of the village head and the broker...

(Suburban land)

There are also folk games associated with Hue land, sparkling with colors in Gia Lac market:

The seven-colored clay chicken Lives on the breath of children Bravely calling for spring

The golden sun sparkles over Gia Lac market.

(The chicken, the trumpet and the gun).

The poetic Huong River has been a historical witness of the capital for generations, and is a river of gratitude to many famous people:

Grateful to the river that builds a majestic sword In the mind of a rebel poet

Cao Ba Quat fell on the battlefield. A hundred years later, the river still shines with the color of swords.

(Road of Desire)

And closer is the Proclamation to support the king during the days when the King needed to fight the French:

Passing through the Imperial City, my fathers called my name in the muzzles of cannons.

The King's Proclamation still resounds through the nine gates. The beauty of a thousand years ago permeates every page of history.

(Suburban land)

It is also the land of the days when the young Nguyen Sinh Cung followed his father to Hue to study:

Which class did you come to sit here? The silent autumn leaves fell

As if buried deep in the sky of the country

Down the river sobbing the song of Nam Ai.

(Where Uncle Ho used to go)

These are also the familiar Hue streets associated with the names of national heroes and celebrities. Not simply street names, their names have revived the heroic tradition in the days when Hue was seething with fighting on the streets:

Tran Hung Dao rested on Phan Boi Chau Phan Boi Chau joined hands with Huynh Thuc Khang Crossing the bridge is Chi Lang, Nguyen Du

Entering the Imperial City were Mai Thuc Loan and Doan Thi Diem.

... The poet holds the hero's hand.

(Road of Desire)

Hue culture is partly closely linked to the Huong River, so the fishing villages along the river become a haunting culture:

The poor people come here

like clam shells that wash up on the docks in the afternoon.

(Suburban land)

Nguyen Khoa Diem's family lived in Vi Da area. Every time he passed by Dap Da wharf, he witnessed the lives of fishermen drifting on the river: "Oh, the lives gradually eroded by the water that flows into Dap Da every year." And from the story of the culture of the river wharf and sandbank, the author immediately thought of his mother, of the mother's teachings to her children that originated from the need for fresh water on the corn fields near Vi Da village:

Salt water rises and the rice withers on the sandbank.

Mom always told me to "trade soft drinks" and not "sell water".

(Suburban land)

Implicit in that teaching is a lesson about love of country, loyalty and purity.

Most of the themes in Nguyen Khoa Diem's poetry are drawn from the land of Hue, the suburbs of Hue and the "extended suburbs" of the Tri Thien battlefield. Nguyen Khoa Diem was aware of that, and vice versa, it came to him naturally. Nguyen Khoa Diem was born there, grew up there, fought there and returned to live there. Hue's history, Hue's culture, the breath of daily life of the ancient capital permeated his blood and his emotions about Hue were filled with poetry. This was an important part of creating the unique character of Nguyen Khoa Diem's poetry.

2.2.Nature, life and people of Hue in Nguyen Khoa Diem's poetry.

The nature and people of Hue have long been a rich source of inspiration for poetry. Some people have exaggerated a bit when saying that every Hue person is a poet, but it seems that it is not completely unfounded. It is natural to be inspired by the scene. Many literati and some cultural figures have been raised, trained and come from this land. Their intelligence and souls have been molded and refined to become quite a few outstanding figures whose names have resounded far and wide.

The great poet Nguyen Du was once inspired by the moon on the Perfume River “Huong giang nhat phien nguyet / Kim co hu da sau ” (The Perfume River is a strip of moon zither / From ancient times until now, it is extremely deep with sorrow). When the New Poetry movement began to resonate, Hue was the land where poets Xuan Dieu, Huy Can, Han Mac Tu, Luu Trong Lu, Te Hanh... expressed their poetic talent and affirmed their names in the literary world. Hue is the hometown of poets To Huu, Thanh Tinh, Hoang Phu Ngoc Tuong, Nguyen Khoa Diem, Lam Thi My Da... Poetry was as natural as the air, like the green trees along the road, blending its flow into the source of Hue culture.

2.2.1.Nature of the Perfume River and Ngu Mountain region

The nature in Hue is a priceless gift that nature has bestowed upon mankind. This “green mountains and blue waters” region has become an increasingly prosperous settlement; and by the 20th century, Hue was entrusted with the role of the largest political and cultural center in Vietnam. The nature, architecture and people of Hue exist as a unique cultural heritage complex, of national and international value.

This area has most of the natural geographical elements such as forests, hills, plains, rivers, lagoons, seas... in which, Huong River and Ngu Mountain, forever like a pair of lovers, have played important roles in architecture and people. Its poetic and lyrical beauty is one of the decisive factors for the establishment and sublimation of this ancient city.

In Hue, the terrain is not as majestic and vast as in the North, the South and many other regions in the world. The plains here are relatively narrow, surrounded by green mountains, in the middle there is a green river winding softly in the heart of the city. The mountains are not as high as Thai Son to overwhelm the viewer. The river is not as long and wide as Hoang Ha so that the relationship in daily life between the two banks must be separated. In many places, the river and the mountain are close together, creating ink paintings. The Huong River is peaceful and clear like a mirror reflecting the surrounding scenery. A poet wrote: " The river

The river lingers, not flowing/ The river flows into the heart, so Hue is very deep” . Ngu Mountain is solemn and silent like the appearance of a sage. The poetic natural scenery appears in a somber appearance, a pure classical Oriental space.

According to the explanation of Hoang Phu Ngoc Tuong

“Perhaps nature has played a certain, very important role, in the synthesis of what one can call “Hue identity”. Because nature always expresses consistently between the eternal and the changing, between the dynamic and the static. It seems that when building their city, Hue people did not express the desire to control nature in the way of the Greeks and Romans, but only sought to organize nature into a “cultured person” so that it could participate harmoniously in human life, both outside and inside. Growing up in Hue, there was never a time when I did not feel that this city was like my intimate garden. There, I could think with lotus flowers, aspire with royal poinciana flowers, dream with the deep scent of magnolia flowers at night, and when the city was splendid in the yellow apricot blossoms of spring, I don’t know why I felt a great admiration for life awakened in my heart”.

The outside affects the inside, this is a rule. The beautiful, green and peaceful natural environment has influenced the soul and intelligence of the residents living in it. Everyone's heart is moved when standing before the beautiful landscapes. Aesthetic emotions have been elevated by intelligence to art, and the most brilliant art form is poetry.

The natural landscape of this land has been mentioned in the poems and writings of many poets and writers from all over the country. As a son of the Perfume River and Ngu Mountain, Nguyen Khoa Diem seems to have felt that being born and raised in this homeland is an honor:

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