Echoes of historic Ba Dinh

WHITE CLOUDS OF BA DINH

The clouds still float like that, this May
Nghia Linh clouds once reflected Uncle Ho's shadow
“The Hung Kings had the merit of building the country”...
The heart of the Union still remembers Uncle Ho forever.

The clouds still float like that, under the sky
When Cong Uan moved the capital, Nhan Tong meditated under the bamboo shade.
When Nguyen Trai wrote Binh Ngo and Quang Trung defeated the enemy
When Uncle Ho read the Declaration...

The clouds still fly like that with the Red River
The river is red with alluvium from the soil.
Like the waves of the ocean, His heart is still awake
In millions of hearts beating under the bamboo fence of the village.

In the group of people from the North-Central-South countryside
Coming to Uncle Ho, my heart is so peaceful
The sacred simplicity, the historical normality...
The clouds still float like that, this May!

NGUYEN SI DAI

Looking forward to National Day September 2nd, there is a historical place that everyone looks towards: Ba Dinh Square - where beloved Uncle Ho read the Declaration of Independence, giving birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. 79 years have passed, Uncle Ho's words that day are still passionate in the hearts of every Vietnamese citizen with so many sacred feelings.

Poet Nguyen Si Dai worked for Nhan Dan newspaper for many years, so when thinking about important events of the country, he often associated them with the origin and tradition of the nation. The poem “Ba Dinh White Clouds” is associated with important events of the country and is expressed through a rich source of emotions.

"The clouds still float like that, this May."The verse evokes the years when the country had many changes. The image of “white clouds” in the vast sky shows the author’s pride in being a citizen of Vietnam. “Ba Dinh White Clouds” is reflected from many different angles, levels, and spaces. That is:“Nghia Linh clouds once reflected Uncle Ho's shadow/The Hung Kings had the merit of building the country”. Uncle Ho's famous advice to the Vanguard Army before returning to liberate the capital, where the historic Ba Dinh Square is located, is placed in a very reasonable and creative context.

Each verse is linked together like a red thread throughout telling a historical story from the past, present and towards the future. That is the emotional axis, the poet's special field of association. Chorus"The clouds still float like that"is an initiative, an affirmation, a belief, a resonant inspiration to lead us back to the golden pages of the country's history. The author writes these hearty verses:“When Cong Uan moved the capital, Nhan Tong meditated under the bamboo shade/When Nguyen Trai wrote Binh Ngo and Quang Trung defeated the enemy.”Especially"The time when Uncle Ho read the Declaration with great joy"further clarifying the heroic nature of the poem.

From historical admiration, the poet has brought us back to nature, the country, to what is closest, most familiar and most lasting. Another source from the ecosystem has nurtured the stature and soul of the Vietnamese people. A generalization:“The clouds still float like that with the Red River/The river is red with alluvium from the soil”come to the bamboo fence of the village, which has been familiar for generations and is closely associated with the land of the Fatherland. Above all, it is the heartbeat of the beloved leader of the nation:“Like the ocean waves, His heart is still awake/Among millions of hearts beating under the bamboo fences of the village”Reading this, I suddenly remembered a verse by poet Viet Phuong when he wrote about President Ho Chi Minh:"Thousands of love cover the whole homeland"These days we miss Uncle Ho even more and it is the "White Clouds of Ba Dinh" that is the backdrop that elevates Uncle Ho's image in the midst of the Fatherland's sky and earth, like a halo of light with so many sacred and affectionate feelings.

The last verse is an open ending, complete with a profound humanistic meaning when summarizing:“Sacred simplicity, historical normality.”This is also an affirmation, a belief, an orientation, a noble pride when looking towards Ba Dinh on the great historical day of September 2.