Autumn afternoon in my hometown stirs my mind

AUTUMN AFTERNOON IN MY HOMETOWN

Afternoon sunlight thin thread
Dragonfly sewing leaves in the garden
Banana flowers fall like embers
The earth and sky are perfumed with incense.

The bird hides the afternoon in its wings
When to drop the song
Dusk to dusk
Water hyacinth chirped around the pond.

Cool river of childhood
Splashing water wet laughter
The cow was busy grazing.
The kite sings and plays.

Rice fields run shoulder to shoulder
Coconut holds the wind through the fingers
Where are the clouds hiding?
Afternoon worry to purple face!

Space dives into the pen
Baby sitting sketching autumn
Homeland appears boldly
Afternoon vibration of the mind.
TRUONG NAM HUONG

Written for children, Truong Nam Huong's poems are imprinted with distant blue horizons imbued with memories. Each poetic work is often a painting of nature that is peaceful, pure and filled with innocent emotions. Thanks to that, many of his poems are taught in public schools and are loved and warmly welcomed by young readers. The poem "Autumn afternoon in my hometown" creates a picture of a peaceful, quiet afternoon in the countryside, while spreading deep, sweet "spiritual vibrations" before the poetic autumn.

Indeed, with 5 stanzas throughout the work, only the last stanza talks about the feelings of a child sitting alone sketching a picture of an autumn afternoon in his hometown, the remaining 4 stanzas mainly describe the autumn scenery in a gentle and delicate poetic language. Each stanza is a perspective from a beautiful and peaceful autumn afternoon picture, hiding in it so many loving and emotional feelings of the author.

First of all, the autumn signal in the opening stanza is described by Truong Nam Huong through many different objects, but very characteristic and evocative of the gentle, quiet autumn afternoon picture. The afternoon sunlight is fragile, the dragonfly gently "sewing leaves in the garden", the banana flower falls a red streak like a fire ember. Everything becomes fragrant as if the sky and earth are soaked in a charming, enchanting scent: "The afternoon sunlight is fragile/The dragonfly sews leaves in the garden/The banana flower falls like a fire ember/The sky and earth are soaked in fragrance".

If in the first stanza the poet focuses on describing the autumn afternoon through the feelings from the close, familiar garden, then in the remaining stanzas, the space is expanded higher and more airy. It is still a peaceful, quiet autumn afternoon, but the beauty focuses on the image of "the bird hiding the afternoon in its wings", accidentally letting its chirping sound fall in the deep space. Even more beautiful is the scene of water hyacinths floating "chirping" on the bridge and the cool river, the games of mischievous childhood. The interesting thing here is that the author feels autumn with all of his very sensitive senses with extremely sophisticated vibrations through the unique personification: "The bird hiding the afternoon in its wings/When will it let its chirping sound fall/ The water hyacinths chirping on the bridge and the cool river of childhood/The water splashing wet with laughter/ The kites singing and playing".

More interestingly, the reader realizes that each object here seems to have a soul, an emotion, and is transformed into a playful scene of a funny fairy age. Thanks to that, just from the picture of the autumn afternoon landscape, we still seem to hear the sacred feelings and emotions of people before the scenery of their homeland.

In the fourth stanza, the picture of the autumn afternoon appears through the image of the rice fields "running shoulder to shoulder", "the coconuts holding the wind through their fingers". So funny and cute, through the eyes of Truong Nam Huong, the rice and coconuts are also mischievous and innocent like children, also "holding shoulders", "holding the wind" to play between the vast sky and earth. Thanks to that, the personification here really brings out the artistic effect, making inanimate objects seem to have souls, with pure and innocent actions that are very memorable: "The rice fields run shoulder to shoulder/The coconuts hold the wind through their fingers/Where are the clouds hiding/The afternoon makes my face purple with worry!".

The autumn space through the four stanzas above with many scenes bearing the beauty of the peaceful, soulful Vietnamese countryside. From the golden afternoon sunlight, the blue river, floating water hyacinth, ripe rice fields..., all turn into a beautiful picture "diving into the pen" of the child who is passionately sketching the autumn afternoon "touching the heart". Indeed, how can one not be moved, not be moved when the autumn scenery is so stunningly beautiful, deeply penetrating the soul of a child: "The space dives into the pen/The child sits sketching autumn/The homeland appears clearly/The afternoon touches the heart".

"Autumn afternoon in my hometown" is a very beautiful poem by author Truong Nam Huong. Through the poetic and peaceful autumn picture, the poet has nurtured in each of us a passionate love for our homeland and country. No matter where we go in the future, the memories of our childhood and the beauty of the old countryside will still "appear vividly", still "touch our hearts" and make our hearts flutter when we remember.