Poet Tran Dang Khoa and poems written on the day Uncle Ho passed away

Every year, when the National Day, September 2nd, comes, we cannot help but remember President Ho Chi Minh - the one who read the Declaration of Independence, giving birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. And then on that very day, Uncle Ho passed away forever, leaving us with endless sorrow.

In the memory of poet Tran Dang Khoa, Uncle Ho is always a special person. And not only for him, but for all children of his generation, they all share the same love and respect.

He said that for the children of his generation, Uncle Ho was like a grandfather, an uncle, a relative. Every time they did a good deed, his fellow students would write letters to Uncle Ho to boast. There was even a child who was unjustly scolded by his parents who wrote letters to "tell" on Uncle Ho.

"Respectfully offering Uncle Ho my first collection of poems"

In 1968, to celebrate Uncle Ho's 78th birthday, Tran Dang Khoa school launched a movement to write letters to Uncle Ho, reporting good work achievements to him. The whole class wrote non-stop. So many good deeds such as: raising healthy cows, bathing buffaloes, picking up lost items and returning them to their owners, bringing camouflage leaves to the battlefield for soldiers, helping families of war invalids and martyrs, helping families with members on distant battlefields...

As for Tran Dang Khoa, he had no achievements. He honestly told his teacher: "I have nothing worthy to report to Uncle Ho." The teacher said: "You won first prize in the Northern Literature Competition for Excellent Students, and you also know how to write poetry. That is an achievement, why do you think you have "nothing". Please copy the poems you like and present them to Uncle Ho!"

And so Tran Dang Khoa copied out 20 lessons, handwriting carefully and neatly. Khoa made an envelope and gave it to the teacher, who sent it to Tran Dang Khoa. He said that he did not know the specific address of Uncle Ho, but only knew that the address was like this: "To beloved Uncle Ho, address: Hanoi".

Later, through Ms. Le Thu Tra, Vice President of the Central Committee for Children and Youth, she visited Tran Dang Khoa's house many times and told him that the poetry collection had reached Uncle Ho. Uncle read it and praised that Khoa's poems had meaning.

The collection of poems Tran Dang Khoa dedicated to Uncle Ho that day has been kept in the Ho Chi Minh Museum. In 1990, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Uncle Ho's birth, the Ho Chi Minh Museum cooperated with the Education Publishing House to print this collection of poems in both Vietnamese and English. The Vietnamese part is the original handwritten copy by Tran Dang Khoa in 1968 and the English part is a translation by three famous American poets, Frest Machant, Lady Boston and Nguyen Ba Chung.

Be a good nephew of Uncle Ho first and then become a poet.

On May 30, 1969, Tran Dang Khoa visited Hanoi for the first time with teachers and students of Quoc Tuan Primary School. Ms. Le Thu Tra reported to Uncle Ho that Khoa was in Hanoi. Uncle Ho wanted Khoa to come and see him on June 1, but for many objective reasons, the meeting did not come true.

Perhaps because he sympathized with Khoa's feelings, comrade Truong Chinh (poet Song Hong) asked Ms. Le Thu Tra to take Khoa to meet him at the Party Central Committee headquarters and then poet To Huu also let Tran Dang Khoa meet at his home. Khoa remembered most what uncle To Huu said: "Try to study well, be a good child of Uncle Ho first and then become a poet". For Tran Dang Khoa, that was a very profound teaching.

On that occasion, Tran Dang Khoa wrote a poem about Uncle Ho's House that, until now, we still find moving when reading it.

THE SKY IS VERY BRIGHT TODAY

“Uncle! I'm here!

Ba Dinh is full of red phoenix flowers and cicada sounds

I hear Hanoi in summer

Hoan Kiem Lake with blue water and fresh flowers all around

Next year Uncle Ho will be eighty.

Doctor! How are you feeling?

Every day we wish

Uncle happy, uncle healthy makes me happy

He worried all his life.

Let us have fun every day

The sky is so bright today

I looked at the tiled roof and the shadow of the trees, feeling nostalgic.

Uncle! I'm here!

Green above Uncle Ho's house is still the autumn sky...

The best point of the poem is that Hanoi is in the middle of summer, but on the roof of Uncle Ho's house is still forever green with the COLOR of Autumn. The Autumn of the August Revolution.

“I swear to strive for the rest of my life” – one of the first poems written about Uncle Ho's death

Going back in time, 55 years ago (fall 1969), Tran Dang Khoa suffered from a very severe eye pain and had to go to Hanoi again for treatment (his hometown was in the old Hai Hung province, now Hai Duong province). Tran Dang Khoa remembers very clearly, on the morning of September 2, 1969, Mr. Le Liem (at that time was Deputy Minister of Education. He used to be the Political Commissar of the Dien Bien Phu Front), he welcomed Khoa to his house to visit and informed Khoa that Uncle Ho's health was not good. Tran Dang Khoa at that time had a premonition of something unusual.

Uncle Le Liem told Tran Dang Khoa to write a poem in memory of Uncle Ho, so he felt his hunch was well-founded. That night, September 2, 1969, Doctor Than, a very good doctor who was treating Khoa at the Central Eye Hospital, took Khoa for a ride around Hoan Kiem Lake. People crowded around Hoan Kiem Lake waiting to see the fireworks. But that night, Hanoi did not set off fireworks. Khoa believed even more that Uncle Ho had really passed away. Remembering Uncle Le Liem's ​​words, Khoa wanted to write a poem in memory of Uncle Ho, but he was afraid of bad luck, so he kept waiting for news from the Voice of Vietnam Radio.

Early in the morning of September 4, in the News program, Voice of Vietnam officially announced Uncle Ho's passing. That day, it rained heavily. And then it rained all the days of visiting Uncle Ho. Khoa was so moved that he wrote the poem "I swear to strive for life", and asked someone to pass it on to Uncle Le Liem. The poem was printed immediately in the People's Teacher newspaper, now the Education & Times newspaper. It was the earliest poem printed about the tragic event of our nation: Uncle Ho had passed away. The next day, the poem was republished in the People's newspaper and then later in the week, it was printed in the Literature and Arts newspaper...

I will strive for my whole life.

I feel cold in my heart

The place to wear mourning all day and night, Uncle Ho

I am speechless

My guts ache, the sky and earth ache.

Uncle, where are you going?

Let me suffer forever

I thought my eyes were blurred.

I sit and cry, the sky and earth are raining

Uncle, I never

Nice to meet you, I've been waiting for a long time.

Uncle give us the future

Mountains and rivers are indomitable, strong, rich and bright.

I swear to strive all my life

As Uncle Ho taught, Uncle Ho hoped...

On September 9, 1969, at Uncle Ho's memorial service, Tran Dang Khoa continued writing "I Met Uncle Ho", recounting his dream of meeting Uncle Ho. Uncle Ho visited Khoa in the hospital and covered him with a blanket.

“Then Uncle Ho left very smoothly…

You're gone, you're gone

I suddenly burst into tears

Woke up with wet hair

Look where I am

Only see the sky full of bright lights and flying rain

People silently visited Uncle Ho.

The light bulb is in tears…

Right

My hospital just held a memorial service for Uncle Ho this afternoon.

But Uncle only rests during the day.

And at night, Uncle Ho left the coffin.

Hello, guard.

Then go around the world

To take care of children

Especially those who have to stay in the hospital”…

The poem “I swear to fight for my whole life” by Tran Dang Khoa is one of the first poems and also one of the earliest published poems written about Uncle Ho’s passing. The memories of Uncle Ho in Tran Dang Khoa’s poems are profound and touching. And the things Khoa thought in that poem influenced the poet Tran Dang Khoa throughout his life to become the man he is today.