Chủ Nhật, 24 tháng 9, 2017
PROF. ĐÀM TRUNG PHÁP: ANH NGỮ HÀN LÂM – 04 : TẢN ĐÀ NGUYỄN KHẮC HIẾU AND HIS POEM “THỀ NON NƯỚC”
Tản Đà is the pen name of the poet Nguyễn Khắc Hiếu (1889-1939). It
combines the name of a mountain, “Tản” and that of a river, “Đà” which are the
two famous landmarks of his birthplace in North Vietnam. Born into a family of
literati and mandarins, Tản Đà was a link between two important eras of Vietnamese
literature – the writings of Confucian tradition of the nineteenth century and
the writings under western influence in the early part of the twentieth
century. A lifelong journalist, poet and writer, Tản Đà was the publisher of “Hữu
Thanh Tạp Chí” and “An Nam Tạp Chí.”
In addition, the two prestigious magazines of that time, “Đông Dương Tạp Chí” (edited by Nguyễn
Văn Vĩnh) and “Nam Phong Tạp Chí”
(edited by Phạm Quỳnh), sought his collaboration because of his great fame. As
a poet, he was the author of such collections as “Khối Tình Con I, II, III” and
“Tản Đà Xuân Sắc”; and as a prose writer, he published “Giấc Mộng Con I, II”and
“Tản Đà Văn Tập.” Whether he worked for himself or for others, he remained
faithful to his own philosophy of life, especially his theory of “thiên lương”
(tentatively translated as “conscience” for lack of a better word). He urged people to
nurture and develop this innate quality in order to serve life better. Such
heartwarming aspirations pervade the poem “Thề Non Nước” (The Vow between Mountain and River) [1]. An English translation of the famous poem appears below, followed by
its original in Vietnamese and annotations.[Please note that the symbol
“–” separates verses and the symbol
“<>” separates stanzas].
“The mountain and the river had a solemn vow[2] –Yet the river kept flowing away without
returning –Recalling their eternal pledge – The mountain stays
idle while the river is away<>Standing tall, it just watches and
waits with impatience [3] –The extended wait has dried up its spring of
tears–Its smattering of frail bones has worn out–Its cloud of hair is covered with snow and frost<>The sun is setting in the west[4]–Revealing the mountain’s fading jade and gold–Tall mountain is still young – It
misses the river, which may have forgotten it<>Even though stone may wear down and water may
dry up [5]–As long as mountain and river exist, their
vow should endure –Tall mountain, do you know
this yet –Carried to the sea, water now returns to its source as
rain<>Mountain and
river shall oftentimes meet again [6]–Thus, there is no reason for mountain to be so
sad –Although river is still gone – With lush green mulberry
fields flourishing, o mountain, perk up <>Since they have pledged eternal vow to each
other[7]–The bond between mountain and river shall never break.”
“Nước non nặng một lời thề –Nước đi, đi mãi, không về cùng non – Nhớ lời nguyện nước thề non –Nước đi chưa lại, non còn đứng không<> Non cao những ngóng cùng
trông – Suối tuôn dòng lệ chờ
mong tháng ngày – Xương mai một
nắm hao gầy – Tóc mây một mái
đã đầy tuyết sương<> Trời
tây ngã bóng tà dương –Càng phơi vẻ
ngọc nét vàng phôi pha – Non
cao tuổi vẫn chưa già – Non thời
nhớ nước, nước mà quên non<> Dù
cho sông cạn đá mòn – Còn non,
còn nước, hãy còn thề xưa –Non
cao đã biết hay chưa –Nước đi ra bể
lại mưa về nguồn<>Nước non hội
ngộ còn luôn – Bảo cho non chớ có
buồn làm chi – Nước kia dù hãy còn
đi –Ngàn dâu xanh tốt non thì cứ vui
<>Nghìn năm giao ước kết đôi –Non non nước nước không nguôi lời thề.”
ANNOTATIONS
[1] “Mountain and river”
(poetically rendered as “non nước”) also means “country” in Vietnamese.
This poetic gem is cherished by the people, for it showed the poet’s
extraordinary devotion to his native land, a theme he also expounded in other
poems. In his “Vịnh bức dư đồ rách”(Ode
to a torn map) he bitterly deplored the transformation of his
once-splendid homeland into a “tattered and torn” country, symbolized by a map
of a same condition: “Sao đến bây giờ
rách tả tơi” (Why is it now tattered and torn). In his “Đêm tối”(Dark night), he asked
himself, “Kiếm đâu cho thấy mặt anh
hùng”(Where on earth will we find a hero) who would emancipate the
country under the French yoke. “Thề
non nước” (The vow between mountain and river) was not published
separately; it was instead part of a story bearing the same title which related
the poet’s romance with a songstress. The poet, like water in the river, kept
flowing away while his lover was pining for his return. However, the poet never
forgot the vow between them and indicated that he would come back. This pledge
also implied the poet’s vow to his homeland – that he will return to “restore a
torn map” and save a country fading under the sun.
[2] The poem has a clear and
tight “structure.” Presenting a sentimental drama, this opening stanza sets the
“tone” for the poem. The remaining stanzas expound the pain of waiting by the
mountain for the river, the explanation for the absence and the eventual return
of the river, and the renewal of the vow between the mountain and the river.
[3], [4] These two stanzas
depict the pining of the mountain as it hopelessly awaits the river’s return.
Tản Đà uses conventional, yet refined, terms to describe the lonesome mountain
as well as the moral and physical deterioration of a woman gnawed by an
extended wait. The terms “xương mai,
hao gầy, tóc mây,” and the phrase “đã đầy tuyết sương,” albeit trite, elegantly describe her frail
beauty. At the same time, the terms“mây,
sương, tuyết” are all apt for describing a mountain landscape. The terms
“vẻ ngọc”and
“nét vàng” in the third stanza
suggest that the woman’s good looks stay on despite the passing of time. The
last verse of this stanza, “Non thời
nhớ nước, nước mà quên non”is a passionate appeal from the mountain
to the river. This heartfelt appeal will be matched by a categorically
reassuring response from the river (please see annotation[7]).
[5], [6] These two stanzas
cover the river’s reiteration of the vow and the sharing of some uplifting
news, based on a scientific explanation of the water cycle in nature – the
eventual return of water in the form of rain is a certainty. Along with the
uplifting news is the river’s calm consolation for the mountain and urging it
to cheer up because they will meet again.
[7] This couplet clinches the
poem with a heartening renewal of the eternal vow between the mountain and the
river. Many readers understand this vow as a sworn determination by Vietnamese
patriots who fought to regain their country’s sovereignty. Thus, while the
mountain symbolizes those who remained at home, the river stands for those who
had to go far away to achieve this common goal.
TỪ VỰNGQUAN TRỌNG (THEO THỨ TỰ XUẤT HIỆN)
stanza = nhóm câu được coi như đơn vị xây dựng
trong một bài thơ, tương đương với chữ “paragraph” trong văn xuôi • literati = giới văn chương• mandarin =
quan lại• confucian tradition = truyền thống nho học• prestigious = có uy tín• heartwarming
= làm ấm lòng• aspiration = hoài bão• pervade = bao tỏa• solemn = long trọng •
nurture = nuôi dưỡng • snow and frost = tuyết sương • endure = bền vững • lush
green = xanh tốt • mulberry field = ruộng dâu hay “tang điền” • perk up = vui lên.[ĐTP
09-21-2017]
