Analyzing Thế Lữ's poem 'Forest Remembrance'

Prompt: Analyze Thế Lữ's poem 'Forest Remembrance'

6 exemplary essays Analyzing Thế Lữ's poem 'Forest Remembrance'

1. Analysis of Thế Lữ's poem 'Forest Remembrance', sample 1:

Thế Lữ (1907-1989) is the pen name of Nguyễn Thứ Lễ. A poet, writer, playwright, and director. Chairman of the Vietnam Stage Artists Association. He excelled in every aspect of his work.

Thế Lữ was a pioneering poet, praised as the 'Number One Poet' in the 'New Poetry' movement (1932-1941). His poetry collection, 'A Few Verses', embodies a 'broad-minded poetic soul', with romantic, intense, passionate, and earnest inspirations.

The poem 'Forest Remembrance' was written by Thế Lữ in 1934, published in the collection 'A Few Verses' in 1935. Borrowing the words of a tiger confined in the zoo, the author expresses the melancholy, resentment, and intense longing for freedom of a person imprisoned, enslaved.

Chewing on a lump of resentment in the iron crib.

Confined 'in the iron crib', the pent-up resentment and bitterness have solidified into a 'lump', continually 'chewing' without dissipating, the more it is 'chewed', the more bitter it becomes. Only knowing how to lie helpless, in pain. Being 'mocked', 'humiliated, and imprisoned', becoming 'mere toys' for 'those arrogant, ignorant people'. The greatest agony is that the lord of the forest is now degraded, his status diminished:

'Enduring alongside the foolish bears,
With the caged leopards devoid of self.'

Analyzing the poem 'Forest Remembrance' to understand the poet Thế Lữ's sentiments about the era

It portrays a typical tragic sentiment of the lord of the forest when facing adversity, defeat, and captivity. In the historical context of our country when the poem was written (1934), the humiliation, resentment, and bitterness of the tiger resonate with the tragedy of our people living in the darkness of slavery.

We live forever in the love of longing.

'Love of longing' lives on forever, never forgotten. Remembering the 'days of roaming...', 'remembering the shade of ancient trees in the forest'. Remembering the majestic, intense forest melodies. The words 'remember' and 'with' and the rhythmic variation (4-2-2, 5-5, 4-2-2...) transform, balance

Worthy to echo the endless nostalgia, remembering relentlessly, bitterly, and poignantly. The richness of melodies depicts the immensely powerful inner life of an extraordinary character with a tumultuous past. A lament 'like gentle rolling waves'. A stride noble and powerful 'resolute, regal'. A pair of 'godly eyes' and when 'sweeping'; 'everything falls silent'. A power of authority invincible.

The verses full of melodies speak of longing:

'Remembering the shade of ancient trees in the forest
With the cries of eagles echoing, with the voice of the mountain roaring.
With the fierce epic melody
We stride forth, resolute, regal,
Our body gliding like gentle rolling waves
Enveloping silently, the shadows, the thorns, the colorful grass
In the dark cave, when the eyes of the gods sweep
It causes everything to fall silent...'

The verbs 'cry, roar, shout' vividly describe the fierce epic melody of the mountains, the sacred streams, majestic. These are masterful verses that adorn the new poetry

'We lie down'... then 'we live forever in the love of longing'. Remembering when 'we stride forth...', remembering a golden age of reign:

'We know we are the lord of all creatures,
In a realm of nameless, ageless splendor'.

A single 'we' resounds with pride and self-assurance. The lord of the forest is depicted and portrayed in the depths of spirituality, in the heights of affirmed authority.

Successive rhetorical questions emerge as a stirring reminder and evoke a surge of 'longing': 'where are the...', 'where are the days...', 'where are the dawns...', 'where are the evenings...'. Endlessly remembering, remembering moonlit nights and streams, remembering rainy forest days, remembering dawn, remembering sleep, remembering birdsong. And remembering 'the evenings glowing with blood...'. The magnificent passage speaks of the lord of the forest's four longings, longing incessantly day and night, morning and evening, rain and sunshine, awake and asleep, in the hunt and in quiet contemplation, in waiting... An artistic space is recreated and described through the quartet of vases by a master painter. The lord of the forest sometimes dreams amidst the moonlit stream, sometimes meditates in contemplation, sometimes restrains, patiently waiting to 'roam...' and 'gaze...'!

This 10-line verse is the finest passage in 'Forest Remembrance':

'Where are the nights by the stream,
We stand, intoxicated by the moonlight's glow.'
Where are the rainy days of transformation,
We silently admire our renewed mountains and rivers.
Where are the dawn's green trees bathed in sunlight,
The birdsong celebrating our slumber?
Where are the evenings glowing with blood deep in the forest,
We await the fierce face of the sun
To claim our secret powder
- Alas! Where is the fervent era now?'

After longing for a golden age, a fervent time, the lord of the forest suddenly awakens, returning to reality with the iron crib, extreme pain, and bitterness. Like a mountain collapsing, the tiger utters a lament. The combination of exclamation and rhetorical question resonates a verse, a lament of the 'sacred tiger's despair', of an extraordinary figure in defeat. It is also the sigh of a generation yearning for freedom back then:

'Alas! Where is the fervent era now?
Today, we embrace countless regrets.

Returning to the sorrow and longing for the 'majestic land and waters'. Only knowing to earnestly and anxiously convey:

'Oh, my terrifying forest scene!'

'Forest Remembrance' is a masterpiece. It is ranked among the top 10 poems of New Poetry. Magnificent imagery, grandeur. The expressive style and use of varied language. Multilayered and complex music create melodious verses. Poetry paints and sings like a captivating spell, entrancing our souls.

The imagery of the lord of the forest with the longing for the forest is depicted with layers of 'rolling waves'. Amidst despair and defeat lies a prideful dignity. The poem is like a heartfelt message about love for the country. Its greatest idea is to speak of the price of freedom and the desire for freedom.

In 'Remembering the Forest,' Thế Lữ portrayed a sentiment of melancholy, disillusionment, and fervent longing for freedom through the metaphor of a tiger in the zoo. This sentiment resonates with Vietnamese patriots amidst the circumstances of national loss.

In its early days, the New Poetry movement witnessed developments in both style and content. Along the journey of its evolution, New Poetry gradually broke free from rigid norms and the 'fallen' framework of classical poetry. Poets explored the world through their senses, their genuine emotions. It was also a time when the distinct self emerged in poetry. It was the emergence of intense human emotions transcending objective reality. Thus, New Poetry tended towards escapism, expressing discordance and helplessness towards social realities. Consequently, New Poetry also revealed vehement resistance against the mundane, deceitful reality that stifles human dreams.

The best analyses of Thế Lữ's poem 'Remembering the Forest'

Aligned with this resistance, Thế Lữ penned verses brimming with emotions in 'Remembering the Forest.' Borrowing the words of a tiger in the zoo to express his own sentiments, Thế Lữ constructed a scene that is both realistic and laden with hidden depths. Every image mentioned in the poem revolves around the life of the tiger. The reality is that the tiger is confined within iron bars, feeling the bitterness of confinement and the 'deceitful mundane' scenes in the zoo. Thus, it reminisces the vigorous past in the majestic mountains and forests. These are two contrasting scenes between reality and the past.

Tigers, once regarded as the lords of all creatures, now endure the 'shameful' life within iron cages due to their unfortunate fate. The living space of the king of the jungle has been narrowed down, turning from the lush green forests into a 'spectacle,' a mere 'plaything' in the eyes of people. For it, life now has become bland as it resides in a place unworthy of its noble status.

Gnawing at resentment within the iron cage
We lie motionless, watching days pass by

The tiger feels helpless as there seems to be no way to escape the constrained life, thus resignedly watches time pass by in vain. But no matter the circumstances, the one belonging to the 'sacred tiger breed' always knows its true identity as a king. The thirty-year-old has shown disdain, looking down upon the lack of understanding of the true power of nature by those 'arrogant fools' who only know to 'raise their eyes mockingly at the majesty of the deep forest.' How depressing it is to have to live alongside 'stupid bears,' with 'careless cage leopards'! How can one endure living alongside and accepting the fate of 'companion' of those in the same dire situation? It is sorrow, resentment, compressed bitterness in the heart. Weary, disillusioned, helpless! In that pitiful situation, the tiger thinks of its glorious past:

We live eternally in the love of longing
Those days of past grandeur
Remember the shadow of the forest, the ancient trees
With the sound of the wind howling, the voice of the mountain roaring
With the fierce anthem of the wild melody...

The tiger reminisces about the 'glorious' days amidst the 'shade of ancient trees.' It's a painful longing for the deep forest. Remembering the forest is a longing for freedom, recalling the 'fierce era,' reminiscing about the majestic, authentic, and natural. In that magnificent wilderness, the tiger reigns with a power amidst life. The dignity of a king of the jungle always demonstrates its rightful supreme power with extraordinary fierceness. Its task is to make everything fearfully submissive. There, the tiger emerges with a proud and majestic demeanor yet exuding a fierce and graceful beauty amidst the vast forest:

We stride proudly on the forest path
Gently swaying like rhythmic waves
Enveloped in the silent shadows of sharp leaves and colorful grass
In the darkness, the eyes of the divine glimmer
Making all things breathlessly still
We know we are the lords of all creatures
Amidst the nameless, ageless meadows

The true beauty of the tiger is here! Every step, every movement, every glance evokes a combination of majestic grandeur and graceful agility. In each action, the majestic beast reveals its unparalleled power, making everything 'breathlessly still.' A life of freedom amidst the deep forest is truly precious. There, the tiger enjoys a beautiful life bestowed by nature. These are moments when the tiger is 'intoxicated with prey,' witnessing the changes of the 'territory,' mesmerized and desiring to seize its own 'secret share.' It has been comfortable in its own territory, affirming the true value of life with magnificent, poetic, and irresistibly charming scenes. But now, it's all just memories of the past. The tiger will never again witness the scenes of the 'golden nights by the stream,' see the 'four-directional rain,' hear the birds singing, immerse itself in the 'sun-kissed green dawn,' or await the 'dying sun' of the 'bloody evenings after the forest.' Those scenes only leave behind in the tiger a sense of regret, a bitterness in the overwhelming, intense emotions, a flood of memories about the beautiful past that ended in a heartfelt lament:

Alas! Where is the fierce era now

Reviving memories of the majestic mountain forests, the tiger suddenly realizes the deceitful insignificance of the scenes where it currently resides. In the tiger's disdainful gaze are scenes of 'unchangeable' monotony, mundane landscapes altered and imitated by humans. The lord of the jungle shows contempt, disgust towards the small, inferior scenes of artificial deception. It is not a worthy place for a leader to live. Despite attempts to alter, they are merely 'stretches of artificial streams not flowing,' beneath 'low mounds,' with 'cultivated flowers, trimmed grass, straight paths, planted trees' devoid of any 'mystery' or 'wilderness.' These fabricated scenes only deepen the tiger's longing for the 'mysterious towering mountains of gloom'

Disgusted by real-life, engulfed in endless resentment, the tiger yearns for a fiercely free life. All the tiger's thoughts and feelings belong to the deep, ancient forest. Through that, the lord of the forest has sent a heartfelt message about the mountains. Despite being in dire straits, the tiger cannot hide its pride when speaking of the 'magnificent mountains and rivers.' That realm was where the tiger had beautiful days, freely indulging in vast, separate spaces. Even though it may never return to those places, the tiger never stops thinking about the 'grand dreams.' The fallen lord seeks to live on in the memories, the nostalgia of the beauty of a bygone era:

So our souls can be near you
O forest scene of horror

The tiger's heartache mirrors the sentiments of the young Thế Lữ dreaming of the beautiful life that has passed in the past. It is also the common spirit of most of Thế Lữ's poems as well as in the New Poetry movement, carrying the desire of people to live as themselves.

Remembering the Forest cannot escape from sorrow, the 'disease of the era' back then. However, the outstanding poem is precisely because it creates a meeting point between the sorrow of the people losing their country and the sense of discontent and helplessness in the face of reality of the intellectual petit bourgeois youth. Thus igniting the legitimate desire for freedom.

Rich in romantic inspiration and intense emotions, Remembering the Forest has spread a poetic soul urging and many impressive poetic images describing the majestic beauty of the mountain forests. Thế Lữ's success lies in expressing a rich imagination by borrowing the image of a tiger in the zoo to voice his profound, subtle sentiments. Thereby portraying the disgust for a life of deprivation, while also stirring up the patriotic sentiment of the people of that time.

3. Analysis of the poem Remembering the Forest by Thế Lữ, model number 3:

Thế Lữ's full name is Nguyễn Thứ Lễ, born in 1907, died in 1989, from Bắc Ninh. He is considered one of the pioneers of the New Poetry movement (1932 - 1945). With a rich emotional soul and eloquent language skills, he made significant contributions to the innovation of Vietnamese poetry. In addition to the collection of poems 'Mấy vần thơ' published in 1935, Thế Lữ also wrote many other genres such as detective stories, horror stories, jungle stories, dramas... During the resistance against the French, he shifted to theater activities and had many achievements in building the theater industry in our country.

Thế Lữ's name is closely associated with the poem Remembering the Forest, which many people admire. By borrowing the words of a tiger confined in a zoo, the author vividly and deeply portrays feelings of resentment, disgust for a mundane and mediocre life, and nostalgia for the free life in the past. Thereby subtly expressing the attitude of denying the reality of slavery, the fervent desire for freedom, and the silent, sincere patriotism of our people.

To fully grasp the merits and beauty of the work, let's first briefly explore the concepts of New Poetry and the New Poetry movement.

The term New Poetry was initially used to refer to the free verse poetry that emerged on the literary scene at that time. After 1930, a series of young poets influenced by Western education began to criticize the old poetry (regulated verse) as rigid and restrictive. They demanded a renewal of poetic forms. The New Poetry movement emerged and developed vigorously for about fifteen years before gradually reaching a deadlock.

In New Poetry, the number of free verse writings is not significant, mainly still in the forms of seven-character and six-eight couplets. Nevertheless, compared to old poetry, New Poetry is much more liberal and natural because it is no longer constrained by strict rules of regulated verse. The term New Poetry later became synonymous with the romantic poetry movement, associated with famous poets such as Thế Lữ, Lưu Trọng Lư, Xuân Diệu, Huy Cận, Nguyễn Bính, Hàn Mặc Tử, Chế Lan Viên, Bích Khê, Phạm Huy Thông...

Model essay: Analyzing Thế Lữ's poem Remembering the Forest, handpicked

The debate between New Poetry and old poetry was lively and intense in the contemporary press. In the end, New Poetry emerged victorious, not by argument but by the quality of many excellent poems. Assessing Thế Lữ's role, literary critic and researcher Hoài Thanh wrote: 'Thế Lữ does not discuss New Poetry, does not defend New Poetry, does not engage in polemics, does not lecture. Thế Lữ simply, quietly takes firm steps forward, and in a moment, the ranks of old poets shatter. Because there is nothing that makes people believe in New Poetry more than reading good new poems' (Vietnamese Poets).

In terms of role, Thế Lữ is not only the one who raised the banner of the New Poetry vanguard but also the most exemplary poet for the early stage characteristics of New Poetry (1932 - 1935). The poet chose the pen name Thế Lữ, besides wordplay (a pun on the name Thứ Lễ), implying self-identification as a wandering traveler in the world, only seeking the myriad beauties of life:

I am a wanderer on an endless journey
Through the ups and downs of the world for amusement

(The Multifaceted Guitar)

Despite such declarations, Thế Lữ still carries a heavy sorrow for the lost country in his heart. In the poem Remembering the Forest, the poet borrows the melancholy of a captive tiger to express the mixed emotions of a fallen hero. Defeated in battle yet still beautiful, still majestic.

Remembering the Forest is written in the form of an octet, with consecutive rhymes (two lines with the same rhyme). The rhyme scheme is consistent, alternating between even and odd syllables. This poetic form is widely used in New Poetry.

The poem presents two contrasting images: the Bach Thao Garden, where the tiger is imprisoned, and the vast forest mountains, where it once roamed freely in days gone by. The scene above is reality, while the one below is reminiscence and also aspiration, burning with longing.

The captivity scene is the root cause of the tiger's deeply tragic mood. The tragedy lies in the complete change of circumstances while the tiger's character remains unchanged. It refuses to bow down and accept its fate because it always sees itself as the lord of all creatures. If it were to accept, it wouldn't be itself. The tiger's intense feelings of resentment, indignation, and turmoil engulf the entire poem, penetrating deeply into every line, every word.

The poet vividly portrays that mood with his sharp and talented pen:

Chewing on a block of resentment in the iron cage,
I lie down, watching the days pass by,
Disdain for those arrogant, ignorant humans,
Gaze mocking the majestic wilderness.
Now trapped, humiliated, degraded,
To be a spectacle, a mere plaything,
Bearing alongside foolish bears,
With the captive leopards nonchalantly by my side.

This verse reflects the tiger's profound anguish of being confined for so long in a cramped, stifling space.

In the opening line, the successive short, choppy phrases combined with the slow, disjointed rhythm evoke a sense of accumulated resentment forming a heavy burden within. The tiger wants to hurl that invisible rock away but is powerless, resigned to lying down and watching the days pass by. The prolonged, equal-length phrases in the second line reflect the sense of confinement and utter boredom of the lord of the forest.

Once revered as the lord of all creatures, worshipped and free to roam the majestic mountains and forests, now reduced to captivity, humiliated. The tiger feels degraded being imprisoned, reduced to a mere spectacle, a plaything for arrogant, insignificant humans, relegated to the same level as foolish bears and captive leopards. Struggling in vain, the tiger lies down in a state of helplessness, resigned.

The harsh reality of captivity intensifies the tiger's poignant longing for the days of freedom amidst the towering mountains and deep forests:

I live forever in the love of longing
For the days of past majestic reign.
Yearning for the forests, the shadows, the ancient trees,
With the sound of the howling wind, the voice of the mountain stream,
With the fierce epic verses echoing,

Rejecting the present with disdain, the lord of the forest is left with only two directions: to retreat to the past or to aspire to the future. The tiger cannot have a future, only the past. The dazzling glory of the past creates an illusion, and that illusion is imaginatively propelled to the utmost.

The lord of the forest fully understands that the past, once glorious, is gone forever. Therefore, its mood is a mixture of pride and sorrow, despair.

The most beautiful, evocative words like: shadows, ancient trees, the sound of the howling wind, the voice of the mountain stream, wilderness, secrets... are used by the author to describe the majestic, wild scenery and the fierce vitality of the deep mountain forests - the ancestral domain of the lord of the forest lineage. It is a place of ancient grandeur and profound mystery, a terrifying forest scene beyond description.

Against that grand backdrop, the lord of the forest emerges with majestic bearing and demeanor:

I stride forth, resolute, regal in my path,
My form glides like rhythmic waves,
Enveloped in silent shadows, thorns, and vibrant grass.
In the dark cave, my divine gaze commands silence.
I know myself the ruler of all creatures,
Amid nameless, timeless fields of flowers.

The vivid imagery vividly portrays the majestic, gentle, graceful beauty and the terrifying power within the lord of the green forest amidst the majestic mountains and forests.

The third stanza of the poem resembles a splendid set of paintings describing natural landscapes in different moments:

Where are the golden nights by the stream banks
Where I stand intoxicated, drinking in the moonlight's glow?
Where are the rainy days shifting across a thousand horizons
Where I silently contemplate my ever-changing realm?
Where are the verdant dawn, trees bathed in dew,
The song of birds waking from slumber?
Where are the dusks, tinged with blood, after the forest
Where I await death, the fierce face of the sun,
To claim my share of secrets?
Alas! Where now the fierce times of yore?

Four scenes: golden nights, rainy days, dawning skies, dusks tinged with blood after the forest, each scene resplendent, appearing in the unceasing longing of the imprisoned tiger.

They are scenes of fantasy, the dreams of golden nights by the stream banks, where the lord of the forest stands intoxicated, drinking in the moonlight's glow. The days of rain shifting across a thousand horizons, where the lord of the forest silently contemplates the mountains... renewing. The scenes of verdant dawn, sun-kissed greenery, resounding with the chorus of birds. Finally, the scenes of dusks, tinged with blood after the forest, truly fierce, heroic. The lord of the great forest calmly awaits death, the fierce face of the sun, to claim my share of secrets in the vast universe. The pronoun 'I' repeated many times in the poem creates a strong, majestic rhythm, expressing the self-assertion, pride of the lord of all creatures.

But no matter how magnificent it may be, it is only the splendor of the past revealed in reminiscence. The phrases 'where are', 'where are the...' repeated emphasize the regret of the tiger for its glorious past. The lord of the forest seems bewildered, bewildered by the harsh reality that it must endure. The beautiful dream has ended with a sigh of deep regret:

Alas, where now the fierce times of yore?

Although the narrator in the poem is a tiger, referring to oneself as 'I' ('I live..., I step forward, I know myself...'), it is essentially the 'ego' of the romantic poet awakening amidst the repressive society of the time.

The fourth passage describes the scene of the Bach Thao Garden through the disdainful gaze of the lord of the forest. It's all just simple, dull arrangements, far removed from the natural world. The more it tries to imitate the wild scenes of the great forest, the more its mediocrity, its detestable falsehood is revealed:

Now I embrace a thousand sorrows,
Detesting scenes that never change,
Scenes altered, mundane, false:
Neat flowers, trimmed grass, straight paths, planted trees;
A black strip of mock streams, no flow,
Creeping under the shade of low hills;
Gentle sesame leaves, no secrets,
Also imitating the wilderness
Of the lofty, gloomy forest for a thousand years.

The scene of the Bach Thao Garden where the tiger is confined contrasts with the desolate wilderness of the deep mountains where it once ruled. Neat flowers, trimmed grass, straight paths, planted trees are metaphorical images representing the reality of contemporary society. The poetic tone clearly expresses the weary, contemptuous mood of the educated youth faced with the entanglement, stagnation of society at that time.

In the final passage, the poignant poetic voice encapsulates the heartfelt confession of the lord of the forest:

Oh majesty, scenes of majestic land and water!
Where the sacred caves resemble our dominion,
Where expanses once witnessed our past glory,
Where we shall never again set our eyes!
Do you know in those weary days,
We chase grand dreams to draw our souls near thee,
Oh fearsome jungle, our solace!

The poet adeptly reflects the profound discontent and intense longing for freedom of the lord of the forest amidst the stifling, suffocating reality. Thế Lữ's masterful craftsmanship has reached a miraculous level. In captivity, the tiger can only send its soul back to the majestic land and water, the mountains and rivers of the sacred caves that have been our dominion since ancient times. Discontent with the present yet unable to escape the shackles of slavery, the once mighty lord of the forest now resigns, consoling oneself with grand dreams in the remaining years of captivity. A lingering, soul-piercing sorrow. Alas! The glorious past now only appears in dreams! From the depths of the forest lord's heart, a lamentation rises: Oh fearsome jungle, our solace!

The sentiment of the captive tiger is also the shared sentiment of the Vietnamese people living in the humiliation and oppression of slavery, holding onto an endless resentment and nostalgia for the fierce times of glorious victories against foreign invaders in history. Because it touches the deepest recesses of the human soul, the poem was warmly received by the public as soon as it was released.

The author employs the voice of a tiger imprisoned in an iron cage to fully and deeply express the frustrated sentiments of the awakened consciousness of the intellectual youth, profoundly dissatisfied and disdainful of the unjust, stifling reality of contemporary society. They aspire to break the chains of slavery for the assertion and development of their 'self.' Many readers of the poem 'Remembering the Forest' feel that the author has voiced their pain of enslavement. In a way, this can be seen as a patriotic poem, continuing the tradition of patriotic sentiment in legitimate literature of the early 20th century.

Thế Lữ has chosen a unique image, fitting for conveying the theme of the poem. The majestic animal, considered the lord of the forest, once glorious and powerful in the vast wilderness, now imprisoned, symbolizes fallen heroes. The wilderness represents the vast world of freedom. With such profound imagery, Thế Lữ adeptly expresses his sentiments about the times through the poem. The poetic language is exquisite and refined, the rhythm melodious, at times fervent and heroic, at times poignant and tragic, successfully conveying the ideological content of the poem.

The poem is brimming with romantic inspiration, poetic fervor flowing abundantly under the poet's pen. This is a typical characteristic of romantic literature and also the core element that exerts a strong appeal, dominating other artistic factors of the poem. 'Remembering the Forest' remains etched in the hearts of readers. When Thế Lữ is mentioned, people recall 'Remembering the Forest.' As a poet, just that is enough to bring joy, happiness, and fulfillment.

4. Analysis of Thế Lữ's poem 'Remembering the Forest,' Model 4:

Remembering the Forest by Thế Lữ is a remarkable poem, representative of the New Poetry movement and of the author on two fronts: the refined, expansive, mature nature of New Poetry and the subtle, silent patriotism.

The poem has a unique quatrain structure: borrowing the words of a tiger in the iron cage of the zoo to reminisce about the longing for the green forest scenes and the fierce days of the past, expressing the desire for majestic, natural landscapes, despising the false scenes, craving freedom to manifest one's natural strength, and yearning for liberation of personality. The poem also conveys a bit of sentiment for the most intense times of the nation. The poem clearly speaks in the voice of the tiger, but the author still adds uncertainty: The words of the tiger in the zoo, to show that these are not the words of a human. This sour language serves to obscure, but also serves as a reminder to interpreters not to interpret too easily.

The first two lines introduce the current situation and feelings of the tiger:

Nibbling on a lump of resentment in the iron cage,
I lie stretched out, watching the days pass by.

Gnawing instead of just chewing, implying that I'm gnawing at my lump of resentment. The poet mentions a lump of resentment, because a lump is a large, intact emotion, not yet dispersed. In the past, when referring to unresolved emotions, pent-up feelings, the word 'lump' of emotions was often used. The lying posture expresses boredom, helplessness, as if there's no way out anymore, because what animal can't lie down? The tiger has lost, or been stripped of, its majestic posture.

But that's just the surface, deep down in the soul, the tiger remains a tiger with intense memories, with stubborn emotions.

Analysis of Thế Lữ's poem Remembering the Forest

The next six lines depict the humiliation of the tiger, expressing awareness of the distinction from humans and other animals. What could be more painful than a tiger - the lord of the forest - feared by none, being used as a toy, equated with bears, leopards? Meanwhile, compared to tigers, they are a bunch of foolish, ignorant, carefree creatures (thoughtless).

Continuing on, it recounts the love, the longing for a bygone era of fierceness: The days of yore when we roamed freely. Those words 'days of yore' sound so distant, as if they could never return!

The final passage of the poem portrays an earnest yet tragic, hopeless sentiment. Having lain there watching the days go by, again Oh alas! Where is the fervor now, and finally not being able to see anymore, the emotional pulse imbues the author's lingering nostalgia with a sense of eternal farewell.

Remembering the forest is both a longing for nature, freedom, abundance, a desire to rule the mountains and rivers, as well as a sigh of farewell, not blending with the artificial world. Even though the fervent era is gone, even though it's gone forever, the tiger still belongs to that lost era, unwilling to be a toy, an amusement for humans, not assimilating into the present time.

The poem also conveys a sense of patriotism. Literary critic Lê Đình Kị wrote: 'In the romantic poetry of 1932 - 1945, not speaking of love, not delving into personal emotions that have a strong impact, one must first remember Thế Lữ's famous poem Remembering the Forest. The story of the tiger in the zoo but also the story of people living in the prisons of the old regime. Reading Thế Lữ's verses, one easily relates to the plight of living in chains, deprived of freedom, bound tightly during the French colonial period. The glorious past of the tiger before being captive also easily reminds us of the glorious past of our ancestors. The more we remember the fervent era, the more we feel frustrated by being oppressed, surrounded by trivialities, mediocrity.' These are words of reasoned analysis.

The poem brims with creative language and rhythm. Novel expressions like 'four corners of the world', 'dreams of grandeur', alongside prosaic terms such as 'foolish bears', 'lurking beneath the low hillsides', 'dreadful forest scenes', mingle with poetic phrases. The lines are stretched, lengthy, with conjunctions that expand poetic meaning, allowing for comfortable flexing and stretching of verses, contrasting starkly with traditional poetic forms, fully demonstrating a characteristic of contemporary poetry, that is, redefining Vietnamese verse.

5. Analysis of Thế Lữ's poem Remembering the Forest, sample number 5:

In place of the tiger's words in the Bach Thu garden, Thế Lữ writes Remembering the Forest to express resentment over lost freedom, lamenting the lost years of liberty. This is a heroic ode to freedom. It was around the 1930s. A country lost, making even the most zealous souls feel tormented, distraught, sometimes wanting to scream out, to act out their anger, indignation. Those with great courage joined the revolution, while others expressed themselves in their own ways. The poet expressed himself through poetry. It's always the same in any era, in such living conditions, such verses will emerge, only differing in specific expressions, specific styles, specific artistic thoughts. Nguyễn Hữu Cầu, with his poem Birds in a Cage, wished 'To fly straight through countless barriers; To break free from the cage with a needle'. Nguyen Cong Tru wished 'In the next life, let me not be a human; Let me be a pine tree standing tall in the sky and cheer'. Or the poetry of revolutionary soldiers - Ho Chi Minh, Tố Hữu, of the same era, for example. In this context, Thế Lữ's resilience, borrowing the sentiments, the emotions of the tiger imprisoned in the Bach Thu garden. But the longing for freedom remains intensely fervent, fierce. However, this is the personal freedom longing of the New Poetry, so borrowing the words of the tiger in the iron cage is even more clever. One thing to note is that although the poem has words, ideas that may lean towards the viewpoint of collective common sense; relying on the 'self-negating' view (not elevating oneself, hiding the individual, not daring to speak much of the individual yet not denying it) of Eastern feudalism's ideology may be considered arrogant, extreme.

The essay Analysis of Thế Lữ's poem Remembering the Forest, concise

Despite the phrase 'no humanity' (in one's eyes, there's no one), it doesn't evoke this sensation. Reading Remembering the Forest with lines like: 'Gnawing a lump of resentment in the iron crib; I lie stretched out watching the days pass by; Disdaining those arrogant, ignorant people; Casting mocking gazes at the deep forest's majesty' or 'In the dark cave, when the god's eyes are shut; It makes everything silent. I know I'm the lord of all creatures; Amid nameless, timeless meadows'... The aesthetic sense remains unbroken. It only reveals a stirring admiration for the majestic beauty, the beauty of arrogant nobility atop the highest peak of freedom. Such lines, such ideas within the overall scope of the poem, only exalt the beauty of poetic imagery without breaking it. Why is that? Because the sincere character here is not an individual but an intense longing for freedom. The image of the mighty tiger, the lord of the forest, confined in an iron crib with gnawing, reminiscing about the scenes of freedom; the plight of confinement, the sorrow of resentment... is a beautiful, grand counterpart to the individual's longing for freedom, not that individual per se.

Through a high artistry in describing landscapes, emotions, reading Remembering the Forest, as Hoài Thanh, Hoài Chân said in Vietnamese Literature, 'it seems like seeing words being pushed, gnawed at by an extraordinary force'. The lines flow incessantly; the poetic breath permeates, overflowing with heroic pathos. In the entire poem, phrases like 'extreme individuals' are just sighs, sorrows, poignant resentment, increasingly poignant. And this grand, poignant literary tone, along with the ideological content of longing for freedom embodied in the image of the imprisoned lord, has created the beauty of a poem that heralds the triumph of New Poetry.

6. Analysis of Thế Lữ's poem Remembering the Forest, sample number 6:

Remembering the Forest is a masterpiece by Thế Lữ, a pioneering poet of the New Poetry movement (1932 - 1941). With its melodious rhythm, splendid natural scenery, especially the image of the tiger, the poem Remembering the Forest has captivated each of us, has dominated the deepest recesses of the soul of many people over the past half century.

The poet speaks of the tiger with empathy and admiration. It lies in the iron crib of the zoo. The lord of the forest, in the scene of extreme confinement, bitter resentment and frustration have accumulated, forming a mass. How can one not feel bitter when lying down, watching the days pass in the iron crib? How can one not feel frustrated, bitter when the lord of the forest is being mocked by people, becoming a mere toy, alongside carefree tigers in the botanical garden? Thế Lữ has depicted the bitter, resentful mood of the tiger, lost in haunting captivity:

Gnawing a lump of resentment in the iron crib
I lie stretched out watching the days pass by...
(...), Now reduced to this, humiliated and confined...

Through this, we see more clearly: even sacred tigers, when reduced to this state, are pitiful (The Tale of Kieu - Nguyen Du); we feel more deeply: in life, there are countless bitter things - What bitterness compares to losing freedom (Prison Diary - Ho Chi Minh).

As the years go by, the lord of the forest never forgets the longing for the jungle. Remembering the days of past glory and grandeur.

Recalling the forest scene, the vast shade, the ancient trees
With the wind's howling, the mountain's roar...

Like the majestic stance of ours. A step, a graceful body gliding, a shadow dancing... All resound, regal. A word echoes full of the pride of the forest lord:

I step forth, resounding, regal
Glide like waves with graceful motion
Dance with shadows silently, amidst thorns and colorful grass.

6 Sample Analysis of the poem Remembering the Forest by Thế Lữ

My authority is absolute. All tremble, all fall silent when my divine gaze pierces through, I know amidst the verdant fields, I am the lord of all creatures:

In the dark cave, when my divine gaze pierces through,
It makes all things fall silent.
I know I am the lord of all creatures,
Amidst nameless, timeless meadows

The sacred longing for the forest, the longing for... the authority of the forest lord is the reminiscence of unforgettable years. That longing is the desire to live, the burning desire for freedom.

The tiger's reminiscence of the forest is a recall of the dazzling golden era, a fervent era. The magnificent scenery. The poetry's melody is also the melody of the forest.

Where are those golden nights by the stream?
Where I stood intoxicated, drinking in the moonlight's glow?
Where are those rainy days stretching across the horizon?
Where I silently admired the ever-changing landscape?
Where are the dawn's green trees bathed in sunlight?
The birds' songs jubilantly greeting my waking?
Where are the evenings draped in crimson after the forest?
Waiting for the harsh sun to set,
So I could claim my share of secrets!
Alas! Where is this fierce time now?

The longing, the whispers: where are those golden nights..., where are those rainy days..., where are the dawns..., where are the evenings..., now, where are they? emerge consecutively in the five questioning lines, creating a melodious, enchanting, poignant rhythm, expressing the deep affection and longing of the majestic tiger, reminiscing the forest, lamenting a once fervent era now turned into nostalgia, into the past. The forest lord remembers the nights, the days, the dawns, the twilight, the streams, the moon, the landscapes amidst rainforest showers, the green trees bathed in sunlight, the birds' jubilant songs at dawn, the harsh sun at sunset... That longing is the sorrow of lost freedom, yet also the yearning for freedom. Thế Lữ has creatively crafted rich imagery and melody in his poetry, overflowing with emotion to express the tiger's forest longing... A sigh that grips the heart, stirring and unsettling:

Alas! Where is this fierce time now?

Imprisoned, confined in the iron cage. Must be away from the forest to yearn for the forest. Will the pain and resentment ever fade? Like a weary sigh of despair:

Now I embrace a thousand layers of resentment.

As the lord of the forest, reminiscing the majestic scene of ancient trees, I am filled with resentment and hatred towards scenes that never change, dull, meaningless, petty, and false:

Carefully tended flowers, trimmed grass, straight paths, planted trees;
A ribbon of black water mimicking a stream, stagnant and shallow
Lurking beneath the armpits of lowly hills.

Resentment towards confinement, disgust towards petty scenes created arrogantly by others, the tiger's heart aches with yearning, forever recalling the majestic landscapes of yore. Remembering the forest is reminiscing the kingdom of freedom of yesteryears:

Where the sacred cave lies, I reign supreme
Where vast expanses once were my domain.

Faced with the painful reality, the tiger can only release its soul into a thousand dreams. The lord of the forest calls out to the sacred woods with aching, poignant memories:

Oh, my awe-inspiring forest!

Remembering the forest is one of the top ten poems of the New Poetry movement (1932 - 1941). Free verse, beautiful words, magnificent imagery, grand emotions. The image of the imprisoned tiger, its pain and resentment, the poignant memory of the forest are depicted deeply, hauntingly.