Analyzing the opening stanza in the poem 'Hasty and Eager' to shed light on the assertion

Prompt: Analysing the opening stanza in the poem 'Hasty and Eager' to elucidate the assertion: 'Xuân Diệu's poetry is a rich source of life in this tranquil land'

Analyzing the initial stanza of the poem 'Hasty and Eager' to elucidate the assertion

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I. Outline Analyzing the initial stanza of the poem 'Hasty and Eager' to elucidate the assertion

1. Introduction

* Introduction to Xuân Diệu and the assertion:
- Xuân Diệu is one of the most prominent poets in the new poetry movement, dubbed as the 'newest poet among new poets' (Hoài Thanh).
- His poetry carries a fresh, sincere, vibrant, and intense beauty, reminiscent of modernity in French poetry.
- There's a claim stating: 'Xuân Diệu's poetry is a rich source of life in this tranquil land', perhaps most evidently manifested in the opening stanza of the poem 'Hasty and Eager'.

2. Body

* The first four lines 'I want...to fly away': A profoundly abundant, audacious, and longing source of life by Xuân Diệu.
- Wanting to 'extinguish the sun', 'restrain the wind' to preserve the freshest beauty of spring.
- The poetic rhythm is quite fast, with the familiar aphoristic structure 'I want...to...', where the two sincere selves of the author gradually reveal and harmonize with each other.
+ The strong self, somewhat audacious, somewhat bold in wanting to control creation.
+ The self is profoundly innocent, naive like a child earnestly pleading before the boundless power of creation...(Continued)

>> View the Outline Analyze the opening stanza of the poem 'Hasty and Eager' to clarify the assertion in full here.
 

II. Sample Essay Analyzing the Opening Stanza of 'Hasty and Eager' to Clarify the Assertion

It must be said that the New Poetry Movement from 1932-1941, although it flourished vigorously for nearly a decade, left a significant impact on modern Vietnamese literature, with numerous valuable works and influential figures shaping the poetic landscape of that era. One of the most prominent poets to mention is Xuân Diệu, often hailed as the 'newest poet among new poets' (Hoài Thanh). His poetry is neither melancholic nor surreal like Huy Cận's, neither eccentric nor mad like Chế Lan Viên or Hàn Mặc Tử, nor rustic like Nguyễn Bính's. Instead, his poetry embodies a fresh, sincere, vibrant, and intense beauty, reminiscent of modernity in French poetry, fused with the beauty of faith and love for life within the soul of a Vietnamese youth, profoundly pure and rich in emotions. There's a claim stating: 'Xuân Diệu's poetry is a rich source of life in this tranquil land', perhaps most evidently manifested in the opening stanza of the poem 'Hasty and Eager', a poem that established Xuân Diệu's reputation amidst a forest of talented contemporary poets.

From the very first lines of poetry, one can perceive a profoundly abundant, audacious, and longing source of life by Xuân Diệu.

'I want to extinguish the sun
So that colors don't fade away
I want to restrain the wind
So scents don't fly away'

In a sunny day, amidst the calm breeze flowing along the stream of time, a poet suddenly emerges with a desire both innocent and somewhat audacious, wishing to 'extinguish the sun' to preserve the gentle warmth of spring skies which he deems most beautiful, and to 'restrain the wind' to retain the fragrant scent of the graceful spring flowers. Ultimately, whether it be the sunlight or the fragrance of the wind, they are both the most beautiful aspects of spring, the season of nature or the season within the poet's soul. At times, one might think that Xuân Diệu's sincere self is also longing to hold onto the beauty of spring in his soul just as one desires to cling onto the sunlight and fragrance outside. It can be said that Xuân Diệu's poetic soul is fiery, vibrant, and deeply sensitive; he profoundly understands the laws of nature, hence his desires are often intense and passionate. Reading the first four lines of poetry, one can feel a rather fast rhythm, with the familiar aphoristic structure 'I want...to...', where the two sincere selves of the author gradually reveal and harmonize with each other, one side being the strong self, somewhat audacious and bold in wanting to control creation, and the other side being the very innocent self, pure-hearted like a child earnestly begging before the infinite power of creation. However, Xuân Diệu's primary purpose remains to preserve the most beautiful, refined aspects of life, namely the golden sunlight and the fragrant flowers, and perhaps even broader, the spring season of nature and the spring of life itself.

In the following seven lines, the abundant source of life from within the poet's soul permeates over all natural landscapes, Xuân Diệu's soul is a beautiful spring, so wherever the poet's eyes look, they see spring reigning, they see love overflowing.

'Here is the love of this bee's week;
Here is the flower of this green field;
Here is the leaf of this fluttering branch;
Here is the love of this swift swallow.
And here is the twinkling light of these eyelashes;
Every morning, joy knocks on the door;
January is sweet like a pair of lips close;'

The painting of nature in spring appears truly brilliant and beautiful, with the use of the structure 'here is...', making the poetic lines and scenes seem closely connected, the melody of the poem becomes soft, flexible, and lively like the poet's soul. What makes Xuân Diệu's poetry special and appealing is not just the words themselves but also the poet's perception. He not only perceives the spring of love through his eyes but seems to engage his entire body, opening all senses, using a sincere heart to feel. Hence, love, intense longing, and abundant life within him are always expressed in a unique and profound way. Xuân Diệu's portrayal of nature is also very authentic, reading his poetry feels like experiencing the spring atmosphere around. For example, the line 'Here is the love of this bee's week', firstly, we see the joy, the liveliness of the bee, then we feel the pure, sweet taste of honey. Then the line 'Here is the flower of this green field', we feel like we are standing in the middle of a green field, dotted with vibrant flowers, emitting a delightful fragrance carried by the cool breeze. Then the image of 'the leaf of this fluttering branch', we feel something very sensual, romantic, that is the soft, lively vitality of a new budding branch, of a soul loving freedom, ready to blend into the swaying breeze, seductive. Life is not only seen through the poet's eyes, senses, but it is also heard through sharp ears, capturing the 'love song' of the beautiful swift swallow, its new melodious song truly enchanting. Amidst such a beautiful spring sky, the most beautiful light is undoubtedly the morning sunlight sneaking through the eyelashes of a maiden, then reflecting on the smooth, young face of a spring-like maiden. Xuân Diệu's depiction of nature with its fullness of sound, color, scent, taste is like a magnificent feast calling people to indulge freely before the feast ends. From the way of perceiving life and nature, we suddenly realize that Xuân Diệu has a very fresh outlook on life, always focusing on life, focusing on the beauty displayed in the earthly realm, intimate, always grasping the real beauty, instead of dreaming of an idealistic life in the high clouds, desolate sea, far from the world, or reminiscing about the past. What Xuân Diệu desires is to live to the fullest for youth, to live fully in this inherently beautiful life. He is closely connected with nature, with earthly beings, seeing it as the ideal life he always yearns for. Therefore, if we say Xuân Diệu is a romantic and realistic writer, passionately so, perhaps there is nothing wrong with that.

When mentioning Xuân Diệu's poetry, focusing solely on the exquisite and beautiful portrayal of nature would be a significant oversight, for Xuân Diệu's poetry is always intertwined with the beauty of love. Love in Xuân Diệu's poetry is seamlessly woven into every word, every scene, delicately and gently evoked. In the painting of spring nature, at first glance, everyone might perceive it as ordinary scenes, yet upon closer examination, one can understand that each scene, each object seemingly has its own pair, all immersed in their own love. For instance, bees and butterflies are happily intoxicated in the 'week of honey' sweetness, fragrant flowers also have their other half in the 'green field', leaves have branches, and the wind daily accompanies them in playful camaraderie; swallows and swifts sing their 'love songs' to each other every day. And what about the poet's soul? The poet also harbors a longing for the maiden closing her eyes in the early morning sun, also possesses a love full of passion for the beautiful nature, for life brimming with light. Perhaps his life is like a garden of love, every morning awakening for him is as wonderful as 'Joy, the god, knocking on the door'. Xuân Diệu's love is so intense that he feels January, the month of spring, is not only beautiful but also 'delicious', that is the delicious flavor in the soul, not just tasting to know its goodness. For Xuân Diệu, a talented poet, with a sensitive heart, true deliciousness must come from passionate, fervent love for nature, for life. The subtle transition of feelings turns the abstract concept of January into something tangible like 'a pair of lips close' of the young girl, which encapsulates the entire lush beauty, the endless spring hues in the poet's perception.

'I am delighted. But hastily, half of it:
I do not await the summer sun to forever crave spring.'

Xuân Diệu makes no attempt to conceal his happiness, his joy in his poetry, laying it out plainly that 'I am delighted. But hastily, half of it:', causing readers to wonder, why in the midst of such a flowing, smooth poetic rhythm, there are times when the poet pauses, interrupts his own happy rhythm like this. It turns out that Xuân Diệu early on realized the strict law of nature, the constant flow of time. That beautiful spring, no matter how beautiful it is, cannot go against the laws of nature, spring comes then must go to make way for summer, autumn, and winter to cycle. Because of the fear that spring will quickly pass, Xuân Diệu feels nostalgia, regret for spring right in the middle of spring like this. Perhaps Xuân Diệu is trying to walk fast to outpace the steps of time, to hold onto every bit, every bit of spring of nature, which is also the spring of life.

Xuân Diệu's poetry is always rich in emotion, intense, immersed, and deeply passionate about nature, passionately loving life; he is always haunted by time, every step of time makes the poet fearful, hence his love becomes even stronger, deeper. Reading Xuân Diệu's poetry is always finding a source of inspiration, a rich, abundant source of life, not repeating with any other author because the beauty he perceives lies right in this quiet homeland, not in the mystical, utopian places that people often dream of.