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Prompt: Analyzing the poem 'The Call of Inspiration'
Essay:
Nguyen Khuyen, a classical poet with a profound and melancholic soul, carried the weight of life's sorrows. Despite his extensive education and doctoral title, he found himself powerless in the face of the country's invasion, retreating into seclusion to avoid witnessing the painful scenes. During this hidden period, Nguyen Khuyen harbored a deep sense of regret, expressing his contemplations through poetry in a profound manner. Various animals appear in his classical poems, each symbolizing the poet's unique emotions. Among them, the snipe is honored with three appearances, notably in the poignant poem 'Snipe Cries, Inspiring Poetry.'
Reading the title 'Snipe Cries, Inspiring Poetry,' understanding it both forwards and backward yields meaning. However, considering the emotions and context of its creation, we should interpret it as the poet hearing the snipe's cry and finding 'inspiration' to write this poem. 'Inspiration' here is not joy or excitement but rather the stirring of the pain of lost homeland evoked by the poignant cry of the snipe, piercing the heart. A similar sorrowful cry is found in the works of Lady Huyen Thanh Quan, as she laments, 'Remembering the homeland, the snipe cries,' a deeply sorrowful sentiment in the poem 'Crossing Ngang Pass.'
In the opening of the poem, Nguyen Khuyen introduces a mournful bird, a sound both 'agonizing' and profound, delving into the human soul. The cry of the snipe carries a vast and melancholic sadness, simultaneously poignant and lingering. The snipe's cry also recalls an ancient legend where Thuc De, mourning the loss of his country, tragically transforms into a snipe, wailing mournfully day after day. It is the pain of a restless soul, resonating for eternity. The pain of losing a homeland is an enduring agony, leaving a soul 'trapped forever' in perpetual suffering, wandering beneath the shadow of a discreet bird.
In two vivid lines, Nguyen Khuyen paints an artistic scene tinged with horror, haunted by the haunting and lonely cry of the snipe, echoing through the summer air.
'In a year where blood flows in the deserted summer night
Six moments, souls dissolve in the faint moonlight'
Amidst the 'deserted summer night,' the snipe's cry is a poignant pain, a vivid red of 'blood flowing.' The 'deserted' night intensifies the haunting and earnest call of the snipe, resonating throughout the silent, oppressive, and stifling space. The snipe's cry also evokes a greater pain - the pain of 'souls dissolving' beneath a dimly lit 'faint moonlight.' Imagine standing in that atmosphere, hearing the snipe's cry; one would feel a profound sense of desolation and horror. The snipe's cry isn't just occasional but persistent throughout the day and night, echoing through the 'year of sorrow-six moments.' It prefers to cry in the calm night, like a mournful sob, stirring a relentless, enduring pain in the sleepless soul, a lingering and poignant sorrow.
'Is it regret for spring that one stands and calls,
Or is it a longing for the homeland that one dreams?'
In these two poetic lines, one can sense a profound dilemma, a deep turmoil within the author's soul. The emotions of a noble soul bearing the pain of life, the pain of a lost homeland, the pain of helplessness, and the pain of the nation's dire fate at that time. The author wonders if the snipe's cry is a nostalgic call for the past spring or the lament of a Thuc De's ancient spirit yearning for the homeland. Upon deeper reflection, this reflects the poet's own state of mind; he mourns and reminisces about a country that once prospered, much like the spring weather. Now, he continues to experience the pain of the lost homeland, even in dreams, disturbed by the haunting, mournful cry of the snipe.
'Echoing through the silent night, who cries so?
Urging wanderers with bewildered minds.'
In the final lines, the poet seems to question the purpose of the snipe's prolonged cry, but it's also a self-inquiry. The snipe's lingering cry in the empty night keeps the poet restless, unable to sleep due to the intense pain of a deep-rooted love for the homeland and compassion for the people. The snipe's cry acts as a urging force, digging into the soul, signaling the poet-scholar to take action and change the tumultuous state of affairs. Yet, the listener, hearing the insistent cry like a bleeding wound, a dissolving spirit, a mournful wail, remains helpless and unable to do anything, only enduring the painful sighs. It's an uncomfortable, vexing sentiment in this quiet, deserted summer night.
