Author's Emotions in the poem Crossing the Pass

Prompt: Author's Emotions in the poem Crossing the Pass

2 sample essays: Author's Emotions in the poem Crossing the Pass

1. Author's Emotions in the poem Crossing the Pass, Sample 1:

The poem Crossing the Pass has touched the hearts of readers through centuries. It impresses not only with its gentle and profound language but also with the narrative style often used by ancient poets: describing nature with sentiment.

Crossing the Pass is the first stop on the journey south to take on responsibilities. Far from home, family, and loved ones, the poetess cannot help but feel nostalgic. The first artistic signal the reader notices is the twilight. Here, the sun is about to set, dusk is falling, and the universe is gradually sinking into the void. Perhaps only faint rays of light remain in the late afternoon. From the twilight, it describes a concept on the verge of decay, disappearance. Space and time evoke a subtle, especially melancholic sense of exile:

Hearing ducks chirping in the evening
Wistfully missing mother, the ripe evening pains the heart

The late afternoon, especially twilight, evokes even more nostalgia. The poetess, in particular, finds this time most suitable for expressing deep-seated emotions of longing and sorrow. Like hurried travelers and evening birds seeking shelter, village children call out to their friends to return home. Not only in this poem, but also in 'Evening Recollections of Home,' we encounter such sentiments.

The evening sky is painted with the shadow of dusk

Essay: Analyzing the Author's Emotions in the poem Crossing the Pass

The late afternoon evokes feelings of nostalgia and longing. The majestic Hoanh Son mountain range is renowned for its rugged and pristine beauty. Amidst this scenery, the poet sees trees, flowers, and foliage vying for bits of sunlight. Alone atop the treacherous mountain peak, the sense of emptiness grows. Despite the natural beauty surrounding her – the trees, flowers, rivers, and seas – she is reminded of loved ones, family, and homeland. This is the time when the evening meal awaits, the family about to gather... Yet now, she walks alone in a foreign land.

Feeling melancholy, in the distance below the pass appears the image:

Scattered under the mountain, a few huts
Sparsely along the river, a few market stalls

The scene is truly desolate: a few peasant huts scattered under the mountain, and a few market stalls by the river. The imagery employs a poignant contrast, evoking a comparison to a dull, desolate life. It's vastly different from the lively hustle and bustle elsewhere. The poet seeks vitality, but the pass of Ngang disappoints her. These two lines juxtapose to create an image of the stark desolation of life at the Ngang pass.

In that silence, far away, one can hear the plaintive cries, laden with nostalgia for the homeland and family. Legend has it that after the defeat of Liu Bei by Lu Bu at Dongkou, he fled to the White Emperor City and passed away there. After his death, Liu Bei transformed into a national bird, symbolizing the sorrow of losing the country. The poignant scene, with the sound of birds crying in the melancholic evening, brings to mind these lines:

Surrounded by mountains on all sides
Desolate and lonely, devoid of people
Tall passes and narrow ridges
A few scattered huts stand forlorn

Are the national birds merely the poet's perception or an artistic metaphor expressing the deep-seated sentiments of the poet's soul? At this point, the poet's heart resonates with the desires of King Liu Bei to hold onto memories of the past, reminiscing about a golden era gone by. The birdcalls evoke a longing for the homeland and family, perhaps reflecting the poet's nostalgia for the Lê dynasty in which she lived. The poet's attitude is one of denial of reality, seeking refuge in the past. The poet Nguyễn Du once said, 'Can those in sorrow ever find joy?' In this context, it is entirely appropriate.

Concluding the poem is a compressed sentiment:
Stopping in place, the sky, mountains, and waters
A piece of love, just me and myself

The poet harbors a sense of melancholy, standing before the vast expanse of space: sky, mountains, and waters. The larger the scenery, the smaller and lonelier the person feels. And thus, it is only me with myself, alone in my own thoughts. Facing the landscape, life, and ultimately oneself alone. The poet's heart holds so much shared sorrow, but with whom to share? A private sentiment within a vast sea of emotions, perhaps it's only oneself to converse with. The sadness amplifies. This is the poet's confession, and also the confession of those who lament the changes of the world, of generations who have lived with the past, grieving for the present reality.

In the silence, facing the vast landscape: sky, mountains, and waters, the poet expresses a deep sense of longing. The wider the scenery, the smaller and more isolated one feels. Thus, it's just me with myself, alone with my thoughts. The poet confronts the landscape, life, and ultimately, oneself. In the poet's heart lies countless emotions, but with whom to share? It's a personal sentiment amidst a vast sea of emotions, perhaps only to be shared with oneself. The sorrow intensifies. This is the poet's confession, and also the lament of those who witness the changes of time, of generations who have lived through the past, grieving for the present reality.

There are many poets who borrow scenes to depict emotions, but perhaps the most successful is Bà Huyện Thanh Quan. The poetic images are intimate and rich in expression. What's remarkable here is that she has chosen valuable artistic signals to express her own sentiments. The poem is filled with the poet's soul, emotions, and sentiments. The poignant verses leave the reader pondering deeply.

2. Author's sentiment in the poem Crossing the Pass, Sample number 2:

Alongside Hồ Xuân Hương and Đoàn Thị Điểm, Bà Huyện Thanh Quan stands as one of the most renowned female poets of the 18th century. While Hồ Xuân Hương's poetry is sharp and characterized, and Đoàn Thị Điểm's verses are gentle yet profoundly nostalgic, particularly when reflecting on the glorious past and the longing for home and homeland. The poem Crossing the Pass is a notable work by Bà Huyện Thanh Quan.

Bà Huyện Thanh Quan often writes about nature, mostly during the twilight hours, evoking a sense of melancholic solitude. The scenes in her poetry resemble watercolor paintings, dotted and described with poetic imagination. Describing landscapes to convey deeply cherished memories of a bygone golden era.

'Approaching the mountain pass at dusk
Grasses mingle with rocks, leaves mingle with flowers'

As the poet steps towards the mountain pass, dusk begins to fall. The image of dusk not only evokes the earth and sky as the sun begins to set, and the night prepares to descend, but also captures the slow, languid movement of the clouds in the sky. The space depicted carries a sense of desolation, subtly hinting at the loneliness and wanderlust of the sentimental character. 'Grasses mingle with rocks, leaves mingle with flowers,' the author ingeniously conveys both the crowded, lush nature of the place one steps into and the wild, natural beauty of the mountainous forest.

'Under the mountain, a few scattered huts
By the river, a few houses here and there'

The phrase 'scattered huts' evokes the appearance of farmers returning home in the twilight, while 'here and there' suggests the sparse, desolate nature of living spaces, the emptiness of living and activity spaces. In these two lines, the silhouette of people under the mountain is faint and small, the living space has not yet evoked warmth, but is pushed back by the sparse distance. Therefore, speaking of people, of life, does not diminish the poem's melancholy, desolation. Life has become sparse, making the poetic picture even more desolate with the sparseness of market stalls.

Reference article: The Emotional State of the Author in the poem 'Crossing the Pass'

The expanded view deepens the loneliness and emptiness of people far from home in a foreign land:

'Longing for the homeland, the heart aches
Caring for home, the lips tire calling family'

The twilight, with its desolate, melancholic atmosphere, often prompts people to remember their homeland, especially those living far away. This is the time when family members gather under the warmth of the family home. Therefore, in the twilight atmosphere, at the deserted, primitive pass, poetess Bà Huyện Thanh Quan directs her longing towards her family, towards her homeland. This is the sincere, heartfelt feeling of a child far from home, longing for home, longing for the homeland. A heavy, lingering sadness.

The scene of the pass emerges with sky, mountain, and water, evoking a vast, expansive space that is both familiar and strange:

'Pausing, standing still, sky, mountain, water
A piece of love, alone, with oneself'