Buzz
Prompt: The Marvelous Mountains and Rivers - the pioneer proclamation
Response:
As of this moment, beyond the Independence Declaration read by President Ho Chi Minh on September 2, 1945, at Ba Dinh Square, historically marking the birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, there are two other texts recognized as Declarations of Independence for the nation. These include 'The Marvelous Mountains and Rivers' (attributed to Ly Thuong) and 'The Great Proclamation of Victory' (Nguyen Trai). So, is a literary work like 'The Marvelous Mountains and Rivers' with its concise four verses truly deserving to be considered the first Declaration of Independence for the Vietnamese people?
As we are aware, the Declaration of Independence is a political discourse written with the intention of proclaiming to the domestic population and the entire world the necessity to respect independence and territorial integrity. The poem 'The Marvelous Mountains and Rivers' is regarded as the first Declaration of Independence for our nation primarily because the poem is a grand declaration of the country's sovereignty:
Marvelous mountains and rivers, the Southern emperor resides here
Fate is clearly defined in the celestial book
Our Southern land is an independent country with its own sovereignty, and the king is the supreme representative of the people. The boundary of the Southern land is not only recorded in the glorious history of the people but is also clearly stated in the celestial book. It is an obvious truth: the Southern rivers and mountains belong to the Southern king, to the people of the Southern land, an undeniable fact. In the declaration of sovereignty, the author also deeply expresses the attitude of pride and national dignity when considering the Southern land as an equal country to the Northern land, with the Southern king being on par with the Emperor of China, through the use of the term 'emperor' instead of 'king' (both words mean king, the head of a country, representing the people, but in ancient Chinese feudal dynasties, the Chinese emperor called himself 'emperor' (understood as the great king), while the kings of neighboring countries were only given the title 'king' (understood as the small king). With such clever use of language, the status and stature of our Southern land have clearly been elevated to a new height.
In the first Declaration of Independence, our forefathers not only affirmed the nation's independence and sovereignty but also clearly expressed the determined will to protect that independence and sovereignty to the utmost:
As hostile forces trespass with malicious intent
We, equally resolute, shall defeat the false invaders.
Ly Thuong Kiet views the invading army as 'hostile forces' (those going against righteousness, against the will of heaven). The poem 'Nam quốc sơn hà' issues a sharp warning: If you dare to intrude upon the sacred territory and sovereignty of the Southern land, then you shall incur a disastrous downfall upon yourselves! It is a fitting outcome for those who violate the celestial order, infringe upon the divine, and scorn truth and righteousness! The verse is both a powerful attack on the invading enemies and an encouragement to the patriotic spirit, raising awareness of the people's responsibility to the Fatherland...
It can be said without excessive use of words, yet 'Nam quốc sơn hà' still clarifies the significant, monumental issues of the nation. It is a resolute declaration affirming sovereignty over the territorial domain and elevating the determination to protect the integrity of the nation's independence, decisively defeating all invading enemies. With such profound significance, 'Nam quốc sơn hà' completely deserves to be recognized as the first Declaration of Independence of the Vietnamese people!
