Elaboration on the Unique Situation of Military Wives

Prompt: Elaborate on the Singular Circumstances of Military Wives

Exposition on the Solitary Situation of Military Wives
 

I. Outline of the Exposition on the Solitary Situation of Military Wives

1. Introduction

- Introduction to the excerpt.

2. Body:

a. Author, Translator:
- Author: Dang Tran Con
- Translator: Doan Thi Diem, Phan Huy Ich

b. Work:
* Genre:
- The original was written in the form of ca tru music poetry, consisting of a total of 476 verses.
- The Nôm script translation was rendered in the form of ca dao verse. Combined with luc bat verse form.

* Context of Creation:
- The Chinh Phu Ngam was composed during the early reign of King Le Hien Tong, amidst numerous peasant uprisings occurring continuously around the capital city of Thang Long, leading to the royal court deploying troops to suppress them. Many young men had to march off to war, leaving behind their grieving wives and children at home in sorrow and longing.

* Artistic Excellence:
- Success in depicting, expressing the emotions of characters, transforming the invisible world into the visible through describing the actions, gestures, and nature outside.
- Agility in utilizing the poetic forms such as 'song' and 'seven-six-eight,' imbued with musicality, alongside a rich system of expressive vocabulary that holds significant meaning in portraying the inner world of characters.

3. Conclusion:

Express impressions.

II. Exemplary Essay: Elucidating the Solitary Situation of the Military Wife

The poignant scene of the military wife excerpted from the poem 'Lament of the Military Wife,' originally written in Han script by the author Đặng Trần Côn, though there are various opinions regarding the translator, it is now universally agreed upon that it was Đoàn Thị Điểm. This stands as one of the most outstanding literary works of the 18th century, carrying a novel humane content that not only empathizes with the unfortunate fate of individuals but also aims to express reverence for the rightful pursuit of happiness, especially for women under feudal oppression.

Regarding the author, Đặng Trần Côn could be seen as one of the most enigmatic authors in Vietnamese literature. There are extremely few documents and information about him, and seemingly no significant records. It is only known that Đặng Trần Côn lived in the first half of the 18th century, hailing from Nhân Mục village, Thanh Trì district (now Thanh Xuân, Hanoi). It is rumored that he was an intelligent and scholarly individual, having reportedly passed the Hương Cống examination. His literary career, besides 'Lament of the Military Wife,' includes renowned Han-script poems such as 'Verses on a Willow Leaf,' 'The Hundred Sparrows Debate,' 'The Magic of the Jade Bowl,' etc.

As for the translator, there are a total of four translations of 'Lament of the Military Wife' by different authors, among which the currently engraved translation is the most widely circulated and popular. To this day, there is still much debate about whether this current translation is by Đoàn Thị Điểm or Phan Huy Ích. Speaking of Đoàn Thị Điểm, she is regarded as the most beautiful and talented female scholar of the medieval period. Born in 1705 and passed away in 1748, with the alias Hồng Hà female scholar, hailing from Văn Giang, now part of Hưng Yên province, she was renowned for her intelligence and beauty. However, her romantic life was quite tragic, marrying late at the age of 37 to Dr. Nguyễn Kiều, and immediately after marriage, her husband had to travel far away on official duty, perhaps leading Đoàn Thị Điểm to profound sorrow and deep empathy with the military wife in 'Lament of the Military Wife,' thus undertaking the translation of this poem. Regarding the hypothesis that the translator was Phan Huy Ích, he was born in 1750 and passed away in 1822, with the alias Dụ An, originally from Hà Tĩnh, later residing in Quốc Oai, now part of Hanoi, obtaining his doctorate at the age of 26.

The work 'Lament of the Military Wife' was originally written in the Trường Đoản Cú poetic form, consisting of a total of 476 irregular-length verses. The Nôm-script translation by the translator employs the 'ngâm khúc' form, often expressing human thoughts and emotions with words of lamentation, sorrow, and suffering. Combined with the 'song' and 'seven-six-eight' folk poetry form, consisting of two 7-character lines, one 6-character line, and one 8-character line, enriches the poem with melody, agility, and a strong national identity.

Chinh Phụ Lament was composed during the early reign of King Lê Hiển Tông, amidst numerous peasant uprisings continuously occurring around the capital city of Thăng Long, leading the court to deploy troops to suppress them. Many young men bravely set out to join the army, leaving behind their naive wives and young children at home in sorrowful longing. Moved and empathetic towards the plight of these distant military wives, Đặng Trần Côn penned the Chinh Phụ Lament to express understanding and solidarity with their circumstances. The main content of the work primarily focuses on two points: first, the detestation of unjust wars, and second, the portrayal of the yearning for love and marital happiness, a new aspect in the humanitarian inspiration of 18th-century literature.

The excerpt 'Lonely Scene of the Military Wife' spans from the 193rd to the 216th lines of the Nôm script. The structure of the excerpt can be divided into three parts: the first part from 'In the vacant courtyard...' depicts the restlessness and anticipation of the military wife; the subsequent part until '...leaning on the distant sea' conveys the weary waiting time of the military wife; the third part until 'The silk strings snapped, hesitant to play again' illustrates the desperate attempt to alleviate the extreme loneliness of the military wife, with the remainder of the excerpt expressing the longing to send heartfelt memories to her husband. Thus, we can summarize that the main theme of the excerpt is the various degrees of loneliness felt by the military wife, always longing for a happy and peaceful life with her husband and children. And this is gracefully conveyed through each part of the excerpt.

In the opening lines:

'In the vacant courtyard, silently treading each step
Sitting by the sparse curtain, the tears quietly flow
Outside the curtain, no one gives a word
Inside, perhaps there's a lamp, who knows?
The lamp may know, or not, who knows?
My heart, alone, feels the pain
Sadness, unspoken, remains
Those lantern flowers, with the shadows, quite beloved'

The emotional world of the military wife is expressed through repetitive actions, pacing back and forth in the vacant courtyard with heavy, weary steps, then sitting down by the curtain, revealing a sense of unease and restlessness within the military wife's heart. Tired of standing, tired of sitting, the military wife alternates between letting down the curtain and pulling it up again, shifting from gazing outside to staring intently at the dim lamp, indicating a poignant yearning, anxiety, and profound loneliness of the military wife. Not only does Đặng Trần Côn depict the sentimental state of the character through unconsciously repetitive actions, but he also portrays it through the surrounding scenery, wherein the image of the indifferent lamp becomes the military wife's sole companion to share her poignant sadness. However, because the lamp is indifferent, it cannot reciprocate, console the military wife, leading to an even more pronounced sense of loneliness.

The next passage:

'The cock crows, the mist lingers, the drum beats
The hoe sways weakly, casting a faint shadow all around
The hours pass slowly like years
The lingering sorrow resembles a distant sea'

The phrase 'the cock crows' is a vivid depiction of the desolate, lonely scene of early mornings filled with melancholy, further enhanced by the weak swaying of the hoe, which aptly portrays the endless, haunting scene of the military wife's loneliness. By highlighting the solitary silhouette, the military wife's profound empathy deepens as time flows slowly, tastelessly, along with the vast, boundless sorrow within.

By the third passage, as the military wife strives to overcome loneliness and longing through various actions, it seems that the longing and loneliness only grow stronger.

'The incense burns, captivating the soul
The mirror reflects tears, turning them into pearls
The iron strings strum the melody
The silk strings snapped, hesitant to play again'

Burning incense to seek solace, seeking comfort in the spiritual world, yet she sinks deeper into the 'captivating' sorrow. Adjusting her appearance, finding joy in grooming, yet facing loneliness, becoming more poignant as she realizes her fading beauty, her youth slipping away. Turning to the strings to soothe her heart, the military wife confronts anxiety, fearing the strings will break, bringing ill omens.

In the final passage, the military wife's profound loneliness continues to be conveyed through images of nature.

'This heart sends the convenient East wind
...
The branches soaked with the sound of drizzling rain'

The poetry passage recreates the distant space separating the military husband and wife, through the phrase 'Yên mountains', indicating where the husband is fighting, and through the two lines 'Longing deeply for the way up to the sky/Sky deeply vast, immeasurable', describing the vast distance, difficult to overcome. However, filled with longing and affection, the military wife finds a clever solution, sending her longing 'worth a thousand gold' with the East wind to the front lines. Then, she returns to face her own tragic loneliness.

Regarding artistic uniqueness, we can see in this passage, the main artistic success lies in the successful depiction, expression of the character's emotions, turning the invisible world into visible through the description of the character's actions, gestures, and the external nature. Secondly, the flexibility in using the 'song thất lục bát' form with musicality, along with a rich system of expressive words, significantly contributes to portraying the character's inner world.

Summing up, the Lonely Scene of the Military Wife, in particular, and the Chinh Phụ Lament, in general, are outstanding works in the 18th-century Vietnamese medieval literature, with extremely high humanistic and moral values, gradually aiming to elevate and praise the dreams, aspirations for happiness of human beings, as well as women under the feudal regime. Additionally, it indirectly denounces the atrocities of endless unjust wars and the government's helplessness in ensuring the people's well-being.