Exploring the author's homesickness depicted in the poem 'Crossing the Mountain Pass'

Prompt: Analyze the author's homesickness in the poem 'Crossing the Mountain Pass'

Analyzing the author's homesickness in the poem 'Crossing the Mountain Pass'
 

I. Analysis Outline of the Author's Homesickness in the Poem 'Crossing the Mountain Pass' (Standard)

1. Introduction

Introducing the author, the work, and Bà Huyện Thanh Quan's longing for home in the poem 'Crossing the Mountain Pass'.

2. Main Body

- The author's homesickness is indirectly revealed through the evening landscape:
+ Time: Evening is a sensitive time when people finish a tiresome day's work to return home, often evoking feelings of nostalgia and melancholy.
+ Space: In a desolate mountainous area known as 'Ngang Pass', where even plants compete for survival.
+ The natural landscape portrays human life sparsely, which is heart-wrenching as seen in 'Sparse gatherings of cottages beneath hills/ Scattered by the riverside a few homes'...(Continued)

>> See detailed Analysis Outline of the author's homesickness in the poem 'Crossing the Mountain Pass' here.
 

II. Sample Essay Analyzing the author's homesickness in the poem 'Crossing the Mountain Pass' (Standard)

Former Prime Minister Phạm Văn Đồng once said: 'Poetry is the stigma of life, so poets must seek out that stigma and strive to ensure that their lives also bear that stigma'. This is indeed true, as each poet chooses a unique path to express their artistic style. We encounter Hồ Xuân Hương with a fervent, assertive 'self' striving for the dignity of women through 'Floating Cake'. In the poetry of Bà Huyện Thanh Quan, we find a gentle 'self' with poignant homesickness for home depicted in the poem 'Crossing the Mountain Pass'.

Bà Huyện Thanh Quan is known for her reputation as a rare and talented female poet of ancient times. Her poetry always contains overflowing nostalgia, strange realms of memories. The poem 'Crossing the Mountain Pass' is one of her most outstanding works in the Đường luật style and has always been embraced by generations of readers. With a fervent love for the homeland, 'Crossing the Mountain Pass' is a masterpiece depicting the sentimentality of the author, expressing the heart-wrenching homesickness.

Not every longing can be expressed in words or even named. Therefore, the female poet borrowed the setting of the shadowy twilight natural landscape to convey her emotions:

'Approaching Ngang Pass, twilight's shadow,
Grass and rocks entwined, leaves mixed with flowers.
Scattered gatherings beneath the mountain, a few goats,
Sparsely situated by the river, a few homes.'

The opening lines evoke a scene of nature at dusk, as the time transitions from evening to night. Perhaps this is the most sensitive time of day, when people's emotions turn towards their memories, unnamed sorrows. The 'twilight' time combined with the desolate space of Ngang Pass makes the heart heavier. The poet's mood suddenly changes when witnessing the daily life of the people at the foot of the pass. Homesickness seems to permeate every scene. The poignant painting becomes more vivid as 'grass and rocks entwine, leaves mix with flowers' to compete for life. Perhaps in the poet's heart, there's a connection to the struggles of women in the past society, yet they still fiercely seek a way of life for themselves. Standing hundreds of meters high, the poet has a panoramic view. Here, despite the desolation, human presence shows life continues as 'sparse gatherings beneath the mountain, a few goats/ Sparsely situated by the river, a few homes'. Under that pass, there are still people gathering firewood for their harsh living, for their daily meals. The poet's perspective shifts from scenery to people, yet strangely, the scene remains desolate, heavy. Perhaps even a few goats specialized in chopping wood cannot disrupt the quiet space here? The poet uses the phrase 'sparse gatherings' to depict the small figures at the foot of the mountain, who are toiling and hurriedly carrying firewood home before dusk. Expanding the view, the poet sees 'Scattered by the riverside, a few homes'. When mentioning the market, one often imagines a bustling scene of trade, but here, the market is extremely desolate, peaceful, with no one around and only 'scattered by the river' are a few lonely houses. The poet is always eager to see a better horizon when stepping into new lands, but the thin, sparse life makes the scenery even sadder. The poet places the phrases 'sparse gatherings' and 'scattered by the river' at the beginning of the lines to show the rare, lonely lives here, far away enough for the poet to share, to confide in. The use of these phrases is both highly evocative and profoundly melancholic, yet all cannot fully express the poet's emotions at this moment. Surely, the poet must love and miss the homeland greatly to create such a nuanced painting.

That longing surges and intensifies, making the poet exclaim:

'Longing for the country is heart-wrenching, oh nation,
Missing home, the mouth weary, oh family,
Pausing, stopping, sky, mountains, rivers,
A piece of love alone, me with myself'.

In the quiet, desolate space of the mountain pass, somewhere the call of cuckoos, babblers suddenly rings out, in the context of the sad evening, evoking even more despairing sorrow. The undertone of 'oh nation' and 'oh family' creates a gentle, melodious melody, but also deeply sorrowful, piercing to the heart. Perhaps, with the poet's wordplay, the 'nation' and 'family' are the threads connecting the call of the jungle birds to the longing for the homeland, for the poet's family. The poet has used the artistic technique of 'dynamic description with static sound', taking the cry of the jungle birds to highlight the serene, desolate scene of the late afternoon, making the bird's call suddenly even more melancholic, more heartbreaking than ever. Hearing the birdsong, the poet feels even more heartache and misses the homeland, family more, feeling the turmoil of the homeland, while the family is in disarray, separated, and the fate of women and children cannot wield the sword to kill enemies on the battlefield, making the poet feel even more heartbroken. Amidst the desolate, high mountain pass, the call of the cuckoo, the babblers suddenly rings out as the sound of longing for the homeland, for the family of the female poet. Amidst the vast expanse of the forest contrasting with the small, lonely figure of the poet, it makes the poet 'Pause, stop' to admire the sky, mountains, rivers of their land suddenly beautiful like 'silk flowers' because:

'Some places are incredibly beautiful
Like rivers, like mountains, like Vietnamese people.'

(Nguyen Van Troi)

The depth of emotion in the poet's soul made the poet deeply moved before the picturesque landscapes, so the poet had to 'pause, stop' to enjoy, to admire the essence of the land and sky. However, the poet still feels lonely, lost when only 'A piece of love alone, me with myself.' Through contrasting techniques, the poet has taken the vastness of the land and sky to highlight a small existence, 'a piece of love alone.' In that natural painting, although there is the presence of humans, they are very distant and sparse, life appears very fragile, so the poet also feels a bit sorry for their own fate, she is truly brave and bold when choosing a new direction for herself. The universe is indeed vast and vast, making humans feel even lonelier, smaller. In the silent space, here only the poet alone 'me with myself' blends with a piece of love for the country that reminds us of the poem by poet Nguyen Khuyen: 'Uncle comes to play here, me with myself.' However, the combination of 'me with myself' in Nguyen Khuyen's poetry means that although two but one, although one but two. That 'me' is not the lonely 'me', that 'me' is the 'me' blended between two souls into one body. As for Mrs. Huyen Thanh Quan, that 'me' is the solitary 'me' with the profound longing for the homeland, the deep affection for the family. Through that, we understand even more the hidden emotions that the poet cannot express.

The poem 'Crossing Ngang Pass' has successfully demonstrated a very creative and special artistic style of Mrs. Huyen Thanh Quan. The special emotions the poet has reserved for the homeland, for her family, so the poem has been warmly welcomed by the young generation.