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Lecture on the following passage from The Boatman of the Da River: 'My boat drifts on the Da River... classic cords on the stream'
Sample essay: Lecture on the following passage from The Boatman of the Da River: 'My boat drifts on the Da River... classic cords on the stream'
Assignment
From 'Echoes of the Past' (1940) to 'The Da River' (1960), Nguyen Tuan's literary journey spans 20 fruitful years. 'The Da River Essays' further illuminates Nguyen Tuan's literary portrait, making it even more vibrant and resplendent. With 15 essays and a draft poem, 'The Da River' firmly establishes Nguyen Tuan's illustrious position in the history of modern Vietnamese literature, accentuating an artistic style that is elegant, distinctive, and brilliant, endearing him to our hearts with pride.
The Boatman of the Da River, extracted from 'The Da River Essays,' showcases Nguyen Tuan's creative prowess at a new developmental level. As a writer of extraordinary character, Nguyen Tuan discerns and depicts the extraordinary qualities of the people of Northwest Vietnam, which he refers to as the 'golden essence' of the soul. As a fervent lover of nature, he speaks of the scenery of the Da River with keen and unique observations of mountains and rivers, of grass and trees in a vast, majestic, and romantic land.
Nguyen Tuan's literary technique is highly versatile. Sometimes he describes the Da River as 'wild and passionate' through the courageous and talented boatman's eyes. At other times, he recalls the Da River as an 'old friend' after long days in the forest seeking 'a breath of fresh air,' and upon reuniting with the river, he rejoices 'like seeing the sun breaking through the thick fog, like reconnecting with a broken dream.' There are moments when Nguyen Tuan gazes down at the Da River from an airplane, wistfully tracing its contours 'flowing endlessly like a strand of sentimental hair...' Other times, he floats along the tranquil river on a boat to explore and enjoy the pristine, fascinating beauty that many of us long for. The writer is either describing or reflecting, crafting a beautiful passage that evokes the pristine and romantic beauty of the central section of the Da River, a prose poem rarely seen:
'My boat drifts along the Da River. The riverside scenery here is tranquil... and the river is carrying boats with sails of fabric, contrasting sharply with the classic tail-tied boats on the water.'
In the scene of navigating the rapids, Nguyen Tuan unleashes a rich, precise, and novel vocabulary to describe the battle between his boat and the river god, with a strong narrative tone, a pace as urgent as the roaring rapids, and the echoing waves. But in this passage, the tone and rhythm change completely: light, airy, dreamy. The romantic, tranquil beauty of the Da River in the middle reaches is described with poetic charm. It is the stretch of river from the Tiểu Falls, akin to a Thai proverb: 'Passing the Tiểu Falls, spreading a blanket to lie down' - only then does that romantic tranquility appear. The sentences are refined, describing the boat gently drifting: 'My boat drifts along the Da River...'. An artistic space so 'quiet' as to lull the 'guest of the Da River' into a dreamy reverie. The 'quietness' is emphasized like incense from the forest, mountain breeze into the soul of one who listens, feels, and appreciates: 'The riverside scenery is quiet, seemingly from the Ly, Tran, and Le dynasties, this stretch of river seems just as tranquil. Reversing time by a millennium, two words of 'quiet' lead the reader back to 'a few hundred years of fleeting peaceful dreams' (Hoang Cam). Only the 'calm quietness' of the river in ancient poetry: 'White waves spread quietly over the river' gives rise to the 'quietness' as soothing as the Da River that Nguyen Tuan admires.
Gazing dreamily at the river, listening to the water flow 'quietly,' the guest of the Da River gazes into the distance, observing the scenes along the riverbank. Enveloping the landscape is a primitive, innocent green. Even the corn shoots 'sprout the first leaves of the season,' bearing the imprint of humanity on that lush green, but remarkably, 'not a single human shadow is visible.' Only rows of hills succeeding one another with 'ripe corn ears' are visible. The image of deer appearing on the lush green hills is a stroke of artistic genius, making the painting of the Da River's natural scenery imbued with 'wild' and 'fairy tale' hues. Not the golden deer bewildered amidst the rustling of fallen autumn leaves: here there is only: 'Hills sprouting with ripe corn ears. A herd of deer bow their heads, nibbling on dew-drenched corn shoots at night.' Only Nguyen Tuan has such a 'youthful green' perspective, such a unique way of expression; he has immersed himself in the creatures, loving and cherishing them. His sentences seem like the two lines of a couplet in a poetic journey:
The wild riverbank is like a prehistoric shore;
The riverbank, innocent as an ancient fairy tale, as Nguyen Tuan compared not to concretize objects but to abstract, romanticize landscapes. 'Prehistoric shore,' 'ancient fairy tale,' are words of the master writer about this language. Nguyen Tuan did not rely on intuition to compare; he used imagination to create associations, comparisons full of poetry and fascination, sowing into the reader's soul a range of emotions, to enjoy together the 'wild' and 'innocent' beauty of the Da River.
Then from within that 'wild' space of the banks of the Da River, Nguyen Tuan longed to live, yearned for a 'craving' for the sound of an era. From the dream of the 'prehistoric shore' shifted to the dream of a glorious future through a magical train whistle... In the dream, there is much enthusiasm: 'Oh, feeling eager to startle at the sound of the first whistle of a train on the Phu Tho - Yen Bai - Lai Chau railway.' He loved the Da River with its 'innocent,' 'wild' soul, saw the Da River as an 'ancient scholar,' he also 'craved' the light of the era shining on the banks of the Da River, taking readers with him to soar on the 'winds of tomorrow...'. The romance in Nguyen Tuan's writing gently leads us into the fragrance of the 'feast of orchids' of yesteryears, just enough for us to dream of a distant scene...
That's the lingering flavor, the fascination we feel through the dreamy sound of the train whistle. The dialogue between the guest of the Da River and the poetic deer is a wonderful poem, a dream flickering in the tranquility of the riverbank. The silent moment of telepathic communion between the guest of the Da River and the deer has reached its climax. Against the backdrop of green fog, the deer stares intently as if questioning. Hearts and creatures resonate together: 'The poetic deer raises its head from the dew-drenched grass, gazing intently at me as I drift gently on the bow of a boat.' The deer looks at the person in wonderment; the person looks at the herd of deer, sinking into reverie. Not a sound. The entire artistic space becomes calm, sacred, mystical. Is the deer asking the person or is the person asking himself? A supposition that is both real and surreal, romantic and surreal.
Returning from the realm of dreams to reality with many memories: The deer perks up its ears, looks at me without blinking, as if asking with its own voice: 'Oh, guest of the Da River, did you also just hear a dewy whistle?' It can be said that Nguyen Tuan's depictions of the mountain deer are strokes of genius, unique, capturing the innocent wild beauty of the banks of the Da River, creating poetic, dreamy qualities, overflowing within both human hearts and the natural world. The words are charming, evoking the soul of the landscape: 'Poetic deer,' 'raising its head,' 'dew-drenched grass,' 'gazing intently,' 'kind creature,' 'dewy whistle...'. Nguyen Tuan looked at nature with a discerning eye for details, forms imbued with aesthetic beauty.
The changing scenery inspires Nguyen Tuan's prose to adapt and transform. A small sound from a green carp makes the guest of the Da River suddenly wake up from his dream. Utilizing the dynamic to describe the stillness creatively opens up a new artistic space. The carp, the fleeing deer, the fish leaping onto the river surface 'with bellies as white as falling silver threads'. Like a scene transitioning from stillness to movement and then back to tranquility. The deer vanish, the fish with white bellies rise and fall, dive down; before the eyes of the traveler, there is only a green hue of water, the green of mountain grass. The sentence 'The school of green carp darting onto the river's surface with bellies as white as falling silver threads' is a beautiful sentence, with sound, color, auditory perception, visual perception, and emotional feeling. The simile 'school of carp with bellies as white as falling silver threads' is full of poetic charm, evoking the white hue (like silver), and clearly delineating the slender shape (like threads) of the green carp.
The fish dart... the fleeing deer... and the guest of the Da River suddenly wakes up, returning to reality, with the boat drifting downstream, smooth and tranquil. Being a talented writer, Nguyen Tuan, with his Eastern and Western poetic sentences and verses, 'immerses himself,' when happy, he brings grace, when sad, he ponders like Tan Da with Nguyen Tuan being lifelong friends. No poet has written as much and as well about the Tan and Da Rivers as Nguyen Khac Hieu. Where there is moonlight, there must be wine, just as there must be poetry with beautiful scenes. Nguyen Tuan considers the Da River as an 'ancient scholar,' so he recites the poems of the poet Tan Da to admire the beautiful scenery of the Da River; is there any greater pleasure? Tan Da has three landscape poems with the same tone: 'Letter to an Unacquainted Lover' (1918), 'Letter Blaming an Unacquainted Lover' (1921), 'Letter Again Blaming an Unacquainted Lover' (1926). Nguyen Tuan criticizes two lines in the second poem, selects the two best lines, fitting the situation and sentiment, he writes:
'My boat drifts on the 'stretch of the Da River, water foam swaying - so many scenes; so many emotions' of 'an unknown lover' (Tan Da). The quotation of Tan Da's poetry here also carries a sense of 'gratitude,' 'Good wine needs no bush' to 'drink together'. Just as there are beautiful scenes but lacking a friend, the joy of admiring flowers and contemplating the moon has somewhat diminished. Reading your poetry, reciting your poetry at this moment, Nguyen Tuan regards it as if you are sitting with him on the boat drifting on the 'stretch of the Da River with water foam swaying...' dreamily experiencing emotions and enjoyment. That is talent, that is genius. That is gratitude, loyalty.
The further downstream, the wider the Da River becomes, the more vast and gentle the river flow. Watching the flowing water 'calmly,' the writer feels as if it 'recalls the distant rocks left on the upper reaches of the Northwest.' The river still flows 'calmly,' gently 'as if listening to the soft voices of those downstream, and the river is carrying its boats that blossom sails, different from the boats with swallow tails moored with classic cords on the river.' 'The boats blossom sails,' 'The boats with swallow tails moored with classic cords' are observations, descriptions, and unique uses of words by Nguyen Tuan. Every sentence, every word infuses soul into the river, into the boats, into the scenery. The implicit comparisons, the personification in this passage show a deep and sincere love for the mountains and rivers, a rich and warm gaze, a loving and attentive listening. Nguyen Tuan seems to be opening up his heart, his soul to the river, to 'listen,' to reminisce, the warm echoes, the warm lingering of life. We feel a river flowing gently, flowing calmly in our hearts, vast and boundless... Nguyen Tuan's prose not only brings us much pleasure but also leaves behind many lingering feelings, that's it!
Nguyen Tuan cherished the Da River, adored the Northwest, admired the blooming flowers, admired the vibrant colors of To Hieu, admired the skilled and brave boatmen, whether navigating the rapids or sitting in caves roasting bamboo rice... Mr. Nguyen loved the quietness of the river, admired the graceful deer of the forest, loved the sound of the green carp splashing, leaping onto the river surface 'with bellies as white as falling silver threads'. The author of the Da River also loved and was fascinated by the sight of 'boats with swallow tails moored with classic cords' of the Thai people, 'boats with sails blossoming' of the Kinh, the Muong people... Loving the Da River, loving its scenery, loving the Northwest, for Nguyen Tuan, for us, is a love for the mountains and rivers, for the hardworking, kind-hearted, brave, and talented Vietnamese people...
The above excerpt is just a short passage from the essay 'The Boatman of the Da River' by Nguyen Tuan, only talking about one beauty - the romantic beauty - of the Da Giang in the midstream. However, we can still feel the goodness, the beauty in Nguyen Tuan's writing. A poetic essence spreads widely, deeply. A pen of exploration, creativity, and creation in constructing scenes, in using words, forming sentences. The comparisons, metaphors, and associations are very evocative. This is a beautiful and exquisite passage about the scent of the country. The talent, the nobility, the unique, sharp, and graceful aspect of Nguyen Tuan's artistic style leave a mark on this 'flower page,' this 'flower sheet'... Readers still feel like they become 'guests of the Da River' drifting lightly on the Da Giang with Mr. Nguyen, admiring the beautiful scenery of the mountains, thousands of flowers, and listening to the sound of green carp splashing on the calm surface of the river 'the stretch of the Da River with water foam swaying...'.
Above is the instruction for commenting on the passage: 'My boat drifts on the Da River... with classic cords on the river.' in the work 'The Boatman of the Da River' by the writer Nguyen Tuan. To have a more complete and solid knowledge foundation about this work, please refer to the following articles: analysis of the boatman of the da river, The image of the boatman through the essay The Boatman of the Da River, Feelings about the image of the boatman through the essay The Boatman of the Da River,...
