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Exploring my reflections on Tản Đà's sentiments and audacity through the poem 'Aspiring to be Cuội' in 3 essays
1. My reflections on Tản Đà's sentiments and audacity through the poem 'Aspiring to be Cuội,' sample number 1:
The poem holds allure through its natural, simple verses, drawing inspiration from folk works or common allegories, expressing genuine emotions amid the monotony of poetic situations.
The first two lines convey the poet's emotions towards life's scenes:
Oh, sister Hằng, the autumn night is so melancholic!
In this worldly chaos, I feel half-worn out now.
Feeling 'sorrowful' and 'weary,' encountering the scene of an 'autumn night' seems to magnify the emotions exponentially. The poet is disheartened either due to the unattainability of personal aspirations or the impoverished, destitute life. The verses express sorrow through continuous, melancholic lines. The poet is not only tired of the current life but also disillusioned with the world. Perhaps that's why the idea of wanting to be like Cuội arises, aspiring to leave the earthly realm and reside in the heavenly abode with sister Hằng.
Tản Đà is weary of life but doesn't forget it. Ascending to sister Hằng, he still finds a way to turn back towards life.
Then, every full moon night in August,
Gathering to gaze down at the world with a smile.
Curated reflections on Tản Đà's sentiments and audacity in the selected pieces 'Aspiring to be Cuội'
What kind of laughter is this? Laughter of love, joy, or mocking contempt? Perhaps it's a way to express a disdainful attitude towards life. Why did he choose the full moon night of August instead of another day to manifest this disdain? Probably because he wants to amplify multiple times his indifferent attitude towards life.
In essence, Tản Đà's musings reveal the thoughts of someone weary of life seeking a hiding place. He wants to connect with nature (here, the fig tree and sister Hằng), concealing himself in nature to mock life with his arrogance. Through Tản Đà's poetry, we also witness the pronounced 'audacity':
Firstly, the title itself suggests something abnormal. Everyone knows Cuội in folk literature, in the Vietnamese impression, is associated with the habit of telling lies (hence the saying: 'Lies like Cuội'). Yet here, Tản Đà wants to be Cuội, that desire is truly unusual, utterly disdainful of everything. It's a form of audacity.
The poet addresses Hằng Nga with endearing terms, referring to her as a sweet sister. However, in the following four lines, he takes a slightly flirtatious tone with sister Hằng:
Has anyone sat on the fig tree's throne there?
The banyan branch asks sister to recall the play.
With a companion, what sorrow could remain,
Together with the wind and clouds, that's when joy truly comes.
The line 'The banyan branch asks sister to recall the play' not only describes his unique ascent to Quảng's strange life but also carries the mocking humor of Xuân Hương. The playful mockery present in these verses restores balance to the poem, avoiding sinking entirely into the melancholy expressed in the first two opening lines. In his address and conversation with sister Hằng, there's a hint of audacity. In the last two lines, the poet and sister Hằng leaning together to 'gaze down at the world with a smile' is also an unconventional stance compared to the societal norms of gender relations in his time. It's just another playful gesture of audacity in the eyes of contemporary scholars.
Why does Tản Đà exhibit audacity, showcasing it in his poetry? Perhaps it's a reaction to life, closely tied to the poet's unrestrained personality. It gives his poetry a distinct and unconventional tone.
'Oh, melancholic night, dear sister Hang!
In this mundane world, I find myself weary.
Has anyone graced the throne under the cypress tree?
Whisper to the boughs of the bodhi tree to join in the play.
With a belly and a companion, what sorrow is there?
Together with the wind and clouds, that's when true joy arises.
And every fifteenth day of the eighth month,
We lean over together, smiling at the world below,'
Sharing thoughts on Tản Đà's musings and the art of being 'Cuội'
Discussing 'swagger,' as per the book 'Tản Đà Poetry and Life' (Publisher: Literature, 1995, p. 100), it asserts: 'Swagger is, first and foremost, a personality trait. Its manifestation lies in extraordinary actions that attract the attention of the masses—swaggering actions are often rebellious, unrestrained, and playful. This disposition manifests a contradiction with the ordinary masses; it stands out and rises above. The swaggering personality is both tragic and comedic, a denial of reality, criticizing it through mockery and disdain,'
Swagger is also a way of life, a way of living that transcends the norms of contemporary society, becoming a challenge to that society. This way of living is subjective and dismissive of societal consensus,'
Swagger is also a phenomenon of thought: it's the mindset of discontent, uncontrollable, indifferent, disdainful of worldly matters.
A person without courage cannot swagger, without inner thoughts cannot swagger, and without resistance and denial of reality in some aspects, one cannot swagger,'
Thus, we can understand 'swagger' as the attitude, the reaction of a talented artist with a unique character and soul different from the ordinary, unwilling to accept simplicity, always breaking conventions, living unrestrainedly, freely asserting their personality and character,'
So, how is 'swagger' expressed in the poem 'Desiring to be Cuoi'?
The poem opens with a mournful cry, dear sister Hang. A cry filled with emotions, as Xuân Diệu once remarked.
'Oh, melancholic night, dear sister Hang!
In this mundane world, I find myself weary.'
A poet in sorrow, and that sorrow knows not to share with anyone, the zither only knows to call for sister Hang in the cypress court. The three words 'dear sister Hang' are expressive, creating a poetic tone that is poignant and profound. The verse contains the essence of the poet's inner feelings. Tản Đà once wrote: Whether life is boring or not, now it's half bored. The poem is printed in the collection 'Khối tình con' published in 1916, revealing the deep-rooted cause, the sadness and boredom due to the mundane world, the harsh life, the half-feudal colonial regime, stifling and rotten. For the unsatisfactory reputation: Talent is high, fate is low, the spirit is indignant. Sad because the country is being dominated by foreign powers, 'Tears for those entangled with the river and mountains.' It is the sorrow of a generation in the circle of lamentable slavery. As a versatile and compassionate poet, the sorrow has become a strand of grief:
'Half the goose feather pen gives birth to endless lamentation
A silk thread of a few strands from a silk cocoon.'
(First block of sonnet emotions)
A single plea, so sincerely earnest, akin to a supplication:
Has anyone sat under the cypress?
Bodhi branches, I implore you, remind sister to come play.'
These two lines clearly express Tản Đà's desire, the poet wishes to become Cuoi in the moon palace, under the cypress tree. The silent question hints at many subtle and vague emotions. The image of the bodhi tree becomes delightful and romantic when it transforms into a ladder ascending to the nine layers of azure clouds, allowing sister Tản Đà to be reminded by sister Hang to play under the cypress. It is a dream of escape. A dream born out of weariness and disillusionment. A dream with a negating nature.
'Thinking life sometimes falls short of dreams
Regretting dreams, life becomes wearisome.'
(Reminiscing Dreams)
Only by reaching the cypress throne can the poet escape the harsh reality, finding joy and relief. Having sister Hang as a companion makes life truly delightful. Wordplay (both, together) and clever use of contrast are creatively applied, featuring both minor and parallel contrasts. The rhythmic 2/2/3 structure creates a bouncy poetic tone. Saturated with rhyme, the poetry carries an essence of romantic sentiment, making it fascinating when read aloud:
'With a belly/ with a companion, / what sorrow is there,
Together with the wind! with the clouds, / that's when true joy arises.'
Just as literary critic Lê Thanh remarked in the book 'Tản Đà Poet' (1939): His (Tản Đà's) poetry is a refined essence with vague scenes and blurry images. He paints masterpieces with ethereal thoughts and dreamy sensations, crafting exquisite verses...
The conclusion departs with eloquence and artistic flair. Reading the poem 'Desiring to be Cuoi' truly reveals the beauty and fascination within.
At midnight, Tản Đà wakes to brew tea, then immerses in poetry... The heavens, hearing the melodic recitation, send two celestial maidens to escort the poet to the celestial realm. The poet recites for the heavens, and seven fairies listen. All are sincerely impressed:
'Literature has grown richer, with many paths
The heavens, hearing, burst into laughter
All fairies wish fervently, admonishing:
Brother, bring your market to the heavens!'
(Servant to the Heavens)
'Desiring to be Cuoi' is a unique poem, distinctly showcasing the style of poet Tản Đà. The beauty of the poem lies not only in its verses but also in the sincere aspirations of the poet - Tản Đà.
3. My thoughts on Tản Đà's confessions and audacity in 'Desiring to be Cuoi,' model number 3:
At the beginning of the 20th century, a new face emerged in the literary world. That was Tản Đà. The arrival of Tản Đà stirred up the contemporary public. Many curious and inquisitive eyes! Praise and criticism, both abound! People were intrigued and curious because of his unconventional, talented demeanor, but more so, they were curious and intrigued by his poetry. For the first time in Vietnamese literature, a poetic soul like his appeared; simultaneously melancholic, romantic, and highly audacious.
Tản Đà hailed from Confucianism, likely belonging to the last Confucian class in Vietnam. Living in a time when Confucianism was on the verge of decline, Tản Đà early on shifted to writing in the national script and quickly gained fame, especially in the 1920s of the 20th century. With innovative explorations, Tản Đà breathed fresh air into contemporary poetry.
Traditional poetry has often exalted the collective self, an exemplar of morality, ideals, and civic responsibility. Then came Tản Đà, an ego full of self and personality emerged. However, the stifling social reality had strangled the aspirations of individuals, especially artists. Throughout his life, Tản Đà lived in the mood of frustration, with a high spirit but low stature. That melancholic sentiment filled Tản Đà's poetry with an incessant, poignant sorrow:
Oh, melancholic night, dear sister Hang!
In this mundane world, I find myself weary,
Tản Đà's sorrow is not just personal dissatisfaction or sadness about his fate: Twenty years endlessly toiling for rice and clothes - But now, it seems that's all there is. It is a sorrowful pain about life, the times, and the nation: Wind and rain have weathered away - Life's affairs, when thought of, bring sorrow anew. Upon reflection, it is a beautifully painful sorrow, truly worthy of reverence!
Deeply discordant with life and society, Tản Đà yearns to escape from the clutches of existence.
The essay My Thoughts on Tản Đà's Confessions and Audacity in 'Desiring to be Cuoi'
It's not just Tản Đà embracing the desire to break free. Anyone with a noble soul and strong character at that time longed to escape life. However, many fell into despair, attempting to escape but failing (Xuân Diệu). Tản Đà, however, is different. With a romantic artist's soul, Tản Đà seeks to break free through imagination. Particularly, his extravagant dream of liberation stands out; escaping to the moon to be companions with sister Hang:
Has anyone sat under the cypress?
Bodhi branches, I implore you, remind sister to come play,
With a belly and a companion, what sorrow is there,
Together with the wind and clouds, that's when true joy arises.
Tản Đà was inherently a whimsical poet, acknowledging himself as a celestial being cast down to the mortal realm for his audacious crimes. He once wrote the poem 'Selling a Piece of Cloth' to buy paper for his whimsical writings. Therefore, Tản Đà's extravagant desire for liberation in the poem 'Desiring to be Cuoi' is a common theme for poets.
Tản Đà's yearning to escape to the moon was already quite audacious, but even more audacious was his familiar and somewhat carefree addressing of sister Hang as if they were close siblings. Then, upon reaching the celestial realm, daringly declaring himself the confidant and close friend of the beautiful celestial, viewing her as a companion to confide in: with a belly and a companion, what sorrow is there, fulfilling the carefree nature with the wind and clouds, that's when true joy arises.
A dream that is both audacious and romantic, yet deeply sentimental. It is the natural outcome of a soul always saddened by emptiness, loneliness, as Tản Đà experienced. In his life, the poet often lamented, seeking kindred spirits:
Around the rocks and trees
Knowing not where to find a kindred soul
Wishing to release my spirit with the wind and clouds:
In the next life, please don't become human
Be a pair of swans soaring freely in the sky
Escaping from life to become Cuoi, the deep-seated sorrow within him seems to have found release.
The romantic and audacious flow of emotions reaches its peak in the concluding two lines of the poem:
And every mid-August full moon
We lean over, gazing down, laughing at the world,
In Tản Đà's whimsical perspective on life, the worldly dust is but a trivial concern. A mischievous smile, charmingly Tản Đà.
Crafting the poem To Become Cuoi, one witnesses a masterpiece by Tan Da, resonating with a blend of romantic emotions, melancholy dreams, and a touch of arrogance. This poetic soul has engraved a profound mark in contemporary poetry, echoing through the ages.
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For a deeper understanding of the audacious artistry and the romantic, sentimental essence of Tan Da in the poem To Become Cuoi, explore the analysis of audacity, melancholy, and dreams in the poem To Become Cuoi.
