The portrayal of Nguyen Khuyen in the poem 'Autumn Fishing'

Prompt: The portrayal of Nguyen Khuyen in the poem 'Autumn Fishing'

3 exemplary essays: Depiction of Nguyen Khuyen in the poem 'Autumn Fishing'

Tip: Analyzing poetry effectively, structuring methodically

1. Depiction of Nguyen Khuyen in the poem 'Autumn Fishing,' sample 1:

'Golden wind whispers over the simple scene
Lone shadows of cranes sparsely dot the sky
The well of jade lotus, its blooms faded
Autumn forest, leaves falling, sounding like rain.'

Autumn can be considered a remarkable natural portrait within the four seasons: spring, summer, autumn, winter. Throughout the ages, autumn has always been a timeless subject of countless poets, a place where they pour their thoughts and emotions. In medieval literature, alongside works with autumn themes such as 'Autumn Night' by Nguyễn Du or 'Whims' by Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm, it would be remiss not to mention Nguyen Khuyen's autumn cluster, notably the poem 'Autumn Elegy.' Through this poem, we perceive Nguyen Khuyen's contemporary sentiment and profound patriotism towards the nation.

Traditionally, when speaking of autumn, poets often use magnificent imagery like withered lotus, falling red leaves, ripe cornfields... but for Nguyen Khuyen's 'Autumn Fishing,' it's entirely different. He incorporates familiar scenes such as autumn ponds, bamboo lanes, yellow leaves... seemingly simple landscapes but truly reflecting the authentic autumn of Vietnamese countryside, exuding the national essence. The autumn scenery in Tam Nguyên's poetry emerges with a simple, gentle beauty yet retains its unique allure, full of Vietnamese purity rather than borrowed autumn from elsewhere.

Essay: Depiction of Nguyen Khuyen in the poem 'Autumn Fishing'

Nguyen Khuyen's affection for nature is portrayed through his vivid descriptions of landscapes in his poetry. In 'Autumn Elegy,' the author sets his perspective from the autumn pond to the azure sky then back to the pond, back to the fishing boat. Nguyen Khuyen perceives autumn from near to far and then from far to near, to generalize the landscape but still maintain the serene essence of autumn.

The poem begins:

'In the cold autumn pond, water clear as glass
A tiny fishing boat, weathered and frail'

A brief glance reveals the image of an old fisherman sitting fishing in the chilly autumn air amidst a small, narrow pond. However, hidden within these two lines is the backdrop of the contemporary country. There's an old saying: 'Clear water lacks fish,' meaning clear water usually has no fish. Nevertheless, in 'Autumn Elegy,' although the water is 'clear as glass,' the old fisherman still holds his fishing rod. This is an impossible task, the author is doing something futile, facing a painful situation where, although he is a learned and talented person, he is powerless in the face of the lost country. He returns to teaching, without utilizing his talents to serve the people, serving as an official in an era where officials are merely puppets for others to manipulate. Nguyen Khuyen always harbors the wish to help the country, but that dream cannot take flight in a tumultuous society, everything is futile like fishing in clear water. It's like a chess piece stuck in a stalemate in his 'self-reflection' poem, where 'the chess pieces are stagnant with no moves left' - 'Silver has not yet taken the watch, the patrol has already left the village.' In the flow of emotion, the author continues:

'Water ripples follow the faint breeze
Yellow leaves gently sway before the wind'

'Water ripples follow the breeze' is used to describe the scene of the water's surface rippling with the autumn breeze. It seems like the author wants to convey the gentle movement of the rippling lake surface, but in reality, it reflects Nguyen Khuyen's attitude towards life, seeking empathy and understanding for his actions regarding his hometown instead of being indifferent in the face of the country falling into enemy hands. Sometimes, he even had to teach in the mansion of his French-appointed superiors, but all of these are just ripples in the pristine life of Nguyen Khuyen, he remains as pure as the water, steadfastly devoted to the homeland and upholding the dignity of a true gentleman.

The cold color palette is now intersected by the yellow hue of the leaf. Many believe that a leaf cannot gently sway, but in reality, this detail is very reasonable. The word 'sway' is used to depict the delicate nature of the leaf when it flutters, or it could also represent the reality of the country falling into enemy hands too quickly, the times changing in the blink of an eye, leaving the author shocked and saddened by the country's painful plight. Nguyen Khuyen fears that this country will end up like that yellow leaf, shattered on the autumn ground.

Using the same artistic technique to depict metaphorical scenes, the autumn scene is described in the following two lines:

'Thin clouds linger in the deep blue sky
Bamboo lanes twist with no travelers in sight'

Amidst the tumultuous political landscape of the time, the retired official, though morally upright, feels powerless to aid the country. He is filled with sorrow and remorse, seeking solace in the autumn scenery like the deep blue sky or the bamboo lanes, hoping to alleviate his sense of helplessness. However, the simple images of rural life only serve to exacerbate his anguish due to his sense of personal responsibility. The image of the bamboo lanes evokes a profound sense of loneliness and emptiness, symbolizing the absence of talent and dedication among scholars of that era.

Nguyen Khuyen's contemporary sentiment is most vividly expressed in the final two lines:

'Leaning on his pillow, the fisherman waits in vain
No fish nibbles beneath the still water'

Through these two lines, we perceive the tranquil resignation as he leans on his pillow, but also the sense of longing as he waits in vain, his fervent desire to serve his homeland always bubbling within him, making him unable to patiently wait for the right time. The author's heart seems to be immersed in contemplation amidst the serene autumn atmosphere, so quiet that even the slightest movement of a fish is enough to startle him. The sound of the fish can also be seen as a glimmer of hope illuminating the tranquil, somber atmosphere, offering readers a sense of optimism, a sign of changing times, a miracle appearing just when everything seems stagnant and changing everything.

The chilling touch of autumn turns the pond's water into a serene, translucent expanse. The verse not only speaks of the cold but also evokes a sense of tranquility, emptiness, and melancholy of the weather and scenery. Indeed, in the 'chilly autumn pond,' all creatures seem to only want to submerge themselves, not frolic and swim around. Hence, the water is 'clear' - pure, tranquil, with depth. It's as if Thuy Kieu's eyes - the 'autumn water' - are just as serene.

The poem begins with the image of a village pond in autumn - a familiar sight in the rural areas of the Bac Bo plains. And from here, every scene in the poem revolves around that pond, using it as an artistic focal point. The autumnal chill, the melancholy, seeps gradually from the 'clear' autumn water into every gust of wind.

On the backdrop of the already diminutive autumn pond is 'A small fishing boat.' Just 'one boat' alone. The word 'one' makes the fishing boat appear solitary. And 'a small fishing boat' makes it even more fragile and pitiful.

Adding charm to the picturesque autumn scene are 'blue waves' and a golden leaf. One might think that adding more would lessen the desolate atmosphere, but here, the blue waves, the golden leaf only enhance the delicate fragility of the objects. Because the 'blue waves' are 'along a gentle breath,' only a keen observer would notice, and they are only 'a bit' wavy... As for the golden leaf, it 'fluttered' as if only creating a streak of golden light before quickly lying still somewhere.

What is that 'golden leaf'? Is it a bamboo leaf, a reed perhaps? It could very well be because the banks of the ponds in the Bac Bo plains often have lush green bamboo clusters casting gentle shadows. It's even more possible because in the next two lines, the poet wrote:

A layer of clouds hanging in the deep blue sky
The bamboo alley twists and turns, deserted.

Space expands upwards, stretches wide. Yet, it doesn't alleviate the loneliness. White clouds 'hovering' in the air don't return to the sky; they don't descend low, drifting aimlessly in the vastness. The 'deep blue' sky - intensely blue, with definite shapes, that absolute blue further asserts the solitary nature of objects.

The sky is too blue and sad. Lowering the gaze hoping for a harmonious resonance, but the poet only sees 'The bamboo alley twists and turns, deserted.'

The village road, already quite narrow, now twists and turns, as if a strip of silk is deliberately coiling itself tighter. The road is deserted, very empty, 'desolately deserted.' If not for being 'desolately deserted,' even with shadows of people, they would likely be tiny, very solitary.

A charmingly harmonious autumn picture. Everything shrinks to be smaller, to harmonize with the shapes of other objects. Especially, the use of the 'eo' rhyme is very delicate: 'chilly' 'clear' 'small' 'fluttered'..., here there's a unity between content and form: the 'eo' rhyme makes the scenery even smaller, more fragile and lonely. The beautiful natural scenery expresses a refined, sensitive literary soul. Moreover, it reveals a person sympathetic to nature, deeply in love with nature.

Comparing nature in 'Autumn Fishing' with other autumn poems, one would appreciate Nguyen Khuyen's sincerity even more. Old poems describing autumn often use fallen corn leaves, red maple forests to evoke sentiment 'A corn leaf falls/ Everyone knows autumn has arrived' 'The autumn forest is dyed with red maple colors.' Bich Khe of the 'new poetry' also rhymes in such a pattern.

Oh how melancholic! Sadness lingers in the cornfield
Gold falls, gold falls, autumn stretches endlessly.

Everyone knows 'corn leaves' and 'those maple forests' are idealized images describing autumn, symbols of Chinese autumn. Vietnamese medieval poets, following the 'ancient style,' still favor those images. Nature in Nguyen Khuyen's poems is different. Without any borrowing, only the pure scenery of the homeland. Village ponds, bamboo bushes, falling golden leaves... these images are simple, familiar to the people of the Bac Bo plains. By incorporating them into poetry, Nguyen Khuyen has expressed a deep love for his homeland's nature, a pride in the landscape of his homeland. This love is touching in breaking the entrenched idealized norms of the past.

Furthermore, a poem of fifty-six pure Vietnamese characters. Not a single Sino-Vietnamese word is found; the poet entirely uses the language of the country to paint a magnificent picture of the homeland. Moreover, the poet ingeniously employs the 'eo' rhyme - a very special poetic rhyme, seemingly unfamiliar with ancient poetry but achieving very high artistic effectiveness. Such skillfulness can only come from a poet who loves his mother tongue, cherishes his people, and takes pride in his country.

Nature, beautiful yet its depths harbor sadness, a poet's confidences. Beautiful scenery but why such sadness! Everything seems indifferent, solitary to the point of oblivion. Nguyen Du once had a great line 'In sorrowful scenes, where is there ever joy'. Here, autumn scenes are no exception. If Nguyen Khuyen is sad, why should the scene be joyous? The scene is sad, lonely because the poet also carries that feeling amidst life's fluctuations. Dissatisfied with society, disdainful of the political arena yet still bears concern for the safety of the Fatherland. Thus, although retreating into obscurity, the poet's soul still guards a personal concern.

Perhaps because the sadness is overwhelming, the poet cannot forever entrust it to nature. The last two lines of the poem descend together, unveiling a curtain to reveal a person with deep, restless concerns:

Leaning on the pillow, waiting long but to no avail
No fish nibbles under the swaying reeds.

The posture of 'leaning on the pillow, waiting long' carries heavy emotions. Waiting endlessly for fish, feeling sad and disappointed 'leaning on the pillow' yet still hopeful, still 'holding the fishing rod.' But is the poet really fishing? If so, why the vague sensation 'no fish nibbles under the swaying reeds?' In fact, Nguyen Khuyen fishes not because he wants to catch fish. (Hence the bewildered look around: where are the fish nibbling under the swaying reeds? - Focused fishing wouldn't have this detail). The poet becomes a fisherman just to escape life. But a life in seclusion doesn't dissolve the worries about life. Fishing without focusing on fishing, the soul still wanders, not staying in this small village pond.

What does the poet worry about? Concerns about the nation's fate, concerns about life's truths. Persistent worries, even shedding the cloak in seclusion, the concerns never cease. Nguyen Khuyen, a person with a deep love for his country.

Nguyen Khuyen's persona in 'Autumn Fishing' is evident from many angles: love for the country's nature, love for the mother tongue, cherishing and pride in the nation, wrestling with worries about the nation's fate, with life... Overall, the poem has portrayed a deeply emotional soul filled with patriotic love and poignant contemplation.