Top 16 Best Poems from the Prison Diary

Suddenly, in the prison, the flute hums,
A melody of homeland music echoes in sorrow,
Through a thousand miles of prison walls,
Upstairs, someone is eagerly waiting

Main idea of the poem:
The poem 'Comrade playing the flute' depicts the scene where Ho Chi Minh is imprisoned in the foreign land of Quang Tay province, China. He unexpectedly hears a fellow prisoner playing the flute. The melodies of the homeland evoke nostalgic and sorrowful feelings, reminiscent of the hometown and carefree childhood days. The homeland music played in the prison environment intensifies the endless and poignant yearning.

Mid-Autumn with a trace of autumn's mirror,
Spreads its silver color throughout the world,
Families gather for their Tet
But in prison, someone eats in sorrow

Main idea of the poem:
In the poem Mid-Autumn Festival, we see Him celebrating the mid-autumn festival in prison, where there is only confinement, pain, and an unknown wait for freedom. Outside, the moon is still full and bright, every family is celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival. A sadness, a 'sorrowful eater' seems to pause, bitter before the reunion scene of every family. But He always maintains an optimistic spirit, still celebrating the festival in prison. A mid-autumn festival celebrated with optimism in the soul but still with a hint of sadness, a hint of longing for the day of freedom.

Thinking about life is truly strange
Shackles on legs compete front and rear
With shackles on, peaceful sleep is found
Without shackles, where to sleep is unclear

Main idea of the poem:
More than ever, in the poem 'The Shackle,' there's an optimistic spirit, a humorous perspective. Being shackled is painful, it's confinement, it's humiliation, but Hồ Chí Minh says that this is the way to have a peaceful sleep, a place to sleep. The prison situation can make people pessimistic and adrift, but for Hồ Chí Minh, everything becomes light. With that humorous view, it doesn't mean the poem doesn't reveal a bitter law of life 'shackles in the front or rear still compete.' Being shackled, enduring suffering, but there's still competition, let alone in high and noble positions.

If there's no scene of winter's demise
Then where comes the glorious spring's rise
Think of oneself in steps of compliance
Adversity tempers the spirit with added strength.

Main idea of the poem:
The poem is like advice, a teaching for each of us about an optimistic spirit, a spirit trained to become a good person, someone who can overcome challenges. All the glory comes from the pain and suffering of today. Thanks to failures, bitterness, people become stronger and more resilient than ever.

Weary birds return to the forest for sleep
A cluster of clouds gently in the sky
In the mountain village, a girl grinds corn in the dark
Grinding done, the charcoal stove now glows pink

Main idea of the poem:
The poem describes a natural scene with the inclusion of human activities, exuding a serene, gentle, and strange atmosphere. The tired wings of the birds in the twilight, burdened by a day's exhausting work, contrast with the gentle flow, gliding through every corner of the cloud layer. How simple and rustic it is! The evening corn-grinding activity of the mountain village girl serves as a highlight for the painting so that it is not sad for being too quiet, not silent for being too peaceful. Moreover, a small flame but it seems to illuminate the entire painting with a cold and subdued color palette. The poem still reveals a lonely, melancholic sadness of a distant child, of a soul longing for freedom, and of a great man in love with nature, eager to immerse himself in it.

Warriors rush to the battlefield
Worldwide flames blaze in the azure sky
Within the prison, one languishes excessively
Noble aspirations, yet unworthy of the battlefield

Main idea of the poem:
In the poem Melancholy, Ho Chi Minh recalls the ancient warriors who went to the battlefield with an overwhelming spirit, defending the homeland, protecting the nation. Now, the melancholy arises from being imprisoned without the opportunity to go to battle, to protect the homeland and the country, unable to fulfill the desire to be a true hero.

As sturdy as ever, unlike the norm
Not soft, akin to a boneless tongue
Sweet, bitter, and poignant shared moments
Now must part ways, each on its own.

Main idea of the poem:
Even a tooth becomes a subject for Ho Chi Minh to compose a poem. The poem speaks about loss, the separation between the tooth and the tongue. They once shared sweet, bitter, and poignant moments but now have to part ways, bid farewell to each other's journey. The poem evokes images of sorrowful farewells, full of loss and pain.

One watch... two watches... then three watches
Restless, pondering, sleep elusive
The fourth watch, the fifth, just blinked
Golden stars in five-winged dreams soaring.

Main idea of the poem:
The poem depicts the sleepless night of Uncle Ho. Time keeps passing, and he can't find peace in sleep. When he finally sleeps, in his dream, he sees a golden five-winged star - a symbol of freedom and the path of socialism. It symbolizes the path that our nation is heading towards, the struggle for liberation for ourselves, for our homeland, for the country.

The wind sharp like a sword against the mountain rocks
Cold as a pointed stick pricking tree branches
A distant pagoda, its bell urges hurried steps
Children lead the buffalo home to the sound of a flying flute

Main idea of the poem:
Hồ Chí Minh describes the sunset in the rugged mountains with the wind sharp like a sword, and the coldness likened to a pointed stick pricking tree branches. The harshness of the mountainous terrain emphasizes the difficult and dangerous days that Uncle Ho endured during his captivity. However, above all, he pays attention to the bell sound at sunset, still daydreaming with the sound of a flying flute and children leading the buffalo home. These imaginary scenes connect with the innocence of childhood, linking with the concept of freedom.

Prison Diary - Hồ Chí Minh (1890-1969)

“A day in prison, a thousand autumns outside”
The words of the ancients are not wrong
Living unlike humans, only four months
Ragged, yet more than ten years

Because:
Four months, meals are never enough
Four months, nights without sleep
Four months, clothes unchanged
Four months, no washing

Therefore:
Teeth lost one by one
Hair grayer by a few shares
Thin and black like a hungry ghost
Scabies spreading all over the body

Fortunately:
Perseverance and patience
Not yielding an inch
Physical suffering, yet
Spirit remains unyielding.

Commentary: The poem “Four Months Have Passed” summarizes a long and fierce struggle of Uncle Ho in prison. Witnessing the pain weighing on Uncle Ho's body, destroying him, we feel deeply saddened and more loving towards him. We are extremely joyous and proud of Uncle Ho's spiritual victory, the spirit of a great communist soldier who defied all violence from the enemy. Through the power of art, he imparted to us a lesson from a bright, indomitable soul.

Rice brought into grinding, enduring pain
Rice, once ground, shines white like a flower
Living in this world, it's the same
Success comes after enduring hardships.

Main idea of the poem:
The poem speaks of the determination and patience of humans in the face of difficult situations and life's challenges. When faced with difficulties, we go through days that seem impossible to overcome, we stumble, and the world appears to collapse right before our eyes. Every path seems to have no way out, every door seems to be closed. But we rise, patiently move forward, and all the hardships will be rewarded, every closed door will open again, and we will find our own way.

Prison Diary – Ho Chi Minh (1890 - 1969)

Sleeping, everyone seems virtuous and kind
Waking up, some become wicked, some benign
Whether kind or wicked, it's not innate
Mostly influenced by education, that's our fate

MIDNIGHT
Those in sleep, of pure or vile mind
After waking, talents and virtues they find
Good and evil, originally undefined
Education, the root cause we find.

Commentary: Midnight – when the gambling, drinking, robbery, and the 'fellow inmates' in prison sleep, only the Leader stays awake. Staying up all night. Alone, contemplating those criminals, and suddenly, from the faces of those villains, a deep sorrow rises in the Leader, higher than a hope, a determination to save those souls.

'Only on the road do you know hardship,

High mountains followed by even higher peaks;

Mountains rise to the utmost,

Embracing the view of endless lands and waters.'

Commentary: 'On the Road' is the 30th poem in the seven-word eight-line poem series in 'Prison Diary.' At that time, Ho Chi Minh had been expelled by the Tưởng Giới Thạch regime and had traveled through many prisons in Guangxi, China. After enduring many bitter and arduous challenges, he poured his thoughts and emotions into this poem 'Fleeing'. The poem carries profound meanings. The author uses the metaphor of traveling to express the perception of life as extremely difficult and dangerous; only with high determination and will can one overcome challenges and achieve resounding victories.

After dinner, the shadows descend quietly
The sound of singing and the echoing melody
Tĩnh Tây prison fades into the dimming west
Suddenly transformed into the harmonious tunes of the hamlet and forest office

Commentary: Life is a joy. The simple and obvious truth is so. Yet, how many heart-wrenching cries echoed in the poems of the past. To perceive that simple and obvious truth, one must possess a large soul and boundless trust.

Sunlight pierces through the prison's entirety,

Burning away dense smoke with thick mist;

In a moment, the universe is full of vitality,

Even prisoners laugh with open faces.

Translation by Huệ Chi:

Early morning sun penetrates the prison,

Burning away thick smoke and heavy mist;

Earth and sky brim with vitality,

Prisoners laugh, faces blossoming.

Commentary: Not only outside prison does Uncle Ho speak of joy, but even within prison, enemies cannot steal the natural joy from people's lives. How wonderful it is to see the happiness on the faces of those living in the harshness of imprisonment. Morning joy, midday joy. A person's joy comes from mastering every situation and turning the dark reality into light.

Farewell, he leaves, won't return
Empty cage, forlorn, she holds sorrow
Officials above spared my lone sister
So invite her to stay in prison.

Commentary: The poetic voice is not simple as it closely follows the rich nature of the poem's ideas. Each poem has its own style. There are sharp and forceful ones like a slap in the face of the enemy, such as the story-telling poem 'Paying the Electric Bill' or seemingly lofty ones that are actually filled with bitterness, such as 'In Lai Tan.' There are also ones with a bitter-sweet taste.