Top 10 Best Analytical Essays on the Second Stanza of 'Đây thôn Vĩ Dạ' by Hàn Mặc Tử

In the New Poetry movement, poets were free to express their personal selves. While Xuân Diệu conveyed his love for nature and humanity along with his solitude and doubts, Lê Trọng Lư immersed himself in the adventure of love poems, and Hàn Mạc Tử expressed his deep suffering through verses about illness. Reading Hàn Mạc Tử's poetry inevitably brings to mind his famous work 'Đây thôn Vĩ Dạ', a poem filled with the poet's emotions about people and the beloved land of Huế. Most notably, the second stanza of the poem leaves a lasting impression, with its deep sadness and sense of tragedy.

The poem was written when the poet received a postcard from a woman named Hoàng Cúc, named after a flower. Hàn Mạc Tử had met this woman in Huế, and they had spent some time together. Both the poet and the woman understood each other's feelings, but the poet, shy by nature, never confessed his love. Many women had fallen in love with him, and he had feelings for them as well, but he could never bring himself to speak. Eventually, the women left him, unable to wait any longer, and Hoàng Cúc was no exception. After their separation, she married someone else but still considered him a friend. Upon learning that he was ill, she sent him a postcard, asking why he never came to visit the village of Vĩ. And thus, the poet's heart was flooded with memories and longing for both the people and the beautiful landscape of Huế.

The second stanza reveals the poet's inner struggles and deep thoughts about life and his own fate. This stanza could be seen as the most emotional, tragic, and somber.

The stanza begins with the poet mentioning the sorrow of separation. The present reality makes him yearn for what has passed, and the four walls of isolation symbolize the barriers of distance:

“The wind follows the way of the wind, the clouds follow the way of the clouds.”

According to natural laws, the wind blows and the clouds drift, yet here the poet separates the two, with the wind following its path and the clouds following their own. This signifies separation and the emotional distance between them. The poet, overwhelmed with grief, distorts the laws of nature to express the harshness of the separation. Are the wind and the clouds metaphors for the poet and the woman from Huế, or perhaps for the poet and life itself? When the poet left Huế, he did not know that it would be the last time he would see the people and places of his beloved land. Hàn Mạc Tử, still attached to life, was struck by an incurable illness that ravaged his body day by day, forcing him to suffer. Thus, he saw separation and distance everywhere. His sorrow is timeless, much like the way Cù Huy Cận also expressed separation in his lines:

“The boat returns, and the sorrow is scattered in every direction.”

Although both express sorrow and separation, the grief in Hàn Mạc Tử's verse carries more weight, not just filling the sky where the poet searches for hope, but spreading through the landscape itself. As he writes:

“When the person is sad, the scene can never be joyful.”

“The water flows slowly, the cornflower sways.”

The water here seems to be personified, sharing the poet's sadness. When one is in sorrow, even the most peaceful surroundings cannot bring joy. We can imagine the water drifting slowly, intensifying the poet’s sorrow, holding him in a grip of despair. The breeze is not strong or refreshing, nor does it stir feelings of excitement in the observer. It merely sways the cornflowers gently by the riverbank. The words “slowly,” “gently” evoke a deep, heartbreaking sadness.

Beside the river, where the cornflowers bloom, a boat, an old pier, and the moon appear: “Whose boat is docked by the river’s moon?”

The pronoun 'whose' is vague, leaving us uncertain if it refers to Hoàng Cúc’s boat, a local’s, or simply a casual observation by the poet. This vagueness reflects the poet’s emotional state—confused, indescribable, a blend of pain and love, longing yet distant. The boat may have completed its journey for the day, resting by the dock. The poet, however, seems to reflect on his own state, lying still, much like the boat. But unlike the boat, which will sail again the next morning, the poet’s life is finite. The moonlight casts a faint, blurry image on the river, painting a scene of beauty, yet one that is imbued with melancholy.

The most striking and tragic line comes at the very end of this stanza:

“Will the boat carry the moon back tonight?”

This rhetorical question echoes with no answer. The word 'kịp' (in time) carries a sense of urgency and despair. The poet seems to fear that death could take him at any moment, and his only desire is to meet the woman once more before it is too late.

The second stanza of 'Đây thôn Vĩ Dạ' evokes powerful emotions about the poet's life and fate. Who could not sympathize with the misfortune of someone so young, still full of dreams and unfulfilled love, yet already facing the harshness of life?

Hàn Mạc Tử, one of the most creative poets of the New Poetry movement, infused his poetry with an undeniable sadness. His work 'Đây thôn Vĩ Dạ,' published in his collection 'Đau thương,' stands out as a masterpiece. The poem paints a picture of the village of Vĩ, but more than that, it conveys the inner emotional turmoil and contemplations of the poet. In the second stanza, the beauty of nature intertwines with the soul of the poet, blending into a harmonious expression of deep feelings.

"The wind follows the way of the wind, the clouds follow the way of the clouds

The water flows slowly, the cornflowers sway

Whose boat is docked by the moonlit river?

Will it carry the moon back tonight?"

In this stanza, Hàn Mạc Tử’s thoughts seem to turn to the Huong River, a symbol so closely tied to the village of Vĩ. The river appears gentle, still, and full of poetic beauty. The poet gazes at it, carrying within him a mix of emotions and reflections. In the first two lines, the poet describes the serene, calm beauty of Huế:

"The wind follows the way of the wind, the clouds follow the way of the clouds

The water flows slowly, the cornflowers sway"

Everything seems to move slowly: the gentle breeze, the clouds drifting lazily, and the cornflowers fluttering ever so slightly. The poet personifies the wind, the clouds, and the water, giving them emotions and a sense of connection. The wind moves the clouds, the river has waves because of the wind, and they always go together, making the scenery feel alive. However, here, the wind and the clouds are separate, each going its own way, creating a feeling of isolation and separation. With the absence of wind and clouds together, the river becomes "sad and still," and the trees and plants only sway gently. The scene becomes quiet, lifeless, and poignant, a beautiful yet desolate image.

The next two lines reveal the poet’s inner turmoil, perhaps reflecting his own solitude:

"Whose boat is docked by the moonlit river?

Will it carry the moon back tonight?"

Despite the melancholy and loneliness in his heart, the poet still harbors a deep love for nature and the people of Huế. Through his eyes, the river is no longer just a river but a "moonlit river," filled with the golden glow of the moon. This magical image makes the landscape even more dreamlike and enchanting. The boat, which exists in reality, is transformed into a boat docked on a "moonlit river," carrying the moon to some distant destination in the poet’s dreams. The rhetorical question, "Will it carry the moon back tonight?" reveals the poet’s impatience, longing, and desire for the moon to return that very night, not any other night. Could this "tonight" be a particularly sad and lonely evening, a moment when the poet wishes to confide in the moon, as only the moon understands his inner world? His longing for the moon reveals a deep affection for it, much like his love for the land of Huế and its people—yet that love remains unreciprocated. The poet's desire for the moon is akin to an intense, secret longing for love, a longing that is both heart-wrenching and never-ending.

Through this second stanza of 'Đây thôn Vĩ Dạ,' we can feel the poet’s inner thoughts, captured in the beautiful landscape of Huế. While these feelings may be personal to Hàn Mạc Tử, they resonate widely and deeply with readers, leaving a lasting impact. In just four short lines, the poem encapsulates the essence of Huế, the poet's love for the land, and especially for the village of Vĩ.

If classical poetry was tied to grand concepts and conventions, modern poetry is deeply connected to personal emotions. The period from 1932 to 1945 marked the flourishing of individual expression in the arts. Poet Hàn Mặc Tử once said, 'When I write poetry, I press a string, strike a note, and shake a beam of light.' Fundamentally, his poetry is focused on the concept of 'art for art's sake,' but his beauty is unique—strange, painful, and intertwined with the ethereal. Nature in his poetry mirrors his emotional landscape, blending the real with the dreamlike:

Wind follows the wind, clouds follow the clouds.

The river flows sadly, the cornflowers sway.

Whose boat is moored at that moonlit riverbank?

Will the moon arrive in time tonight?

The stanza begins with the images of 'wind' and 'clouds':

Wind follows the wind, clouds follow the clouds.

The river flows sadly, the cornflowers sway.

Wind and clouds have always been linked—'the wind blows, the clouds drift.' Yet in this verse, the two are separated, each moving on its own. The verse is divided into two parts: the first begins with the wind, and the second with the clouds. The wind and clouds, once inseparable, now seem like strangers, turning their backs on each other. The poet has fragmented these elements that were once undivided. The river, too, is merely an inanimate object in nature, yet with the personification 'the river flows sadly,' it takes on human emotions—sorrow, joy. The 'sad flow' of the Perfume River is quiet, moving gently like a slow melody. The drifting river seems to carry with it the poet's own sense of sorrow, a part of the tension between the wind and the clouds. As Nguyễn Du said, 'A sorrowful person finds no joy in their surroundings.' On the Perfume River, the 'cornflowers sway' gently, mirroring the poet's melancholy, much like the sorrow in traditional poetry. The Perfume River, once a symbol of beauty and grace, now appears 'sadly still'—an unspoken, deep sadness. The sadness of the river's surface reflects the poet's own heartache, unable to be concealed. The river’s soul, its banks, are laden with sorrow. The 'swaying cornflowers' evoke the image of dry, withered cornflowers, trembling faintly in the wind. These two lines open a melancholic view of nature, filled with a sense of foreboding—a parting that speaks of fragility and weariness. The poet creates this image not through sight, but through a heart weighed down by the imminent threat of separation from life.

The next two lines express the poet's longing, nostalgia for the moonlit river, and a sense of regret and yearning:

Whose boat is moored at that moonlit riverbank?

Will the moon arrive in time tonight?

The river is intertwined with the image of the moon. The river becomes a 'moon river,' the boat turns into a 'moon boat,' and the riverbank becomes a 'moon riverbank,' creating a mysterious, dreamlike atmosphere. The landscape now belongs to the realm of dreams, with the moon casting a magical glow that adds to the vast, ethereal feel of the scene. The river, once part of reality, is now transformed into a river of dreams. The poet’s emotional state mirrors this transformation, creating a sense of weightlessness. The image of the lone boat on the moonlit riverbank is a unique and profound creation, embodying the poet's innermost feelings. While everything around seems to be drifting apart, only the moon is defying all separation to return to the poet. The poet, overwhelmed by solitude, feels abandoned on the edge of oblivion. In that moment, the poet’s only desire is to see the moon. The final line, a question filled with anxious anticipation, conveys a deep sense of uncertainty: will the moon, so far away, arrive in time tonight? The poet’s mood is one of restless waiting, anxious that time is slipping away too quickly.

This makes the time of 'tonight' seem even more fleeting, as if it marks a boundary in the poet’s diminishing time. Through these two lines, the landscape of Huế’s river, under the moonlight, becomes a poignant scene, reflecting the poet's troubled thoughts. The entire image is conveyed through a rhetorical question, laden with yearning and restlessness. The moon, in Hàn Mặc Tử's poetry, becomes a legendary figure—a place for the poet's soul to escape, unburdened by the world.

Hue is beautiful and poetic. The mountains and rivers are breathtaking. The girls of Hue are both charming and full of passion. The refined lifestyle along the Ngu mountain and Huong River has left a profound and lasting impression on both locals and visitors alike:

"I’ve been to Hue, that dreamy land, I carry a soft and sweet love in my heart..."

Many poems have been written about Hue, and among the finest is the poem 'Here in Vĩ Dạ' by Hàn Mặc Tử (1912–1940), one of the prominent poets of the 'New Poetry' movement. The poem consists of three eight-line stanzas, capturing the landscape and the girl of Vĩ Dạ through wistful and melancholic reflections.

Vĩ Dạ, a charming village on the banks of the Huong River in the ancient capital of Hue, has become beloved through Hàn Mặc Tử’s poetry, evoking fondness for the past seventy years. Here is the second stanza of the poem 'Here in Vĩ Dạ':

"Wind follows the wind, clouds follow the clouds, The river flows sadly, the cornflowers sway, Whose boat is moored at that moonlit riverbank? Will the moon arrive in time tonight?"

The first stanza describes the morning light in Vĩ Dạ, but in the second stanza, Hàn Mặc Tử recalls the vast and serene riverscape, an artful space full of nostalgia and longing. The wind blows, but 'the wind follows its own path.' There are clouds, but 'the clouds follow their own way.' The wind and the clouds go their separate ways:

'Wind follows the wind, clouds follow the clouds.'

The division of the lines, with a 4/3 rhythm and two contrasting phrases, evokes a feeling of separation in the wind and clouds, creating an atmosphere of despair. The repetition of 'wind' and 'clouds' in each phrase conjures an image of an endless, open sky. The poet’s experience of separation and distance is mirrored in the sky, making the wind and clouds a reflection of the poet’s own emotions.

No human figures are present in this scene, only 'the river flows sadly, the cornflowers sway.' The landscape itself becomes a vessel for emotions. The Huong River flows gently, but in the poet’s mind, it turns into a 'sad river,' its essence distant and melancholy. The phrase 'sadly' evokes a deep, lingering sorrow, a sadness that permeates the soul. The term 'sadly' is commonly used in Hue to describe a deep, heart-wrenching sadness. The banks of the river are empty, and only the 'cornflowers sway.' The word 'sway' describes the cornflowers gently moving in the breeze, and these humble flowers seem to carry the emotions of the people and the spirit of the land.

In these four lines, four images (wind, clouds, river, cornflowers) bring the essence of Vĩ Dạ’s landscape to life. It feels as though it is dusk. Hàn Mặc Tử uses minimal description but evokes much, creating symbolism that is subtle yet powerful. The external world of wind and clouds mirrors an internal emotional state: a profound sense of loneliness and longing.

The next two lines evoke the magical, moonlit scene on the Huong River:

'Whose boat is moored at that moonlit riverbank? Will the moon arrive in time tonight?'

These two lines are a masterpiece of Hàn Mặc Tử's poetic art, often praised for their romantic and sophisticated style. The rhyme between 'that' and 'will' in the third and fourth lines flows smoothly, like a quiet question: 'Will the moon arrive in time tonight?' The phrase 'Whose boat' suggests a sense of mystery, as though it is both familiar and distant, close yet unreachable. The lonely boat moored at the moonlit bank is a uniquely poetic and romantic image. There have been other similar moonlit boat scenes in classical poetry, such as 'Whose boat is moored on the Cô Tô river?' from Trương Kế’s poem, or 'Spring river, where the moonlight shines brightly,' from Trương Nhược Hư’s works 1300 years ago. But Hàn Mặc Tử’s 'moon river' imagery is fresh and innovative. In both lines, the moon is ever-present. The moonlight brightens the river, the boat, and the riverbank. The boat carries not people (as they are distant and separated) but 'the moon.' The boat must 'arrive in time tonight' because it has been separated for so long, waiting for reunion. This boat is a vessel of longing, but it has turned into a symbol of hopelessness. The moonlit riverbank becomes desolate as the 'whom' boat is empty.

After the wind, clouds, boat, and moonlit riverbank, the scene is beautifully surreal. All these images express one emotion: loneliness and longing, paired with the memories of Vĩ Dạ’s scenery and the people. As we know, in his youth, Hàn Mặc Tử fell in love with a girl from Vĩ Dạ, whose name was that of a flower. For the poet, who lived in solitude and illness, memories of Vĩ Dạ were memories of the old scenery and people. The images of 'the wind follows its own path, the clouds follow their own way,' and 'whose boat is moored at that moonlit riverbank' evoke beauty, but it is a beauty tinged with sadness—separation, distance, and despair.

Each line, each word, each verse of this poem is imbued with deep affection and a lonely, 'sad' feeling, with the poem’s imagery reflecting an inner emotional state. Hàn Mặc Tử’s poetry is true to its deeply introspective, emotional nature—'emotion within the scene, and the scene within the emotion.'

Life might feel like a monotonous cycle of repetitive, empty days for some, but for others, it is precious and filled with beauty. Especially for those with little time left to live, life becomes even more valuable and distant. In 'Here in Vĩ Dạ', particularly in the second stanza, you can feel the poet’s intense desire for life mixed with his deep sorrow at being unable to continue experiencing the bittersweet taste of existence. This might lead you to question whether you are wasting time—the very thing that others long for as a dream.

If the first stanza paints the most vivid picture of nature, life, and the poet's soul, the second stanza brings forth the sorrow and tragedy intertwined with the moonlit river scene:

'Wind follows the wind, clouds follow the clouds, The river flows sadly, the cornflowers sway.'

The river of Hue, with its dreamy charm, is seen as the soul of the landscape and its people. The poet delicately portrays the scene, capturing the slow, unhurried pace of Hue’s rhythm. The wind gently stirs, the clouds drift softly, and the cornflowers sway with ease—evoking a peaceful, yet melancholic Hue.

The sadness in the scene is palpable, a sadness that seems to pervade the atmosphere, creating an almost overwhelming feeling. The sadness creeps through the landscape, as the poet's lines stretch out, embodying an endless sorrow that blankets everything. The river, too, cannot escape this mood, personified as 'sad'. The poet uses a 4/3 rhythm to separate 'wind' from 'clouds', turning them into distinct, isolated entities.

The repetition of 'wind' and 'clouds' creates a closed world, a separation where these once-tied elements are now distant from each other, drifting apart. This seeming absurdity highlights the poet’s sorrowful and conflicted emotional state. Is it the landscape that feels so sad, or has the poet’s heart become so forlorn that he can no longer see the world with joy? The wind and clouds are not separate by nature, but perhaps the poet, trapped in a world of contradictions, cannot reconcile them.

The word 'sway' carries a subtle sadness, almost as if the river’s sadness has touched the cornflowers by the banks. The scene on the Huong River in Hue is somber, with wind and clouds at odds, the flowers gently swaying in a lonely emptiness, engulfed by a profound sadness. The poet’s heart is heavy with a sense of solitude, regret, and longing, infused with the folk spirit that lingers through the ages.

Amidst this deepening sadness, the poet begins to sense an anxiety that overtakes his soul:

'Whose boat is moored at that moonlit riverbank, Will the moon arrive in time tonight?'

In the midst of this sorrow, the poet’s heart suddenly bursts with longing and hope. Is this his last desperate grasp at the fleeting hand of fate? The poet’s dream seems to be bound to the moon and the boat, as though they are his only companions, bringing life and solace to his weary soul. The moonlit boat embodies a beauty the poet has always dreamed of, though it remains elusive and indistinct. The 'moon river' is the river bathed in moonlight, a shimmering, ethereal beauty, while the 'moon boat' carries the light of the moon back to the poet’s spirit.

In Hàn Mặc Tử’s poetry, the moon represents a realm filled with emotions, a place to release the pain the poet wishes to forget. The phrase 'Whose boat' creates ambiguity, making the poetry seem paradoxical. The contradiction and irrationality in the poet’s thoughts reflect his inner turmoil and emotional state.

The moon comes and goes, fragile and distant, much like an ungraspable confidante, leading the poet to feel an overwhelming sense of anxiety. Is he waiting for the moon or for his soulmate? Is he longing for connection with the world? The poet’s anxiety peaks in the word 'in time.'

It is a mixture of anxiety and longing. For an ordinary person, there would always be other nights to wait, but for Hàn Mặc Tử, tonight might be his last chance. His time is running out, and the inevitable separation could come at any moment. If the moon does not arrive tonight, will there be another chance? Will he ever find the understanding he seeks?

Hàn Mặc Tử (1912 – 1940) stands as one of the most prominent figures in the New Poetry movement of Vietnam. He has left a profound legacy in Vietnamese literature with several notable works such as 'Here in Vĩ Dạ', 'Mùa xuân chín', 'Golden Sun', and 'On Tràng Tiền Bridge', among others. Among these, 'Here in Vĩ Dạ' is considered his most exceptional work, showcasing the essence of his poetic style.

'Here in Vĩ Dạ' is a poem about love and the yearning for life. In the opening stanza, one can feel the beauty of nature and the poet's soul, while in the second stanza, a sense of nostalgia and anxiety emerges. This stanza vividly conveys the emotional landscape of the poet, a portrayal of deep longing.

The second stanza of 'Here in Vĩ Dạ' consists of four lines that express the poet's emotions and the feelings of a visitor recalling their homeland. Right from the start, the poet unveils a moonlit river scene:

'Wind follows wind, clouds follow clouds, The river flows sorrowfully, cornflowers sway.'

Here, we see Hàn Mặc Tử's remarkable skill. With just a few brushstrokes, he conjures the very spirit of the dreamy Hue landscape under a moonlit night. It is a Hue of tranquility, enchantment, and gentle skies. The Huong River in his words appears soft yet vast, embodying the soul of this poetic land. The elements—the wind softly moving, the clouds drifting lightly—create a unique rhythm that reflects the unhurried pace of Hue, as poet Hoàng Phủ Ngọc Tường once described: 'The Huong River is almost like a quiet lake. It flows slowly, very slowly, a sentimental rhythm that it dedicates to Hue.'

But through the poet’s eyes, the scene takes on a sorrowful hue, with no sense of connection between the elements. The wind and clouds, normally inseparable, seem to be drifting apart. The line 'Wind follows wind, clouds follow clouds' suggests a detachment, an absence of attachment. The river, described as 'sorrowful', amplifies the deep melancholy. And in this melancholic setting, the cornflowers gently 'sway', their movement carrying a sense of helplessness. The verb 'sway' in this context feels like a faint, fleeting attempt to hold on, mirroring the poet's sense of loneliness and neglect. It is as though the sorrow saturates the atmosphere, leaving the human heart incapable of joy. The line stretches on, making the sadness feel eternal.

The moonlit night transforms the Huong River into something even more mystical. With the clear sky and bright moonlight, golden beams stretch across the surface of the water, turning it into a 'moon river'. The poet uses personification here, giving the river life and a soul, making it a living being that reflects the poet's own emotional turmoil. It no longer remains a mere landscape, but becomes an extension of the poet's own existence.

The scene grows even more sorrowful as the elements seem to have lost all connection. The wind and clouds no longer seem to belong together. They have become distant, as though in separate worlds. The verse presents the harsh reality of the poet’s inner state, where separation and contradiction prevail. The poet lives in a world of disconnect, where even the wind and clouds appear as two parallel lines, never to meet. And in that moment, even the faintest 'sway' of the wind stirs up the eternal sadness of the human soul.

As the poem progresses, the poet’s anxiety becomes palpable. It seems as though the poet's hopes have been dashed, and now his disappointment is laid bare on the surface of the Huong River. This is not merely a feeling of loss; it is a deep fear, a restless worry about separation and distance.

'Whose boat is moored at that moonlit riverbank, Will the moon arrive in time tonight?'

The shimmering, ethereal scene with moonlight flooding the path opens up before us. This image is both real and surreal, much like the poet’s own emotional state. Here, the poet uses 'moon river' to describe the river bathed in moonlight, adding a sense of grandeur. The boat moored on this moonlit river seems to represent the poet himself. The moonlight appears to fill the entire space and time, creating an elusive, dreamlike atmosphere.

The poet uses 'Whose boat?' as both a question and an exclamation. This phrase is ambiguous, yet it conveys the poet’s longing for a past connection, a distant memory. The boat represents solitude, an indistinct and fragile image, much like the moonlight itself—present one moment, gone the next. This reflects the poet’s uncertainty and anxiety.

Perhaps Hàn Mặc Tử intends for the moon river to symbolize a world of understanding and solace, a place where the poet can release his worries and pain. The yearning and desperate hope in the tone of the poem are clear, especially in the use of the word 'in time'. 'In time' reflects the poet’s deep uncertainty, underscoring his anxious waiting. The phrase 'in time tonight' serves as a heartfelt plea, for tomorrow may be too late. It is a reflection of how the poet’s life is slowly fading, and the inevitable separation could come at any moment. If the boat cannot carry the 'moon' back tonight, the poet may never find the understanding he seeks, and will depart forever in sorrow and regret.

With his delicate and evocative portrayal of nature, Hàn Mặc Tử brings the reader closer to a world that feels both intimate and familiar. It is a world that embodies the poet’s love for life and people, yet one that is soon overshadowed by hopelessness. The second stanza of 'Here in Vĩ Dạ' stands as a testament to this hopelessness—a nostalgic remembrance of the past and an anxious waiting for a kindred spirit. This is perhaps the most poignant representation of the poet’s inner turmoil and his longing for a soul to share in his sorrow.

Han Mac Tu is one of the most prominent figures in the New Poetry movement. His poetry is the voice of a soul that deeply loves life, nature, and people with an intense and passionate affection. The poem 'Here in Vĩ Dạ Village' is an expression of such love and a longing for life. The second stanza of the poem brings to the surface a feeling of nostalgia and the poet's anxious mood.

At the beginning of the poem, the reader can already feel the beauty of nature, life, and the inner beauty of the poet's soul. Though the poet had to live a tragic life, he still yearned to live and love life with great passion.

The second stanza begins, evoking memories of the moonlit river at night, with a sense of worry and restlessness from the poet. The river scene is described:

'The wind blows as the wind blows, the clouds drift as the clouds drift
The river is sad, the cornflowers sway.'

The river may be understood in many ways, but regardless of interpretation, it symbolizes the essence of Hue - the soul of the city. The natural landscape is described softly and gently, evoking the distinctive characteristics of Hue: the gentle wind, the drifting clouds, the swaying cornflowers. Everything moves delicately, giving a sense of tranquility and peace, a very Hue-like atmosphere. The scenery is tinged with sadness: quiet and melancholic, spreading into the landscape. The poet uses the literary technique of 'personification,' turning the river into a living being with emotions, reflecting the human spirit. The environment is imbued with a sense of separation, as the wind and clouds are depicted as moving separately, each in their own world. This metaphor expresses the poet's own feelings of separation and isolation. The phrase 'sway' carries a sorrowful note, a traditional sadness from folk songs, which reinforces the timeless sadness of human existence.

The next two lines express the poet's anxiety and restless mood:

'Whose boat is docked at the moonlit riverbank'

'Will it bring the moon back in time tonight?'

The imagery here is ethereal, with moonlight filling the scene, creating an atmosphere that is both real and surreal. 'Moonlit river' could mean a river bathed in moonlight, or it could symbolize a river of moonlight itself. 'Moon boat' might refer to a boat carrying the moon or the moon taking on the form of a boat. No matter how it is interpreted, the moon floods the space, creating a sense of mystery and vagueness. In Han Mac Tu's poetry, the moon becomes a symbol of a kindred spirit, a confidant, offering solace and healing. 'Whose boat?' is an indefinite question, suggesting uncertainty. The two lines contain contradictory imagery, as the moon is sometimes present, sometimes absent, symbolizing the poet’s yearning for connection, understanding, and comfort. The phrase 'in time' shows the poet's anxiety, emphasizing the urgency and fragility of life, as if time is running out. If the boat does not return tonight, the poet's soul may fade in sorrow.

The second stanza of 'Here in Vĩ Dạ Village' reveals the poet's nostalgic longing for the moonlit river scene, while also conveying his anxiety and yearning for a kindred spirit, to alleviate his pain as he faces life's inevitable departure. This poignant scene encapsulates the tragic beauty of the poet's life.

It has been said that 'Poetry is the voice of the soul. When we read poetry, we hear the voice rising from the deepest corners of the poet’s heart. Poetry speaks out about one's fate. In reading a poem, we feel the poet’s circumstances and the position they occupy in life.' Hàn Mặc Tử’s poem 'Here in Vĩ Dạ Village' exemplifies this. In reading his work, one encounters a distinct style, one marked by an interrupted flow that still maintains unity—appearing fragmented on the surface, yet deepening in the emotional undercurrents. If the first stanza awakens memories of the dawn over Vĩ Dạ's garden, the second stanza reflects the moonlit night in Huế, filled with a sense of separation and melancholy.

'The wind blows as the wind blows, the clouds drift as the clouds drift'

'The river flows with sorrow, the cornflowers sway'

'Whose boat is docked at the moonlit riverbank
Will it bring the moon back in time tonight?'

With only a few delicate brushstrokes, Hàn Mặc Tử captures the very soul of Huế’s moonlit night—mystical and enchanting. At first glance, the line 'The wind blows as the wind blows, the clouds drift as the clouds drift' may seem nonsensical, but upon reflection, it reveals the mastery of his pen. Hàn Mặc Tử has exquisitely and precisely depicted the gentle nature of Huế’s winds and clouds, so soft that one imagines the wind blowing, yet the clouds remain still. The phrase 'sad and lifeless' evokes the stagnant, languid flow of the Perfume River, as if it had become a tranquil lake, as Hoàng Phủ Ngọc Tường describes it. The Perfume River flows slowly—an emotional cadence dedicated to the city of Huế. On this moonlit night, the sky is clear, and the moon casts a golden glow over the river. The water becomes a river of moonlight, with boats laden with moonbeams resting at the riverbank. Hàn Mặc Tử, who was always infatuated with the moon, found solace and beauty in its light, and his poetry is filled with references to it. In 'Here in Vĩ Dạ Village', it is easy to see that this is one of the softest and most ethereal moon poems from the poet.

Rejected by life, the poet found solace in nature and poetry—a place to express his deepest emotions. Nature served as the stage upon which he shared his heartache. In 'Here in Vĩ Dạ Village', the external world becomes a mirror to the poet’s inner turmoil, and this is evident even in the very first line of the second stanza, where separation is already implied:

'The wind blows as the wind blows, the clouds drift as the clouds drift'

Wind and clouds are typically inseparable companions, moving together in harmony. Yet here, they are divided, the wind and clouds parting ways. Could it be that the poet’s heart, heavy with grief, sees separation everywhere? Not only are the wind and clouds torn apart, but the river too becomes a symbol of sorrow, its waters stagnant, its cornflowers swaying gently in the breeze. The verb 'sway' is often neutral, neither happy nor sad, yet in this line, it carries an ineffable sense of melancholy. Does it perhaps recall the sorrowful lines from folk songs?

'Who returns to Dragon's Fruit, to the Bell Pond'

'The wind sways the reeds, leaving sadness for me'

In this artistic space, the image of the cornflowers swaying becomes particularly poignant, as if everything is leaving—wind, clouds, and the river—all drifting away. The cornflower, alone, sways gently, its fleeting movement embodying the poet’s own lost and abandoned fate.

Faced with the overwhelming sense of abandonment, the poet longs for something to return to him, something to stay with him. For Hàn Mặc Tử, that is the moon, the one constant in his world:

'Whose boat is docked at the moonlit riverbank'

'Will it bring the moon back in time tonight?'

Why does Hàn Mặc Tử long for the moon so desperately? Is it because he has been locked away in solitude, deprived of light and music, leaving him craving the moon’s ethereal presence? For him, the moon was not just a source of light, but a symbol of life, beauty, and the happiness he longed for. The moon became his only anchor, his only friend, his only salvation.

The tone of the lines is one of intense yearning, a passionate and desperate plea. But poignantly, in the midst of this yearning, there is an undercurrent of hopelessness, of inevitable loss. The words 'in time tonight' carry the heavy weight of fleeting time. The chance to embrace the moon is so brief, so fragile.

Tonight may be the last night. Tomorrow, everything may end. The poet faces death's looming scythe, the toll of time drawing ever nearer. Despite the poet’s plea, the moon will never arrive in time. The boat will never reach the moonlit riverbank. The poet will pass away in sorrow, never to see the moon’s return.

In reading these verses, we feel the poet’s anguish, his tragic fate echoing through time. With subtle imagery and a tender hand, 'Here in Vĩ Dạ Village' portrays both the beauty of the land and the deep sadness of the poet’s heart—a poignant masterpiece, a testament to Hàn Mặc Tử’s genius.

The New Poetry Movement of 1932-1945 marked the blossoming of individualism. Unlike classical poetry, which was often tied to grandiose ideals and conventions, new poetry focused more on personal emotion. As poet Han Mac Tu once said: "When I write poetry, I strike a chord, pluck a string, and release a beam of light." Han's poetry embraced the concept of 'art for art's sake', but his notion of beauty was unique—an eerie and sorrowful beauty intertwined with illusions. His portrayal of nature was similarly colored by emotion, blending reality with dreams:

The wind blows its way, the clouds take their path

The water is sorrowful, the cornflowers sway

Whose boat is docked at this moonlit riverbank?

Will it carry the moon back tonight?

The four lines extracted from the famous poem 'Here at Vĩ Dạ' by Han Mac Tu depict a river scene in Hue, yet that scene carries a sense of melancholy. The opening verse starts with the imagery of "wind" and "clouds", elements that are usually connected but are split into two divergent paths in his poetry.

What was once inseparable in nature is split by Han Mac Tu's poetic soul. The river, though an inanimate object, is personified as "the sorrowful water", carrying the emotional weight of humans. The sluggish, melancholic flow of the Perfume River mirrors the soft pace of its waters. The disjointed movement of the river, caught between wind and clouds, reflects the poet's own sense of despair, creating a shared sadness between nature and the poet.

As Nguyen Du once said in the tale of Kiều: "A troubled heart cannot find solace in any scenery." On the Perfume River of Hue, the cornflowers gently sway along its banks, as light as a breeze, but still imbued with the same sorrow found in ancient poetry—echoed in the lament of the chinh phụ and the sorrow of Trúc Thông’s words: "The cornflower leaves sway by the riverbank".

The scene of the Perfume River emerges as desolate, with wind and clouds drifting apart, the cornflowers swaying, and a profound loneliness lingering, all permeated with the poet’s sorrowful mood. The poet's grief melds with the rhythms of Hue, mingled with unspeakable desires:

Whose boat is docked at this moonlit riverbank?

Will it carry the moon back tonight?

In this deeply sorrowful state, a sudden wish for something to return, to hold onto, rises in the poet's heart. The poet’s dreams often revolve around the moon and the boat, symbols of longing for a kindred soul. The boat carrying the moon symbolizes an unattainable beauty, elusive and surreal. The image of the moon sailing down the river seems to transcend both time and space, flowing from the universe to a distant land. This moonlit boat is both a dream and a reality. Yet along with this yearning is a sense of anxiety: the word 'kịp' (in time) subtly conveys the poet's underlying fear that time may slip away, and with it, the hope for a reunion. The poet’s dreams are fleeting, filled more with despair than hope. These seemingly simple desires are laced with sorrow and a sense of inevitable loss.

If the first stanza depicts the tangible, the second stanza of the poem 'Here at Vĩ Dạ' leans into the realm of the surreal. Amidst profound sorrow, the poet seeks solace in the beauty of human relationships, yet this yearning only deepens the despair. The second stanza reinforces the emotional intensity of the poem, highlighting Han Mac Tu’s talent and his honest emotions as a poet often misunderstood and labeled as 'mad'.