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1. Analysis of the Imagery of Waves and 'Her' in Xuân Quỳnh's Poem 'Sóng' #4
Love is a timeless theme in poetry, and every poet adds their unique voice to enrich this subject. Xuân Quỳnh, a sensitive and passionate poetess, has contributed to this theme with her own distinct perspective. Her poetry is filled with deep emotions and the compassion of a woman's heart. 'Sóng' (Waves) is a representative poem of her style, expressing a young woman's pure, intense, and faithful love. Through the imagery of 'waves' and 'her,' Xuân Quỳnh beautifully conveys the emotional complexities of love, reflecting the passionate longing for a perfect union between two hearts.
Xuân Quỳnh's poetry speaks of the everyday happiness of life. Her work is the heartfelt expression of someone constantly yearning for love, committed to the simple joys of life, and valuing genuine happiness. It is through her poetry that modern Vietnamese literature acquired a voice that directly expresses the innocent, yet fierce and vibrant desires of a woman's heart. Famous poems like 'Thuyền và biển' (The Boat and the Sea), 'Tự hát' (Singing Alone), and 'Sóng' highlight her thematic focus. 'Sóng' was written in 1967 and published in the poetry collection 'Hoa dọc chiến hào' (Flowers Along the Battlefield) in 1968.
Alongside the symbol of 'waves,' we also find the symbol of 'her'—the lyrical self of the poet. The wave represents the emotions of a woman in love, serving as a metaphor for her inner thoughts and feelings. The two figures, 'waves' and 'her,' though separate, are intertwined, often reflecting each other and highlighting their similarities. At times, they merge to create a harmonious resonance, existing side by side throughout the poem to emphasize and complement each other. Together, they convey the intensity and depth of the poet's love and longing. Through the symbol of 'waves,' Xuân Quỳnh vividly captures the different emotional states of a woman in love, starting with the poem's opening lines:
Wild and gentle,
Loud and quiet,
The river cannot understand me,
The waves will find the sea.
The waves are portrayed in opposing states, such as 'wild' and 'gentle,' 'loud' and 'quiet,' mirroring the unpredictable nature of the sea—sometimes calm, sometimes stormy. Within the image of the waves, we also see the woman in love, who can be tender and sincere one moment, and angry or jealous the next. Love is inherently full of contradictions, and Xuân Quỳnh masterfully reflects this duality. Furthermore, the waves are shown breaking free from their limited existence, as the river cannot understand them, and instead, the waves venture into the vastness of the sea.
The waves symbolize a longing for something greater, as when the river doesn't understand the waves, they 'find the sea,' leaving behind their narrow confines to seek the vast horizon of the soul. Similarly, 'she' yearns for love, no longer willing to endure limitations but determined to embrace the expansive, boundless love that the sea represents. The sea's eternal waves reflect the timeless yearning of youth, and Xuân Quỳnh captures this sense of eternal longing through the lines: 'Oh, the waves of the past, / And in the future, they will still be the same.' For thousands of years, waves have sung their undying songs, continuously echoing like a love song from the sea. Just as the waves are constant, so too is the burning desire for love, especially in youth.
Love is a profound, sacred emotion that evolves according to both the social and individual laws of life. It is challenging to define, as it does not follow any specific rules:
The waves begin with the wind,
Where does the wind come from?
I do not know either,
When will we love each other?
Xuân Quỳnh uses the metaphor of waves to explain love, yet she admits she cannot answer 'Where does the wind come from?' She confesses her own uncertainty with the sweet lines, 'I don't know either, / When will we love each other?' She reflects on the mystery of the origin of the waves and the timing of love, acknowledging that love’s beginnings are elusive. Love, like the waves, is a psychological state that is hard to define or explain logically. It exists primarily in the realm of emotions and feelings, and even a rational mind cannot fully comprehend it. As one poet has said, when we understand exactly why we love someone, that is the moment love begins to fade.
Love is always intertwined with loyalty and an enduring sense of longing. This longing, which the 'Waves' feel for the shore, stretches across space ('beneath the deep—on the surface') and time ('day—night'), leaving the lover sleepless. The waves' yearning for the shore represents the poet's yearning for the beloved, a longing that permeates every corner of the mind and heart, even invading dreams. It is a longing that is never quenched, rolling on endlessly like the eternal waves of the sea. But this love also embodies steadfast loyalty. No matter where the waves go—whether 'toward the North' or 'the South'—they always return to the shore. Similarly, the woman’s heart, though it faces many obstacles, always returns to the one she loves. These verses convey the poet’s active, passionate love:
The waves deep below...
Though far apart,
As with the loyalty expressed earlier, the imagery of 'waves' and 'her' work together to further emphasize the depth of love's desires:
Life may be long...
But still, the waves will strike.
'She' worries about her smallness in the vastness of life, the limits of love in the face of infinite time, and the instability of human hearts in a world full of change. Yet, beneath this concern lies a profound faith and hope in love's enduring power, like the clouds that can still cross the wide ocean: 'Though the sea is vast, / The clouds still fly far.' The waves symbolize the strength and eternity of love, and so 'she' yearns to 'become many small waves,' wanting to fully immerse herself in the 'great sea of love,' making her love eternal and boundless. This is also a desire to share and dissolve her small love into the larger, universal love of life.
'Sóng' is a quintessential poem about love that showcases Xuân Quỳnh's poetic style. It depicts a woman’s deep, passionate, and loyal love. Through the imagery of 'waves' and 'her,' the poem highlights the beauty and depth of love, blending traditional and modern elements. Xuân Quỳnh uses simple, clear language to craft the powerful, unforgettable symbols of 'waves' and 'her,' leaving a lasting impression on the reader.
2. Analyzing the Imagery of Waves and 'Her' in Xuân Quỳnh's Poem 'Sóng' #5
Xuân Quỳnh (1942 – 1988) is renowned for her emotional love poems such as "The Boat and the Sea" and "Waves". "Waves" was written in late 1967 and published in the poetry collection "Flowers Along the Battlefield" in 1968. This poem expresses the profound, sincere, and passionate love of a young woman. It reflects her deep longing for a complete and everlasting love.
The poet uses the imagery of waves to convey her inner feelings. The entire poem mirrors the waves of emotions that stir in the heart of the woman in love. Along with the symbol of "waves", there is another significant figure in the poem – "her" – the poet’s lyrical self.
The poem introduces the imagery of waves through its rhythmic tones. The rhythm of the poem fluctuates, sometimes intense and vibrant, sometimes soft and subtle, echoing the endless and ceaseless waves. The five-character verses flow in a continuous manner, symbolizing the restless emotions of the poet’s heart. Waves, with their contrasting elements, mirror the various states of love and the paradoxes in a woman’s soul:
"Fierce and gentle,
Boisterous and silent."
Waves, as a beautiful natural symbol, express the fluctuating nature of emotions, especially in love. Waves shift from "fierce" to "gentle", from "boisterous" to "silent", yet they remain waves. The poet uses this ever-changing nature of waves to construct the image of "her". Her heart, like the waves, is full of constant, endless transformation and desire, mirroring the rhythms of the waves. Unable to fully understand her own heart, she embarks on a journey in search of answers:
"Waves cannot understand themselves,
Waves search until they reach the sea."
The waves’ journey to the vast sea symbolizes love’s pursuit of the infinite and ideal. It reflects the woman’s longing to transcend the small and familiar confines of her love and merge into a vast, mysterious world of passion. She is like a wave—real, bold, and proactive. Waves will forever surge, just as love will forever be the passionate yearning of youth.
Through metaphor, the poet successfully builds two lyrical characters: waves and "her". These two images intertwine, creating a harmonious resonance, like the sound of waves gently touching the shore of the reader’s memories. Waves, eternal as the sea, represent the timeless nature of youth's love—constant and overflowing, just like the youthful love that never fades. The waves of today are no different from the waves of yesterday:
"Oh, the waves of yesterday,
And the waves of tomorrow, still the same,
The yearning for love,
Throbbing in the hearts of youth."
The waves seek the sea to understand themselves, just as she seeks him to find a beautiful love that helps her understand her true self. She questions the waves, or perhaps herself:
"Waves begin with the wind,
But where does the wind begin?
I don’t know either,
When did we fall in love?"
"When did we fall in love?" is a question without an answer. No one knows, just as the waves crash on the shore, never asking when it all began. Just as she yearns for and enjoys the happiness of love without knowing where it originates. This question seems meaningless at first, but when we see the parallel between waves and "her"—both filled with love’s emotions—it gains profound meaning. Indeed, the waves only know that love arrives when every emotion is awakened within her. Waves echo the rhythms of the ocean, they sing, they whisper, they crash, they long for the shore:
"Oh, the waves longing for the shore,
Unable to sleep day and night."
The exclamation "Oh!" expresses the overwhelming emotions of a young woman gazing at the waves, hearing them whisper. The waves are personified, carrying the emotions of the woman: "the waves long for the shore, restless day and night." The longing of the waves is the same as the longing of "her". Waves yearn for the shore as the boat yearns for the dock. The great distance between them is why the waves ache to return to the shore. This is the eternal law of the universe, of life, and of love: the longing in a woman's heart when in love:
"My heart longs for you,
Even in dreams, I am awake."
Xuân Quỳnh believes that the image of the waves, like human love, will overcome all obstacles to reach the shore of happiness:
"Out there in the vast ocean,
Countless waves,
All will reach the shore,
Despite endless obstacles."
Small waves in the vast ocean must face countless challenges to reach the shore. Love, too, must endure trials to reach happiness. Xuân Quỳnh affirms that "all waves will reach the shore," but in her heart, the poet is still pondering. In the vast sea, though countless waves reach the shore, will they still have the strength to "search until they reach the sea"? Can love last forever in life? After all, in life, there is loss.
This poem was written in 1967, when the poet had already experienced the full spectrum of love’s emotions—the intensity and the heartbreak. But with a pure heart, yearning for affection, she held on to hope for future happiness.
"Life, though long,
Time still passes by,
Just as the vast sea,
Clouds still drift far away."
For love, waves will dissolve into the sea, and if she is like the waves, she too wishes to merge into the boundless sea of eternal love. She longs for love, no matter how vast and infinite the sea of waves may be:
"How can one dissolve,
Into a hundred small waves,
In the vast sea of love,
To forever embrace the shore."
This stanza is her prayer for a lasting and faithful love. The waves symbolize the deep emotions of love. The words "how can" reflect her burning desire to live in a love as eternal as the waves on the vast sea.
Through analyzing the waves’ constant movement in the sea of love, we see the traditional beauty of a woman in love: gentle, tender, pure, and loyal. The image of waves also represents the modern woman in love: bold, intense, daring to overcome all obstacles to preserve happiness, even when facing the endless passage of time, yet still believing in the power of love. While using waves as a metaphor is not new, the way Xuân Quỳnh explores this metaphor reveals something truly unique. She has found a beautiful poetic image to express love—gentle yet fierce, intimate yet expansive, personal yet universal.
"Waves" by Xuân Quỳnh is one of the best love poems, capturing the youthful, innocent, and passionate soul of a young woman. She is not afraid to express her love, her burning desires and emotions in the face of love.
3. An analysis of the imagery of waves and the poet in the poem "Waves" No. 6
The poem 'Vội vàng' succeeds not only in portraying the imagery of 'waves,' but also reveals a vibrant, passionate love, as well as the yearning for love of the female poet. This marks a refreshing approach in modern Vietnamese poetry. Among all the flowers, Xuân Quỳnh’s blooms exude a unique fragrance, offering a distinct perception of waves and the sea in the context of love.
If Xuân Diệu once trembled with love, dedicating his entire life to it and rushing against time to be loved, Xuân Quỳnh, too, experienced anxiety, worry, and pain because of love. However, as a woman, her expression was often less daring and bold compared to Xuân Diệu. Reading Xuân Quỳnh’s poetry, one frequently encounters images of the waves and the boat as symbols of love. Despite their simplicity and ordinariness, these elements are imbued with deep meaning and unspoken emotions that Xuân Quỳnh wishes to express. We dive into 'Waves' by Xuân Quỳnh to savor the tastes of longing and nostalgia of a woman in love.
People often compare love to a magical flower! Indeed, love never follows a fixed path. Sometimes, love is seen as a musical instrument playing countless tunes, some passionate, others bittersweet or even shy and tender. In this poem, the character 'Em' experiences love in this very way, with fluctuating emotions!
'Waves' is an allegorical poem, perfectly suited to tell a love legend full of restlessness, varying emotional intensities, and thus, it lends itself easily to music adaptation. Waves become a metaphor, a medium through which the feelings of the character 'Em' are expressed.
Fierce and gentle
Loud and quiet
The river cannot understand itself
The waves reach all the way to the sea
Oh, the waves of the past
And they will remain the same...
Restless within the chest of youth.
This is a love fairy tale told by Xuân Quỳnh. It begins with a wave that doesn’t know where it comes from, appearing as a being full of inner turmoil. The wave embodies two opposing emotional states, torn between joy and sorrow. The wave doesn’t understand why it is sometimes 'fierce' and then 'gentle,' 'loud' and then 'quiet.' Could it be that the wave is in love, silently and quietly? Yes, a feeling stirs in the heart of the young woman, and no one can 'define love.' Could it be a dreamy afternoon? A chance encounter? A fleeting moment of emotional stir? The girl, or rather the character 'Em,' is trying to find an answer to love, to the confusion and contradictions in her heart. Ultimately, the only way out is for the wave to seek the depths of the sea, just as 'Em' searches for the origin of love.
The human soul is an infinite expanse. How can one traverse all that boundless space? And just as the fire of love blazes within, the young woman grows even more anxious, confused, and restless, struggling with her own feelings. She must transcend these narrow limits, leaping into vast horizons, those boundless realms, to understand her own heart.
The wave has left the shore, traveling far away, striving to understand itself by comparing with other waves, hoping to uncover the mysteries of love—an enigma that remains hidden for the wave. What is love, exactly? A French poet once declared: 'Love is something that humans cannot comprehend.' Thus, the wave continues its search:
Oh, the waves of the past
And they will remain the same
The longing for love
Restless within the chest of youth.
Love, like the waves, will endure through time and youth. Xuân Diệu once said, 'Let the children describe the sweetness of candy, let the youth speak for love.' Love is closely intertwined with youth. Youth is the heart full of emotions, the source of affection and vitality. That is why the yearning for love keeps stirring within youth, driving them to seek the truth of love, just as the waves remain unchanged through time. However, the line 'restless within the chest of youth' is still a young, undeveloped thought. In truth, both the youthful and the elderly heart can experience the same emotional intensity in love. Yet, the waves and 'Em' continue to search, unable to fully comprehend love. Waves symbolize the awareness of the 'rule' that love cannot be explained:
The wave begins from the wind
The wind begins from where?
I don’t know either
When did we fall in love?
The wave begins from the wind—yes! Where does the wind come from? Where does love begin? We don’t know either. Reading these verses, one imagines the gentle sway of helplessness in the girl’s voice. As she tries to find love, it becomes a game of hide and seek—impossible to catch, and so love remains an eternal mystery.
The love of 'Em' now becomes an insatiable, tormenting longing. It fills the space, covering both the depths and the surface, extending through all time. Phạm Đình An observed, 'The love in Xuân Quỳnh’s poetry doesn’t stop at the simple, naive beginning of love, but matures into a love tied to life, tested by trials, and marked by responsibility.' Thus, the love of 'Em' here is no longer naïve but quite mature, blending with reason, aware of the emotional depth. Yet, within the girl’s heart, an intense longing continues to rise in various forms:
The wave deep beneath the surface
The wave on the surface of the water
Oh, the wave that longs for the shore
Unable to sleep day and night.
The longing of 'Em'—the fierce love—starts from something great, not trivial or mundane. It is deep, consuming the girl’s soul! For Xuân Quỳnh, all waves have shores, and the purpose is to crash onto the shore. Thus, when the wave is far from the shore, it must long for it, sleepless day and night. Just as the wave does, 'Em’s' longing for 'Him' surges fiercely:
My heart remembers you
Even in dreams, I am awake
Love arrives, bringing an endless longing to 'Em,' overwhelming her soul. Love becomes more profound, and longing becomes a ceaseless, aching desire. 'Is there any space longer than the length of longing? Is there any depth more profound than love?' Yes! How can we measure longing? How can we measure love? 'Em' still remembers 'Him,' only thinking of his direction:
Even if I head north
Or southward
Wherever I go, I think
Of you—my one true direction.
Love is truly mysterious! The remarkable thing is that 'Em' actively chooses to send her longing toward a defined direction: 'Your way!'—the path of love: 'Under this sky, there are many shades of green, but I tilt all of them toward you, toward your way.' The love of the woman is strong but also pure and simple—a love that is loyal and complete. But for this love to remain intact, the wave must overcome countless obstacles:
Out there in the vast ocean
There are hundreds of thousands of waves
Which one does not reach the shore?
Despite all the obstacles
The wave wants to reach the shore, but must overcome storms and tempests. 'Em' wants to reach 'Him' but must face all the trials of life. In the end, love requires challenges to test its true value. For love to endure, it must experience both departure and return, rising and falling, until it comes back to the pure love of its beginning.
It is the love of 'Him' that helps 'Em' overcome everything, to embrace eternal love—a great and noble love, not for oneself, but for the shared whole, existing forever in that vast expanse. The individual will last forever:
How can it dissolve
Into a hundred small waves
In the vast sea of love
To continue for a thousand years.
Love will mature, becoming richer, and will forever exist in the beauty of creation.
The poem concludes, yet the soft, gentle rhythm of love lingers. The poem succeeds not only in describing the imagery of the 'waves,' but also in revealing a passionate love, the deep yearning of the female poet. This is the new trend in modern Vietnamese poetry—like many flowers, Xuân Quỳnh’s bloom gives off a fragrance of its own, offering a unique perception of the waves and the sea in love. Love, like the endless waves, remains eternal, forever bound to the first pure love.
4. Analysis of the Symbolism of the Waves and the 'Em' in Xuân Quỳnh's Poem 'Waves' - Part 7
Xuan Quynh is a distinguished figure in the anti-American poetry movement. Among the voices of the anti-war youth poetry, she stands out as a fresh, youthful, and deeply feminine presence. While her work aligns with the heroic labor and struggles of the Vietnamese people, Xuan Quynh also powerfully portrays the force of love. The uniqueness of her love poetry lies in her simultaneous yearning for an ideal love and a pursuit of practical, everyday happiness.
All of this is conveyed through a simple, natural, and almost instinctive poetic voice. When people mention Xuan Quynh, they often think of her famous works: "The Boat and the Sea", "Love Poetry at the End of Autumn", "Singing to Myself", and especially "Waves" – a poem from her collection "Flowers Along the Battlefield". One could say that "Waves" encapsulates everything that is most characteristic of Xuan Quynh's poetic soul.
The overarching symbol in this poem is none other than the wave. The wave is depicted in a rhythm perfectly suited to its nature and reimagined with a series of rich meanings. Both 'wave' and 'I' are intertwined with universal laws. Drawing on the natural law of the wave, the poet uses it to symbolize the emotional laws of a young woman in love:
"Fierce and gentle"
"Noisy and silent"
The contrasting adjectives of 'fierce, noisy' versus 'gentle, silent' seem to reflect the natural laws of the wave: sometimes it crashes violently in storms, while at other times it is calm and gentle, gently lapping the shore. The wave is a natural phenomenon that contains many opposites, just as a woman's emotions in love can be full of ups and downs, sudden anger, or deep tenderness. Love is not a single emotion, but a complex, ever-changing force, much like the highs and lows of a love song that endures forever.
"The river doesn’t understand itself"
The wave reaches the vast ocean"
The image of the wave exists in different spaces and dimensions: 'river' and 'ocean'. This line reflects a general principle of nature: all rivers eventually flow into the sea, just as the wave seeks to escape its confined space and reach the boundless ocean. This is one of the most distinctive features of Xuan Quynh’s poetry – its boldness and intensity. Just like the wave’s journey to the ocean, the young woman’s emotional journey in love is about stepping out of her personal boundaries to seek harmony and understanding with another.
"Oh, the waves of the past"
"And they will be the same in the future"
The longing for love
Rages in the young heart"
If in the previous verses the wave appears in contrasting states and spaces, here the poet places it in different time frames: "past" and "future." This reflects a universal truth: the waves never stop crashing, much like the beating heart of a woman in love, never ceasing its fluttering, its passionate rhythms. Love is eternal, existing alongside the never-ending pulse of life.
By borrowing the natural laws of the wave, the poet symbolically portrays the laws of love. The wave, which begins as a natural force, transforms into a symbol of love, representing the soul of the woman – 'I' – a character who is sensitive, intuitive, and proactive, with a sincere heart full of emotion. Not only that, 'wave' and 'I' walk hand in hand, expressing the doubts and longings in love. The first concern is the search for the origin of love:
"When did the wave begin?"
The wave begins with the wind
Where does the wind come from?"
The desire to understand and explain the origin of love is perhaps an eternal longing for lovers, as the need to understand also comes from the desire to possess it. Clearly, 'I' does not just want to feel love, but also to contemplate it, to trace its origins. Yet, the response is both an honest confession and an awakening from the poet herself:
"I don’t know either"
"When did we fall in love?"
For love is a mystery of life, something to be felt, not defined or explained. "When did we fall in love?" Was it in a glance, a smile, or in moments shared when our hearts beat in perfect harmony? The 'when' or 'why' of love is not as important as the fact that it exists, as love is something we feel and hold dear without needing to know its origin. The search for understanding love is also the desire to possess it, to grasp it with our hands. Thus, from these words of yearning, emerges a heart that is passionately devoted, full of longing.
When one loves, who can forget? The girl in the old poem speaks of missing someone through the image of a handkerchief: 'The handkerchief misses someone / It falls to the ground / The handkerchief misses someone / It is draped over the shoulder.' Meanwhile, Xuan Quynh uses the rhythm of waves to express her own heart’s cry:
"The wave beneath the deep sea"
The wave on the surface of the water"
"Oh, the wave misses the shore"
"Day and night, it cannot sleep"
The wave appears in opposing spaces and times: 'beneath the deep sea' and 'on the surface of the water'; 'day' and 'night.' The repetition of 'the wave' and the structure of the verses, combined with personification, gives the wave a lyrical subjectivity: it 'misses the shore' to the point of 'losing sleep.' The yearning surges uncontrollably, regardless of time or place. The rhythm of this unrelenting longing creates a flow of emotion, like waves that crash continuously, overlapping, swelling, and filling every moment with passion, encompassing both time and space. The longing of the girl in love, wherever she may be, is constant, always intense. The heart of a woman in love is like that – a vast ocean never at rest, stirred by the waves of longing.
"My heart thinks of you"
Even in my dreams, I am awake"
The poem grows from four lines to six. The longing flows, and 'I' no longer uses the wave to represent the emotions, but instead directly expresses them. The yearning is so intense that like a wave, it overflows, breaking through boundaries to reach the infinite realms of feeling. Xuan Quynh’s poetry is both passionate and bold, traditional in its theme of longing yet modern in its expression. Not only is there longing, but Xuan Quynh also presents a heart that is faithful and unwavering:
"Though I go to the North"
Though I go to the South"
No matter where I am, I will always think of you"
The opposites of 'North-South', 'going' versus 'returning' reinforce the long journey to love, which is often a challenging path through life’s complexities. Xuan Quynh, a deeply sensitive soul, has experienced the ups and downs of love. Despite the vastness of life and its many directions, Xuan Quynh places her love as a constant compass that always points to 'you,' serving as a firm anchor that helps the girl overcome life’s obstacles.
Alongside the memories of a faithful heart, 'I' also carries with me worries, anticipations of life's limits. Just as the vast ocean cannot exceed its shores, life, no matter how long, will eventually end, and love, no matter how intense, will fade. Xuan Quynh is a soul filled with empathy and emotion. Yet, speaking of these concerns does not diminish her faith in love; rather, it further reinforces her absolute belief in it.
"Out there in the ocean"
Hundreds of thousands of waves"
Which of them will not reach the shore"
Despite the vast distances?"
This belief is not naive or delusional but stems from a profound understanding of life’s truths. The two symbols of 'wave' and 'I' continue to sing a song of desire for eternal love.
"How could it dissolve"
Into a hundred small waves"
In the great sea of love"
To keep on pounding forever?"
To dissolve, to long to become part of the infinite sea, to extend the finite life of humanity. This is the longing for eternal love. Dissolution also means merging with love, living fully within it, sacrificing oneself, offering everything to love, so that its heartbeat can resonate forever. The imagery of 'wave' and 'I' walks hand in hand and transforms, reflecting the deep emotions of the poet. This uniqueness is what makes the poem successful, allowing it to remain fresh in the flow of literature, echoing forever in the hearts of lovers across generations.
5. Analysis of the Imagery of Waves and 'I' in Poem 'Waves' No. 8
The imagery of the waves and 'I' are the two central symbols that Xuân Quỳnh builds in her poem 'Waves.' These two symbols leave a lasting impression on readers due to their depth of meaning and the intensity of the poet's focus. Below is a detailed analysis of these two symbols.
A writer is an artist who creates art using language and reflects life through artistic symbols. Imagery is almost vital to literature. A work that creates vivid, impressive imagery is already partially successful. Through imagery, the writer not only conveys their view of life but also expresses their own feelings toward reality. That's why, reading 'Waves' by Xuân Quỳnh, one hears the waves crashing, feels the tender emotions of 'I', and sees the poetess herself expressing her love. Through these two symbols, the poet shares her reflections on the nature, laws, and nuances of the heart in love. Reflecting on the symbols of the waves and 'I' in the poem 'Waves' is a valuable topic for writing and a guiding approach when engaging with Xuân Quỳnh's work. Best of luck to you!
Love is a timeless theme in poetry. Countless times, love has consumed a poet's soul, flowing passionately onto the page. If we see Xuân Diệu, a male poet, immersing himself fervently in love, we also see Xuân Quỳnh, a female poet, gently and serenely expressing her feminine love. Using the symbols of the waves and 'I' in 'Waves,' the poetess conveys her meditations on love.
Xuân Quỳnh stands out among poets of the anti-American resistance period. Her works are an eloquent expression of emotions, carrying the feminine essence of a woman’s longing for love. 'Waves' was written in 1967 during a visit to Diêm Điền, Thái Bình. The images of the waves and 'I' in the poem intertwine, merging into one to reflect Xuân Quỳnh’s emotions, thoughts on love, its laws, states, and desires as the poetess stands before the crashing waves. Both the waves and 'I' share common essences, flowing together in a vast ocean of longing. They embody contrasting states:
'Fierce and gentle'
'Noisy and silent'
The waves carry within them the extremes of 'fierce' and 'gentle,' 'noisy' and 'silent.' These represent the varying states of waves in the ocean and the range of emotions within a woman’s heart in love. Just as the natural waves can be both fierce and gentle, 'I' in love experiences similar calm and stormy emotions. Xuân Quỳnh transforms the wave from a natural phenomenon into a subject filled with emotions. Between these opposites, the poet uses the conjunction 'and'. The subtle word choice captures the coexistence of extremes: the waves in Xuân Quỳnh's poetry may be loud and violent, but they always return to gentleness and silence, revealing the poetess’s feminine nature. This represents both 'I' and the lyricism that defines Xuân Quỳnh. The essence of the waves and 'I' is also reflected in their spaces of existence:
'Rivers cannot understand themselves'
'Waves search all the way to the sea'
In nature, all rivers eventually flow into the sea. The small waves, filled with great aspirations, seek to break free from their confined spaces and merge into the vast openness of the sea. The journey from wave to ocean parallels the human quest for love, where one must transcend personal limitations to merge into the greater ocean of life, seeking resonance and shared experience. Waves and 'I', in this journey, are not only searching for happiness but also trying to find where they truly belong, to live fully as themselves. This is both a natural law, a spiritual law, and the deep desire of the waves and 'I.' The nature of the waves is not only present across different spaces but also across different times:
'Oh, the waves of the past'
'And they will remain the same in the future'
'The yearning for love'
'Rises in the heart of youth'
The poet stands in the present, looking at the waves from the past and into the future, to see how the waves beat against the ocean's rhythm, sustaining the life of the sea, much like how love, eternal, gives meaning and life to the heart of 'I.' The existence of love, from the past to the future, symbolizes the immortality of love and the perpetual vitality of every loving heart. The poet gazes at the waves to see 'I', gazes at 'I' to see herself.
The imagery of the waves and 'I' also carries within it the longing and reflections on love:
'Before the endless waves of the sea'
'I think of you, I'
'I think of the vast sea'
'Where do the waves come from?'
The rhetorical question, sometimes hidden, sometimes rising at the crest of the wave, is filled with doubt and reflection. 'I' does not merely feel but ponders the waves, contemplating love. Following the waves, 'I' embarks on a journey to find the origin of love:
'Waves begin from the wind'
'Where does the wind begin?'
'I do not know either'
'When will we fall in love?'
This answer reveals the uncertainty of 'I' in the search for love’s origin, as well as a profound realization: love is a mysterious force, something one can only feel but never trace to its beginning. The waves long to reach the shore, while 'I' yearns to be with you in a restless, eager longing:
'The waves deep beneath the surface'
'The waves on the water's surface'
'Oh, the waves long for the shore'
'Night and day, I cannot sleep'
The waves are personified as a being with a passionate heart. The repetition of 'waves' evokes the rising waves of love, continuously surging in the heart of 'I,' suggesting a rhythm that is deep, flowing, and unceasing in its longing. The contrast between 'day' and 'night,' 'deep within' and 'on the surface' reflects the all-encompassing nature of this yearning, picturing 'I’s' heart as an endless ocean of yearning. The poetess uses the waves to express her love, but the waves alone cannot convey the full depth and intensity of her longing, so 'I' directly emerges to voice it:
'My heart remembers you'
'Even in my dreams, I am awake'
The longing is not only present in the conscious mind but also stirs in the subconscious, surfacing in dreams. The line length expands from four to six words, signifying the depth of this yearning. 'I,' or the poetess herself, breaks through limits, guiding us into the boundless world of human emotions. The loving heart can only hold one, for love is loyal. The imagery of the waves and 'I' reveals a love that is sincere, deep, and exclusive:
'Whether drifting northwards'
'Or heading southwards'
'Wherever I am, I think of you'
'Toward you, the one direction'
The poet places 'your direction' alongside north and south, highlighting two spatial dimensions: geography and love. While geography has infinite directions, in love, 'I' only knows one: 'your direction.' The two words 'one direction' assert the loyalty inherent in love. The terms 'drifting' and 'heading' symbolize a love that withstands trials, reflecting how 'I' relies on love as a guiding force through life’s varied paths. Xuân Quỳnh once wrote: 'I never dared think of forever,' for love is both trusting and anxious. The imagery of the waves and 'I' also carries this emotional nuance:
'Out there in the vast ocean'
'Hundreds of thousands of waves'
'None of them fails to reach the shore'
'Despite the distance and obstacles'
'Life may be long'
'But time keeps moving on'
'Even the vast sea'
'The clouds still float far away'
The sensitive heart of 'I' is keenly aware of the passing of time and the finite nature of life. Thus, there is a hint of anxiety, a premonition of the unpredictable. The poet has come to realize that, though life may be long, it will end; though the sea is vast, it has shores; love, too, may not last forever, fading in the flow of time. Yet, above this fear, 'I' holds firm in faith in the stability of love and humanity. The image of countless waves crashing against the shore and the drifting clouds, capable of traversing the vastness of time, inspires in 'I' the belief that people can reach their life's destination and overcome life's boundaries. Living fiercely in love, always amid the crashing waves, the waves and 'I' both preserve the desire to merge into the great sea of life:
'How can I break apart'
'Into a hundred little waves'
'In the vast sea of love'
'To crash against the shore for a thousand years'
'I' yearns to transform into waves, to exist within the endlessness of space and the eternity of a thousand years. This yearning reflects the desire to immortalize love, using it to extend the short, finite life of a person. This ideal conjures the image of 'I,' a passionate girl, ready to sacrifice and dedicate herself to love.
The imagery of the waves and 'I' sometimes accompanies each other, while at other times 'I' breaks away to directly express her inner thoughts, only to merge back into the ocean of love. The five-line verse structure with flexible pauses creates a rhythmic, resonant tone like the waves crashing against the shore, much like the waves of longing crashing within 'I.' Both symbols echo the poet’s heart, a voice filled with longing, desire, and extremes, portraying Xuân Quỳnh’s soul in the process.
6. Analysis of the wave and 'I' imagery in the poem 'Waves' - Number
7. An analysis of the wave and 'I' imagery in the poem "Waves" number 10
Xuan Quynh is a prominent figure in the movement of youth poetry against the American War. In the chorus of anti-war youth poetry, Xuan Quynh stands out with her youthful, fresh, and distinctly feminine voice. While her work remains closely tied to the heroic labor and struggle of the Vietnamese people, Xuan Quynh also embodies a powerful expression of love. What is remarkable in her love poetry is her longing for an ideal love alongside a desire for a practical happiness in everyday life.
These themes are expressed through a simple, natural, and almost instinctive poetic voice. When Xuan Quynh is mentioned, people often recall her famous works: "The Boat and the Sea", "Late Autumn Love Poems", "Self-Singing"... and especially "Waves"—a poem from her collection "Flowers along the Trenches". It can be said that "Waves" crystallizes all that is most characteristic of Xuan Quynh’s poetic soul.
The central image throughout this poem is none other than the wave. The wave is evoked in a perfectly fitting tone and recreated with a multitude of rich meanings.
A true poem always touches the reader's soul first through its rhythm. Before the reader can fully appreciate the imagery, they are already swept away by the rhythm, or in other words, the rhythm captures their soul. The rhythm of a poem is the harmonious blending of poetic emotion and the rhythm of language. It embodies the essence of the poet’s feelings. Hidden in the rhythm is the spirit, the soul of the poetic emotion. For these reasons, when reading a poem, the first and most challenging task is to feel and grasp its rhythm.
Reading the poem "Waves", we may not fully understand the meanings of the waves, but we are immediately drawn into its rhythm. The rhythm of the poem here mirrors the rhythm of the sea waves. The poet skillfully weaves the continuous beats of the waves into the verse, where the sea waves stir the reader’s heart, creating an internal wave of emotion that spills over into the words, transforming into a poetic wave.
The rhythm of poetry is greatly influenced by its form. It seems that the five-word verse form used here brings out its unique strength. By skillfully exploiting the variations in rhyme and rhythm within this form, Xuan Quynh has expertly used the rhythm to mimic the waves. Take the first stanza, for example. The first two lines are in a 2/3 rhythm:
Violent / and gentle
Loud / and silent
while the next two lines shift to a 3/2 rhythm (even more intricate is 1/2/2):
Waves / can’t understand / themselves
Waves / reach the distant sea
This shift in rhythm allows Xuan Quynh to emulate the rapid and ever-changing nature of the waves.
The organization of words also contributes to the poem’s rhythm. The poet has thoroughly utilized the principle of symmetry, repetition, and parallelism in her word choices. Especially notable is the use of paired words, phrases, and even entire stanzas that follow one another, creating a continuous interplay of matching sounds. For example, phrases like “violent and gentle” – “loud and silent,” and later “Oh the wave of the past – and the future remains the same”... and so on:
I think of you,
I think of the vast sea,
The wave beneath the deep,
The wave on the surface,
Whether heading North,
Or heading South.
As one wave recedes, another emerges, just as one phrase gives way to the next. This continuous rhythm evokes the image of waves on the sea, constantly rising and falling, endlessly recurring. Before the waves even take form through imagery, we hear them in the rhythmic cadence of the poem.
The wave is the central image of the poem. But we must also note the unique structure of imagery in this work. Each poem typically portrays the poet’s own image, though this image does not necessarily align with the poet's real-life self. Poets often choose a particular posture or gesture to express their inner feelings most fittingly.
Xuan Quynh may have written this poem in her home, but the image of the poet in this poem is that of a woman standing before the sea, contemplating, reflecting, and longing. Each discovery of the wave is a reflection of herself and her love. Therefore, each exploration of the wave is also an exploration of her own identity. For this reason, the wave becomes a reflection, a counterpart of Xuan Quynh herself. The wave and the 'I' are two intertwined images, sometimes separate, sometimes united; transforming into each other, yet simultaneously distinct and identical. It can even be said that the wave is a second 'I' of Xuan Quynh.
Each stanza represents a new exploration of the wave, with the wave assuming a new meaning in every part of the poem. Thus, the wave cannot be reduced to a single meaning; it must be understood with all its multiple layers. Ultimately, the wave symbolizes the soul, the yearning, and the love of the woman in the poem.
At the beginning of the poem, the wave emerges with a particularly special meaning: the wave embodies femininity. It is an interesting contrast to how the male poet Xuan Dieu perceives the sea as a lover, a passionate, relentless male figure. In contrast, the female poet Xuan Quynh sees the wave as possessing the essence of womanhood. Does this indicate that poets often project their 'I' onto their subjects? It is indeed a proud voice representing one's gender:
Violent and gentle
Loud and silent
The wave can’t understand itself
The wave reaches the far sea.
Within the essence of the wave, there is harmony between extremes. It is both the most violent and the most gentle, both the loudest and the quietest. Each wave also carries within it a great longing—a longing for the vastness. The wave becomes relentless because of its longing for something greater. And so, when the wave cannot understand itself, it is destined to search for the vast ocean.
Standing before the sea, one can easily feel that the ocean remains unchanged—before our existence and long after we are gone. The same waves will continue crashing onto the shore, forever stirring the surface of the water. The sea is the image of immortality. In contrast to this eternal sea, one is reminded of another form of eternity: the eternal longing for love! As long as there is youth, the yearning for love will continue to pulse in their hearts:
Oh, the wave of the past
And it will remain the same
The longing for love
Pulsing in young hearts.
By the third stanza, the wave takes on another meaning: the origin of the wave is as mysterious as the origin of love! Standing before the sea, these women wish to understand the origin of the wave. Yet, this attempt proves futile. The origin of the wave is as enigmatic as the origin of love:
The wave begins with the wind,
The wind begins from where?
I don’t know either,
When did we fall in love?
“When did we fall in love?”
This question seems to be the concern of every couple, and no one can truly answer it. The deeper the love, the more one feels that its origins are beyond explanation. People tend to sanctify love. It may be a meeting in this life, but perhaps it is a reunion from a past life. We choose to believe this, and this belief makes love sacred.
And so, the wave represents the longing of love: “The wave beneath the deep—The wave on the surface—Oh the wave that longs for the shore—Day and night it cannot sleep—My heart longs for you—Even in my dreams I wake.” It symbolizes loyalty: “Whether heading North—Whether heading South—Wherever I go, I think of you.” It is the journey toward happiness for lovers: “Out there in the ocean—Hundreds of thousands of waves—Each one reaches the shore—No matter how far apart.” It is the boundlessness of yearning: “Although life is long—Time continues to pass—Just like the sea, no matter how vast—The clouds still fly far away.”
And so, the rhythm of the poem continues with the waves.
Finally, it appears in its most intense and infinite yearning: the yearning for immortality. This is a natural conclusion. Standing before the ocean, one faces the vastness of space; one is also confronted with the eternal flow of time, and in the moment, the boundless nature of the sea. One cannot help but feel overwhelmed. Life is short, and the human existence seems so small, fleeting, and meaningless. Only the sea remains unchanged. Only the sea is immortal. The fleeting existence of any soul longs to become eternal! This woman, too, yearns for immortality. She wishes to remain in this world forever—to live, to love! Living in that love is happiness. Thus, this longing surges powerfully to its peak:
How can I dissolve
Into hundreds of tiny waves
In the vast sea of love
So that for a thousand years, I may continue to roll.
Though the poem has ended, these waves continue to surge in the chest of the ocean, in the hearts of lovers, endlessly!
8. A profound analysis of the imagery of waves and "I" in the poem "Waves" (Version 1)
In her poem "Waves", Xuân Quỳnh uses the symbol of "waves" to express the emotions, moods, and complex feelings of "I" – a woman’s heart that is eager, longing for love.
Love is a timeless theme in poetry, and many famous poets have written about it with intense passion, imprinting their soul, thoughts, and artistic style. Previously, Xuân Diệu used the image of the "sea" to describe love. In contrast, Xuân Quỳnh adopts the imagery of "waves" to convey the rich, complex, and passionate emotions of a woman’s heart eager for love.
Along with the symbol of "waves", the poem also features another image – "I", the poet's lyrical self. Waves symbolize the mood of a girl in love, embodying the lyrical self – a special form of the lyrical self entering a role. These two lyrical "characters" (waves and I) are separate yet connected. At times, they reflect upon each other, highlighting their similarities, and at other times, they merge to create a resonance. These intertwined images coexist throughout the poem, illuminating and complementing each other to powerfully express the love longing in the female poet's heart.
The imagery of "waves" is a unique artistic exploration by Xuân Quỳnh. It is first evoked by the abundant, rhythmic cadence of the poem. This rhythm mirrors the continuous, eternal waves of the sea. The five-character verse form, with its unbroken rhythm, creates the rhythm of the waves, sometimes lively and spirited, sometimes calm and deep, stretching throughout the poem. However, the overall rhythm of the poem is not merely the rhythm of the waves. It also reflects a heart filled with an infinite longing for love, vibrating in harmony with the waves of the sea, so much so that it becomes impossible to distinguish the rhythm of the sea from the rhythm of the poet’s soul. Xuân Quỳnh uses the symbol of waves to express her own heart's intense, restless, and yearning love, which mirrors the ever-changing, passionate tides of the sea. Through the imagery of "waves", Xuân Quỳnh vividly portrays the different emotional states and feelings within a woman’s heart as she is caught in the longing for love. Every shift in a woman's emotions can be matched with some characteristic of the waves.
The opening of the poem expresses a unique psychological state, a soul yearning for love, seeking something greater. Xuân Quỳnh vividly captures this unusual, complex state in a heart overwhelmed with love. The spirit of a woman in love, much like the waves, contains both extreme and opposing emotions: "Fierce and gentle, loud and quiet"... Like the waves, the heart of a woman in love cannot settle for the ordinary; it seeks something grand, capable of resonating with her: "The river cannot understand me / The waves reach out to the sea".
From the very first stanza, there emerges a new understanding of love. The woman, though eager to love, refuses to accept passivity. If "the river cannot understand me", the waves decisively abandon the narrow confines to "reach the vast sea" in search of something bigger and more accepting. This is both clear and resolute. The intense longing for love in Xuân Quỳnh’s vision is a timeless human desire, most fervently embodied in youth. Like the waves, this desire is eternal, surviving the test of time. For humans, love's longing is always fierce:
"Oh, the waves of the past
And those of the future remain the same
The yearning for love
Pulses in the hearts of youth"
When love arrives, naturally, there is a need to understand it. But love is a mysterious, extraordinary psychological phenomenon that cannot be explained through logic. How can we explain the origin of love? What had troubled Xuân Diệu before: "How can one explain love?" is now expressed by Xuân Quỳnh in a carefree and charming way. Love is like the waves, like the wind – natural and spontaneous, impossible to explain. It is as natural and mysterious as nature itself:
"The wave begins with the wind
The wind comes from where?
I don't know either
When we fall in love"
Love is also closely tied to the feeling of longing when apart. Xuân Quỳnh powerfully portrays the intense longing of a heart in love. This longing is persistent, both when awake and asleep, encompassing both space and time. It is an overwhelming, restless longing, never at peace. It surges and swells like endless waves. The rhythm throughout the poem mirrors the waves, but it is most pronounced, abundant, eager, and intense in this part:
"The wave beneath the depths
The wave on the surface
Oh, the wave longs for the shore
Day and night, unable to sleep"
As mentioned, the imagery of waves and "I" accompanies each other throughout the poem, enhancing and complementing one another to more deeply express love, longing, and the eternal devotion of a heart in love. The longing is symbolized through the waves yearning for the shore, "unable to sleep day or night", which is further emphasized through the poet's own expression of longing: "My heart longs for you, even in dreams, I remain awake." This longing fills the heart of the female poet.
The constant longing, present in all spaces and times, exists not only in consciousness but also in the subconscious, creeping into dreams. The desires and yearnings of the woman are expressed with such intensity but also with simplicity, and yet, her only wish is to reach the shore, just as she longs for him. The love of the woman is sincere, intense, pure, simple, loyal, and unique. Through the images of "waves" and "I", Xuân Quỳnh boldly and honestly expresses her fervent, intense yearning for love – a perspective rarely seen in Vietnamese literature.
Xuân Quỳnh wrote "Waves" in 1967, a time when she had experienced the pain of love’s dissolution. Yet, this innocent and passionate woman still nurtures many hopes and maintains faith in future happiness. While comforting herself, she also believes in the ultimate goal of a great love, as she expresses: "No matter how far a fish swims, it will always reach the shore / Despite countless obstacles." Therefore, her awareness of time does not make her anxious, but rather strengthens her belief that:
"Though life may be long
The years still pass by
Like the vast sea,
The clouds still drift far away"
In conclusion, "Waves" is a representative love poem that embodies the thoughts and style of Xuân Quỳnh during her early years. It is a poem that is charming, graceful, intense, and vibrant, yet simple, pure, and profound. Later, after experiencing more sorrow in love, Xuân Quỳnh's voice may no longer be as light and full of passion, but the yearning for love remains forever in her heart, filled with love.
9. Analysis of the symbols 'wave' and 'I' in the poem "Wave" No. 2
Xuan Quynh is a poet of love. Her works mainly focus on the theme of love, particularly the simple and pure desires for happiness. Among her works, "Wave" stands out as one of her finest, where she has created two beautiful symbols: the "wave" and "I".
Xuan Quynh uses the symbols of "wave" and "I" at times to reflect and contrast, highlighting their similarities, and at other times to intertwine them, creating a harmonious resonance between them.
First, the essence and longing of both "wave" and "I" are explored. The image of the "wave" evokes a rich, spontaneous, and lively spirit, through which Xuan Quynh beautifully conveys the emotions of a girl in love or awaiting love. The state of the wave mirrors the emotional state of a lover, a powerful yearning for a true, sincere love. The wave’s journey from a river to the ocean is much like the emotions of a girl in love, full of passion and longing, but sometimes those desires transform into a wave of love, surging within them:
“Fierce and gentle
Loud and quiet
The river can’t understand me
The wave seeks the vast ocean”
The wave is powerful and determined. It seeks a boundless place, where it can truly find itself amidst the immense energy and desires. The wave is willing to leave behind anything that doesn’t belong to it to answer the call of love. The image of the wave as a symbol of love reflects the complexities, diversities, and mysteries of love itself.
Next, the feelings of "I" and the "wave" about love are portrayed. To reach true love, the wave must reach the vast sea; likewise, the wave reaches the ocean to discover its true self. The "I" desires to be with you, to find a love that will help understand the deeper parts of herself. The questions posed by "I" emphasize only one thing: "when do we fall in love?"
“The wave starts from the wind
Where does the wind come from?
I don’t know either
When will we fall in love?”
Particularly, the line "When will we fall in love?" captures the essence of those living in a pure and eternal love. This sincere and passionate love never fades in the hearts of those who are truly in love. That longing is relentless, enveloping both time and space, immersing deep into the soul:
“The wave beneath the deep
The wave above the water
Oh, the wave misses the shore
Day and night, unable to sleep”
Furthermore, the wave and "I" convey a sense of longing and fidelity. Naturally and poetically, the wave misses the shore, yearning endlessly with the passage of time and the ocean. Just as a boat longs for its dock, a girl’s heart is filled with a continuous longing for the one she loves:
“My heart remembers you
Even in my dreams, I remain awake”
At this point, the poet no longer uses the symbol of the wave but directly expresses: "My heart remembers you, even in my dreams, I remain awake." Love is like that – it possesses a powerful force. "Remaining awake" means that she sees you in her heart at all times, your image, your eyes. The love of the girl is intense and passionate. Just like the distant wave that finds its shore, so will you and I overcome all obstacles to be together, living in the fullness of love:
“Out there in the ocean
Hundreds of thousands of small waves
Each one reaches the shore
Though there are endless distances”
The girl has expressed her feelings so sincerely, passionately, and devotedly. Honesty and loyalty are the very essence of love:
“Though going northward…
My heart is directed towards you”
Not only that, but the image of the wave also illustrates the girl’s "heart directed towards one place"—towards "you". Her unwavering loyalty and yearning to live fully in a beautiful, devoted love is expressed. Ultimately, the wave speaks for the author’s longing for a life of eternal love that can never be parted.
Finally, there is the desire for eternal love. The wave seeks to merge with the vast ocean, just as "I" want to merge with "you" to become one. The love between two people is as beautiful and intense as hundreds of thousands of small waves in the vast ocean, wishing to blend into the ocean of love:
“How can we dissolve
Into a hundred thousand small waves
In the vast ocean of love
To continue forever?”
Through the images of "wave" and "I", Xuan Quynh helps readers understand the soul of a woman deeply in love.
10. Analysis of the symbols 'wave' and 'I' in the poem "Wave" No. 3
When one thinks of poet Xuan Quynh, they inevitably associate her with love poetry. "Wave" is considered one of her finest love poems. In this work, Xuan Quynh has woven together the symbols of "wave" and "I" with deep meanings. These two symbols, at times contrasting, reflect each other, highlighting their similarities, and at other times, merging together to create a harmonious resonance. Love itself has many facets: it can be quiet, gentle, and peaceful, yet also wild and intense:
“Fierce and gentle
Loud and silent”
These two opposing states exist in unity within the "wave". The way Xuan Quynh describes the wave’s fluctuating states mirrors the hidden desires of a woman in love – sometimes wild and fiery, sometimes deep and quiet, sometimes tender and intense, yet always full of contradictions. The unique connection between the wave and the poetic persona, "I", suggests that the "wave" is a metaphor for "I", embodying the restless yearning for love but with boundless happiness.
The wave has always journeyed from rivers to the ocean, from narrow confines to boundless space. Just as the river cannot understand itself, the wave boldly seeks the vast sea:
“The river cannot understand itself
The wave seeks the ocean”
The wave’s journey towards the ocean symbolizes the quest for self-understanding, just as "I" yearns for a love that will help define me, to understand my true self. In front of the endless waves of the ocean, "I" ponder the origin of love:
“In the face of the vast ocean,
I think of you,
I think of the great ocean
From where do the waves arise?”
The wave begins with the wind
Where does the wind come from?
I don’t know either
When will we fall in love?”
The woman in love is often full of wonder and reflection. The repetition of "I think" emphasizes this. In front of the vast ocean, I think of you first and then the great sea. I wonder where the wave originates. The question posed almost already contains its own answer: the wave begins with the wind – a very practical explanation. But the question still lingers: "Where does the wind come from?" This mirrors the mystery of when love begins. The renowned poet Xuan Dieu once expressed:
“How can love be explained?
It’s not hard, just one afternoon
It takes over your soul like soft sunlight
Like the gentle breeze, the mild wind”
(Why?)
If the wave remembers the shore, then "I" remember you. Whether in the "deep depths" or "on the surface of the water", whether "day" or "night", the wave always remembers the shore, restless and unable to sleep. Xuan Quynh uses space and time to measure the depth of longing in love. Yet, can we ever truly measure longing? While the wave’s memory of the shore may be limited by space and time, "I"’s memory of you transcends all bounds. My longing for you is always present, even in my dreams, never ceasing. Traditional folk poetry has often captured the essence of longing in love:
“Longing for someone, so anxious,
It’s like sitting by a burning fire or on hot coals?”
The longing in love is not unfamiliar, but Xuan Quynh’s portrayal of it is unique. The most remarkable depiction appears in the final stanza:
“How can we dissolve
Into a hundred thousand small waves
In the vast ocean of love
To continue forever?”
The rhetorical question “How?” at the start of the stanza is a form of self-reflection. The wave longs to dissolve and merge into the vast ocean. Just like "I" long to live fully in love. A woman in love is often so passionate, hoping to experience every moment of love to its fullest. Here, Xuan Quynh uses the phrase “dissolve” to express the gentleness of a woman, in contrast to the strength depicted by Xuan Dieu:
“Once kissed, kiss again
Until the world’s end
Until the sky and earth collapse
Only then will you stop overflowing…”
(The Sea)
However, Xuan Dieu’s love will eventually stop overflowing. But Xuan Quynh’s love will continue to "wave for a thousand years". The final two lines are a declaration from the poet. The love of "I" will last eternally, just like the wave that continues to hit the shore for "a thousand years". The "wave" and "I", though separate, are one in the same, expressing the delicate feelings Xuan Quynh has for love.
