Top 10 Essays Analyzing the Last Three Stanzas of 'Sóng' by Xuân Quỳnh (Literature 12)

Xuân Quỳnh is one of the prominent female poets of the generation that grew up during the Vietnam War. Her poetry reflects the deep feelings of a woman’s soul, full of tenderness, innocence, sincerity, and longing for the simple joys of life. In addition to works that have become timeless songs such as 'Thuyền và biển' and 'Thơ tình cuối mùa thu', 'Sóng' remains a celebrated poem about love that continues to resonate with readers. 'Sóng' not only portrays the similarities and lengths of longing, the dilemmas in love, but also the deep reflection and anxiety before life and the yearning for love. These sentiments are clearly expressed in the following verses:

'Out there on the ocean'

…

'To still echo for a thousand years'

'Sóng' was written in 1967 during a trip to Diêm Điền beach and was published in the collection 'Hoa dọc chiến hào'. The poem carries the rhythm of the ocean waves, symbolizing the emotional waves of a heart longing for love. It uses two parallel metaphors: 'waves' and 'I' (the poet). To embody a love that is both passionate and pure, the wave must cross the vast ocean to reach 'my shore':

'Out there on the ocean'

…

'Though vast, separated by a distance'

The woman in love believes that her love will reach happiness despite the hardships. Indeed, true love, with strong faith, helps overcome the challenges of life and leads to the shore of happiness. The reality follows a universal law: even though the wind may be far away, it still reaches the shores, just as love will overcome all obstacles to unite two hearts. As poet Chế Lan Viên once wrote:

'Trees grow and reach you'

'Counting them, they sprout again'

'My love is the last tree'

'It grows on your doorstep'

Similarly, the three stanzas with longing, persistence, and unwavering loyalty, along with the use of repetition, personification, metaphor, and contrasting imagery, confirm the strong belief in love. The desire to live forever in love is coupled with the poet's concern about the passage of time, the fleeting nature of human life, and the fragility of happiness, as Xuân Quỳnh's heart yearns for love's immortality. But the profound love is always accompanied by a lingering anxiety:

'Life, though long'

'Time still passes by'

'Like the vast sea'

'The clouds still fly far away'

Human life seems endless, yet time rushes forward without waiting. With her sensitive heart, the poet observes that the universe remains eternal, while human life is finite.

'Life, though long'

'Time still passes by'

She worries about love fading or withering as time flows on, but she continues to believe in love's future, in its true meaning:

'Like the vast sea'

'The clouds still fly far away'

Her hope is for love to remain eternal, a desire to blend into the waves of time. The poet’s wish is expressed as:

'How to dissolve and spread'

…

'To still echo for a thousand years'

This is the yearning to dissolve into a myriad of waves, forever joining the vast sea's rhythm. It’s not only a desire to immortalize love, but also a profound dedication of the poet’s heart. The poet’s love is not selfish or petty but grand, noble, and eternal. The poet’s joy merges into the universe’s joy, the private part exists within the collective whole, achieving immortality. This is a love that is deeply Xuân Quỳnh’s:

'I return to the true meaning of my heart'

'It is the flesh and blood of everyday life that everyone has'

'It still beats when life no longer exists'

'But knows how to love you even when death comes'

Sometimes she wants to dissolve into waves, sometimes to return to the true meaning of the heart. The poet's heart, full of desires and aspirations, remains devoted to one goal: eternal love. The wish to dissolve into waves is not just to fulfill the longing for eternal love but to burn brightly and give fully, as only a true poet can.

In the above excerpt from 'Sóng', Xuân Quỳnh succeeded not only in content but also in artistic achievement by using the traditional five-character verse, unique rhythmic pauses, rich metaphors, and a deeply emotional tone.

Through these reflections, worries, and desires in love, as well as throughout the poem 'Sóng', the readers are given a fresh and profound perspective on love. It transcends all boundaries and rules to exist forever in eternal love. This is the humanistic value Xuân Quỳnh leaves for readers of all generations through 'Sóng'.

Some love poems are as beautiful as that. Like the chirping of birds, rich and melodic in the spring. Some poems express the hope and belief in a love as beautiful as this:

"Although life is long"

...

"To last a thousand years"

This is the final two verses of a long five-character poem, a masterpiece of love poetry that speaks of the yearning for love in the heart of a young girl.

From longing and waiting: "Even in dreams, I remain awake", the heart of the young girl reflects a powerful belief in love. "Years" will surely "pass", and "Clouds" in the sky will inevitably cross the vast "sea" to "fly far away". Time, vast and endless, like love itself, is intensely powerful:

"Although life is long"

"The years still pass"

"Though the sea is vast"

"The clouds still fly away"

The first and second lines are mirrored and balanced with the third and fourth lines, creating a heartfelt and sweet melody in the poem. The main structure is skillfully used: "Although... still...", "Though... still...", strongly affirming the poet's message. The repetition of "still" expresses faith in love: "The years still pass", "The clouds still fly away". "Years" and "clouds" are metaphors for love, a beautiful love that leads to happiness. Love is like the waves of the sea: "Intense and gentle – Loud and quiet". Sometimes, "I" feel loneliness in the distance:

"The words of longing I want to speak a thousand times"

"But now, it’s just the waves and me".

("Only the Waves and Me")

Sometimes, the heart is overwhelmed with longing and waiting:

"And my present is full of longing"

"Time, oh why don’t you change your colors".

("White Time")

But in this verse, there is faith, a strong belief: the love boat will surely reach the shores of happiness. The poet uses the length of time and the expanse of space to measure faith in love and happiness. Words like "still pass", "still fly away" encapsulate the "firm vow" of a beautiful love. The final verse of the poem is the prayer of a girl for eternal and faithful love. The image of the waves captures all emotions:

"How can I dissolve"

"Into a hundred small waves"

"In the vast sea of love"

"To last a thousand years".

The words "How can" evoke a burning desire in the girl's soul. Waves in the ocean are eternal and undying. "A hundred small waves" ripple, whispering joyously "in the vast sea of love", carrying the noble beauty of love. This is the young girl's wish to live in enduring happiness, like the waves that continue to break on the "vast sea of love" for a thousand years. The number "a thousand years", "thousand years", has often moved us:

"A thousand years of vows unite"

"Mountains and rivers never forget their promises"

Love does not make her small or selfish; instead, her love will forever flow within the love of her people and society. A beautiful and novel concept of love. A heart full of affection and compassion!

When we talk about poetry, we talk about melody and rhythm. The lines above have a gentle and tender rhythm. The rhyming is rich, the melody lingering. The harmony between the even and odd rhymes, between consecutive and alternate rhymes, is delicate and rhythmic. The word "pass" rhymes with "far" and "away"; the word "longing" aligns with "waves", making it very delightful to read.

The poem encapsulates the beauty of an idea. A beautiful belief: faith in a happy love. Beautiful verses: "elegant, meaningful". The tone is passionate and sweet. The image of the "small wave" and the "vast sea of love" is very creative. The poem carries a bright, humanistic beauty.

When we mention the name of poet Xuân Quỳnh, we think of 'the sister who emerged from the common chorus during the fiery times.' She rose like a fresh musical note in the literary landscape of Vietnam during the resistance against the U.S. war, alongside poets like Trần Mạnh Hảo, Trần Đăng Khoa, Lâm Thị Mỹ Dạ, Lê Thị Mây, Nguyễn Khoa Điềm... Xuân Quỳnh developed her craft during this period of war. The anti-American resistance was when she wrote most prolifically, producing numerous beautiful poems for the Vietnamese literary stream, such as 'Tự hát,' 'Hoa cỏ may,' and 'Hoa dọc chiến hào.' If we closely follow Xuân Quỳnh's creative career, we notice that a distinctive strength in her poetry is the emotional turbulence and hesitation of a woman standing before the happiness of everyday life. 'Sóng' is one such poem, written while the author stood by the Diêm Điền sea. It reflects the thoughts of a young woman, whose longing pushes her toward the shores of her beloved. Turning to Xuân Diệu, known as the 'king of love poetry,' he is a prince of love, the most recent among the new poets who emerged before 1945. He is regarded as one of the most influential poets in Vietnamese literature, especially in the 'New Poetry' movement. Xuân Diệu's poetry is haunted by the passage of time and deeply influenced by Western literature. One of his most representative works is the poem 'Vội vàng,' taken from his collection 'Thơ thơ,' a fresh bloom full of fragrance and color. Although Xuân Quỳnh and Xuân Diệu have different strengths and weaknesses, and distinct styles, they are united in their expression of youth's desires and love.

'Sóng' consists of 9 stanzas, each with its own unique beauty and sentiment reflecting a woman's feelings in love. In classic poetry, waves have always symbolized a man's emotions. As in Xuân Diệu's poem 'Biển,' where he wrote:

'I wish to become the blue waves

Forever kissing the golden sands,

Kissing gently, softly,

With everlasting tenderness.'

'Having kissed, I kiss again

Until the end of time'

'Until the earth and sky dissolve.'

But in 'Sóng,' we find, for the first time, a woman taking the initiative in love:

'Out there, in the vast ocean,

Hundreds of thousands of waves,

Which one does not reach the shore,

Despite all the distance.'

In this stanza, the waves symbolize the woman's emotions, while the shore represents the man's affection. The ocean stands for the vast, expansive society, with millions of women longing to love and be loved. This symbolizes the poet's faith in love—despite many obstacles, everyone will eventually find their love. In life, just as in love, it’s clear that not everything is smooth sailing, but those who truly love each other will overcome difficulties and challenges together. This is the beauty of stanza 7.

'Life is long, yet time passes,

Like the vast sea,

Clouds still drift far away.'

Poetry is the voice of emotion, the language of the heart. The 8th stanza conveys simple, philosophical life truths. It speaks of the natural, universal presence of love, which appears in every human being. As President Hồ Chí Minh once stated in the Declaration of Independence: 'All men are born free and equal, with the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and these rights cannot be infringed.' Or, as Xuân Diệu wrote:

'How can one live without love,

Without remembering or caring for anyone?'

Here, love appears in its most natural, sincere, and humble form—simple and ordinary desires that every human shares.

'How can one dissolve,

Into a hundred small waves,

In the great ocean of love,

To echo forever.'

In the 9th stanza, the waves reach the shore of the beloved. 'Sóng' is a journey of the waves to the shore. Once they reach the shore, the desire is to 'dissolve' and merge, becoming one. The poet expresses a longing for love to be eternal, overcoming the passage of time. Time may make us grow old, but it doesn’t make love dull. Love will endure, eternal, even as human life is finite. The love we share will remain infinite—that is the yearning to live fully, to burn brightly in love. Returning to Xuân Diệu's 'Vội vàng,' the final lines differ from the beginning:

'I want to embrace

All the life just beginning to bloom;

I want to hurry the clouds and wind,

I want to be drunk with butterflies and love,

I want to absorb everything in a single kiss,

And all the mountains, waters, trees, and fragrant grass,

To intoxicate with fragrance and light,

To feel the full beauty of life.'

In the early lines, the poet speaks from a bold 'I'—desiring to 'stop the sun' and 'bind the wind,' expressions of the will to seize control of the universe. This is Xuân Diệu, the 'king of love poetry.' However, as we reach these lines, we encounter a more personal 'I,' the voice of the individual. In Xuân Quỳnh's 'Hy Mã Lạp Sơn,' we find:

'I am One, I am Alone, I am First.

There is no companion alongside me.'

Xuan Quynh is one of the most outstanding young writers who emerged during the resistance against American imperialism. The poet delves deeply into exploring the inner life, childhood memories, love, family, everyday realities, and social events as a backdrop for emotional states. Her poetry tends to be introspective, deeply personal, but not isolated from life’s realities. The poem 'Waves' is a profound expression of her poetic style. In the beginning, the poet seeks to explain the origins of love, and by the seventh stanza, she returns to the timeless emotions of the heart, capturing the graceful beauty of a woman in love with tenderness.

If the essence of love is longing and loyalty, then to overcome obstacles, love requires faith. Faith is the wings that help love overcome "the vast distances": In the first two lines, Xuan Quynh returns to the sea, not to question the origin of waves, wind, or love itself, but to affirm her faith:

“Out there in the ocean

Hundreds of thousands of waves”

The term "ocean" evokes the boundless vastness of the sea and the universe. The phrase "hundreds of thousands" suggests the natural law that waves, whether "deep below" or "on the surface"; whether "violent, noisy" or "gentle, quiet"—during day or night—are ceaselessly journeying toward their familiar shores. The next two lines affirm:

“None of them fails to reach the shore

Despite countless obstacles”

The first line asserts, "None of them fails to reach the shore", while the second sets a condition: "despite countless obstacles". This is a subtle expression, as we usually confirm something first and state the condition afterward, making the message full of powerful belief that, no matter how difficult the challenges or storms may be, the waves will remain focused on reaching the shore. Similarly, in love, the woman believes she will overcome all adversity to be with the one she loves.

The order of the lines in this stanza can be rearranged without altering the poem’s structure or meaning—illustrating that faith never wavers. Xuan Quynh affirms that when a woman loves, once she has chosen "her love" as her direction, no matter what, she will remain unwavering. This is likely why Xuan Quynh often referred to faith as the lifeline in her own life, using it to rise after personal losses and heal her wounded heart to continue "Singing to life":

“I return to the true meaning of my heart

It is the blood and flesh of ordinary life, everyone has it

Though it may stop beating when life ends

But I will still love you even after death”

Faith in love is the strength and motivation to overcome life's hardships. In the poem 'Love Poetry at the End of Autumn', Xuan Quynh also sang of optimism and belief in love:

“Our love is like a tree

Having passed through the storms”

Our love is like a river

Having calmed after the floods”

The "tree" and "river" have endured "storms" and "floods", but eventually, both have calmed, just like the love between two people overcoming all hardships to remain strong and intact. Yes, it is this faith in love that led Xuan Quynh to her poetic immortality.

Critic Chu Van Son, analyzing Xuan Quynh's poetry, perceptively remarked: "In her poetry, the heart of Xuan Quynh’s verse is like a storm warning butterfly, fluttering tirelessly between turmoil and tranquility, storm and peace, war and peace…" Indeed, while in one stanza, she writes with infinite love, the next stanza is filled with anxiety and foreboding.

Xuan Quynh places the finite world (human life) alongside the infinite world (time and the vast ocean), creating a stark contrast between the two:

“Life, though long

The years still pass by

Like the vast ocean

The clouds still drift far away”

The phrases "life" and "the years", "vast ocean" and "clouds" create a haunting sense of inevitability. The finite human life is set against the infinite, where time passes unceasingly, like the sea unable to hold back a drifting cloud. The human lifespan, while seemingly long, is but a fleeting moment in the eternal flow of time. For women, what is most frightening is the passage of time—aging, the fading of beauty, and the eventual fading of love itself.

Thus, happiness for a woman often hinges on two factors: beauty and love. This demonstrates that love holds immense power, yet it is fragile, as "words of love are as thin as smoke—who knows if your heart will change?" Even the image of the "clouds drifting far away" in the final line is filled with the same haunting feeling. Perhaps it is because Xuan Quynh understands that nothing is permanent, "today we love, tomorrow we must part", just as the clouds float away despite the embrace of the ocean. The deep sensitivity and yearning of Xuan Quynh’s poetry convey a poignant longing for the eternal, as love must overcome the fleeting nature of human existence.

Poet Xuan Dieu, who feared time, lived in a hurry, "rushing" and "hastening": "Hurry up, my dear, I fear tomorrow—life flows, and our hearts are not eternal." Xuan Dieu’s approach to life was about seizing the moment, while Xuan Quynh’s anxious foreboding gave rise to a passionate desire for eternalizing love:

“How can one dissolve

Into hundreds of little waves

In the vast ocean of love

To echo forever”

The poem begins with the wave leaving the shore to "find its way to the depths", and the final stanza expresses the fulfillment of this wave’s journey. But what about you?

“How can one dissolve

Into hundreds of little waves”

The phrase "how can one" expresses the intense yearning and longing of the woman. "Dissolve" suggests many interpretations—it is not to disappear but to sacrifice, to dedicate, to yearn to merge into the "hundreds of little waves" and blend into the "vast ocean of love" to achieve immortality in love. It is a way to transcend the fragile limits of human existence.

The phrase "dissolve" also implies surpassing the boundaries of space and time to remain eternal with love. In the moment of emotional union, "dissolving" or "merging" signifies perfect harmony and transcendence. Love is perhaps most fulfilling when it becomes one with the shared desires: "I love you wildly—love until I dissolve entirely" (Dệt tầm gai – Vi Thuy Linh); love to the extent that "every atom of me belongs to you" (Uytman). To love and desire to give oneself completely is the yearning to live fully for love, so that love can endure forever, overcoming the finite nature of human life.

The final two lines close the stanza, affirming a perfect conception of love:

“In the vast ocean of love

To echo forever”

Here, Xuan Quynh places the "vast ocean"—the infinite space—beside "forever"—the endless time, making the message vast as the endless love. Indeed, when blending into the vast ocean of humanity’s love, individual love becomes no longer lonely or fragile. Immortality in time and space makes the finite worries and fragility of life vanish. In this ocean, only the waves persist, and "to echo forever" means love will remain, just as the waves continue to hit the shore. As long as you live, you will love me, even "when I am gone" (Xuan Quynh).

When discussing sacrifice and devotion in love, perhaps we should also broaden our "artistic horizon" for this poem. Considering the context of the years 1967-1968, when the poem was written, with "red tears" at train stations and wells during the war, personal love had to give way to a greater love—the love for the Fatherland.

Thus, the young couples "didn’t shed tears when apart—tears reserved for the day of reunion". Because "when the country needed them, they knew how to live apart". Ultimately, this is also sacrifice—sacrificing personal love for the greater love of the country, of responsibility. This sacrifice is akin to contributing one’s "small spring" to make up the great spring of the nation; the transformation into waves is also the transformation for the nation when "the Fatherland calls".

Xuan Quynh’s poetry is simple, yet it never grows old because it carries a philosophy. It is the philosophy of poetry, the philosophy of a woman poet, speaking simply yet profoundly on love, death, gain, and loss, resonating deeply in the hearts of all.

“How can one live without love?

Without remembering or caring for anyone?”

Love is the most beautiful melody of the heart and soul. While the poetry of Xuân Diệu sings of passionate, intense love, Xuân Quỳnh's poems express the simple, deep, and heartfelt reflections of a woman's soul amid life's uncertainties. Her poem “Sóng” tells the timeless story of love—of longing, loyalty, and the desire to immortalize love. It helps us understand the beauty of a woman's heart in love, as seen in the verse:

"Out there in the ocean,

Hundreds of thousands of waves,

None fail to reach the shore,

Though many obstacles lay ahead.

Life is long, indeed,

Yet time passes by,

Like the vast ocean,

Clouds still drift away.

How could it break apart

Into hundreds of tiny waves

In the vast sea of love,

To echo forevermore?”

Xuân Quỳnh is one of the most captivating love poets in Vietnamese literature since the 1960s, winning readers’ hearts with her simple yet sincere voice, rich with emotion and deep life experiences. Through her pen, Xuân Quỳnh portrays the passionate and bold, yet genuine and heartfelt feminine perspective on love: “No pride, if I love someone/ I will love him more than he loves me/ I will love him despite a thousand bitter experiences...”. “Sóng” is her finest love poem, written in 1967 during a trip to Diêm Điền, Thái Bình province, and later published in the 1968 collection “Hoa dọc chiến hào”. During a time when the Vietnam War was raging, love between couples was not a common theme in poetry, especially when it was a personal voice craving to affirm its individuality and personality. Thus, “Sóng” was an immediate success among readers, like a “rare flower” in Vietnamese poetry.

To love like this, to yearn like this, to promise eternal loyalty, yet a woman’s heart is always filled with doubts and personal reflections. This isn't unique to Xuân Quỳnh—every passionate heart in love carries such concerns. Once again, the “I” of the poem merges with the “wave,” expressing personal yearnings:

“Out there in the ocean,

Hundreds of thousands of waves,

None fail to reach the shore,

Though many obstacles lay ahead.”

The journey of the waves toward the shore is full of hardship, stormy seas, yet no matter the challenge, the waves reach the shore, embracing it in fulfillment of their longing. And so, too, the woman will face obstacles and difficulties but will do whatever it takes to reach the man, the shore of her life, her true love. The last two lines of the poem serve as a firm, unwavering declaration, a profound belief in love that, despite all challenges, will endure. Xuân Quỳnh often echoed this sentiment:

“Hand in hand with you,

We’ll pass through mountains and hills.”

Yet, within this firm affirmation, one can still sense the faint anxiety, the “feminine worry.” Here, we can feel the bitterness of a woman who has experienced heartbreak. Indeed, Xuân Quỳnh had known love and marriage’s heartbreak, so her poetry often reflects a sense of impending separation or departure.

It’s because of such intense, deep love that the woman is burdened with fears about the passing of time:

“Life is long, indeed,

Yet time passes by,

Like the vast ocean,

Clouds still drift away.”

The oppositions—“life - long” vs. “time - passing,” “ocean - vast” vs. “clouds - drifting”—symbolize the eternal universe, yet human life is finite. In the face of the vast ocean and endless waves, the fleetingness of life makes one ponder the brevity and fragility of human existence, just as the fleeting clouds drift by. This sense of finitude often brings feelings of helplessness and sadness. Xuân Diệu himself feared the limits of his own heart:

“Hurry up, my love, I fear tomorrow,

Life moves on, our hearts will not remain.”

So, the king of love poetry urged:

“Hurry, hurry, my dear,

Our love is nearing its end.”

Love is thus full of longing and yearning, but it also carries its own worries. Xuân Quỳnh’s recurring concerns are evident throughout her work. As Dr. Chu Văn Sơn noted: “This is the moment when the poet reflects on the heartbeat beneath the thin fabric, the fingers of the hand that are not perfectly slender, but always alive with emotion. The foresight of parting, the longing for reunion, the aching of abandoned wildflowers, the drifting of white clouds, the dwindling of yellow leaves—all these feelings echo in her poetry... The more she tries to soothe, the more her poems overflow with worry.” Confronted with these worries, Xuân Quỳnh expresses her yearning for eternal love, a desire that is deeply feminine:

“How can I dissolve

Into hundreds of small waves

In the vast sea of love,

To echo forevermore?”

Whereas Xuân Diệu sought to “capture” and “claim” love, Xuân Quỳnh’s desire is uniquely feminine—she wishes to transform, to dissolve into the waves, to live on in love forever. Her personal voice wants to be part of the sea, to be immortalized in the waves’ eternal song. In Xuân Quỳnh’s poetry, the phrase “How can I” expresses a charming longing, a wish to live fully in love, regardless of what the future holds. In that context, her love for the homeland could be seen as her personal self merging with the love for her country. Xuân Quỳnh's longing is a deep, harmonious desire to live fully in love, transcending all boundaries.

“I return, truly, to my heart’s meaning,

As flesh and blood, as everyone else’s life,

It too shall stop when life ends,

But my love for you will remain even in death.”

Reading “Sóng,” we not only see Xuân Quỳnh’s own emotions, but also the hearts of countless women, for love is a universal story. It transcends time and space, imbued with vitality that never fades. Who, in love, doesn’t miss someone, doesn’t yearn, doesn’t dream of loyalty, doesn’t wish to live forever in such love? Thus, in “Sóng,” Xuân Quỳnh truly is “the woman of all time.” “Sóng” is not just a love affair; it is life itself. Through her poetry, Xuân Quỳnh expresses not only her personal emotions but the collective emotions of all women in love. There are moments of longing, unwavering belief in love, and concerns about separation, but above all, a yearning for fidelity and the desire to be eternally one with love. These feelings are not unique to Xuân Quỳnh—they are shared by all hearts in love, past, present, and future. With “Sóng,” Xuân Quỳnh left a lasting mark on the hearts of readers, a mark that transcends time.

Without excessive use of artistic devices, “Sóng” comes to readers softly, naturally. Through the recurring symbols of “waves” and “I,” the poem speaks from the heart, transforming and enduring through time. Simple, yet profound, “Sóng” touches the reader with its sincerity, with universal stories of love. And so, “Sóng” will always be a companion, a timeless friend to every generation, creating an everlasting legacy. This is why Dr. Chu Văn Sơn praised Xuân Quỳnh as “the woman of all time.”

Not as fiery as Xuân Diệu, Xuân Quỳnh’s poetry is soft, gentle, and deeply feminine. “Sóng” is the eternal song of love—simple yet profound. This “woman of all time” has imbued “Sóng” with an immortal vitality that will echo forever, transcending all space and time. Thus, “Sóng” continues to resonate, creating a lasting imprint on the hearts of all readers. “And that place in Xuân Quỳnh’s heart seems to already be reserved in ours. Just like each heart in love has a shore for Xuân Quỳnh’s waves to return and forever echo.”

"The waves ask about the past"

Standing before the ocean, you become small

Do the waves know... the endless pain that tears apart

When the boat does not reach the shores of love."

For some reason, the waves have always touched the sensitive heart of the poet. The female poet Xuân Quỳnh is no exception, as she draped the restless waves with the garment of eternal love through her passionate and fiery poetry. The last three verses of her poem are some of the most beautiful and significant, vividly capturing the deep desire for love and the beauty in the soul of a woman in love.

Xuân Quỳnh is one of the most prominent figures in Vietnamese poetry during the anti-American resistance period. Her poetry is rich in emotion, with various shades of feelings. It is the voice of a woman’s soul, full of empathy, yet simple, sincere, tender, and always yearning for everyday happiness. "Sóng" was published in the collection "Hoa dọc chiến hào" in 1968, during the intense period of the American war. In that turbulent time, Xuân Quỳnh's portrayal of a girl's gentle and faithful love shone like a precious gem in the art of poetry.

Regarding poetry, critic Hoàng Minh Châu affirmed: "Poetry begins from the soul, rises with vision, and remains through the writer's heart." The poem "Sóng" springs from a soul that deeply desires love, illuminating Xuân Quỳnh's sincere and simple yearning for love. If the sixth verse expresses the woman's steadfast loyalty in love, the seventh verse, using the metaphor of the waves, poetically applies the natural law of the world to affirm and confirm her belief in the fidelity of love, the belief in the shore of happiness, and the ultimate destination of love.

Through the chaotic flow of life, you are still my only one. Just as the waves, no matter how far across the vast ocean, always strive towards the shore. In love, one must have faith to overcome all obstacles.

"Out there, the ocean

With countless waves

Which one doesn’t reach the shore

Though there are infinite obstacles."

The vast ocean is full of waves, whether big or small, whether on the surface or beneath, whether distant or amid storms, these waves will always reach the shore, crashing with a joyous, vibrant energy.

Xuân Quỳnh knows that the journey to the destination of love is always filled with bittersweet experiences. The path to happiness is filled with hardship and challenges. But "Though there are infinite obstacles," she will reach you, overcoming all storms to arrive at the shore of happiness. The poet is reminding herself never to lose faith but also not to naïvely expect love to be easy. Her words express a sacred determination, a promise of unwavering loyalty in love. As our elders have said:

"When in love, no mountain is too high

No river too deep, no pass too hard"

Hardship and trials are an inseparable part of love. But through these tests, love becomes truly enduring. Xuân Quỳnh once wrote:

"Our love is like a tree

Having weathered storms

Our love is like a river

Calm after the flood"

(Late Autumn Love Poetry)

Critic Chu Văn Sơn had a very insightful comment about Xuân Quỳnh's poetry: "Xuân Quỳnh's poetry is like a dragonfly seeking shelter in the stormy sunshine of life... Her poetic world is a constant struggle between harshness and tranquility, with vivid and ever-changing manifestations of both." Perhaps it is because Xuân Quỳnh, a sensitive woman, always sensed the storms of life, even though her heart remained filled with love. In her love, Xuân Quỳnh also encountered many obstacles, pain, and bitterness. Thus, love, for her, is sometimes a fleeting moment.

"I dare not think of forever

Today I love, tomorrow may be far away"

(Speaking to you)

Even though she believed in a happy ending in love, Xuân Quỳnh's sensitive heart, filled with reflection, could not avoid moments of anxiety when the fear of time's passing haunted her:

"Life may be long

But time still passes

Like the vast ocean

The clouds still drift away"

Life is long, yet time flows relentlessly, and though the ocean is vast, the clouds still drift far away, moving towards the infinite spaces of the universe. The poet recognizes the contrast between the infinite nature of time and the finite existence of humans. The feeling of helplessness and anxiety that Xuân Quỳnh shares is akin to Xuân Diệu’s own fear of the fleeting nature of life.

"Hurry up, I am afraid of tomorrow

Life flows, and we are not eternal"

She once urged:

"Hurry, hurry up

My love, the spring is almost over".

Everything can change, and hearts may shift. The poet wonders whether true love and her loyalty can hold the steps of the one she loves. Will there be any obstacles to their love? Xuân Quỳnh laments that love and the human desire for love may be eternal like the sea, but each individual’s life is short, quickly passing like fleeting clouds.

"There are moments of doubt

I lean on poetry to rise again"

(Phùng Quán)

For generations, poetry has been a support, a magical staff upon which people can lean to continue their journey. Opening up emotions and reaching the artist's inner thoughts, poetry can uplift spirits, soothe pain, and support people, "raising our spirits, inspiring us with noble feelings." The poem "Sóng" has opened up a noble, selfless love, transmitting faith and the yearning for the immortality of love.

The more one experiences bitterness, hardship, and loss, the more one understands the limitations of life. Xuân Quỳnh’s yearning to possess and savor life grows stronger.

"How can I dissolve

Into a hundred little waves

In the vast sea of love

So that for a thousand years, it will still crash"

While Xuân Diệu urges a swift and decisive solution to stretch the time for love, happiness, to seize and fully enjoy the beauty of life, Xuân Quỳnh’s wish is more feminine. To "dissolve" is not to disappear but to sacrifice, to give oneself fully, to wish to merge her individual self into "a hundred little waves" and blend into "the vast sea of love," so that love will be eternal. To love and to wish to sacrifice oneself for love is the yearning to live for love, to experience everlasting love. Only then can love overcome the fragility and impermanence of life, transcending the limitations of human existence. This is a sincere, burning, daring, yet simple, everyday, humane, and selfless desire for a passionate love.

The shorter the time, the more the poet wishes to sacrifice and give more for love to experience it more deeply. When one loves fully, when love is large enough to merge into the infinite self of the universe, it will remain eternal, transcending time, with the universe. Humans achieve the miraculous and conquer the flow of time, immortalizing love in the fleeting moment of life when they give themselves completely to love.

"You return to the true meaning of your heart

It is flesh and blood, everyone has it

It still stops when life ends

But it knows to love you even when death comes"

(Singing to you)

A Russian writer once said: "Literature is beyond the laws of decay. Only it does not acknowledge death." As time passes, Xuân Quỳnh’s "Sóng" remains timeless, an anthem of eternal love.

The poem “Sóng” was written by Xuân Quỳnh in 1967 while she was at the Diêm Điền beach, and later published in the collection “Hoa dọc chiến hào”. This is one of the most memorable works by Xuân Quỳnh in the eyes of many readers. “Sóng” is a complete and beautiful poem, but analyzing the last three stanzas reveals the outstanding artistic and thematic value of the work.

“Sóng” by Xuân Quỳnh captures the rhythm of the waves of the ocean as well as the waves in the heart of a poet yearning for love. The images of “waves” and “I” appear side by side, infusing the poem with warmth and gentleness.

The opening stanzas of “Sóng” convey Xuân Quỳnh’s views on love, reflecting the traditional beauty of love that is intertwined with longing, loyalty, and an unshakeable belief. The entire poem reveals Xuân Quỳnh’s concept of love: it is filled with nostalgia, loyalty, and faith. In the final three stanzas, we see the poet’s beautiful wish that love would merge with the waves, to be dedicated and eternal.

Xuân Quỳnh is beloved by readers not only for her talent but also for the sincerity and emotion in her poems, which are tender and deep—just like the way she loves. Therefore, waves become the most fitting metaphor to express the passionate love of youth. The last three stanzas exemplify this spirit.

Despite how pure, intense, and romantic love may be, it remains closely tied to everyday life. Those who are in love must not only be passionate but also possess the strength and rationality to overcome the challenges and storms of life, with the belief that they will eventually reach their destination:

"Out there on the ocean

Countless waves rise

Yet each will reach the shore

No matter the vast distance"

In nature and within herself, the poet finds the strength and belief that, when love is true, no obstacle can keep lovers apart.

When immersed in love, everything seems logical, and almost no one in the heat of love fails to dream of a beautiful future, of happiness ahead. Xuân Quỳnh likely was no exception. Yet, even in the throes of passionate love, she firmly believed that those who are in love will find happiness if they have patience, because the strength of love is also born from the individual’s will:

“Though life may be long

The years still pass

As vast as the sea may be

The clouds will still drift far”

Here, the poet emphasizes that while romantic love is powerful and those who are in love often dream, they must still face reality. When in love, people often lose their rationality, but love only becomes meaningful and beautiful when it is grounded in the rules and realities of life. These rules may be filled with contradictions and obstacles. Overcoming these requires sincerity and commitment from both sides to nurture a lasting love—one that all lovers desire.

Life is uncertain, and its length cannot be measured. However, no matter how long it is, time passes without waiting for anyone. And the vast ocean symbolizes the challenges and difficulties that love faces. While vast, the sea still shows the drifting clouds, and everything continues to exist. With belief and sincerity, love will endure over time.

Standing before the sea, Xuân Quỳnh’s reflections on love come alive, with the waves embodying the poet’s passionate yearning for love. She longs to dissolve into “a hundred small waves” within the great sea of love, to be forever immortal, as expressed in the following lines:

“How can I dissolve

Into a hundred little waves

In the vast ocean of love

To echo forever”

The question “how” is one that the poet asks for herself, as well as for every lover. Like many questions in love, finding a concrete answer is elusive. The desire to “dissolve” symbolizes a love so immense it cannot be measured. Xuân Quỳnh wishes to transform into “a hundred thousand small waves” to immerse herself in the vast sea of life, free from doubts, fully surrendering to the pure, sweet, and passionate love of youth. Love is unpredictable, but today, while in love, one must love as if they have never lived before. Perhaps all lovers share Xuân Quỳnh’s longing to share their love with others, to merge into the “great ocean of love,” ensuring that love will live on for a thousand years.

The last three stanzas of “Sóng” take us into a world brimming with love. Though the poem ends, its resonance lingers, for the rhythm of the five-line verses perfectly reflects the poet’s desire to be loved.

The image of the waves might also represent the waves of life—sometimes turbulent, sometimes calm. Yet, whether in hardship or tranquility, the most essential and simplest thing is to continue loving.

Years have passed, and the concept of love has evolved with each generation, but Xuân Quỳnh’s poem “Sóng” will forever be the voice of those who are in love, yearning to be loved. For no one who loves does not yearn for happiness and endurance. Thus, Xuân Quỳnh’s poetry will continue to be remembered, just as people remember her—a woman who lived fully for life.

The poet Xuân Quỳnh entered the realm of poetry with the heartfelt and passionate voice of someone eager to live fully and love deeply. This is particularly evident in her poem 'Sóng' ('Waves'), especially in the final three stanzas, where she expresses concerns and premonitions while still holding onto hope for eternal love in life, as seen in her words:

'Out there in the vast ocean,

Countless waves there are,

Each one reaches the shore,

No matter how far apart they may be.'

Reaching the shore of love's happiness is never easy; one must overcome countless difficulties and obstacles. There will be love journeys that lead to sweet fruition, but others may end in unfinished, unfulfilled relationships. It is the strength of belief that guides couples to the shore of happiness, regardless of the challenges. Only when they reach the shore will the waves finally calm. True love always believes in that shore and yearns to step foot on that land.

Although we know that love requires trust, we still carry within us feelings of doubt and unease, especially with the sensitive soul of a woman:

'Though life may be long,

The years still pass by,

Just like the vast sea,

The clouds still fly far away.'

Time continues to flow unceasingly, never to return, contrasting with the finite nature of human life and the indifference of life to the fleeting human existence. Life may be long, but it still passes because the years march on. Often, human love cannot overcome the test of time and the fading nature of the years. This is why women often worry about the future of love, full of contemplation and doubt. Poetry is love, it is Xuân Quỳnh's destiny, the bond that connects her to the world, and the motivation that helped her overcome life's hardships. Xuân Quỳnh's poetry continues to captivate generations with its passionate emotions. Her poetic style is thus formed and cemented in this poem, and in the above lines. The poem concludes with a belief, hope, and longing to immortalize love:

'How can it dissolve

Into a hundred small waves,

In the vast ocean of love,

To continue echoing for a thousand years.'

This evokes an image of the mermaid wishing to become sea foam to save the one she loves. The longing to make love eternal is clearly reflected in the words 'a hundred small waves,' endless in number. This longing also expresses the desire to merge into the great ocean of love, to become a lasting, enduring love.

Before Xuân Quỳnh, many female poets had written about love, but few dared to express it so directly and powerfully as she did. Her honesty shows not only her trust in life but also her confidence in herself. Xuân Quỳnh's wave, even if it dissolves into countless small waves in the vast sea of love and life, remains Xuân Quỳnh's wave, resonating for millennia.

In relation to human connections, 'Sóng' is also a personal reflection of the poet, an expression of her inner soul, revealing a distinctive, independent spirit. The poem transcends the atmosphere of war and suffering, celebrating the eternal life of love, adding a touching aspect of the people of the anti-American resistance era who knew how to love loyally and find meaning in life through the harmonious balance of individual and collective relations.

The last three stanzas conclude the poem but open up many thoughts for the reader on love, the emotions, and the mindset of a woman in love. The rhythm of the woman's soul is portrayed through the rhythm of the waves. This also reflects Xuân Quỳnh's poetic style: delicate, sensitive, yet bold and passionate in love. Love continues to be an alluring mystery for every artist who passes through, and when Xuân Quỳnh arrived, she left behind a unique spirit, a distinctive and bold temperament.

"Writing brings me to life in a way that makes me feel like I'm living another life. It was born out of frustration; when I first started my career, I was pushed aside and belittled, so I made it my mission to live, and to live meant writing." Xuân Quỳnh held these thoughts close to her heart, which fueled her creativity and resulted in a multitude of outstanding works, including the poem "Sóng." The last three stanzas of this poem are regarded as deeply emotional, reflecting the thoughts and feelings of a young woman in love, leaving an indelible mark on the hearts of readers.

Xuan Quỳnh, who lost her mother at a young age and was raised by her grandmother, often expressed a deep yearning for love and the desire for a happy family in her poetry. After leaving her career as a dancer, which left a sense of regret among her fans, she made her mark as a poet, especially during the Vietnamese resistance against the United States. Immersed in poetry, she considered it the essence of life and love, dedicating herself wholeheartedly to it. Through her delicate artistry, Xuân Quỳnh conveyed the innermost emotions of a compassionate soul—bold yet tender—into the verses of her poems. "Sóng," one of her most celebrated poems, was written in 1967 during a visit to the seaside in Diêm Điền, Thái Bình. The emotions and profound thoughts Xuân Quỳnh infused into the poem, especially in the final three stanzas, left a lasting impression on readers.

After portraying the image of the waves and the laws of love, the poet continued to express her thoughts on longing, fidelity, and desire in love through the imagery of waves in the final three stanzas. In the seventh and eighth stanzas, the poet explores the trust and foreboding emotions felt by a woman in love:

"Out there in the ocean

There are thousands of waves

Each one eventually reaches the shore

No matter how far apart they may be"

"Life, though long, still passes by"

"As vast as the sea may be"

The clouds still drift far away"

Along with a strong sense of faith, the echoes of a deep, anxious premonition linger in the mind of the woman. The paired expressions "though... still" and "even though... still" reflect a meditative tone, underscoring a sense of melancholy. The imagery in this stanza reinforces that, just like the vastness of life where nothing is eternal, love in the human heart is fleeting—easily emerging and just as easily fading. In her youth, Xuân Quỳnh often captured this reflection in lines such as: "But I know spring will eventually pass / Today’s mountains will turn into old grass." This thought seems to resonate with Xuân Diệu's verse from "Vội vàng":

"Spring is coming, which means spring is passing"

"Spring is young, meaning spring will age"

"When spring ends, I too shall be gone"

"My heart is wide, but the sky is narrow"

"Not allowing the youth of mankind to last"

"What use is it to say that spring returns"

"If youth never returns again?"

From love, the woman is struck by anxieties and premonitions about the longevity of her affection. This seems to reflect the intense and passionate nature of the heart in love. The final stanza of the poem closes with the woman’s aspirations in love, embodied by the image of waves:

"How can I break apart"

"Into hundreds of tiny waves"

"In the vast sea of love"

"To keep on crashing for a thousand years"

The longing to "break apart" here seems to represent a burning desire to merge into the waves, to exist within the boundless space of the vast ocean and the eternal time of the universe. The poet evokes a sense of yearning, as if the woman, or perhaps the poet herself, longs to immortalize love, using that sacred, beautiful love to extend the briefness of human life.

Xuân Quỳnh skillfully developed the image of the waves, infusing it with a deep, resonant meaning throughout the poem. Through the final three stanzas, the poet left a powerful impression on the reader, intertwining themes of love, anxiety, trust, and longing. These stanzas are key to the poem’s success and solidify Xuân Quỳnh's place as a prominent figure in modern Vietnamese poetry.