Within the confines of prison, the soldier recalls the sound of cicadas and the sight of cornfields drying under the sun. These are vivid memories of everyday life, so rich in color, sound, and texture, that the poet yearns to see them again, to immerse in their beauty. Within the bleakness of the prison, even the simplest elements of nature—a clear sky, the buzzing cicadas—become luxuries. The poet evokes a symbolic image of 'two soaring kites spiraling in the sky,' representing the longing for freedom and the desire to break free like birds flying across the sky. Such a depiction suggests that the poet's soul is deeply connected with nature, longing to be part of it, and to live in harmony with it. This profound connection is portrayed not through the poet's direct observation, but through the symbolic call of the cuckoo to its flock, capturing the essence of nature through the poet's heightened senses. The six lines of this poem vividly depict a peaceful countryside, typical of rural Vietnam. The poet, through this image, also feels the sorrow of imprisonment—where even the birds outside are free to fly, while humans are trapped within the four walls of a prison. In this setting, the simple sights and sounds of nature—fields, blue skies—gain immense value, shining with an almost magical glow. Youthful, full of life, and craving freedom, the poet, though imprisoned, expresses a spirit that soars beyond the walls of the cell, finding inspiration in the beauty of nature.
IllustrationTo Huu is a prominent poet with a deep influence on Vietnamese literature. He is known for several iconic works, and one of the most notable is 'When the Cuckoo Calls,' a poem he wrote during his time in prison. These were years of hardship and oppression, yet they were filled with optimism and a fervent yearning for freedom.
'When the Cuckoo Calls' consists of ten lines, with the first six depicting the vivid beauty of the coming summer season.
“When the cuckoo calls to its flock”
The sound of the cuckoo, according to popular belief, signals the start of summer, a season of radiant and warm sunlight. The familiar call of the cuckoo stirs emotions in the poet's soul, bringing forth a flood of memories and a deep sense of longing.
“The rice is ripening, the fruits are getting sweeter”
The shaded garden is filled with the sound of cicadas
The cornfields turn golden, with kernels scattered across the sunlit yard”
The sky grows even wider and higher
“Two kites soar and tumble in the open air”
In the poet’s view, summer is vibrant and beautiful, filled with golden rice, sweet fruits, and the lively sound of cicadas welcoming the season. The kites flying in the sky add to this vivid picture, symbolizing a youthful, free-spirited longing for freedom. The poet’s connection with nature is profound, allowing him to craft verses that evoke powerful, sensory imagery.
In these first six lines, the poet captures the essence of summer with vivid, colorful language, using metaphors and descriptions that highlight the season's beauty and the desire for freedom. These images are tied to the harsh reality of imprisonment, making the yearning for freedom even more intense. Through these natural images, the poet expresses a profound desire for liberty and the spirited hope of youth, even while being physically confined.
IllustrationDuring the painful years of colonial oppression, many steadfast revolutionary fighters of Vietnam were imprisoned in colonial jails. Yet, even in the darkness of hatred, the voices of poetry rose, expressing a passionate love and yearning for life. To Huu's poem 'When the Cuckoo Calls' is one such example. The first six lines of the poem depict a vibrant natural landscape, symbolizing the richness, vitality, and deep love for life of the young communist revolutionary:
“When the cuckoo calls to its flock”
The rice ripens, the fruits become sweeter.
The shaded garden echoes with the sound of cicadas.
The corn turns golden, with kernels scattered across the sunlit yard.
The sky becomes wider and higher.
Two kites soar and tumble in the sky...
Written in July 1939, 'When the Cuckoo Calls' was penned during To Huu's imprisonment by the French colonialists in Thua Thien-Hue (he had been arrested in April 1939 at the age of 19). The poem conveys the suffocating feelings of a youthful revolutionary, full of life and hope, yet confined within the cold, white walls of a prison. This oppressive mood is amplified as the poet's spirit reaches out to the freedom of the sky beyond the bars of his cell.
Amidst the scorching summer heat and the eerie silence of the prison, the call of the cuckoo breaks through:
“When the cuckoo calls to its flock”
For the Vietnamese people, the cuckoo's call marks the arrival of summer: 'When the cuckoo calls, the phoenix flowers bloom, the red cotton flowers fill the air with dreams and hopes...' This heralds the blazing summer, accompanied by the vibrant colors of nature. The familiar call of the cuckoo resonates, stirring the heart of the young revolutionary with memories of a colorful, joyous summer—a summer now lost to him.
The rice ripens, the fruits become sweeter.
The shaded garden echoes with the sound of cicadas.
The corn turns golden, with kernels scattered across the sunlit yard.
The sky becomes wider and higher.
Two kites soar and tumble in the sky...
The summer landscape is vividly recreated in the mind of the prisoner, with harmonious colors and lively sounds. The golden hue of ripening rice, the red tinge of sweet fruits, the bright yellow of the corn, the peach-colored sunlight, the deep blue sky... the buzzing of cicadas and the swooping sound of kites fill the air. How beautiful! How thrilling! Just reminiscing about it stirs a deep longing to break free and jump into the sky, dancing and singing. Through simple yet evocative language, the poet paints a vibrant and lively summer landscape. Without a profound connection to life, an intense desire for freedom, and a sensitive, imaginative soul, the poet could not have written such beautiful, stirring verses.
The use of vivid, specific, and evocative descriptions brings the summer landscape to life. The choice of words has a strong visual impact. Especially notable is the technique of enumeration, which creates a dazzling impression of a rich, dynamic summer full of youthful dreams and aspirations.
The image of summer in the poet’s mind, locked within the confines of the prison, reflects a burning, uncontainable desire for freedom. This passage offers insight into the beauty of the young revolutionary's soul. The soldier who sacrifices himself for a noble cause also has a rich, deeply emotional inner world, in tune with the pulse of life, and deeply connected to his homeland and its fields.
IllustrationThe poet Tố Hữu holds a significant place in the landscape of Vietnamese literature, with numerous renowned works, one of the most notable being the poem "Khi con tu hú" (When the Cuckoo Calls). Written while he was imprisoned, this poem captures the suffocating atmosphere of the prison, its chains and confinement, yet it cannot restrain the poet's optimistic spirit and his yearning for freedom.
The opening verses of the poem depict a beautiful summer landscape, skillfully painted with the first six lines:
"When the cuckoo calls its brood
...
Two kites spiraling in the vast sky…"
The natural scene presented here is not startling because it mirrors the familiar summer sights of rural Vietnam. It's a realistic depiction that combines present-day observations and memories from the past.
"When the cuckoo calls its brood
The late-season rice ripens, and the fruits sweeten."
The cuckoo's call signifies the arrival of summer, bringing with it ripening crops and the sweetening fruits—entirely in tune with nature's cycle. The bird's call stirs the environment, creating a sense of excitement and anticipation, not only in nature but also in the hearts of people. This call brings the scene to life: the rice ripens, and the fruit ripens. Tố Hữu channels his personal emotions into these lines, turning the life of the land into a reflection of his love for nature, for life, and for freedom.
"The shaded garden hums with cicadas…
The cornfields shimmer in the sun, golden kernels filling the air."
The vibrant beauty of summer comes alive through the golden hues of ripening crops and the lively sounds of cicadas. In the prison, the poet longs for the simple, everyday life he once knew outside. Surrounded by darkness, the natural world and sky are luxuries beyond his reach. Yet, he manages to create his own vibrant world, where:
"The sky is even wider and higher…
Two kites spinning wildly in the open air."
The image of the kites swirling in the sky symbolizes a deep yearning for freedom and a desire to soar with nature, a powerful expression of Tố Hữu’s inner world. The soaring kites echo his desire for liberty, capturing the soul of a young man filled with love for nature and the unquenchable thirst to live freely. In just these six lines, Tố Hữu creates a vivid image of summer in his mind, full of color, sound, and life, using all his senses to capture its essence.
With these opening six lines, Tố Hữu has brought to life a tranquil and characteristic rural summer scene, one that reflects the poet’s burning longing for freedom in the prison.
IllustrationThe poem consists of ten lines, with six lines dedicated to the first section:
'When the cuckoo calls its flock'
'As the summer rice ripens and fruits sweeten'
'Veranda fills with the sound of cicadas'
'Corn turns golden, its kernels scattered on the sunlit yard'
'The sky broadens, growing higher and wider'
'Two kites swirl and tumble in the boundless sky...'
This scene represents a quintessential summer in rural villages. However, this vivid reality is unfolded through two layers: listening and recalling, the present and the past, the imminent and the bygone. The poet hears the call of the cuckoo in the present—a sound that seems to appear unexpectedly after being confined for so long in prison ('When the cuckoo calls its flock'). This sudden sensation arises because the sound of life is rarely heard in such an isolated space. It resembles the poet's experience when hearing the flute in his prison ('Suddenly, in the prison, the flute hums'). The cuckoo’s call signals the arrival of summer, though the poet does not directly see it. Instead, the bond with the village life is invoked, filling the empty spaces surrounded by cold prison walls with the poet’s imagination—seamlessly integrated into the poem, as if it were not forced. The flow of the poem is entirely natural.
The arrival of the cuckoo's call is like a chain reaction: with the bird's cry comes the arrival of summer harvests, fruits, and grains. This interconnection has always existed in nature: the bird's call is not just a call for its flock but also signals the season. This immediacy resonates deeply with the reader, as if nature itself is alive. The mention of rice ripening and fruits sweetening in gradual terms—'ripening' and 'sweetening'—creates movement in the lines. Replacing them with 'ripe' or 'sweet' would freeze the verse, making it static. Instead, the poet conveys an image of life unfolding, much like the unfolding of flowers or the rising of a smile. The motion in these lines speaks to the poet's deep affection for life, as only someone who cherishes existence could feel such a profound connection to the natural world. From this, the imagination springs.
What also stands out is the poem’s rhythm and its ability to convey emotional depth. The lục bát (six-eight) meter in traditional Vietnamese poetry is known for its fixed structure yet endless flexibility. In the first four lines, each couplet blends auditory and visual elements, giving the impression of a sensory rush that heralds the harvest:
'When the cuckoo calls its flock'
'As the summer rice ripens and fruits sweeten'
'Veranda fills with the sound of cicadas'
'Corn turns golden, its kernels scattered on the sunlit yard'
Though these four lines paint a beautiful, lively picture of summer, the next two lines, describing the soaring kites and the sky, seem disconnected from the atmosphere created earlier. However, these lines, 'The sky broadens, growing higher and wider' and 'Two kites swirl and tumble in the boundless sky,' may serve to amplify the earlier sounds, bringing a high-pitched harmony to the previously grounded imagery.
To explain why the rural scene in the poem is both vivid and beautiful, we need to consider two things: firstly, the rural landscape, especially during the harvest season, is inherently beautiful. It evokes warmth and abundance, a reflection of the hard work in the fields. Secondly, in this poem, the poet, a soldier imprisoned for his love of the land, envisions this scene as if it were within reach. His longing and imagination fuel the vivid picture, turning it into a symbol of freedom—a freedom both simple and profound, as fundamental as a life truth.
In describing this rural landscape and expressing his inner feelings with such emotion, Tố Hữu draws upon both folk poetry (lục bát, a meter found in ca dao) and modern Vietnamese poetry. In doing so, he successfully conveys the rich emotional landscape of the poet’s heart, building from a fleeting moment of sensitivity to a grand, stirring composition. Reading 'When the cuckoo calls its flock' feels like both a folk song and a modern poem, as it merges elements of both traditions into a seamless expression of love and longing for life and nature.
Illustrative imageBehind the prison bars of a colonialist jail, where it seemed a revolutionary soldier's spirit might be stifled, the flame of patriotism continued to burn brightly, and the poet’s anger surged, blending seamlessly into the verses of 'When the Cuckoo Calls'. Particularly, with his passionate love for nature, the poet paints a vivid picture of the lively, abundant summer landscape of Hue, imbued with a deep yearning for freedom through six striking lines: 'When the cuckoo calls its flock', 'The late summer rice ripens, the fruits grow sweeter', 'The shaded garden hums with cicada songs', 'The corn fields shine with golden kernels under the summer sun', 'The sky grows wider, higher', 'Two kites tumble through the vast sky'... Written during the poet’s revolutionary activities and imprisonment in Thua Phu prison in Hue, this poem conveys numerous personal emotions through a dynamic description of nature. The imagery of the poem comes alive with a carefully chosen vocabulary—such as adjectives denoting ripeness and sweetness, colors like 'golden,' 'peach,' and 'blue,' and spatial terms like 'wide' and 'high'—coupled with the rhetorical device of enumeration, making it easy for the reader to envision the vibrant, multi-sensory summer landscape. Furthermore, the use of the familiar folk poetic form allows the poet to express his longing for freedom with ease.
IllustrationTố Hữu (1920-2002), born Nguyễn Kim Thành, was a poet from Hue who became politically aware at a very young age, joining the Communist Party at the age of 18. From that point onward, his revolutionary path and his poetic journey were tightly interwoven. He is considered one of the foremost figures in the resistance poetry movement, elevating political lyricism to its artistic and ideological peak. As a native of Hue, deeply connected to the lands of Nam Ai and Nam Bình, Tố Hữu often drew inspiration from his hometown in his work. One notable piece, 'When the Cuckoo Calls', is an early example of his revolutionary and political poetry. In this poem, he presents a vivid and beautiful depiction of the summer landscape through six opening lines.
'When the Cuckoo Calls' was written under special circumstances, specifically when Tố Hữu was imprisoned in Thua Thiên Province’s prison in July 1939. Despite being locked away, the revolutionary soldier remained optimistic and hopeful, listening to the cuckoo’s call and drawing inspiration from cherished memories of his beloved Hue to paint a peaceful and beautiful summer scene. The title, 'When the Cuckoo Calls', is intriguing, derived from a half-line of the poem, drawing readers’ attention and curiosity about the cuckoo’s significance. It’s a clever time reference, with the cuckoo’s call signaling the arrival of summer—vibrant and full of life outside the prison walls. For the prisoner, the sound evokes restlessness and a deep yearning for freedom, reminiscent of wide-open spaces and a life full of freedom, like the soaring birds. It is a longing to escape the oppressive, stifling prison environment and reconnect with the joyous summer of his homeland.
In the poem’s first six lines, the poet describes a rich summer landscape: 'When the cuckoo calls its flock', 'The late summer rice ripens, the fruits grow sweeter', 'The shaded garden hums with cicada songs', 'The corn fields shine with golden kernels under the summer sun', 'The sky grows wider, higher', 'Two kites tumble through the vast sky.' The poem is filled with youthful energy, expressing the poet’s direct, clear emotions in a relaxed and unrestrained way. At this point in his life, with his revolutionary ideals still blooming, the poet, despite being imprisoned, dreams of the outside world. The sound of the cuckoo’s call penetrates the prison bars, sparking inspiration, and from his memories of Hue, Tố Hữu constructs a vivid and beautiful summer landscape. Although this landscape is a product of his imagination—born from his years in Hue, rather than direct observation—the poet’s youthful enthusiasm and love for life allow him to conjure up such vivid imagery, using the traditional rhythmic lục bát form. From the cuckoo’s call, he evokes an image of rural Hue in summer: the rice fields ripening with golden grains, fruits growing sweet, the buzzing cicadas, corn kernels spread across the yard, the expansive blue sky, and the kites soaring above. Even from within the prison’s confines, the revolutionary spirit comes alive, as Tố Hữu experiences a summer landscape full of vibrant colors, sounds, and life. The scene is not just a physical description but a reflection of the poet’s deep longing for freedom and his unbreakable connection to his homeland. The summer described here is not merely an external reality; it is a dream, a wish, a vision of the spirit, a reminder of the world beyond the prison walls, rich with the colors of life and the sounds of nature. Through this simple, yet profound, depiction of summer, Tố Hữu captures both the beauty of his homeland and the intensity of his longing for liberation. 'When the Cuckoo Calls' is a masterpiece that marks the beginning of his revolutionary lyricism, and through it, we can see the emergence of a poet deeply intertwined with his nation’s struggles, his heart and soul aligned with the revolutionary cause, as he transformed his personal experiences into a universal call for freedom and justice.
Illustration
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