Gather a little sunshine in: Deep love for the land and people

In April 1975, the South resounded with gunfire, the liberation army attacked like a storm, the Saigon regime was in its dying breath, its final fierce days. At that time, on the banks of the Nguyen Van Tiep canal (My Tho), there was a liberation army unit stationed, commanded by a young man, his face pale from malaria, serious, experienced but still had a hint of a scholarly look.

That night was a beautiful moonlit night. On this side of the canal, the liberation army was stationed. In the hamlet and far away, the town was still full of enemy shadows but was dispirited and panicked. Few people knew that, during those fierce days, the young commander had written a poem:

The moon shines all night on the battlefield

Listen to the murmuring Nguyen Van Tiep sutra

Tan Hiep and Tan An cannons no longer roar.

The commando battalion fled from Cu Chi road.

Tonight our boat safely delivers supplies.

…The battlegrounds under the river and on the shore are changing.

Listening to the waves beat my heart flutters

( Moonlit Night on the Battlefield - Le Lien)

After the war, the young commander stayed in the army for a while longer, then went through other staff and leadership jobs, but he always kept his poetic soul. Gathering some sunshine in (Writers Association Publishing House 2025) is his fourth collection of poems - author Le Lien, which has just been published.

The book of poems is divided into two parts: Half Moon Tilting and Message of Love.

Restless with the glory and heroism of the past

Leaving his homeland to fight at the age of 18, crossing Truong Son to fight in the Southeast battlefield, staying to work in peace and accepting Dong Nai as his second hometown, Le Lien understands, respects and is proud of the rich history and culture of the land he lives in: "Here is still a Tran Bien / The sound of horse hooves, the clanging of swords / People who once opened the land... / The echo of the Binh Da stone zither / The ringing of the bell of the ancient Buu Phong temple / Bustling river streets, boats and canoes converging / The immense autumn of the resistance war of those years".

Here, Le Lien devoted the most beautiful years of his life: "I always miss the days of War Zone D/ Spring in the war zone, the youth of soldiers"; "Comrades crossed the river, bare chested and cold/ Attacked the airport, stayed behind and never returned"...

Le Lien's pen is full of excitement and sublimation when praising the history full of victories of yesterday and today, praising the brave fighting examples and heroic sacrifices of the people and comrades: "Hearing the high mountains resounding/ The screams tremble: "Come back, comrades!"/ From the Vi Xuyen front of the past/ Ha Giang is lost/ White clouds torment the heart/ Please take off your hats and bow your heads/ Thousands of immortal souls/ Blend into the shimmering colors of the Lung Cu flag"...

His heart is filled with youth, struggle, trust, and hope for the achievements in building and creating a prosperous and civilized homeland in Bien Hoa - Dong Nai: "Bien Hoa moon/ has long been sulking/ because Tri An palace/ shines brightly/ time lulls/ Ghenh bridge has a new rhythm/ An Hao on both banks/ half the moon leans to shine.../ Your green shirt sings/ the integration season is bustling/ the city is vibrant/ the city is radiant"...

Le Lien's poetic lens captures and reflects the light and beauty of many lands he has set foot on, from Tam Dao "The morning clouds are fresh and gentle with spring breeze/ The sun warms at noon, the mist covers the summer afternoon"; Dien Bien, the glorious victory of the past, is now "The color of the golden season is harmonious/ the vast Muong Thanh/ People are happy in the harvest season/ The land is satisfied with the growing season"... to the tip of Ca Mau Cape "The sea is busy growing/ the sunset is captivating and holds people's feet" ... Especially, with the homeland where he was born, raised and matured, he always deeply remembers: "The mountains are overlapping/ clouds swirl/ green corn fields/ golden fields, water overflowing/ the eyes of the soul of the homeland/ penetrating time/ wandering the human world/ Ninh Binh radiant with Hoa Lu"...

Compassionate love

We come across many poems written by Le Lien about love, friendship, and human concerns. Le Lien once confided: In this life, he loved and owed his virtuous wife the most.

How much love is enough - the title of the poem could not be more different from the feelings he has for his beloved wife. It is known that the pure village girl of the past, when the young officer returned from the battlefield to find her through the matchmaking and introduction of her family, was just twenty years old, 6 years younger than him. But in the poem dedicated to his wife, Le Lien borrowed 2 verses of the great poet Ho DZenh as the introduction:

I am both older sister and younger brother.

Mother's heart, spouse's heart...

Perhaps, here, with the real circumstances and feelings of the two people, nothing can express them better than the two verses above. That is love, respect, and in that love there is also gratitude and respect for the sacrifice, the noble and exemplary treatment of the wife towards her husband and his family:

"A hundred years to calculate the square and round life"

Children away, husband absent, lonely and weary

…Commercial virtue, sincere heart

Poor thatched roof keeps the soul of the countryside

Two shoulders carry the burden of mountains and streams

Regret and sadness, working hard day and night...

Modern life has lost many precious traditional moral values, but it can be believed that beautiful values are still preserved in this love, this family and many other loves, other families.

Among the vast thoughts out there, it would be one-sided and incomplete if we did not talk about the worries and anxieties on the other side of the fullness: "Meditation is arranged in a jumble/ Where is the weight of many human worries/ ... Thought gold turned into brass/ Looking for the truth, met the color of lies/ Looking for green trees, met white mountains/ Looking for closeness, met thousands of distances...".

Research and experimentation

Entering poetry not early, but experience and maturity have helped Le Lien reap success. Author Le Lien won the highest prize in the Poetry Contest celebrating 310 years of Bien Hoa - Dong Nai (2008). In this fourth collection of poems, he continues to mark his progress and maturity in emotions and poetic language. Poetic themes and poetic spaces are expanded. In many of his poetic works, the space of association has surpassed traditional paths, the verses have philosophical depth, the flow of emotions is abundant, and the language has new nuances.

Dam Chu Van

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/dong-nai-cuoi-tuan/202507/gom-chut-nang-trong-sau-lang-tinh-dat-tinh-nguoi-4301f98/