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Commentary on a Poem
Today, we will listen to two little-known poems by Luu Trong Lu. Among them is a poem he wrote at the age of seventy, containing profound reflections on life and death, and another poem he composed just a few hours before his passing, about seven or eight lines long, the most truthful of his life—no longer any fear or resistance, only the truth of the final moment. The image of his mother’s smooth black smile evokes the tradition of blackened teeth, like the glossy black seeds of a red watermelon, a natural beauty worthy of cherishing.
On the occasion of Tet, at Plum Village, we will read and sing two representative poems by Luu Trong Lu that have been set to music, to deeply feel life, love, and the eternity of the soul:
- “Sorrow Falls” begins with “the moon rises to its throne,” recalling the five years a young woman sat spinning thread by the old dock, her hair lingering with verses of sorrow falling with time, cold wind dropping in the trees, the quiet stream of sadness flowing by.
- “The Sound of Autumn” emphasizes the yearning of not hearing the rustling autumn leaves under the dim moon, the restlessness of the warrior and the bewildered golden deer on dry leaves, expressing a profound romantic beauty that the younger generation needs to rediscover.
