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Revolutionary Vietnamese Poet, To Huu
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To Huu was Viet Nam’s most famous revolutionary poet, who for decades inspired the Vietnamese people with literary and political leadership. Huu was born as Nguyen Kim Thanh in the cultural capital of Viet Nam in 1920 and joined the Communist Party of Indochina at seventeen year of age in 1937. He was jailed for his anti-colonial and revolutionary activities from 1939 until 1942 when he escaped from French prison.
The poetry of To Huu was popular at all levels of Vietnamese society during the Japanese occupation and during the thirty year struggle against French and U.S. imperialism beginning with Viet Nam’s independence in 1945. Huu’s poems are studied by school children throughout Viet Nam today. Huu published five major collections of poetry in his life. One collection, Northern Viet Nam was heralded as a national anthem in the anti-colonial struggle. Another collection, Rising Wind was a vivid account of life in the liberated North during the U.S. war in Viet Nam. Huu’s most recent collection is A Musical Sound.
Huu was also a great political leader in Viet Nam, being nominated to the Central Committee of the Communist party in 1955. After the victory of Viet Nam over the U.S. military, Huu became Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and eventually a member of the Political Bureau. Huu was made deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Viet Nam in 1980.
According to the Viet Nam News Service, “Huu was awarded the Gold Star Order, the nation’s highest civilian distinction, [along with] the Ho Chi Minh Prize for Literature and Art.�?
To Huu Died in December 2002 at the age of 82. He received a state burial and was honored by Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai and leading members of the Communist Party of Vietnam. His life was dedicated to the political independence and cultural traditions of Viet Nam. The poetry of To Huu continues to inspire the people of the whole world in the struggle for peace and independence.
A Lullaby
By To Huu
Bees produce honey, love flowers;
Fish swim, love water; birds sing, love the sky.
My baby, if humans want to survive
They must love their comrades, love their brothers.
A single star does not bright up the night;
A single stalk of rice does not make a harvest;
A single man—doesn’t he make up the world?
If he lives, he’s just like a smoldering fire!
Mountains are high thanks to the piling earth,
And scorning that it is low, where else will mountains sit on?
Thousands of rivers pour into the deep ocean,
And scorning that they are small, how will ocean find water?
Old bamboos love bamboo shoots;
They pamper them as mothers shower love on their offspring.
Later on when you grow up
In your two strong arms you can embrace the world all around.
For more information:
Communist Party of Viet Nam
http://www.cpv.org.vn
Viet Nam News
http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn
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