Vietnamese Poetry Explicated

Vietnamese  Poetry 

Fruitful Autumn by Mai Van Phan

Translated into English by Pompen Hantrakoot

Explicated by  Dr Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya

Text

Peeling a persimmon

Just ripe

Fearing someone would ring the bell

Explication

The poem could be put in prose order in four ways. Firstly one could read it as –  one  peeling a persimmon  just ripe fearing someone would ring the bell. Or else  one could read---fearing some one would ring the bell the poet or some one else is peeling a persimmon just ripe The third way would be –peeling that is the action of peeling a persimmon just ripe  fearing someone would ring the bell. The fourth one is ---fearing someone would ring the bell peeling a persimmon just ripe. What is a persimmon? Persimmon belongs to the genus   diospyros which means divine fruit or the fruit of the gods. According to Chinese belief persimmon regulates the chi or personal energy. Also the fruit  is the fruit of joy. With the Japanese the fruit is a symbol of triumph. Persimmon is a fruit that likens date . The tree is the tree of life according to Arabic faith. Well, fearing that some one would ring the bell the poet may have engaged himself in peeling the fruit persimmon which might regulate his chi or  which might bring about triumph over evil if any.  The someone who could ring the bell might be good or evil.The poet is however scared if there is evil at the door. Or may be the poet is  scared of any emergent  good as well. Because he doesnot want any change in his course of life.

 Again peeling a persimmon  might  scare the person who peels it. Peeling of the fruit could be symbolic. The sixth son of king Hung Vuong peeled a green fruit and was scared. Similarly the peeling the persimmon may have scared the poet.  Just as the prince was scared that the green fruit might be poisonous similarly the poet may have been scared that the peeling of the persimmon might  be followed by  someone ringing the bell. This is the stuff of truly symbolist poetry which evokes in us  fear. Fear is one of the basic emotions. But often there could be no objective correkative of fear

The poem could state that the action of peeling might cause the  bell ring which could be fearsome. Or else it might state that if someone is scared that somebody might ring the bell  one could engage oneself in peeling the persimmon.

Peeling the sweet fruit might mean resisting evil temptation that might  ring the bell. Or else peeling a fruit might mean fertility. Surely it implies that someone might ring the bell. But the joy of begetting children is not  welcome to everyone. Lord Buddha did not joy in the birth of his son . He called his son by the name Rahula which means impediment.

In Indian mythology there was a king who was cursed,He lived in a protected place so that the curse could be undone. He was peeling a  fruit and from inside the fruit a small insect appeared. It grew in no moment into a giant snake and bit  the king

The poem itself could be likened to the fruit persimmon. Making sense of the poem might  mean peeling.And peeling every poem is  an act of daring. Because one cannot guess what deeper meaning  lies in ambush there.

What does the bell stand  for? The apex of the bell might stand for heaven. The tongue of the bell might announce gods decree. It is the bell  that tells us the time. The bell might be there to ring out the old and ring in the new. The poem  is entitled. Fruitful autumn. Autumn is the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness. But if autumn comes can winter be far behind ? So while the poet is enjoying the sweet fruits of autumn he is aware that Winter might ring the bell