Story of Widow Island, Ba Be Lake

Poet Duong Khau Luong

Poet Duong Khau Luong, whose real name is Duong Van Phong, is from Ban Hon, Banh Trach commune, Ba Be district. A son of the mountains and forests of Bac Kan , he is known for his simple, emotional poems, imbued with love for his homeland and the people of the highlands. During his years of working in education, he has always devoted much of his passion to writing for children. The book “Telling the Story of Widow Island” is a book he has cherished for a long time, as a spiritual gift to children and the beloved land of Ba Be.

Touching the book with eye-catching color printing, readers will be led into the deep blue, mysterious space of Ba Be Lake - where the majestic nature is associated with ancient legends. With simple, clear poetic language, the work opens up a folk story that has been passed down through many generations: A bull strayed into Nam Mau village, was slaughtered by greedy villagers, only a poor widow and her son refused to accept their share. When heavy rain and strong winds brought disaster, only the mother and son were lucky to escape. Not stopping there, the widow also bravely rowed a rice husk boat through the flood, saving the villagers. That image is portrayed by the author with emotion through simple verses, imbued with human love:

“Forget all the dangers

She rowed the rice husk boat

Go help the people

Amidst thousands of waves…”

With simple and familiar verses, the author has revived the image of a poor woman but full of compassion and forgiveness. The poem not only brings children a touching story but also sows in their hearts the seeds of kindness, sharing and community spirit.

"Before the act of kindness

Virtue and tolerance

Everyone feels it in their hearts.

More love for widows

And promised together

Do good things

Building a small village

Forever warm and peaceful..."

Another notable highlight of the book is the illustrations by two artists, Tran Ngoc Kien and Nong Thi Xoan. The vivid, expressive color paintings contribute to increasing the appeal of the work, helping young readers easily visualize the story and love each page.

Sharing about his new work, poet Duong Khau Luong smiled gently: "Ba Be is my hometown, where I was born, grew up, and spent my whole life attached to the mountains, forests, rivers, and fairy tales told by my mother and grandmother since my childhood. The ancient stories about Widow Island and Ba Be Lake, pure and imbued with human love, have been deeply imprinted in my memory, becoming a source of inspiration for me to write this small book of poems. I hope that, through each simple and familiar verse, children will feel the beauty of their homeland - not only in the charming scenery but also in the kind and tolerant hearts of the people. I hope that they will love the land they live in more, and appreciate the traditional cultural values passed down through each story and each page of the book. And above all, I also hope that this will be a small book for children to read, remember, and memorize a few verses of poetry. Because literature will contribute to nurturing each person's soul"...

The collection of poems, The Widow Island, Ba Be Lake, is not only a work of art for children, but also a bridge to bring them closer to traditional values, arousing pride in indigenous culture, nurturing a pure and kind soul from simple, everyday things./.

Bich Phuong

Source: https://baobackan.vn/ke-chuyen-dao-ba-goa-ho-ba-be-post71359.html