“Sóng soải” or “sõng soài”?

In fact, Han Mac Tu's poem has several variations, but none are as "loosely spread out" as the King of Vietnamese Language suggests.

The book "Poetry of Han Mac Tu - Country Girl" (Vietnam Writers Association Publishing House, 2012) states:

"The moon lay sprawled on the willow branches,

Waiting for the east wind to come so we can flirt.

This article was published in the Saigon newspaper on December 7, 1935, under the title "Accidentally," signed Mlle Mong Cam. The Lu edited it with the title "Shyly," replacing "sliding waves" with "sliding waves," and published it in the weekly newspaper Ngay Nay, issue 24, on September 6, 1936, under the pen name Han Mac Tu.” (Phanxipang's note).

A copy of the text of the poem "Shyness" in the New Poetry section of the newspaper Ngày Nay (1936), with the dedication "To Baudelaire," in which the first line is "The moon lies sprawled on the willow branches...".

So why did The Lu replace "sliding waves" with "widening waves"?

"Sóng sượt" or "sõng soại" usually suggests a passive posture, lying stretched out due to a fall or being hit, implying helplessness and inability to get up. Meanwhile, "sóng soải" suggests an active posture, lying comfortably with arms and legs outstretched. This nuance makes "sóng soải" very fitting for the image of the moon in the romantic, languid manner in Han Mặc Tử's poem. Therefore, the Thanh Nghị Dictionary defines "sóng-soải" as "Referring to lying stretched out, legs and arms straight // Lying stretched out," with the broader meaning "Referring to anything lying stretched out," and cites the line "The moon lies stretched out on the willow branch - Han Mặc Tử."

Most dictionaries consider "sõng soài," "sóng soài," "sóng soải," and "sóng sượt" to be synonyms. However, in many cases, dictionaries only record close synonymy, failing to fully reflect the nuances of usage in literature.

Besides differing in nuance of meaning, the phrase "sóng soải" (stretching) also holds value in terms of rhythm and poetic imagery. Hàn Mặc Tử's line, "The moon lies sprawling on the willow branch," has a very soft and relaxed rhythm. If we break down the rhythm, we see: The moon lies / sprawling / on the willow branch." The word "sóng soải" creates a slowing, prolonged rhythm, making the poem's tone more relaxed, perfectly matching the image of the moon languidly resting on the willow branch and "waiting for the east wind to come and sway."

If replaced with "lying sprawled out": The moon lies / sprawled out / on the willow branch, the rhythm of the poem immediately becomes rough and heavy; the sound becomes flat and stiff, suggesting a fall rather than a relaxed, romantic posture.

However, if the original "sóng sướt" (sliding waves) by Hàn Mặc Tử were retained, the closed rhyme and the final consonant -t would abruptly block the sound, making the rhythm of the verses abrupt and rushed, suggesting a sudden, sharp slide followed by a halt. Therefore, Thế Lữ's replacement of "sóng sướt" with "sóng soải" (stretching waves) during the editing of the poem was likely not only due to differences in semantic nuances, but also to maintain a softer, more evocative image and rhythm in the verses.

Thus, the Vietnamese King not only lost the rhythm and "flirtatious" nuance of the word "sóng soải" (waving) - a word that Thế Lữ subtly replaced - but also created a variant of the poem that has never been recorded in any printed text. The arbitrary creation of such a variant violates the principle of respecting the original text when quoting literary works.

Man Nong (Contributor)

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/song-soai-hay-nbsp-song-soai-281142.htm