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Nam quốc sơn hà

10th-century Vietnamese poem From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Nam quốc sơn hà (chữ Hán: , lit.'Mountains and Rivers of the Southern Country') is a famous 10th- to 11th-century Vietnamese patriotic poem. Dubbed "Vietnam's first Declaration of Independence",[1] it asserts the sovereignty of Vietnam's rulers over its lands. The poem was first dictated to be read aloud before and during battles to boost army morale and nationalism when Vietnam, under Lê Đại Hành, fought against the Song dynasty's invasion in 981 and later, under Lý Thánh Tông and Lý Thường Kiệt, fought against another Song invasion in 1075–1076. The poem would become became an emblematic hymn in the early independence wars.[2] The poem is one of the best-known pieces of Vietnamese literature.[3]

Quick Facts Vietnamese alphabet, Chữ Hán ...
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Recitation of Nam quốc sơn hà - 1076version

The poem's exact authorship, origin, and style of writing are still controversial. According to K.W. Taylor, the account of the poem comes from the 14th-century Buddhist scripture Thiền uyển tập anh and if the story of the poem is true, then the poem could not have been sung in the form it currently exists today. The poem is written in Classical Chinese in the form of an oracle following Tang-style rules that would have been hard to understand for Viet soldiers. It would also be the only literary work known to have been written by Lý Thường Kiệt, who was not a literary man. The story of singing in temples to boost military morale prior to battle is plausible, but whether or not it was this specific poem that was sung cannot be answered. It is possible that it was written after the event.[4][5]

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981 version

Lĩnh Nam chích quái ("Selection of Strange Tales from Lingnan") dates this version to the Song–Đại Cồ Việt war:[6][non-primary source needed]

Nam

quốc

sơn

Nam

đế

cư,

南 國 山 河 南 帝 居

Nam quốc sơn hà Nam đế cư,

The Southern Country's mountains and rivers, the Southern Emperor inhabits.

Hoàng

thiên

định

tại

thiên

thư.

皇 天 已 定 在 天 書

Hoàng thiên dĩ định tại thiên thư.

The August Heaven hath willed it so in the Heavenly Book.

Như

Bắc

lỗ

lai

xâm

lược,

如 何 北 虜 來 侵 掠

Như hà Bắc lỗ lai xâm lược,

Why dare the Northern Barbarians (Lỗ) come to invade?

Bạch

nhận

phiên

thành

phá

trúc

dư.

白 刃 翻 成 破 竹 餘

Bạch nhận phiên thành phá trúc dư.

White blade swinging will turn you into broken bamboo chips!

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1076 version

Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư ("Complete Historical Annals of Great Viet") dates this version to the Song–Đại Việt war:[7][non-primary source needed]


More information Chữ Hán, Sino-Vietnamese ...
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See also

Notes

  1. attributed to either Trần Trọng Kim or Hoàng Xuân Hãn

References

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