O+? buo^?i ho^.i thoa.i ti`nh co+` ta.i Florida, no+i nha` rie^ng cu?a ngu+o+`i tho+ nu+~ Thanh Hie^`n (co' Thu+`a Phong, Bo^.i DDie^.p, Ha` Trung Ye^n, Le^ Ba' Na(ng, Nguye^~n Ta^'n Hu+ng, va` mo^.t so^' va(n, tha^n hu+~u kha'c to^i kho^ng the^? nho+' te^n), ca^u ho?i ddu+o+.c ne^u le^n ra^'t no^?: "Co' kha'c bie^.t na`o giu+~a mo^.t ngu+o+`i vie^'t va(n va` mo^.t ngu+o+`i la`m tho+ ? Khi la`m tho+ thi` tu+' ddi tru+o+'c hay tu+` ddi tru+o+'c ?"

     O+? ngu+o+`i ba.n va(n, The^' Giang, ta'c gia? Tha(`ng Ngu+o+`i Co' DDuo^i, thi` va^'n na.n a^'y co' chie^`u nhe. nho~m ho+n, de^~ thu+o+ng ho+n: "Thi si~ ca'c o^ng su+o+'ng tha^.t, cu+' la` mo^.t mi`nh mo^.t ngu+.a, ca'c o^ng ung dung sa'ng ta'c kho^ng ca^`n ba`n vie^'t, va` ddo^i khi kho^ng ca^`n ca? gia^'y bu't nu+~a . No'i tha^.t, to^i ghen vo+'i ca'c o^ng dda^'y ." Ca^u tra? lo+`i khi a^'y la` nhu+~ng tra`ng cu+o+`i ro`n ra~ tre^n qua^`y ru+o+.u va`o khuya dda~ va~n tu+?u kha'ch .

     O+? pha't bie^?u cu?a Vie^n Linh tre^n Tho+`i Ta^.p thi` mo^.t nha` tho+ tha^'t ba.i co' the^? tha`nh co^ng trong nghie^.p va(n, va` chu+a tu+`ng co' nha` va(n tha^'t ba.i na`o dda~ ti`m ddu+o+.c cho^~ ddu+'ng to^'t trong tho+ . Cu~ng theo Vie^n Linh thi` chi? co' ngu+o+`i la`m tho+ mo+'i chi.u bo? nhie^`u tho+`i gian cho vie^.c loay hoay ti`m to`i, ma`i chuo^'t mo^.t tu+` ngu+~ chu+a hoa`n chi?nh, dda('c vi. .

     Ngu+o+`i vie^'t va(n na`o cu~ng co' lu'c thu+? la`m tho+ . Nhu+ng so^' ngu+o+`i na(.ng lo`ng vo+'i tho+ ho+n, lu+u tru+~ in tha`nh thi ta^.p, vo^'n kho^ng nhie^`u . Trong gio`ng va(n chu+o+ng ha?i ngoa.i chu'ng ta co': Tho+ Cao Ta^`n (bu't hie^.u kha'c cu?a Le^ Ta^'t DDie^`u), DDa^'t Kha'ch cu?a Thanh Nam, Ta Tha^'y Hi`nh Ta Nhu+~ng Mie^'u DDe^`n cu?a Mai Tha?o, Tho+ Tu`, va` Em, To^i, Sa`i Go`n, Ha` No^.i cu?a Duye^n Anh ... Va` ho^m nay, chu'ng ta co' Mo^.t Thoa'ng Trong Mo+ cu?a Nguye^~n Ta^'n Hu+ng .

     Nhu+~ng ba`i tho+ Hu+ng ddo.c tha^'y ra?i ra'c tre^n ca'c ta.p chi' Va(n, La`ng Va(n, So'ng, Va(n Ho.c, The^' Ky? 21, Nga`y Nay, DDe.p, v .v . kho^ng cho to^i mo^.t a^'n tu+o+.ng ro~ ne't . Ba^y gio+` co' di.p ngo^`i ddo.c ba?n tha?o thi ta^.p Mo^.t Thoa'ng Trong Mo+, do ta'c gia? nho+` dde^` tu+.a, to^i dda~ co' ca'i nhi`n bao qua't ho+n ve^` tho+ Nguye^~n Ta^'n Hu+ng .

     Ca?m tu+o+?ng nhu+ giu+~a tho+ va` va(n cu?a Nguye^~n Ta^'n Hu+ng dda~ co' chung mo^.t ta^m the^?, mo^.t lo^'i nhi`n, mo^.t ca'ch die^~n dda.t . Du+o+`ng nhu+ tho+, trong quan nie^.m cu?a Hu+ng chi? la` mo^.t the^? loa.i va(n va^`n . Mo^~i ba`i tho+ la` mo^.t tie^?u truye^.n, da`n tra?i theo khuo^n ne^'p rie^ng . Kho^ng co' nhu+~ng ca^u thu'c ve^` the^? thu+'c, ne'm ddi nhu+~ng quy lua^.t a^m ngu+~, ba(`ng tra('c .

     Nguye^~n Ta^'n Hu+ng chu+a ta.o du+.ng ddu+o+.c trong tho+ anh su+. co^ ddo.ng va` chie^`u sa^u ca^`n thie^'t . Tuy nhie^n, tho+ anh qua? nhie^n la` co' nhie^`u cho^~ kha'c ngu+o+`i . No+i nhu+~ng va^`n ddie^.u mo^.c ma.c, bi`nh di. cu?a anh, ngu+o+`i ddo.c dda~ tha^'y nhu+~ng la^'p la'nh to?a ra tu+` chu+~ nghi~a, cho nhu+~ng rung ddo^.ng, pha?n chie^'u ba^'t ngo+`:

     Mu+a thu lu`a ta^m ba~o
     Gio' tho^?i ha.t mu+a bay
     Nhi`n kia co+n so'ng go+.n
     Nga^.p lu.t ho^`n ai dda^y ...

     (Mu+a Thu, tr 46)

     Ho^?m ra`y nho+' gio.ng khe^' chanh
     Em o+i ddu+`ng no+~ gia^.n anh suo^'t ddo+`i ...

     (Lo+`i Tra^`n Ti`nh, tr 66)

     Em co' bie^'t vi` tim anh em giu+~
     Ne^n ddo+`i anh la` chuo^~i tha^'t ti`nh si ...

     (Ta. Tu+`, tr 79)

     Tro+? la.i cuo^.c ma.n dda`m va(n chu+o+ng dda~ co' vo+'i Hu+ng o+? Florida: "Khi la`m tho+ thi` tu+' ddi tru+o+'c hay tu+` ddi tru+o+'c ?" Ca^u ho?i nhu+ mo^.t vie^n so?i ne'm xuo^'ng ma(.t ho^`, ma` du+ ba cu?a va^'n dde^` dda~ vu+o+.t kho?i ta^`m gio+'i ha.n . To^i dda'p ho^`n nhie^n theo pha?n xa.: "Ca? hai ye^'u to^' tre^n dde^`u co' u+u ddie^?m rie^ng cu?a no' . Mie^~n tho+ hay la` ddu+o+.c ."

     Thi' du. mo^.t ca'ch ddo+n gia?n ho+n, thi si~ la`m tho+ cu~ng gio^'ng nhu+ mo^.t ho.a si~ ve~ tranh . Ha('n ta ddu+'ng tru+o+'c khung va?i ddo lu+o+`ng, pha'c tha?o, bo^' cu.c tru+o+'c khi ve~: DDo' la` tu+' ddi tru+o+'c, bo+?i ha('n ta dda~ co' sa(~n chu? ddi.nh la` se~ ve~ ca'i gi`, ca'ch na`o . Tu+` ddi tru+o+'c la` khi ha('n cao hu+'ng ne'm dda.i le^n khung va?i mo^.t hay nhie^`u ta?ng ma^`u kha'c nhau . Ke^' ddo', ha('n soi nga('m va` tu`y nghi du+.ng le^n cung ddie^.n nguy nga hay vu+.c sa^u, bie^?n che^'t, theo cha^'t lie^.u mo+'i khai pha', thu nha^.n ddu+o+.c tu+` vo^ thu+'c . O+? tho+ Hu+ng la` tu+' ddi tru+o+'c .

     Nguye^~n Ta^'n Hu+ng vie^'t va(n, Nguye^~n Ta^'n Hu+ng soa.n nha.c, Nguye^~n Ta^'n Hu+ng la`m tho+, Nguye^~n Ta^'n Hu+ng cho.c cu+o+`i ..., ngu+o+`i si~ quan Ha?i Qua^n dda~ nu+?a ddo+`i giao duye^n cu`ng bie^?n ca?, nu+?a ddo+`i ga' nghi~a vo+'i va(n chu+o+ng . To^i nghi~ ra(`ng Mo^.t Thoa'ng Trong Mo+ chi? la` mo^.t be^'n ta.m trong ha?i tri`nh tie^'n dde^'n su+. toa`n bi'ch o+? co~i tho+ ddi'ch thu+.c ma` thuye^`n tru+o+?ng Nguye^~n Ta^'n Hu+ng ddang giong buo^`m ti`m ga(.p .

Lacey, tha'ng 10, 1991
Ha` Huye^`n Chi

Ba`i Tru+o+'c Trang Chi'nh Ba`i Ke^' Tie^'p

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