Poet Dinh Hai passed away at the age of 89

Poet Dinh Hai - author of "Earth Song", composed by musician Truong Quang Luc into the song "This Earth is Ours" - passed away at the age of 89.

According to poet Tran Dang Khoa, the author passed away on August 30. Poet Dinh Hai's real name is Nguyen Bieu, born on June 6, 1937 in Dinh Hai commune, Yen Dinh district, Thanh Hoa province (now Dinh Tan commune, Thanh Hoa province). He took the name of his hometown as his pen name.

After graduating from the Faculty of Literature, Hanoi University, course 1956-1959, he worked at the Ministry of Education, Kim Dong Publishing House, held the position of Editor-in-Chief of Tuoi Xanh magazine and Head of the Children's Literature Department, Vietnam Writers Association.

Since 1962, author Dinh Hai has composed many genres such as short stories, poems, poems, scenes and lyrics for animated films. Among them, he left the biggest impression on poetry. His works have familiar language, suitable for children, notably Ants Go, Earth Song, Flowers and Buds, So Many Strange Things.

Many of Dinh Hai's poems have been set to music, including Song of the Earth, Teacher's Hand, So Many Strange Things. The highlight of his poetry is its musicality, expressed through word choice, rhythm and sentence structure.

Dinh Hai's work "Earth Song" is associated with the memories of many generations of audiences when it was set to music by musician Truong Quang Luc in 1979. Born from a songwriting campaign on the occasion of International Children's Day, the song "This Earth is Ours" spread thanks to its cheerful melody and humanistic message of peace, friendship regardless of skin color and the awareness of preserving the green planet. The work often appears at schools, children's art programs and is translated into English to connect with international friends.

His poems often use short sentences and clear rhythms, suitable for children's receptive ability. The author uses two-, three-, four- and five-word poetic forms, creating a flexible rhythm that is easy to read and remember. In the song Falling Rain, short verses are broken into each line to create a gentle feeling, simulating the falling rhythm of raindrops. Towards the end of the song, the rhythm of the poem becomes faster and more intense through the sounds of "tickling", "like like", creating a joyful atmosphere like a song for children. For his contributions to literature and the young generation, Dinh Hai was awarded the State Prize for Literature and Arts in 2007.

He once said that spending his life composing for children was a great happiness. The author said that the world of children always brings a rich source of emotions and inspires him to write poetry. Over the decades, his poems still retain their innocence and purity to many generations of readers.