A poem in Vietnamese by Vũ Ngọc Giao
Translator: Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm

I’ve waited for you my whole life

the light fading with the sunrise

love beckoning endearment

.

I’ve waited for you

in silence

time turning

the ache shifting

the moans

.

another day, upon the golden gallop of the soul

our yearning, the cruelty of long ago!

.

February 2021

—

CHỜ EM

.

ta chờ em suốt một đời

nắng phai theo nắng

tình trôi theo tình

.

ta chờ em 

rất lặng thinh

chỉ nghe ngày tháng trở mình

than

van

.

một mai , hồn có võ vàng

nhớ nhau , nhớ cuộc chơi tàn nhẫn , xưa !

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Vũ Ngọc Giao, the Vietnamese musician and poet born 1951, My Tho. A former student Petrus Ký Sài Gòn (1961 – 1968), an alumnus of the Faculty of Philosophy, the University of Literature Saigon (1968 – 1970), he is the founder of Phu Nhuan Guitar Club, Saigon. His poetry is published on many literary websites. A few familiar songs: Looking back at my life, The man with sad eyes (a poem by Đỗ Trung Quân), His return on a rainy night, The July rain…

Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm, the blogger, poet and translator, born 1971 in Phu Nhuan, Saigon, Vietnam. The pharmacist currently lives and works in Western Sydney, Australia.