A poem in Vietnamese by Nguyễn Đình Toàn
Translator: Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm
Our motherland will be a worrisome place
All shrivelled up will be the rows of old areca nut
On my back, I counted the days,
Then the months were followed by the tears
The old memories remained untouched
The January sky, or July just as sad
The breeze was scented in white odorata and pomelo
Then came the new year, the pain, the yearning
Your return in the shoes of a stranger
The silent meadows are asleep
A sleep I’ve desired all my life
The bloodshed plucked from my heart
Don’t cry dear, don’t be sad, avert your eyes
Look down and keep going
Soon is the night, upon the death of regret
Our footprints shall be covered by the mist, buried beneath the leaves
–
(December 2021)
_____
Khi em về
Quê mẹ đấy ưu phiền nhiều quá lắm
Hàng cau già mo thương bẹ quắt queo
Anh nằm đếm những ngày rồi những tháng
Đi qua dần khi nước mắt buông theo
Kỉ niệm cũ vẫn còn nguyên vẹn đó
Trời tháng giêng, tháng bảy buồn như nhau
Gió vẫn thơm mùi hoa bưởi hoa ngâu
Rồi Tết đến, rồi lòng anh nhớ quá
Khi em về bước chân chừng xa lạ
Và cỏ hoa tất cả đã lắng im
Giấc ngủ ấy một đời anh ao ước
Từ máu mình hoài rứt khỏi đường tim
Em đừng khóc, đừng buồn, đừng nhìn nữa
Cứ cúi đầu rồi cứ thế ra đi
Trời sẽ tối, tiếc thương rồi sẽ hết
Và dấu giày mai sẽ lá sương che
Nguyễn Đình Toàn first penned under Tô Hà Vân, born September 6th, 1936 at Gia Lâm, by the Red river, outside of Hanoi, the poet and musician passed away on November 28th, 2013 at Fountain Valley, California, U.S.A. Left for South Vietnam in 1954, there he became actively involved in the arts, literature, poetry, plays, and music, in association with literary magazines like Văn, Văn học. He collaborated with Trần Phong Giao for many years in the selection of literature for Văn Magazine. He took up the position as the editor of Saigon Radio after that and became known for the Music program in the early seventies. He was captured twice after 1975 and was imprisoned in a re-education camp for nearly six years. He and his wife, Madame Thu Hồng, settled in the United States of America at the end of 1998.
Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm, the blogger, poet, and translator, was born in 1971 in Phu Nhuan, Saigon, Vietnam. The pharmacist currently lives and works in Western Sydney, Australia.
Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm 
That’s stunning. I love the line:- Your return in the shoes of a stranger
makes me think the person have been away so long they are unrecognisable. Brilliant
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Thank you Paula. I love this poem too, I can’t seem to find a favourite by him.
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Thank you Trâm for sharing this beautiful piece. I love the artwork too.
“The silent meadows are asleep
A sleep I’ve desired all my life
The bloodshed plucked from my heart”
These lines are so beautifully expressive. Blessings to you my friend. 🦋❤️
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Words by a great poet, I’m glad I’m able to share them with you dear. Trâm. xx
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