Lyric by Trịnh Công Sơn
Translation by Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm
your departure hereafter
your name missing from the sea calls you home
calls the soul of the weeping willow
calls the white sand in the dark
your departure hereafter
mountains lean in waiting
pebbles counting each minute
hears those forlone footsteps
your departure hereafter
home to your roots you’re missing from the sea
calls the sea breeze to fulfil the soul
a hand to shield from the wind and rain
your departure hereafter
blurry streetlights
sad lonely soul
sadder is the turmoil out at sea
your homecoming hereafter
open arms and invitations
waiting melodies
rising melancholy
your departure hereafter
your name missing from the sea calls you home
an obsession drench in dew
even springs in the mountains knew
your departure hereafter
rocks covered in sad moss
streetlights bears the rain’s laments
bears the dark clouds intents
your departure hereafter
wistfully the sea whispers
time and again sun or rain it’s sad
a hand waiting for anything from afar
your departure hereafter
yellow streetlights
half the shadow of a hesitant spring
comprehends O sorrow O harsh wind
Ngày mai em đi
biển nhớ tên em gọi về
gọi hồn liễu rũ lê thê
gọi bờ cát trắng đêm khuya
Ngày mai em đi
đồi núi nghiêng nghiêng đợi chờ
sỏi đá trông em từng giờ
nghe buồn nhịp chân bơ vơ
Ngày mai em đi
biển nhớ em quay về nguồn
gọi trùng dương gió ngập hồn
bàn tay chắn gió mưa sang
Ngày mai em đi
thành phố mắt đêm đèn mờ
hồn lẻ nghiêng vai gọi buồn
nghe ngoài biển động buồn hơn
Hôm nào em về
bàn tay buông lối ngỏ
đàn lên cung phím chờ
sầu lên đây hoang vu
Ngày mai em đi
biển nhớ tên em gọi về
triều sương ướt đẫm cơn mê
trời cao níu bước sơn khê
Ngày mai em đi
cồn đá rêu phong rủ buồn
đèn phố nghe mưa tủi hờn
nghe ngoài trời giăng mây tuôn
Ngày mai em đi
biển có bâng khuâng gọi thầm
ngày mưa tháng nắng còn buồn
bàn tay nghe ngóng tin sang
Ngày mai em đi
thành phố mắt đêm đèn vàng
nửa bóng xuân qua ngập ngừng
nghe trời gió lộng mà thương
Trịnh Công Sơn was a Vietnamese, musician, songwriter, painter and poet. Born: 28 February 1939, Buon Ma Thuot, Vietnam. Died: 1 April 2001, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
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 
This also makes for a beautiful long poem.
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A mate of mine did, the reason for the urgency of this particular translation of this song. I believe his long poem helped together with a movie I happened upon during all the festivities of Christmas and New year. It was very satisfying being able to translate it. 🙂
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You did an excellent job of translation.
Interesting how you mentioned seeing a movie over Christmas-New Year’s festivities helped with the translation.
Because the lines of this poem reminded me very much of a movie I watched a couple of nights ago.
The movie was the 1951 film Pandora and The Flying Dutchman with James Mason and Ava Gardner.
It’s one of my favourite films but I haven’t watched it in years.
This last watching of the movie I noticed a whole bunch of things I never really noticed before.
And this poem seems to capture the essence of what I noticed.
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Watching old movies is like a journey back in time with hind sight. I get you. But the movie I watched was a cheap chick flick fairly current, not very memorable at all except for that line “you are missing from me”, a more apt translation of “nhớ bạn” than “I miss you”. Just worked out. Lucky me.
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