CHÙM THƠ ĐĂNG TRÊN SINDBCOURIER

Nguyen Hung, an poet from Vietnam, the land of Blue Dragon, shares his five poems.

Nguyen Hung

The poet was born in 1955 in Nghe An. He graduated and earned a doctorate in water construction in Russia. He is currently a member of the Vietnam Writers Association, a member of the Executive Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City Writers Association, a permanent member of the website of the Ho Chi Minh City Writers Association, HCMC. He has composed and published 6 poetry collections including “The Wakeful Sail”, “Waves not from the Sea”, “Flying Towards the Storm”, “Footprints of Luc Bat”, “100 Puzzles of Writers”, “108 Verses of Poetry”. More than 100 poems of Poet Nguyen Hung had been composed into songs and being performed and broadcasted widely on central and local television stations.

 

For the Country River

We were born from a river

It’s long and wide but the side boat is small

Bullets and bombs plowed away childhood

When it’s over we are in different directions

When we meet, the river is not the same

The old wharf is now memory

We are by our side, filled with river feelings

When waiting for father’s boat by the bank

Long years of living in the distance

Mother river running through our sleep

Wherever it flows we are full of longing

Love the oars moving back and front

The country river filled with past memories

Is the place to stop by late afternoon!

Please kneel down to embrace the waves

Keep to yourself, the childhood to hold

Oh river, sweet melody of boat movement

Oh river, salty tune of lullaby

Wishing to bathe in the country river

In vast greenness, a sail to remember

***
 

I Don’t…

It happened to find out something

It stays there in our heart and mind

There are stories from many years ago

Try to forget, but it keeps coming back

Please don’t talk about lover of the past

Don’t tell me what they had said before

If I ask, please say no, not thinking of

Or put on a smile and ignore it then

I wish we met each other not that late

So not feeling disappointed and upset

I wish my heart is not that emotional

By those beauties hidden and shown in poetry

***
 

Passing Flower Marking

Many times in a day passing flower market

I ignore by not stopping once

I’m worried to see colors of last year

Getting emotional at season changing

You are away, days and months are long

Flowers blooming but the smile has withered

The joys, no longer want to hold back

Thinking of those days without each other

Flowers are pretty but I’m not to look

As I may see you, those days we took

The flower petals would be on fire

Burning the scar, spring comes to mind

***
 

Love Stays Young

The grains of three thousand years old

Still sprouting with fresh young leaves

Is there anyone explain to me

What makes the grain eternally alive?

The seeds left by our ancestors

Creating doubt, interest and wonder

The seeds stir a bit surprise to all

Their wonderful liveliness only in dreams

The seeds of three thousand years old

Still sprouting with fresh green leaves

And with love stays forever young

You don’t need to worry dying in me

***
 

Terrorism

Those unscrupulous fanatics

Terrorizing civilians

By hijacker

By suicide bombing

Great Powerful nations

Terrorizing neighborhood

Threatening the world that already not at peace

With a nuclear bomb

By aircraft carrier

By long – range missiles

Politicians

Before every election

Terrorize each other

With a bunch of old emails

With tapes showing the opponent’s heel

Those wordy

Terrorize each other

With sarcasm, harsh words

More evil than suicide bombing

More dangerous than a nuclear bomb

Dirtier than tapes recording behind one’s back

__________________

(Translated into English by Vo Thi Nhu Mai)

Nguồn: For the Country River – A Bouquet of Poems from Vietnam