A
MIGRANT BIRDS’ SONG
The
high sky is vast
The
evening wind blows fast
There
appears a young bird flight
From
far sites out of sight
Drifting
their wings over the seas
Alighting
on a row of trees
Seeking
for a snug nest
The birds begin to sing their best
Conveying this breath of life:
“There
was a young wife
Through
so many years
By
the cooking fire shedding tears
In
the tunnel longing for a light
With
her husband to reunite
And
then again one more year
For
the pitiable woman to persevere
To
eat her heart out in straits so dire
Beside
the cooking fire
With
the warm bowl of rice
Still
awaiting her spouse so nice
To
return to his wife to stay
Although
just the other day
Everybody
had already known
The
husband her dear own
Had
been executed by the evil band
Back
in their native land!”
The
sky is high and vast
Earth
ever extends, seas ever last
A
joss-stick heartily lit soon
A
pale autumn moon
In
place of a white ribbon to mourn
The
poor woman young forlorn
She
has reunited with her lover
In
the fire glow to recover
In
the spirit of their native land
The
national martyr so grand
In
history to live for ever
Vietnamese poem by ĐĚNH DUY PHƯƠNG
English translation by THANH-THANH