THE MIGRANTS' SONG
1.
Oh
flocks of birds over the withered woods that fly
and
hordes of horses that waver in the fields so dry!
Wake
up right now and from now on, you all,
to
listen to this passionate song and pressing call!
Continue
to advance, be strong,
all
of a day long,
even
a month to be bound,
a
year round,
or
a whole life!
A
life with strife
between
vital breath
and
death
without
end.
Take
away with you what still needs to mend!
Go
forwards on the infinite way!
What
will be completed to repay?
a
pleasure to gain:
how
much pain!
2.
Oh
our heart, rose-bud,
eternally
with red blood
and
with love for ever,
why
through a century, howsoever,
in
our fatherland so many a tribulation,
in
our motherland so much degradation,
there
have been sufferers and treacherous!
3.
Oh
our affectionate, precious,
thousand
and thousand times dear,
the
great change has pulverized our human sphere!
Time
elapsed has not sufficiently dimmed our past,
thus
our hearts still have million words to say,
in
our feelings limitless loving things still stay.
Within
our never-ending thrill,
send
our minds onto the top of the winter chill,
drink
emptying the morning dew in the cold sky!
4.
If
we keep silent as an acceptance to abide by,
if
our moves are conceived as a fate,
then
what is helpful to debate,
so
that all life we can never subside our sorrow
but
just add difficulties to our plans for tomorrow!
5.
Well,
let us drink,
drain
to the dregs the grief and gloom in our think!
Let
us visualize the time of our return
albeit
a supposition as we yearn,
a
dream, whatever.
Let
us just temporarily bury dolor in endeavor
in
order to love one another more than ever.
6.
The
jungle trees will awake in the bright dome
of
the sky, the migratory birds will flap back home.
Our
days will come and the sun will rise to blaze;
Oh humankind, hurry up to get up from the maze!
Vietnamese poem by SONG NHỊ
English translation by THANH-THANH