Hello, the new day
That’s the moment when the earth and sky bring us vitality
Overcoming failure, sadness, and joy
To bring peace and faith to the soul at night
Nguyen Dac Lap, a seasoned poet from Vietnam, the Land of Blue Dragon, shares his poetry
Nguyen Dac Lap, hailing from Tan Uoc, Thanh Oai, Hanoi, lives in Ha Dong District, Hanoi city of Vietnam. He is member of Vietnam Writers’ Association and Hanoi Writers’ Association. His published literature works include: Strange land (1995); Premonition (2000); Desert flower (2004); City (2008); Standing cloud (2011) and The Voice of Time (2018). He also won three Literary Awards including a Medal for the cause of Vietnamese literature and art.
Hello a new day
That’s when
The vitality of heaven and earth begins
That’s when
The flowers and grasses are still fresh in the night dew
That’s when the calm river is not stirred
By noise or garbage
That’s when
The sky is blue, the clouds float before the sun burns
Hello, the new day
That’s the moment when the earth and sky bring us vitality
Overcoming failure, sadness, and joy
To bring peace and faith to the soul at night
Hello, the new day
That’s the time to practice
For old men to retain themselves in the past
Glory and misfortune
Girls and boys
To hold onto love and desire
In the heart
Across the road
Life is the sum of dawns
***
There exists another life
It is the life of morning light
The life of young buds…
The winds
Of white-capped waves tossing the sea…
There exists another life
In every human being…
***
Stars
Will the stars in the sky ever meet
Millions of light years apart
Just blinking their own lights
Alone in the infinite universe…
***
The leaves of terminalia catappa
The leaves of terminalia catappaNever have I seen terminalia catappa leaves so red
Red as if bleeding
Before returning to the soil
Leaving behind buds
Like hands reaching straight up to the sky
Tomorrow
It will be a blue sky for children to play…
***
The flute player at the gate of Ngoc Son Temple
Eyes absent, yet there’s a singing
With a heart pulsing with life
For those blessed with sight
Why not sing their own song?”
***
The man playing an instrument on Tam Dao peak
I don’t know since when
On Tam Dao peak
Where clouds cover year-round
There stands a statue of two people playing the instrument and singing
Time passes
Lightning bursts across the sky
Rain in the forest, wind in the mountains
They still sit, playing the instrument and singing
Despite indifferent ways of life
Despite people’s selfishness
Despite explosions and bombs
They sit leisurely, playing the instrument and singing
For years, the passionate violin song has soared
With the clouds here
I am lost in this legendary land of clouds
Hands lifting the clouds to rediscover myself
I look at them
Hair and beard turned gray
Eyes absorbed in the music
Feet still tapping to the beat
…Yellow light of time upon their shoulders
Beneath their feet
Green grasses grow…
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