In front of the rains – A Bouquet of Poems from Vietnam

Tran Phuong Lan

Born in 1965 in Nam Dan – Nghe An province of Vietnam, her poems have been published in Song Lam magazine and other central and local newspapers. She won the national gold prize in the recitation program. She loves poetry and writing poetry by fragile and dreamy soul.

In front of the rains

Feeling sad in front of the rains

Dark sky – Opaque ground – Empty streets… Gloomy scene

Just bustling on summer afternoons

Autumn has arrived with clouds of dew

Listening silently in mountain and river realms

Tu Quy Birds calling for friends… Lots of tears

Lady Moon is surprised with the lovely sky

Not thinking that Moon-boy is wistful about the real world

Realizing that it is forever

So that the O Thuoc bridge – Ngan river … Full of tears

Dear princess Chau – passionate love

White roads with goose feathers… wrongly given her loving heart

Pity for the fate of Miss Kieu

What a talent… bearing sadness in her life

The word “virgin” is so embarrassing

Loyalty, filial piety like her, who can?!

Contemplating that everything due to the heaven

“The word of talent, the word of destiny” … Who … Love each other!

***

Back to the past time

Dreaming of an innocent childhood

Taking naked showers in the middle of the day… Countryside River

The night that the moon was over the top of the bamboo

Playing lively drumbeats with friends.

Nobody can hold the time

Full moon, crescent moon – summer fades autumn passes

Just peeled, already old

Just cherished and memorized that already grandmother and grandfather.

Angry and compassionate with lovely traditional songs

Who got married when young that has good fate!

Who is noble, who is poor

A river has different sections – nobody can have good fate for three generations.

 

Thinking in terms of Heaven and Earth

Dare not to laugh first so people can laugh later

Hoping for someone in good charm with betel nuts

I am – clumsy verse… Back in the past time!

***

The old alley

I just passed by the old alley

The wind is full of directions in the countryside afternoon

The memory is already far away, the sadness is slept silently

Suddenly came back massively… Shallow… Deep…

Afternoon, how strange is my homeland

 

As near – as far – as real – as unreal

I’m suffocating in the middle of emptiness

Thought it was just yesterday… The hair was already white.

On which direction, dear familiar shadow!

***

To the side that cannot be together

I wander alone in the autumn afternoon

Gathering mists to weave into a thin scarf

Lightly wrapping on shoulders for less cold in the afternoon

The fragrance of alstonia scholaris falls… Tilting the steps

My hair is tilted to the fragrant side without you

 

Watching the fallen yellow leaves – soft green memory

The heart is still foolish forever

Keeping nervous to the side that cannot be together

Days hold days and autumn holds autumn

Catching heavy raindrops to weave the O Thuoc Bridge

Lost for a thousand years… The fire in my heart has not been extinguished

Just keep burning in love time!

***

I 

I love the sunshine color of winter

Spreading gently on the leaves

It’s fragile, but bright enough

Everything shines brightly to show off its beauties.

Not too passionate – not too shimmery

 

I am – A winter sunshine, gentle and looming

Enough love to warm up your life

Enough tolerance for even mistakes!

I love so much the river

Cooling down the sunny summer afternoons

When the flood overflows to the rolling waves

 

The years are inclined to the immense sea.

Not too loud – not too quiet

I am – The green river knows to love and anger

A little bit of jealousy is enough to warm up the arms

A little dreamy enough to stir … green afternoon…

Remembering enough to ferment in the depths of looking eyes!!!

***

In front of autumn

Suddenly I feel young again

As if the time of long ago

Immense love and memories

In front of autumn, my heart was in a daze

A light “Ting” sound

 

Reporting a new message

It’s enough to stir my heart

The afternoon wind passing by

As if real and dreamy

For trees more green leaves

Keep waiting for waiting for

 

Let be the earth and sky inclining

Sending dreams to the wind

Let be the day not pass quickly

Sending love to the sea

Let be thousand years unrest

Sending to that person far away

A little fragrance … autumn afternoon!

***

In the countryside afternoon

In front of the banana bush my mother planted

Flowers just bloomed that already emitted its fragrance in the countryside

Blue smoke covers to blur the bamboo bush

The chirping birds to call friends to nests in time

Hens are looking for their chicks

 

Spreading their wings to embrace love

The light sound of afternoon bell is ringing

Dreamy in light sunshine – someone let fly a kite

The village road is very familiar and close

Mother shadow walks quickly tilting in the afternoon sky

 

Cannot count the burden mother carried?!

Let be my path wide and open

Any place … Still inside

Deep in my heart – not blurred in the countryside afternoon…!

***

In front of spring

Hearing the birds chirping in the leaves

And fragrant wind, blue buds, yellow sunshine…

It’s gone of a frozen winter

I’m on the side of peaceful spring!

 

Slowly I walk among the love

Holding hands to cherish what I have

Like Heaven and Earth to cherish brilliant spring

No matter plan, years are still changing seasons.

I embrace the poetic spring

Gentle breezing to lull, yellow sunshine at the doorway

 

The chirping sound of birds knocking beaks

Hearing my heart of broken things… Back away…

Yeah, in front of spring… I suddenly feel…not old…!

***

Just One Person

There is a person to whom I still call the name

Before sleeping and every morning waking up

The one who made my heart ageless

Even when not far away, the memory has formed.

There is one person – only one

The one is all the memory – happiness – sadness – happiness

The one is warm fire – soft silk – thunderstorm in summer afternoon

Through anger… Love again much more!

With this person, my heart is not peaceful

Throbbing with jealousy, which way to be lost

Just a word of love – whispering the singing wind

A “Ting” sound … too much love with heaven and earth.

There is one person – only one

Making my heart never calm one day

Despite white hair, incomplete afternoon

The heart is still as in the beginning.

I wait for that person … And Autumn … holding … autumn…!

 

Hold my hands

We are walking on the busy road of life

Don’t lose me unwittingly

Let’s hold hands each other and share all joys and sorrows

Like warm sunshine, hot fire, fragrant flower, cool grass!

You know – I’m tender and earnest

 

A little bit of jealousy is enough to be angry and love

I am – of the family – work hard from early morning

Salty salt with spicy ginger – saving and nurturing.

You know – the road of life has hundred appointment turns

I still go to your own way

I want to be the nice proud wind

 

To be the gentle and cool moon!

Hold my hands until the end of the road

No one loves you more than I love you

Cherishing all the good and bad things

Of you and love restless!

Don’t turn any way – dear love, otherwise I will get lost!!!

_______________________

(Translated into English by Khanh Phuong)