Nguyen Van Dien, a poet from Vietnam, the Land of Blue Dragon, shares his three poems
Nguyen Van Dien, a poet from Vietnam, was born in 1958 at his hometown Hung Yen. He is member of Vietnamese Writers’ Association, Deputy Director of Vietnamese Literary Copyright Center, and Member of Hung Yen Literature and Arts Association. His published works include 3 poetry collections.
THE OLD KE*
The old Ke was next to a mountain cave
The cigarette smoke was thoughtful
Waves of Karl Marx
To seek the morning dew in the afternoon
The wind rang in the Viet Bac area
Swinging white hair and beard
Traditional dress with the villagers
The spirit of immense hard laborers…
The Lenin stream rolled up
The Old Ke was thin
Exciting “the Path of Revolution”
Sowing “Saint” since then…
From the day of infancy
From the hardship arising
Becoming freedom and prosperity
The Old Ke – Ho Chi Minh
(*The old Ke was one name of President Ho Chi Minh which was used when he lived and worked in Cao Bang province in 1945)
***
WISDOM OF “NO” IN HO CHI MINH
The experience of life
Yes but no, no but yes
Very small amount
Is yes
Bubbling blue waves
Not to be
Nothing, does not matter
It’s not easy to get a reputation in life
Once in a time
The world once in a time
Outstanding great man
A person from “no one”
Like sowing red seeds
For all ages
Shining in smiles
Uncle Ho is the brilliant image
His manner
And thoughts
The example of life soared high
Whole life was purity and starry
Uncle Ho’s sacredness carved into souls of the countryside.
***
ONE AND WHOLE
When greed, anger and ignorance covered by fog
The daily routine of one person remained
Lived a simple life without fame or fortune
Of course, the impermanent bright spot
He was in high position with broad influence
The deeper and wider it was, the more it spread far
The Presidents of North and South Korea were the divides
The message of friendship was like a painting of flowers
Ho Chi Minh was holy among us
His whole life that kept to himself the word of “nothing”
To give everyone for freedom and charity
The fragrance of flowers will forever be in people’s hearts.
______________
(Translated into English by HFT)
[…] Also read: Wisdom of ‘No’ in Ho Chi Minh – Poetry from Vietnam […]