by Nguyen
Binh (1936)
You were due to come
back from town yesterday
I was waiting at
the end of the village gate’s causeway
There you were,
wearing a velvet scarf and shiny silk pants
Little did you know
how your snap-button shirt tortured me then!
Where, where is your
floss silk brassiere, on you it clings?
And the tussore
waistband which you dyed early last spring?
Where, where is
your four-flap long dress you always wear?
And the crow-billed
headscarf, the working pants, with none to spare?
I dare not to speak
my mind lest you are offended greatly
I beg you; please
preserve your dressing in plain peasantry
Just like that day
when you went to the pagoda’s festival
Your appearance
suited you, and pleased me all in all
You see, lemon flowers
stem from the lemon trees
Our parents and
we all belong to the peasantry
You were due to
come back from town yesterday
Your country fragrance
and naivety faded somewhat that day