The
Bridegroom is You
[To Pham Quang
Hoa of Hung Yen]
You used to be
addicted to your liking of travelling
Here and there,
you always keep your feet moving
Coming back anytime,
no schedule in your goings
Just like autumn
clouds, like autumn leaves in falling.
You have just
arrived at Ha Noi today
You are gone
from Ha Noi the next day
Remembering you,
friends would ask around:
- “I wonder,
where the heck he is right now?”
Has he gone up
to the mountain to hear gibbons singing?
Or, has he gone
down the coast to admire the moon rising?
The horse has
forgotten the willow stump, the boat, the dock on the river;
Has he ever wondered
about his distant beloved mother?
In the morning
comes a red wedding card of invitation
Announcing someone’s
intention to marry in wintery season
About the bride,
nobody knows who is who?
But the groom,
what a surprise, is, yes, it is you!
Ah hah! It’s
over, from now on, from this very day
Leaves no longer
leaving the forest, clouds, not on their way
The travelling
boat has permanently docked at the marriage river
The Ho horse
no longer misses the winds blowing from northern borders.
Your free eyes
no longer can roam the high blue sky
Your ambition
is condensed in the powder case and lipstick of your wife
If common charcoal
and wood can cook up the divine medication
A life with a
beautiful wife and smart kids is to your satisfaction
The lakes and
rivers now miss your footsteps in roaming
The noble gentleman
stays home watching the soup in cooking
You are now busy
having a very romantic loving Ode to write
So you forget
to tell the story of “Leaving My Family Behind”
You and I are
only a trip on the train away
But it feels
like thousands of deep rivers far away
Finishing three
rounds of drinks, heading north when the party is over
Just to well-wish
you, so we have something to remember
The more I remember,
the more I feel the overwhelming self-pity
From now on,
on the road only remains the shadow of me
- Though the
beauty’s hands look so soft and pretty
Little do I suspect
that they can bind a great man’s destiny…
by Nguyen Binh
(Saigon 18-11-1943)
Translated from Vietnamese
into English
by Hương Cau Thomas
T N Cao
on May 23. 2019,
in British Columbia, Canada
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