![](\"images\/poem146moinhauchenruou.jpg\")
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Just then… some thirty-three a year
\nI look back on those green times dear
\nSince \u201cnineteen seventy five\u201d
\nTime has passed so fast into the past to dive.
\nWhen it seemed in a flowery summer night dream to hive. Contemplating myself in the mirror, how strange:
\nGray hair, sunken cheeks, wrinkled skin \u2013 what change! Suddenly in my heart many anxieties rise up
\nMy innards contract in a bitter cup
\nWhen my country\u2019s image glimmers in sight
\nTears ready to overflow in such sad plight.
\nHow intimate it was the \u201cthee-and-thou\u201d
\nHow lovable our karma once to be soldiers under a vow, But now everything has turned to eternally flee
\nI alone in this place am still remembering all ye
\nMostly on this year\u2019s commemoration
\nThe landmark of time \u2013 thirty three years of botheration Still reminisce about each bird that swiftly took wing Leaving behind country and even families, just flying.
\nI feel pity for myself this cuss
\nI take compassion on ourselves, all of us
\nBut do not grudge being born in this century as wrong.
\nI now have lived peacefully in the States so long
\nSeeing the sun set I regret my youth at twilight.
\nOh friends! thou and thee<\/p>\n
Tonight…
\nI again remember ye
\nThe old buddies who have once faced dangers with me. I\u2019ve felt full of rancor in exile full of tears
\nBut this life gradually dries up every time April nears Tonight suddenly is abundant the wine
\nOutside it is pitch-black along the skyline
\nThough late, drinking alone, this vigil I am to keep Reciting the Ho Truong poem in a singsong voice deep Holding the bottle to the four directions stretching out I still do not know where to pour for a drinking bout Where is my each close chum
\nMore than thirty years dumb!
\nOnly in a foreign country can I find out the truth, my stand \u201cEach human being has only one fatherland\u201d
\nAs for us, how come?
\nBuried under the cold ground was the fate of some, Drowned in the deep sea, that of others;
\nA few scattered at the ends of the earth, in smothers. Whatever their lives, their wish nobody can ever foil, They never forget and abandon their ancestors\u2019 native soil. Sometimes someone said that we are old-aged already
\nSo I tried to address ye as \u201cyou\u201d solemn and steady
\nBut my voice I still thought it some other\u2019s lisp anyhow And guffawed … pitying the \u201cthee-and-thou\u201d
\nHo Truong wine, if ye still think of me and us henceforth Please raise your cups even in East, West, South, North Though we are like an oil-lamp burning out its last fire
\nMay it be a minute of brilliance before the time we expire (**).<\/p>\n
Translation by Thanh-Thanh<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n ————- Just then… some thirty-three a year I look back on those green times dear Since \u201cnineteen seventy five\u201d Time has passed so fast into the past to dive. When it seemed in a flowery summer night dream to hive. Contemplating myself in the mirror, how strange: Gray hair, sunken cheeks, wrinkled skin \u2013 what change! […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thovanyenson.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15515"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thovanyenson.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thovanyenson.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thovanyenson.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thovanyenson.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15515"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thovanyenson.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15515\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15516,"href":"https:\/\/thovanyenson.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15515\/revisions\/15516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thovanyenson.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15515"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thovanyenson.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15515"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thovanyenson.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n(*) Poem’s name “H\u1ed3 Tr\u01b0\u1eddng” of Nguy\u1ec5n B\u00e1 Tr\u00e1c
\n(**) from poem \u201cGi\u1ee5c Gi\u00e3\u201d of Xu\u00e2n Di\u1ec7u:
\n“Rather have a glorious minutes, then suddenly go dark
\nBetter than glimmering for all night.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"