cuối đông con về / In Late Winter, I Returned to Visit You

Vietnamese
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cuối đông con về
trời như người sau trận ốm nặng
ngước mắt trên giường lặng lẽ
sông La nghiêng đê tai cỏ
con chợt định bắt tay một con bò ngơ ngẩn nhìn con

có gì đây sau những lớp bụi kia
con đường làng của bàn chân con
xanh như mận hảo mới gọi là xanh thắm
con cứ nghĩ trong hốc cây kia nếu thọc tay vào
sẽ bày ra kì thú
không chừng còn thư bạn gái xưa

quà một gói kẹo rồi đi
chào một tiếng rồi quay lưng biền biệt quê cha
tàu chuối gãy bàn tay mẹ vẫy
vẫy bao nhiêu thì con về?

Bowling Green 12.2.00


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English Translation

in late winter, I returned to visit you
the sky was like a patient on his bed
silently looking up after a critical illness
the la river’s bank raised its grassy ear to hear something
I almost raised my hand to shake a calf who stared at me in wonder

it has hidden something in the dust
if the village trail which belonged to my footprints!
the green of the man hao deserved absolutely to be called dark green!
I was thinking about the hollow tree over there
if I put my hand into it, wouldn’t it be amazing
if my little girlfriend’s letter was still there?

the loud sound of “bye” then leaving
the gift of a bag of candy then turning away from my father’s home
the banana leaf was bent as my mother’s hands waved
how long will it wave to bring me back home again?

Bowling Green Village,
February 12, 2000

Man hao is a kind of green tea tree. Its smaller leaves are often used for decorating gardens.

Printed from Cerise Press: http://www.cerisepress.com

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