Poems by Thanh Thuong from Vietnam
Her biography:
Her full name: Nguyen Thanh Thuong
A Teacher, and a Poet, too.
Date of birth: May 11, 1968
Living in: Hanoi
There have been many poems printed and published in newspapers and in literary magazines
Vice President of Vietnam Poetry Club
BIRTHDAY PRESENTS
Today is my birthday
Roses and chocolates are your presents
My poem praises our love
Written in loving purple ink just like at school
Your heart is full of love and gratitude
You bring about the shimmering sky and beautiful earth
Passionate, loving, deserted
Writing in haste just like in the military, under the moonlight.
The hesitant purple hue of crape myrtle flowers
Faithfully waiting for my love on the side of the road
Cicadas envy my rosy cheeks
They induce flamboyant flowers in bright red bloom.
Enthralled, I’m beaming
Sweet radiant sun rays looking at me
Oh our poetic love!
My diary, how many pages about you.
Our love is beautiful like a painting
Let the pink wind, white clouds, and the blue sky be our background!
My birthday in May, 2023
_____
ROSES AND CHOCOLATES
Roses and Chocolates Day
As usual, you brought me your gifts
A thousand times better than expected
It’s the beautiful scent of passionate love.
By the lake, full of early morning dews
Holding each other’s hands tight, we were walking together
Looking at some pair of swans
When did they commit to being a couple?
I pointed at something in the distance
You saw that there were the twin towers
They were always stable in spite of the wind
Just like our unshakeable love.
A million roses bloomed, romantic and beautiful
Valentine's day and many other days
It will forever be our burning love
Standing tall like the twin towers eternally!
Valentine’s Day 14th February
PURPLE SUMMER
What are you hiding in the sunshine today?
That purple clouds fill up the corners of your eyes
Full of red color with a sweet aroma
The wind blows just like singing a love song.
What are you hiding in your beautiful promises?
That butterflies and bees swarm passionately, so strange
Clouds are away and don’t cover the branches
The afternoon is late, still plenty of sunshine.
What do you hide from the silence of each night?
The wind stopped and I was lulled to sleep
The fragrance of the countryside came back seductively
Made us drunk in my loosening sleek hair
What are you hiding in the vast empty space?
My missing you vaguely and indescribably
My little heart fluttered again
The street in the season of love was filled with dreams.
The afternoon clouds still linger passionately
Our glances are more ecstatic and excited
Crape myrtle flowers are purple like our hearts in the chests
A passionate kiss with a promise to love you!
Hà Nội, 23th April, 2023
MY CHILDHOOD KITE
My kite sang in my childhood
I was eager to learn and dreamed of going to school
Summer came with my dear red flamboyant flowers blooming
Purple crape myrtle flowers on the road I was walking
From above, the songs of nightingales
Thin shirts and broken sandals
Straw hats, medicine shoulder bags
The winds blew the sideburns teasingly…
Mother and father were burned in the sun and drenched in the rain
Sweet potatoes and cassava for warming stomachs at lunch
The kite fluted to the sky
Lulling the hardworking people on their homeland fields.
Afternoon shadows fell on the side of the road
The surprising hammock at long nights where my mother lulled me
In a melodious high and low voice
The kite flute forever resounded beautifully like the sound of a musical instrument..
The moon shone all over the world
Sweet Hồng Hà, Đan Phượng, and Bá Giang
What a wonderful and beautiful childhood!
The kite brought poetry to me!
THE DRUM SOUND FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS RESOUNDING STILL
The sound of battle drums throughout history
After four thousand years, still retains its sacred soul
The S shape is always a united strip
Heroic women still loyally defend the country
Trưng Nữ flag on the riverbank in the past
Mê Linh land is still with their steps
Triệu Trinh Nương refused to accept her fate as a wife
Riding fierce waves to kill orcas to build a new regime
The nation’s history remains long forever
Bamboo shoots replaces old ones to continue their mission
Đặng Thùy Trâm didn’t balk in the fire of ammunition
In Quảng land, Mother Thứ's image is still imprinted.
Can’t count all the heroic women
Sacrificed to defend our sovereignty
In the fire of ammunition were their youth
Returned to earth with their pure souls.
Thousands of enemies poured over the border
Our fairies still marched along
Swept away the darkness they brought
When the enemies were defeated, our lullaby harmonized with our life!
Vietnamese Day of Poetry,
The 1st full moon of the lunar year,
24th February, 2024
THE SCENT AND COLOR OF MARCH
What do you hear in the scent of March?
When the scent merges with the wind
Red bombax ceiba flower petals are all over the sky
Pinky white clouds covering the grass nearby.
What do you hear in the scent of March?
Virgin white grapefruit petals and nostalgia
That scent permeates every breath
Missing you since a very long time ago
What do you hear in the scent of March?
Purple flowers from the bead trees fall and blend with the grass
My shoes unintentionally led to a small path
Touched my memories and I missed our past days and months.
Oh, the month of March burns forever inside me
I always recall our memories
Oh my love! You used to be in wartime
Now you return to the scent of March again!
Hà Nội, 26th, February, 2024,
A beautiful memory
(Translated into English by Tran Quynh Hoa)