The Tale of Kiều
by Nguyễn Du
Ch. 12: A Bunch of Green Flies
Translated by Vuong Thanh 

Chapter 12: A Bunch of Green Flies

Agitated, she paced back and forth in the house
when the party attendees returned from the birthday feast.
Exchanges about health and such were barely started
when burst in a noisy bunch of bailiffs.
Some holding cudgels, others wielding long knives.
A mob of “buffalo-headed”, “horse-faced” fiends

rushing around like berserks.

They put cangues on the old man and his young son.

And tied the two together with a cruel rope.

Like a bunch of green flies buzzing all around the house,

they smashed the workbaskets and shattered the looms.

They sacked the household thoroughly clean

of jewelry, finery and personal things,

to fill up their pockets of greed.
From nowhere calamity had struck, but who had caused it all?

Who had set the snare and sprung the trap?
Upon inquiry, it was later learned
some rogue of a raw silk seller
brought a charge against Kieu’s father.
The whole household was taken aback with alarm.

Cries of innocence shook the earth,

the case’s injustice dimmed the clouds.

All day, they kneeled and begged for justice and mercy.

But deaf ears have no pity, and cruel hands only blows.

Father and son were hanged upside down on the beam.
Even rocks would have broke, much less men.

Their faces looked painful and frightened.
This wrong can only be appealed to the faraway heaven.

Today shows no strange behavior of those lawmen
to wreak dire havoc on families just for the sake of money.