Vọng Tiền Nhân / Reminiscence About Historical Figures
Vương Thanh

Reminiscence About Historical Figures 

Some evening, I was reminiscing about people who lived years ago

The Exiled Angel who breathed thousands of intoxicating verses

The phoenix had flown away to fairyland

For ten thousands of years, the empty pavilion waits in remembrance… (1)

The scholar weaves wishes and dreams by the windowsill

Under the flowers, two hearts in love enter the poetry realm

Her dreamy, innocent bright eyes that belong to eons ago

A dream for a hundred years of being together 

in the moonlit cove of Poetry, Music, and Love.  (2)

Over the Long River, the fog stretches for miles 

By the quiet shore, the two friends said words of farewell

The clouds float in melancholy, like from a Tang poem

Waves of feelings of grief follow the footstep of the departee (3)

Life’s full of distresses and sorrows

Three hundred years from now, who will shed tears for me (4)

Reading a few lines of verses in the quiet night,

Feeling sad for the human plight

Talent and Fate, often at odds with each other,

make the life of a beauty

floats up-and-down with the ocean water. (5)

In a spirit of wild unrestraint, 

singing as wine cups being emptied

The vast, misty earth and sky, where should I be

The four sky horizons full of wild winds and stormy rains

Tapping on the sword and sing a song, 

Tilting a jug of wine and read some verses

How few understanding friends in one’s life 

Who’s a friend of the heart, please drink with me (6)

A man’s life promised to the spirit of adventure and high ideals

A full pocket of knowledge and skills to tame the world’s ills

One day when wishes and dreams are satisfied, 

then to a mountain abode with poetry and a jug of wine. (7)

The moon rises and brightens the night sky

There’s the “Beautiful Lady” examining herself in the mirror

The moon shining brightly on her house from afar

O Tố, Hoàng’s heart’s full of tearing pain being apart from you. (8)

The silkworms spin silk their whole lives

A poem of deep sorrow for the wife shedding tears

as she longs for her soldier husband.

Thousands of mulberry trees block their sights from each other.

Each day seems like three years for a lady

waiting alone in her chamber. (9)

The fish sauce boat of Nghệ An, rides back and forth on the river

The court’s poetry association just has that strong smell

Leg chains stumble a prince’s footsteps

A revolutionary scholar with crazy boastful arrogance 

leaving a chapter for posterity (10)

“Sunshine and rain are Heaven’s jobs” (11)

His poetry simple and elegant like folk verses

The scent of country grass fields familiarly sweet

Makes fragrant the six-eight verse,

and beautify the romance of gentle lovesickness 

A poet’s heart in a dreamland, or a dream harbor

Who ties the moon boat by the side of the Milky Way River

The night sky bright with the full moon

The Moon Goddess coming down to earth to have some fun (12)

The long river flows to the ocean

The soldiers of olden days, where are their burial graves

Grass by the riverside, the wind blows sad sighs

Seems like in the water waves, thousands of swords clashing

The camp fires, the war drums beating … 

The cries of soldiers in pain stretch for miles

In war, since eons ago, only a few escape unscathed

The river water of Bạch Đằng Giang flows quietly

But several times, blood had dyed the river red

History record glorious victories against the invaders 

Ten thousands of hearts like one, 

for the race of the Mountain Fairy and Dragon King. (13) 

The homeland suffers continous smoke and fires

I reminisce about the heroine who commit suicide in the Hát River

The sounds of Mê Linh drums live on in the people’s minds

Calling on the Patriotic Spirit in each person to fight against the enemies

Gloriously bright is the Spirit of our country

Incense in my heart set alight to worship the Trưng Heroines (14)

Here’s the mount Tản, and the river Đà (15)

Months and years passing by, with revelry in tea and wine

The mountain and river still echo his verse

River water flows away, away for so long, but have not yet returned

The peach blossom’s leaves falling on the mountain stream

The fairyland hidden in myst, where’s the road back to paradise?

Tầm Dương rivershore floats a sad, nostalgic melody

Years ago charming with a beautiful figure

Talent and Beauty are renowned near and far

Day and night, entertain parties with lute and song. 

Life flows by uncaringly 

A few mulberry-field-becoming sea events

and the passing of time 

have faded her youth and beauty

The lute music in the quiet night

expresses the sorrow in her heart. (16)

Suddenly, I hear the call of the mountain and river

The “Righteous Spirit Song” rises up to the high clouds

A golden heart not feeling ashamed with the bright moon

In a human life, who does not goes through Death once (17)

A small pool too small for a (giant fish/whale)

A gilded cage not fitting for the wings of an eagle soaring high

Need to make the worl know of my abilities

And leave a fragrant reputation to be recorded in the pages of History.

Translation by Vuong Thanh, 2019

Notes:

1. Phoenix Pavilion – Li Bai

2. Tête-à-tête Under Flowers - Đinh Hùng

3. Farewell Poem - Thâm Tâm

4.Nguyễn Du

5. The Tale of Thuy Kieu - Nguyễn Du

6. Hồ Trường - Nguyễn Bá Trác

7. Chí Nam Nhi - Nguyễn Công Trứ

8. The Twelfth of June - Vũ Hoàng Chương

9. Chinh Phụ Ngâm - Đặng Trần Côn / Đoàn Thị Điểm

10. Cao Bá Quát

11. Nguyễn Bính

12. Hàn Mặc Tử

13. Trần Hưng Đạo, Lý Thường Kiệt defeated the Chinese invaders at Bạch Đằng river in the Nguyên and Sung dynasties. 

14. The Trưng Sisters

15. Tản Đà

16. Tỳ Bà Hành - Bạch Cư Dị

17. "Nhân sinh tự cổ thùy vô tử ..." - Chính Khí Ca - Văn Thiên Tường