Hello, the new day

That’s the moment when the earth and sky bring us vitality

Overcoming failure, sadness, and joy

To bring peace and faith to the soul at night

Nguyen Dac Lap, a seasoned poet from Vietnam, the Land of Blue Dragon, shares his poetry

Nguyen Dac Lap, hailing from Tan Uoc, Thanh Oai, Hanoi, lives in Ha Dong District, Hanoi city of Vietnam. He is member of Vietnam Writers’ Association and Hanoi Writers’ Association. His published literature works include: Strange land (1995); Premonition (2000); Desert flower (2004); City (2008); Standing cloud (2011) and The Voice of Time (2018). He also won three Literary Awards including a Medal for the cause of Vietnamese literature and art.

Gate to Khuc Thuy village – Photo: Wikipedia

Hello a new day

That’s when

The vitality of heaven and earth begins

 That’s when

The flowers and grasses are still fresh in the night dew

 That’s when the calm river is not stirred

By noise or garbage

 That’s when

The sky is blue, the clouds float before the sun burns

 Hello, the new day

That’s the moment when the earth and sky bring us vitality

Overcoming failure, sadness, and joy

To bring peace and faith to the soul at night

Hello, the new day

That’s the time to practice

For old men to retain themselves in the past

Glory and misfortune

Girls and boys

To hold onto love and desire

 In the heart

Across the road

Life is the sum of dawns

***

There exists another life

It is the life of morning light

The life of young buds…

The winds

 Of white-capped waves tossing the sea…

There exists another life

In every human being…

***

Stars

Will the stars in the sky ever meet

Millions of light years apart

Just blinking their own lights

Alone in the infinite universe…

***

The leaves of terminalia catappa

Never have I seen terminalia catappa leaves so red

Red as if bleeding

Before returning to the soil

Leaving behind buds

Like hands reaching straight up to the sky

Tomorrow

It will be a blue sky for children to play…

***

Ngoc Son Temple

The flute player at the gate of Ngoc Son Temple

Eyes absent, yet there’s a singing

With a heart pulsing with life

For those blessed with sight

Why not sing their own song?”

***

Tam Dao mountain range – Wikipedia

The man playing an instrument on Tam Dao peak

I don’t know since when

On Tam Dao peak

Where clouds cover year-round

 There stands a statue of two people playing the instrument and singing

Time passes

Lightning bursts across the sky

Rain in the forest, wind in the mountains

 They still sit, playing the instrument and singing

 Despite indifferent ways of life

Despite people’s selfishness

Despite explosions and bombs

They sit leisurely, playing the instrument and singing

 For years, the passionate violin song has soared

With the clouds here

I am lost in this legendary land of clouds

Hands lifting the clouds to rediscover myself

 I look at them

Hair and beard turned gray

Eyes absorbed in the music

Feet still tapping to the beat

…Yellow light of time upon their shoulders

 Beneath their feet

Green grasses grow…

____________  

Published under International Cooperation with "Sindh Courier"