Επιμέλεια: Εύα Πετροπούλου Λιανού
DO THI MINH THUY was born in 1972 in Nội Thượng, An Viên, Tiên Lữ, Hưng Yên. She used to be a Literature teacher at An Viên Secondary School, Trung Nghĩa Secondary School, and An Tảo Secondary School, and a specialist at the Department of Education and Training in Hưng Yên City. She currently lives in Hưng Yên City.
SELF-SINGING
The wind carries away the timeless song
of the garden’s leaves and trees,
the gentle melody of the cricket,
awakening the green buds.
A proud shooting star glides across the sky,
as if promising a mysterious offering.
Sleep now, dear,
So that when dawn knocks at your door,
Your eyes will hold the joy of summer kites,
yearning to reach the azure heights.
6/1997
MUSIC IN THE NIGHT
Chords resonate in the gentle night,
Verses softly land on the keys,
Your small home expands into vastness.
When you leave, the music fades,
Leaving a serene sky beyond the window.
A star, in its longing, broods through the long night,
Carving love’s glow onto the windowpane,
Longing drifts into dreams,
Notes soar higher and higher,
Transforming into a star of hopeful blue.
8/1997
WAITING FOR YOU TO RETURN
Alone in my small room,
The sun has long gone to sleep,
That lone star,
Shedding tears into the deep night.
Where are you?
Alone in the empty room,
I hear footsteps on the porch, I startle awake—
A leaf just fell!
I’m waiting for you, my love!
The rain taps its sorrow on the roof tiles,
You return, flickering in my dreams,
Kissing my tear-soaked lashes.
9/4/1998
Translated to English by HFT
