Επιμέλεια: Εύα Πετροπούλου Λιανού
Translated to English by Khanh Phuong
His bio: Poet Nguyen Tung Linh was born in 1946 in Hai Phong, Vietnam.
Many of his poems have been published in newspapers since 1967. In addition, there were a lot of short stories and literary criticism in many publications.
He was Formal Deputy Head of the Thematic Literature Department; Head of the Workers’ Literature Committee; Chairman of the Workers’ Literary Branch of the Vietnam Writers’ Association.
Main published literary works:
Fragrance of the sea
The land is wide and the sky is blue
Waved door
Sea in Winter
Poetry by Nguyen Tung Linh
The son of the man who lights at the river mouth (children’s story collection)
Award
Award of Poetry Contest organized by Arts Newspaper 1982
His 5 poems:
Night at a park (Đêm công viên)
Rows of trees darkened at night
Wet leaves, a shower has just stopped
Sparkling fresh stars…
Night at the park. Lights in air-defense
Light shined on a gravel walkway
Rows of stone benches – the meeting place for couples who have just left the factory
Several flower beds quietly emitted fragrance.
It’s autumn now, the sky seemed higher
Clearly can hear the sound of wind moving in leaves
The sound of dew drops bent grasses
To turn on volunteer sounds – self-defense teams practiced at night
The sound of loudspeaker informed enemies near and far
The light was off, gunfires rung out all around
Each bullet was straight fiercely
The city at night searched for enemies.
The stone benches suddenly became pedestals
The Sao Vuong self-defense team prepared to fight
Delivering bullets, first aid, filling bomb craters
Having the couples who have just loved.
In suburbs, the sound of airplanes gradually stopped
Again, the lights of the air-defense lit the way
Stars were bluer in the eyes who returnede
And the floral scent… seemed sweeter and more fragrant.
The self-defense teams continued volunteer exercises
At high above, terminalia catappas fruits seemed bigger
The loudspeaker reported that the number of enemy aircraft that had been destroyed
And love words that someone just expressed to each other…
Flowers on a sandy beach
(Những bông hoa trên bờ biển cát)
I
There is only sand in here
Only sand, no tree can survive
What else to say fruits and flowers?
The sea recedes far away; sand deposits into the beach
The village recedes, the sound of waves gradually fades
The wind passing that does not know the green color
Bewildered, a sand crab raises his leg to measure the wind
The soil is new but the people are old
Therefore a coastal area turns desolate
II
From where do the girls return
Very young smiles bloom on the sand
The smiles awaken a thousand years of sleeping sand
Hands are splashed by the noon sun
Then the beach is divided into checkerboard fields
Drops of sea water burst into the comb-shape ditch
Also from the sand that opens pools and masonry works
Salts shrank in the wind and sunshine
The soil is new, people’s hearts meet the earth heart
The life never knows aging.
III
One morning the sun comes – surprisedly
Meeting fresh white flowers on the sand
Salt petals spread out from the seabed…
Night in Cat Ba (Đêm Cát Bà)
Night in Cat Ba,
Waves pat the shore restlessly
The moon is like a yellow boat surfing lightly
Softly as a lullaby amidst a starry sea
The high-floor aquatic house was bombed
There was one room that looking out to the sea
A hurricane lamp hung in front of the entrance step
Pointing a path down to the wharf…
The town was quiet
Undulating walls cracked under the moonlight
Deep bomb craters filled with weeds
Doorways were without people
Kitchens were without red fire
Paths were without footprints
In the middle of the ruined town
The moon carried innermost feelings back to evacuation sites
When under the wharf
Boats came back densely
Oars rowed busily phosphorescent lights
Sails left behind a sea of wind
Stars shined in fish eyes
Busy footsteps carried fish to the shore
To relive Cat Ba town
Full joy
In full decks
Suddenly forgot traces of bullets and bombs.
Cat Ba town remained intact
And at nights
The aquatic house
A lamp lighted
The pink heart beat in front of the East Sea.
An artist and Tam Bac river
(Người họa sĩ và sông Tam Bạc)
What will you paint?
When the feet suddenly stopped on the bank of Tam Bac River
The city –
Tall windows open in one direction
Yellow wet sunshine on mossy walls…
The curved river, gray stone embankments
Cables wear down anchor columns
Ship bows put on asphalt banks
Goods were hurriedly delivered to barges
Sailboats are filled with red bricks
Cements, irons and steels pile up inside decks
It is impossible to find intact an entire river surface
Because many dense ships and boats parked nearby
An enterprise building canoes next to the wood factory
The whole area, smoke mixed with sound
Suddenly his eyes are darkened
When encountering bomb craters that have not yet been filled
Mossy black, the color of stagnant water
Meeting the torn walls
Cutting messily the sky
But feel rest when catching a glimpse of the lime smell
Flying in the wind like a promise…
Oh, the vast picture of life
His page is so small
He found and placed the first stroke
Stretched strokes of porter’s shoulders
Higher above the river surface, boats parked densely
The river surface –
Looming shadows of walls, house floors are rising
As a background for the people in the sketch.
Town in spring (Thị trấn mùa xuân)
Leaving the sea far away
Meeting spring in the island
The green color of an old mountain
Children in the middle of changing season
Spreading drizzle
Gently wet hands
A bird sound is very sweet
Calling brightly tomorrow dawn
A ripe apple branch is shaken
Stretched skins of delicious fruits are yellow
Wind carries the scent of gleditsia fera
It’s aroma in all directions
Along the spring paths
Awkward mimosa pudica flowers
Sparkled pearl-rains
On old spider silks
Boats off shore after a night
Returning to the crowded wharf
The aquatic roofs
A bright pink color is flamed
After a lot of bullets and bombs
Still here the town
Fire stoves and houses on stilts
Smoke mixed with mist
Old streets have been leveled
The light smell of new mortars
Walking in that scent
Why so dizzy?
The heart has something to say
In front of the stretched sail
The soul is like a mountain tree
Rising up newly leaves…
