The Tale of Kiều
by Nguyễn Du
Ch. 8: Kiều's Love Pledge with Kim
Translated by Vuong Thanh 

Chapter 8: Kiều's Love Pledge with Kim

On arriving home, she heard the news:
Her parents still at the party and will not return for the night.
She let down her room’s door curtain,
then walked hurriedly through the night garden.

The moon, shining on the treetops, casted thick and thin shadows.

The oil lamp in Kim’s study room weakly flickered…

Resting against a table, Kim started to doze.
Half awake, half drunk with wine and love.
Her lotus footsteps echoed in his sleep.
The moonlight waned, the pear flower approaching near.
Still wistful for a mountain fairy’s love for a human king,
Kieu’s sudden arrival appeared to be in a loving dream.

Kiều said, “In the empty silence of the night,
‘cause of flower I have to dare a path to find flower. 
Now, we see each other, face-to-face, clearly.
Who knows if some tomorrow, it will not be just a dream?”
Kim was overjoyed, and with ceremony, he invited her in.
He put more oil in the lotus lamp, and burned some incense.

Then, they together composed the love vows onto paper.

With the silver knife, she cut and give him strands of her hair.

The moon was shining brightly in the sky.

They spoke their vows together as if of one mind.

Then they asked many little things in the other’s heart.

And promised for their entire life to love and be faithful to each other.

As they drank and talked into the night,

he became aroused by her fragrance and her mirror’s reflection.

Kim said,  “Gentle breeze in a clear moonlit night.

For a long time, there’s still in my heart a little unsatisfied.

I have not yet brought the jade pestle to the Blue Bridge.  *

I’m afraid it may sound improper, this  wish?”

She replied, “Like the stories of red marriage-binding threads,

a vow’s sufficient to bind us to each other.

Just don’t ask for anything indecent.

Other than that, I would not regret obliging you anything.”

* I have not yet brought the jade pestle to the Blue Bridge: means they’re not married. Refers to a story of Bùi Hàng in the Tang dynasty meeting a beautiful girl and her mother on the Blue Bridge. He wanted to marry her but her mother required him to bring the jade pestle from the fairy realm to make medicine as a bridal gift.