April Poem for My Homeland, Vietnam

April Poem for My Homeland, Vietnam

April has come round again

Bringing blooming flowers

And lush green across the land.

This morning, sunny blue sky

With soft patches of white clouds

To relax the wandering mind…

Somewhere amidst the tall fir trees,

Birds are tweeting to each other,

A music concert of harmony in nature

Providing a delightful aural feast

To lighten one’s heavy spirit.

Willow branches sway gently by the lake

Magnolia petals dreamy white and delicate

Cherry blossoms, a cheerful pink, greet the wind

A perfect day and setting for poetic dreams.

Enchanted Spring is here in April

The earth vibrantly alive with verdant growth

Nature smiles brightly with flowers

Scent of poetry in the air

Yet, my heart’s filled with sadness

This month, it was, many years ago,

From our beloved homeland, we fled.

Our homeland,

A land of peace-loving and enduring people,

A land of poets, of heroes and heroines,

A land rich with four thousand years of history

With a culture deeply rich in mythology and poetry,

But ravaged by wars, 

And the obsessive greed of our northern neighbor,

Who sought to rob us of our freedom and the fruits of our labor!

Vietnam, O Vietnam!

For centuries you had borne the chains of foreign domination

For centuries you have risen and fought against Chinese invasions

I can still hear

The echoes of Mê-Linh drums,

The calls to arms for men and women to fight for Freedom,

The thunderous stomp of white elephants, bearing women generals,

Chasing unwelcome invaders back to their borders.

I can still see

In the waves of Bạch-Đằng river

The fire and smoke of many battles;

The river a dark red with blood of Mongol invaders,

The Mongol hordes that conquered China,

Were severely beaten time after time

By the Vietnamese people

United in Fighting Spirit As One Man!

Vietnam, O Vietnam,

The land of elegant, modest, and brave women.

In peaceful time, she takes care of the family

During wartime, she’ll put on soldier clothes 

To fight the enemies.

Self-sacrificing is she, the Vietnamese mother

Always providing her children the best she can offer

Beautiful is the Vietnamese lady,

In her traditional ao-dai dress,

Showing her lovely figure in world fashion’s best.

Elegant and charming is the Vietnamese beauty

With voice sweet as music

and playful manners to heart-tease …

Vietnam, O Vietnam,

The land blessed with many beautiful sceneries.

In the North,

World-famous Ha Long bay and “Return Sword” lake,

Must-see sights for the world travelers to enjoy during their stay.

In the Central,

History becomes alive in a visit to the Hue palaces,

And from the boats on the Perfume River

With“opera-folk” singing carried by the wind,

Bring forth nostalgic memories and love for our fellow Vietnamese.

In the South,

The capital city Saigon bustles with vibrant life,

From early morning to past midnight,

With sidewalk food carts and small shops along the streets.

The lively sounds and sights of a city that never sleeps.

Nearby, the cities of NhaTrang and VungTau:

Destinations for the world’s most beautiful beaches…

VietNam and Vietnamese,

The land and language of poetry,

Where musical intonation is inherent in the language,

Where the phrase “beautiful like a poem” is fairly common,

Where almost anyone you meet on the street,

May have written a few love poems

Or can easily recite many lines of popular folk verses.

It’s often said that every Vietnamese has the heart of a poet.

VietNam, O VietNam,

Homeland of poets, of self-sacrificing ancestors.

Throughout history, you had fought off all foreign invasions.

But now,

Our lands are no longer protected through battles,

But either sold or leased for decades to our millennial-old northern aggressor.

Until when, 

Will the Vietnamese people stand up and be united

To help the Motherland survive on the world’s map,

To protect our mother tongue and cultural heritage, 

For the future generations of the Vietnamese race.

Vuong Thanh, 04.2013