“Tháng giêng ngon như một cặp môi gần;
Tôi sung sướng. Nhưng vội vàng một nửa:
Tôi không chờ nắng hạ mới hoài xuân.
Xuân đang tới, nghĩa là xuân đang qua,
Xuân còn non, nghĩa là xuân sẽ già,
Mà xuân hết, nghĩa là tôi cũng mất.
Lòng tôi rộng, nhưng lượng trời cứ chật,
Không cho dài thời trẻ của nhân gian,
Nói làm chi rằng xuân vẫn tuần hoàn,
Nếu đến nữa không phải rằng gặp lại!
Còn trời đất, nhưng chẳng còn tôi mãi,
Nên bâng khuâng tôi tiếc cả đất trời;
Mùi tháng, năm đều rớm vị chia phôi,
Khắp sông, núi vẫn than thầm tiễn biệt...
Cơn gió xinh thì thào trong lá biếc,
Phải chăng hờn vì nỗi phải bay đi?
Chim rộn ràng bỗng đứt tiếng reo thi,
Phải chăng sợ độ phai tàn sắp sửa?”
“ January is as delectable as a nearby pair of lips
Though I’m blissful, I’m halfly in haste
I don’t wait for Summer sun to reminisce the passed Spring
A coming spring means a passing spring
A flowering spring means an aging spring
Once spring ends, my time is also over
My soul is enormous but my fate is short
Never let my youth to prolong
Pointless to say spring is recurring
Despite never being able to meet the same spring again
The Life is here, but I’m not
The longing lingers as I grieve for all beings
The scent of months and days is steeped in partings
And the mountains and rivers echo a farewell song
The gentle breeze whispers with emerald leaves
Is she in sorrow that she has to go?
Jubilant birds just stop twittering,
Fearful of fading times ahead?”
P.S: this is the third version of my painting “Reality or Just a Dream”. And obviously it’s springtime instead of summertime as the previous ones. Actually, this is basically the first version I’ve drawn but as the theme of #kkobsummer2025 is summer and I don’t think sakura is a flower of that youthful season so here it is…
And the poem, I’m in love with it since I’ve learned it in high school, it was exceptionally beautifully written by one of my favorite authors (Xuan Dieu). It’s all about the enthusiasms for enjoying life at every seconds of your life. Though you adore the beauty of Life so much, you must be not in haste as to appreciate it to its fullness ‘cause, you only have one chance to live in that specific second. The next second, minute, hour, day, week, month, season, year may come but they’re never the same. We are all changing.
The concept of my painting “Reality or Just a Dream” is also inspired by those poems I’ve posted recently. Maybe in other posts I’ll discuss about it, because I want to dig into the poem in the first version of this painting too. Enjoy😗
And the English translation doesn’t fully capture all the beauties in the original work, and my English translation is also inspired by other works which I appreciate so much. 🥰