The Tale of Kieu by Nguyễn Du

Genius and Destiny

Original Poem: The Tale of Kieu, lines 1 - 38

Author: Nguyễn Du

Translated by VuongThanh

(Taken from book: "A Garden of Vietnamese Lyrics & Verse, Volume 1")

Within a hundred-year lifespan in this earthly world

Genius and Destiny have a tendency to oppose each other

A turbulent mulberry-field-covered-by-sea period had passed

The things that we saw still deeply pain our hearts

‘Tis not strange that beauty may beget misery

The jealous gods tend to heap spites on rosy-cheeked beauties

Turning a scented page of an old tome under an oil lamp

History books still record the bygone sagas of Love and Romance

It was during the Gia-Tinh’s rule of the Ming dynasty

The two capitals are stable; peace reigns in the country.

There was a respectable towsnman of the Vuong family,

Of modest wealth, he belongs to the middle class in society.

He has a son, the youngest, named Vuong Quan,

who will carry on the family line of Confucian scholars.

The first-borns were two beautiful daughters

Thúy-Kiều the eldest, Thúy Vân the younger

Apricot slender in frame, snow pure in spirit

Each to her own charms, but both girls are perfect.

Vân’s beauty’s very remarkable

Her eyebrows – full crescent arcs, her moonlit face – oval

Jades tingles in her voice; flowers bloom from her smile

Her speech: educated, chaste and refined

Clouds yield to her hair’s lustrous shine and flow

Snow cedes to the silken whiteness of her skin’s glow

Kiều, the eldest, is especially witty and charming

Her talents and beauty even surpass her sibling

Her eyes: soul-deep liquid pools of autumn lake water

Her eyebrows: silhouettes of mount’n crests in spring

Flowers envy her captivating looks

Willows grieve at her youthful freshness

One smile can rock a fortress, two smiles: a nation

Other girls may have comparable talents,

But none can compare to her beauty’s perfection.

Endowed with God-gifted intelligence

Music, painting, poetry, singing are her accomplishments

Well versed in music theory and the art of the moon lute

She composed a long music piece

about the life of an ill-fated beauty

that would move the hearts of her listeners to pity.

Innately elegant and multi-talented are the two sisters

Even though they’re approaching the age of marriage,

they stay at home quietly behind closed curtains and drapes,

not heeding the comings and goings

of the bees and butterflies

from the eastern wall nearby.

 _____________________________________________________

Kim Trọng's First Appearance

Original Poem: Truyện Kiều, lines: 133-170

Author: Nguyễn Du

Translated by VuongThanh

While half-wanting to stay, half-wanting to leave,

A sweet melody from somewhere approaches near

Seems to be a young scholar riding on a horse,

at a leisurely pace with hand loosened on the reins.

Half a pocket of dreamer’s moon and poet’s wind

With a couple of pageboys following him

His coat has a light scent of fresh grass

its hue is that of the blue sky

His horse is the color of snow-white

From afar, he had seen their faces

He dismounted and walks towards them.

As the scholar’s shoes move over the grass meadow,

The whole area seems to be jade branches with gems’ glow.

Quan knows him and comes forward to greet

The two Kieu, from maidenly shyness, take shelter behind the flowers

Actually, he’s not really a stranger

He’s Kim Trong, a descendant of a noble line

His family’s wealthy, his genius well-recognized

Famed for his literary skill, endowed with God-given intelligence

He’s blessedly gifted and extraordinarily handsome

When at home, he’s kind and courteous

When going out, he’s winsome and generous.

 

In fact, he lives in the same vicinity

and was a schoolmate of Vuong Quan

Having long heard that his neighbor

has two beautiful daughters,

like the two Kieu of olden times,

locked up in the Đồng Tước tower.

Only a few houses apart, but mountains and rivers lie in between

For quite some time, his heart’s filled with Love and Dreams

A fortunate day to finally meet these angels

His heart’s satisfied to see the heavenly fragrant flowers

From afar, he had seen their figures

Spring orchid and autumn daisy,

Both are heart-captivating beauties.

A meeting between a national beauty and a genius

Inwardly, they have fallen in love with each other,

But outwardly, still showing shyness and reserve

His mind hazy as if half-awake, half in a dream

Staying long not suitable, but leaving so difficult

The evening light seems to hasten the parting’s sadness

The scholar already on the horse and moving away,

The beauty’s still gazing for a long while afterward

Under the bridge, the streamlet’s crystal clear water flows

By the bridge, the willow branches sway gracefully

in the evening shadows…

________________________________________________________

Kim Trọng's Lovesick

Original Poem: Truyện Kiều, lines: 133-170

Author: Nguyễn Du

Translated by VuongThanh

(Taken from book: "A Garden of Vietnamese Lyrics & Verse, Volume 1") 

It’s well known that for those who are romantics,

Who can unravel the threads of love in their hearts?

Since he returned home from the chance meeting

She’s constantly in his thoughts and his feelings

His lovesickness grows and grows

Each day seems drearily slow,

Like three years compressed into a day.

Heavy drapes shroud her window like a wall of clouds

Each night, he dreams of a glimpse of her at her house

A month has already passed by

He longs to see her face,

yet nervous how to ask her for a date

His room feels cold like copper

Ink brush tips dried, lute strings out of tune

A light wind blows through the blinds, creating a nostalgic melody

Fragrance induces longing, tea induces her sweet voice

If it’s not predestined love for three lives,

Why such fortress-shaking beauty to tease one’s heart?