Có một dạo làm thơ
Vẽ vời và hát, múa
Tưởng đời đẹp như mơ
Mộng tròn như ước muốn
Trái chưa chín thời xanh
Trách mình khờ vội cắn
Quả chin có loại chua
Giận đời sinh gì lắm!
Ngẫm lại nỗi phong trần
Chai lòng thơ ca hết
Thực tại cõi thế nhân
Tim lạnh lùng, mộng chết!
Tìm về hương phấn cũ
Lạ lùng ta hay ai?
Có thời xưa con gái
Đi qua một bước dài!
Lê Mai
The Old Times
There had been once I wrote rhymes,
Painted pictures, sang songs, & danced oftentimes.
I thought that life was as beautiful as dreams,
Imagination so whole like aspired beams.
The fruit being not ripe in its rawness unfit,
I blamed myself for being naïve to hurriedly bite it.
Even certain species though ripe but still sour,
I held it against life for creating so many sorts dour.
In pondering on the ups and downs,
My heart grew callous, liquidating poetic grounds.
Reality was a human world, dusty space,
Soul cold, all visions succumbed bad, base.
Now that I try to search back for my green grace,
How strange! It is myself or some else’s face?
Oh, I did have in the past a fine maiden existence;
However, that has strode over such a long distance.
Translation by Thanh-Thanh
