Newsgroups: soc.culture.vietnamese
Date:         Fri, 22 Jan 1993 02:59:07 PST
              USENET." <VIETNET@USCVM.BITNET>
From:         Lien Nguyen <lien@BERLIOZ.NSC.COM>
Subject:      [POEM] Tho+ TRA^`N TRUNG DDA.O

Ca'c ba.n tha^n me^'n,

       Te^'t la.i sa('p dde^'n, L. chu'c ta^'t ca? mo^.t na(m mo+'i
       an vui va` thi.nh vu+o+.ng va` xin ddu+`ng que^n ca'c em tho+
       thie^'u may ma('n cu?a chu'ng ta va^~n co`n ddang so^'ng la^y
       la^'t trong ca'c tra.i ty. na.n.

       Ti`nh co+` ddo.c ddu+o+.c thi ta^.p " mo+'i ra lo` ", DDo^?i
       Ca? Thie^n Thu  Tie^'ng Me. Cu+o+`i cu?a anh Tra^`n Trung
       DDa.o, L. xin tri'ch gu+~i ca'c ba.n ba`i tho+ " Em be' VN
       va` vie^n so?i " dde^~ go.i la` "mu+`ng tuo^?i". Ba?n tie^'ng Anh
       do Tu+o+`ng Ca't chuye^~n ngu+~.

       Nha^n dda^y, L. xin chuye^~n lo+`i ca?m ta. cu?a Ho^.i cu+'u
       tro+. ca'c em ty. na.n kho^ng cha me. dde^'n anh Tra^`n Trung
       DDa.o , ngu+o+`i dda~ ta(.ng 100 ta^.p tho+ dde^~ ga^y quy~ cho
       ca'c em.

                                                           L.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------


              A LITTLE VIETNAMESE GIRL AND A PEBBLE


                       - This round piece of candy is for Mom,
                         The square one saved for Dad,
                         The little one saved for sister,
                         A bigger one saved for brother,
                         And the largest candy ... is for me.

On the Palawan seashore,
there's a little girl
at the age of five or six
counting pebbles at the beach
and talking alone
talking to the loneliness.

- I have arrived from Vietnam.
Her sole and frequent answer.
Two simple words that many have forgotten.
Only these two words,
she held dear in her heart,
and pointing to the sea
where all questions are answered,

        Where's Mom?
        - She slept out the sea.

        Where's brother?
        - The waves swept him away.

        Where's sister?
        - I heard her scream at the boat top.

        Where's Dad?
        And she shook her head in reply.

        - There wasn't anyone left when I awoke.

The small boat rescued a few days back.
On it survived several.
And it was a miracle that an orphan girl
was still alive after six weeks.
Six weeks on the open sea.

Those survived recounted a journey of horror
when hunger killed Dad and Mom,
pirates kidnapped sister,
and the waves swept away her year-old brother.
And those who survived the six-week ordeal
cut their flesh to feed her the blood.
Drops of Vietnamese blood
miraculously
saved the orphan girl,
a Vietnamese girl.
The loving blood that flowed for four thousand years,
and will flow for a million years more.

        - This round piece of candy is for Mom,
          The square one saved for Dad,
          The little one saved for sister,
          A bigger one saved for brother,
          And the largest candy ... is for me.

A week goes by and still she sits,
mumbling to the loneliness,
gazing at the sea,
waiting for her Mom coming home from the market.
- How late,
and the little orphan girl went on mumbling
silly sentences,
those Mom used to scold.

The little orphan girl
tilted her head and there's no one to stroke her hair
for the sea has brought with it love and remembrance.
And tomorrow when one asks what the little orphan loves,
she'll reply
that she loves the sea.

Where Dad died without a funeral,
where sis's cries pierced the soul,
where nights fall and Mom's not back,
where brother lies with the thousand waves.

Little orphan girl,
Her life a pebble.
Cry once and the tears will forever flow.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



EM BE' VIE^.T NAM VA` VIE^N SO?I


                - Vie^n ke.o tro`n na^`y dde^? da`nh cho Me.
                  Vie^n ke.o vuo^ng na^`y dde^? la.i cho Ba
                  Vie^n ke.o nho? na^`y dde^? qua cho chi.#
                  Vie^n ke.o lo+'n na^`y dde^? la.i cho em
                  Co`n vie^n ke.o tha^.t to na^`y ...la` pha^`n Be' dda^'y

Be^n bo+` bie^?n Palawan
Co' mo^.t em be' ga'i
Tuo^?i mo+'i chu+`ng le^n sa'u le^n na(m
DDang ngo^`i dde^'m tu+`ng vie^n so?i nho?
Va` no'i chuye^.n mo^.t mi`nh
Nhu+ no'i vo+'i xa xa(m

- Em dde^'n tu+` Vie^.t Nam
Ca^u tra? lo+`i thu+o+`ng xuye^n va` duy nha^'t
Hai tie^'ng ra^'t ddo+n so+ ma` nhie^`u ngu+o+`i que^n ma^'t
Chi? hai tie^'ng na^`y tho^i
Em nho+' ky~ trong lo`ng
Em chi? ra ngoa`i DDo^ng Ha?i me^nh mo^ng
Cho ta^'t ca? nhu+~ng ca^u ho?i kha'c

Me. em dda^u ?
- Ngu? ngoa`i bie^?n ca?

Em cu?a em dda^u ?
- So'ng cuo^'n ddi ro^`i

Chi. cu?a em dda^u ?
- Nghe chi. the't tre^n mui

Ba em dda^u ?
Em la('c dda^`u kho^ng no'i

- Be' thu+'c da^.y thi` cha(?ng co`n ai nu+~a

Chie^'c ghe nho? vo+'t va`o dda^y ma^'y bu+~a
Tre^n ghe so't la.i chi? da(m ngu+o+`i
La. lu`ng thay mo^.t em be' mo^` co^i
DDa~ so^'ng so't sau sa'u tua^`n tre^n bie^?n

Ho. ke^? la.i em tu+` dda^u kho^ng bie^'t
Cha me. em dda~ che^'t ddo'i tre^n ta`u
Chi. cu?a em ha?i ta(.c ba('t ddi dda^u
So'ng cuo^'n ma^'t ngu+o+`i em trai mo^.t tuo^?i

Ke? so^'ng so't trong sa'u tua^`n tro^i no^~i
DDa~ ca('t thi.t mi`nh la^'y ma'u tha('m mo^i em
O^i nhu+~ng gio.t ma'u Vie^.t Nam
Linh die^.u vo^ cu`ng
Nuo^i so^'ng em
Mo^.t ngu+o+`i con ga'i Vie^.t

Mai em lo+'n du` phu+o+ng na`o ca'ch bie^.t
Nho+' ddu+`ng bao gio+` ddo^?i ma'u Vie^.t Nam
Ma'u thu+o+ng ye^u dda~ cha?y bo^'n nga`n na(m
Va` se~ cha?y cho muo^n ddo+`i co`n la.i

- Vie^n ke.o tro`n na^`y dde^? da`nh cho Me.
  Vie^n ke.o vuo^ng na^`y dde^? la.i cho Ba
  Vie^n ke.o nho? na^`y dde^? qua cho chi.
  Vie^n ke.o lo+'n na^`y dde^? la.i cho em
  Co`n vie^n ke.o tha^.t to na^`y...la` pha^`n Be' dda^'y

Suo^'t tua^`n nay em va^~n ngo^`i
Mo^.t mi`nh la^~m ba^?m
Ngo+ nga'c nhi`n ra phi'a bie^?n xa xo^i
Nhu+ thuo+? cho+` Me. ddi cho+. ve^`
- Tha^.t tre^~ la`m sao
Em tie^'p tu.c thi` tha^`m
Nhu+~ng ca^u no'i va^~n vo+
Me. nga`y xu+a va^~n thu+o+`ng hay tra'ch mo'c

Em cu'i dda^`u nhu+ng kho^ng ai vuo^'t to'c
Bie^?n nga^.m ngu`i mang thu+o+ng nho+' ra ddi
Mai na^`y ai ho?i Be' ye^u chi
Em se~ no'i la` em ye^u bie^?n

No+i cha che^'t kho^ng tie^'ng ke`n ddu+a tie^~n
No+i tie^'ng chi. re^n
Nghe buo^'t ca? thi.t da
No+i Me. cha(?ng ve^` du` dde^m to^'i ddi qua
No+i em trai o+? la.i
Vo+'i muo^n tru`ng so'ng vo^~

Be' tho+ o+i cuo^.c ddo+`i em  vie^n so?i
Kho'c mo^.t la^`n nu+o+'c ma('t cha?y thie^n thu

                                        Tho+ Tra^`n Trung DDa.o
                                        Chuye^~n ngu+~: Tu+o+`ng Ca't

P.S: Ca'c ba.n ddi cho+. Te^'t San Jose na(m nay, nho+' ghe' qua gian
ha`ng cu?a Ho^.i cu+'u tro+. ca'c em ty. na.n dde^~ nha^.n ba?n tin
thu+ mo+'i. Ca'c ba.n o+? xa co' the^? request ba?n tin thu+ gu+?i
dde^'n ta^.n nha` ta.i ddia. chi? sau dda^y. It's free of charge!

                     ARCWP
                     (Aid to Refugee Children W/o Parents, Inc.)
                     1239 Shadowfax Dr.
                     San Jose, CA. 95121
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