the prison diary
ho chi minh
1.
People who come out of prison
can build up the country/
Misfortune is a test of people’s fidelity/
Those who protest at injustice are people of true merit/
When the prison doors are opened, the real dragon will fly out.
can build up the country/
Misfortune is a test of people’s fidelity/
Those who protest at injustice are people of true merit/
When the prison doors are opened, the real dragon will fly out.
Upheaval in Vietnam
Death, rather than servitude,
a revolt has broken out, In Vietnam flags of insurrection fly,
I feel so sad – I could cry.
I wish I were free and could take part in enemy’s rout.
Death, rather than servitude,
a revolt has broken out, In Vietnam flags of insurrection fly,
I feel so sad – I could cry.
I wish I were free and could take part in enemy’s rout.
Visiting the Husband in Prison
The bars separate them:
the husband stands here,
On the other side the wife stays, over there.
So close, yet so far apart, is the pair.
A deep gorge between them lies
The message that their lips try to impart
Is expressed by their eyes. Before a word is spoken, tears start
Seeing their distress my heart cries.
The bars separate them:
the husband stands here,
On the other side the wife stays, over there.
So close, yet so far apart, is the pair.
A deep gorge between them lies
The message that their lips try to impart
Is expressed by their eyes. Before a word is spoken, tears start
Seeing their distress my heart cries.
Good Days Coming
The wheel of the law turns without pause.
After the rain, good weather.
In the wink of an eye the universe throws off its muddy clothes.
For ten thousand miles the land
spreads out like a beautiful brocade. Light breezes. Smiling flowers.
High in the trees, among the sparkling leaves
all the birds sing at once. People and animals rise-up reborn.
What could be more natural? After sorrow, comes joy.
The wheel of the law turns without pause.
After the rain, good weather.
In the wink of an eye the universe throws off its muddy clothes.
For ten thousand miles the land
spreads out like a beautiful brocade. Light breezes. Smiling flowers.
High in the trees, among the sparkling leaves
all the birds sing at once. People and animals rise-up reborn.
What could be more natural? After sorrow, comes joy.
NOTHING IS MORE PRECIOUS THAN FREEDOM
In the assault you command a hundred squads
Night returns, you sit
mending fighters’ clothes.
Woman general of the South descended from Trac and Nhi
You’ve shaken the brass and steel of the White House
Nguyen Thi Dinh
The men of old times like to write
About nature.
Rivers. Mountains. Mist. Snow.
Flowers. Moon. Wind.
We must arm the poetry of our days with steel.
And our poets
must learn to fight battles.
Ho Chi Minh
In the assault you command a hundred squads
Night returns, you sit
mending fighters’ clothes.
Woman general of the South descended from Trac and Nhi
You’ve shaken the brass and steel of the White House
Nguyen Thi Dinh
The men of old times like to write
About nature.
Rivers. Mountains. Mist. Snow.
Flowers. Moon. Wind.
We must arm the poetry of our days with steel.
And our poets
must learn to fight battles.
Ho Chi Minh
