TâmThườngĐịnh (@PheBach): Điếu thi:Thủy Mộ Quan - Viên Linh | Funeral Oration: The Gate of the Ocean Grave By Viên Linh

Sunday, April 16, 2023

Điếu thi:Thủy Mộ Quan - Viên Linh | Funeral Oration: The Gate of the Ocean Grave By Viên Linh

Google image of "Vietnamese boat people"

Lời dẫn: Xin trân trọng giới thiệu một trong những bài thơ hay nhất khi nói về Thuyền nhân Việt Nam. Chúng tôi đã mạo muội nhờ giáo sư Nguyễn Văn Thái dịch ra tiếng Anh để con em chúng ta luôn nhé về nguồn cội của mình để biết và thương yêu nhau nhiều hơn. Chỉ có từ bi mới chiến thắng hận thù.

Điếu thi: Thủy Mộ Quan - Viên Linh

(để tưởng nhớ những oan hồn uổng tử trên Biển Đông)

Trên Huyết Hải thuyền trôi về một chiếc

Chiều bầm đen trời rực rỡ đau thương

Thân chìm xuống băng tuyền giờ tận biệt

Sóng bạc đầu hối hả phủ trùng dương

Thấp thoáng trần gian

Mịt mù bóng đảo

Trôi về tây về bắc về đông

Trôi về đâu bốn bề thủy thảo

Về đâu kiếp đắm với thân trầm.

Hồn ơi dương thế xa dần

Hồn đi thôi nhé thủy âm là nhà

Hồn về trong cõi hà sa

Sống không trọn kiếp chết là hồi sinh.

Xong rồi một cỗi u minh

Ngựa Hồ chim Việt biến hình mà đi.

Hồn vẫn ở la đà Ðông Hải

Hồn còn trôi mê mải ngoài khơi

Hồn còn tầm tã mưa rơi

Tháng Tư máu chảy một trời sương tan.

Thân chìm đắm cõi điêu tàn nước cũ

Những lâu đài thành quách những vàng son

Những tân thư kỳ mặc những linh đường

Những rực rỡ của một thời dựng nước

Bao mắt mở bao tóc sầu dựng ngược

Bao tay cùm bao ngực vỡ hôm qua

Trong rêu xanh ngần ngật bóng sơn hà

Lướt hải phận về dưới trời cố quốc.

Nhắm hướng hôi tanh

Chia bày trận mạc

Hồn binh tàn hỗn chiến Thủy Mộ Quan.

Ðêm rơi thời hết vận tàn

Ô y cầu nhỏ người sang Lạc Hà (1)

Thác rồi thân hóa phù sa

Mon men trở lại quê nhà mỗi đêm.

Về đâu đêm tối

Hương lửa lung linh

Những ai còn bóng

Những ai mất hình

Những ai vào kiếp phù sinh

Hóa thân hồ hải làm binh giặc trời

Khi nào hết quỉ ngoài khơi

Ta vào lục địa ta hồi cố hương.

Cùng nhau ta dựng lại nguồn

Chẻ tre đẵn gỗ vạch mương xây đình.

Ông Nghè về lại trong dinh

Tướng quân giữ ải thư sinh dưới đèn.

Từ Thức lại trở về tiên

Sĩ phu giảng huấn người hiền bình văn

Nương dâu trả lại con tằm

Ruộng xanh trả bác nông dân cần cù.

Ngựa ông trả lại thằng cu

Nhà chung trả Chúa chùa tu trả Thày

Quạt mo tao trả lại mày

Các cô yếm thắm trả bày trai tơ.

Việt Nam dựng lại sơn hà

Móng rồng năn [năm] lượt Quê Nhà phục hưng.

Ðã tỉnh sầu u thương tiếc hết

Bình minh lên nghe, hoàng hôn biết

Chim lạnh về Nam sông núi ta

Không nói không cười chân trở bước.

Nỏ thần thủa trước

Gươm bén hồ xưa

Tràn lên như nước vỡ bờ

Lạc Long lại đón Âu Cơ về thuyền.

Các con từ dưới biển lên

Từ trên núi xuống hai miền gặp nhau.

Năm nghìn năm lại bắt đầu

Chim nào tha đá người đâu vá trời (2)

Chúng ta rời bỏ xứ người

Loài chim trốn tuyết qui hồi cố hương.

_____________________________________

1. Lạc Hà hay Nại Hà, là nếu ai qua cầu đó là đi vào thế giới bên kia. “Bia đề rằng Nại Hà Kiều, Kẻ nào có phước quỉ đều dắt qua.” (Nguyễn Ðình Chiểu, Dương Từ Hà Mậu).

2. Kiếp trước của chim Tinh Vệ là công chúa con gái vua Viêm Ðế, đi chơi ngoài biển chẳng may chết đuối, nàng tức giận biến thành con chim tha đá, quyết lấp cho đầy biển, đặng không còn ai chết đuối nữa. Nàng Nữ Oa là em gái vua Phục Hy, thấy trời có những khoảng trống, nàng nghĩ rằng vòm trời bị thủng, bị vỡ, nên tha đá ngũ sắc lên vá trời, đặng vòm trời sẽ liền lại. Xin khỏi chú thích các huyền thoại khác như Từ Thức, Thằng Bờm và cái quạt mo, hay Ông Nghè, Sĩ phu. (Chú thích của V.L.)

_________________________________

Funeral Oration: The Gate of the Ocean Grave

By Viên Linh

(To remember those lost souls in the Eastern Sea)

On the ocean of blood floating is a boat

The evening bruised black, the heavens flaring with angst

The body at expiration is sinking into darkness

With foaming waves hurriedly the ocean was covered

Looming indistinctly somewhere on earth

a dusky shadow of an island

floating to the West, to the North, then the East

Floating where ? Everywhere is covered with sea tangle

To the whereabouts where karmas descend and corpses sink

Oh, soul! The earth moves farther and farther away

Depart and take the fathomless ocean grave as home

The soul is returning to the state of multiple lives

Death is reincarnation from karma uncompleted

It’s over, nothing left but a tenebrous abode

The Ho horse, the Viet bird have transfigured into evanescencea

The soul is still hovering over the Eastern Sea

mesmerizingly wafting offshore

pounded on by torrential rain

April bleeds, discoloring the misty skies

The body is descending onto the ruins of the former land

adorned with the castles, fortresses of the golden times

and sophisticated, novel literary works; and sacred altars

in the glories of the nation building period

Many eyes open, zillions of sorrowful hairs stand on end

So many hands handcuffed, so many breasts impaled yesterday

Amidst the green moss appears bleary Motherland

They glide over the territorial waters to return under the sky of the country of old

Moving towards a putrid direction

for battleground positioning

The souls of the remaining defeated army were scuffling at the Gate of the Ocean Grave.

Night falls, time stops, destiny ends

Burdened with a besmirched existenceb, they made their way across Lạc Hà1

Their souls fading into the multiple worldsc after death

faltering back to their homeland every night.

Where to in the dark night

Amidst the quivering incense sticks

Those who still have a shadow

Those who have lost their appearance.

Those who entered this ephemerous life

and transformed into drifters to join the heavenly host

Whenever demons no longer reside offshore

Let’s go to the mainland and return to our country of yore.

Together we restore our life’s root:

Splitting bamboos, cutting wood, digging ditches, and building our community house.

The Laureate back to his station

The General to the frontier, the student to his study

Từ Thức back to his fairies

The scholars back to teaching, the literati to literary critique

The mulberry farms to the silkworms

The green rice fields to the industrious peasant

The magistrate’s horse back to the buffalo boy

The cloister to God, the pagoda to the bonze

The areca spathe fan I give back to thee

The lovely girls to the pretty boys.

Việt Nam is reinstating its nation

Five times kings restored Motherland

The blue devils disappear, starts the mourning dove call

Dawn listens to and Dusk knows about

the cold bird moving South, our native land

Not a single word nor laughter, steps are staken to return

to the magic crossbow of the yesteryears

the sharp sword from the lake

Rushing with the fury of a swollen river

Lạc Long welcomes Âu Cơ back to the boat

Children rising from the sea and those

Descending from the mountains to meet one another.

Five thousand years start again

Which bird carries stones, who patches the sky2

We are leaving the foreign soil

Like birds shunning snow to return to their homeland.

Translated by Nguyễn văn Thái

______________________________

NOTES BY AUTHOR

1Lạc Hà or Nại Hà is a bridge that leads to the Netherworld. ““Bia đề rằng Nại Hà Kiều, Kẻ nào có phước quỉ đều dắt qua.” [inscriptions on the stele say whoever lucky enough to cross Nại Kiều Bridge will be lead by the demons] By Nguyễn Đình Chiểu in Dương Từ Hà Mậu.

2The previous karma of the Tinh Vệ Bird was a princess, daughter of King Viêm Đế, who happened to drown while on a promenade by the sea. She was angry and reincarnated in a bird carying stones to fill up the sea so nobody would drown again. Lady Nữ Oa, sister of King Phục Hy, saw empty spaces in the firmament and thought the celestial dome was perforated and decided to carry five-colored stones to patch the sphere. Excuses for not providing notes on myths about Từ Thức, Bờm and the areca spathe fan, Ông Nghè, Sĩ phu (remarks by viên Linh)

NOTES BY TRANSLATOR

a“Ngựa Hồ, chim Việt biến hình mà đi” [The Ho horse, the Viet bird have transformed into evanescence] has its origin in the verse from “Cổ thi thập cửu thủ” (Nineteen famous ancient poems): “Hồ mã tê Bắc phong, Việt điểu sào Nam chi” [胡馬依北風，越鳥巢南枝: The Ho horse neighs at the Northern wind, the Viet bird nests in the South], implying lovers are missing each other. In Viên Linh’s verse, “Ngựa Hồ, chim Việt biến hình mà đi” [The Ho horse, the Viet bird have transformed into evanescence] means at death, love no longer exists; only impermanence.

b “ô y” (translated as burdened with a besmirched existence). In Buddhist conceptualization, “ô y” means “unpure conditions of existence”. “Ô”=dirty, besmirched; “y”= basic foundation of life. It is unlikely that the author refers to the anecdote of the “ô y” area in Jiang Ning (Nanjing today) where rich people of reputation all wore black clothes.

c “multiple worlds” is the translation of the analogy “hà sa” that comes from “Hằng hà sa số”: Hằng hà=the Ganges River; Sa số= number of grains of sand. Buddhism conceives of existence as composed of an infinite number of worlds that can be compared to the number grains of sand on the Ganges basin.

TâmThườngĐịnh (@PheBach)

Sunday, April 16, 2023

Điếu thi:Thủy Mộ Quan - Viên Linh | Funeral Oration: The Gate of the Ocean Grave By Viên Linh

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