Vietnamese Song Lyrics Thomas D. Le
To Vietnamese poetry
To French poetry
To English and American poetry
In ancient Greece, the lyre and its larger counterpart, the kithara, with five to seven strings, were played in accompaniment of the singing or reciting of epic poems. Durng festivities in honor of the god of wine, Dionysos, tragedies and satyr plays chosen in a competition were performed in which the chorus sang dithyrambs (choral odes) to a double-pipe reed instrument known as the aulos. Thus, poetry and music were intimately involved in communal events in Greece over two thousand years ago. Over time, with both genres developing and evolving into more complex systems of their own, they took separate paths.
Today though poems are at times set to music, song lyrics are generally not considered poetry unless the lyrics are the works of poets. Nevertheless some lyrics written by songwriters themselves express such depths of feelings and exalted passions in memorable and imaginative language that they deserve a place among poems. Such lyrics exist in the rich repertoire of modern Vietnamese songs, and need to be showcased as creative works that straddle the world of music and that of poetry.
Ngô Thụy Miên - A Eulogy
Did You Hear Autumn?
Thomas D. Le
For almost three decades I had not given enough attention to Vietnamese music of the war years for its generally languorous, melancholic and maudlin sentimentality. There was to me a certain depressing quality to period music that I would rather not endure, preferring the generally more upbeat Western classical music.
I did not realize how much I had missed of the beauty and romance that was encapsulated in so much of the music of pre-war years and of the tragic period of modern Vietnamese history.
The fall season has always captured my imagination, from my youthful days in Saigon, and more profoundly from my graduate school days in the Midwest, so much so that about a year and half ago, and rather belatedly, I decided to gather into one article a reasonable number of poems dealing with the season that I could find in French, English, American, and Vietnamese literatures. This compendium of autumn poems glorifies the beauty of nature just before the winter cold imposes its dominion at the same time it elicits melancholy among sensitive souls.
The principal reason I included Ngo Thuy Mien's song resides in the beauty of its lyrics, which to me pass all the tests of poetry. This is not to say that the music is indifferent. In fact the melody is so romantic and soul-satisfying that I kept playing it over and over, even though the instrumental arrangement of my version left something to be desired. It had totally missed bringing out the richness of the tune, and the romance, the esthetics, and the lyrical character of the words.
The reason why I had not included more Vietnamese works in my article was my own impoverished knowledge of Vietnamese literature in general, and the paucity of Vietnamese literary works in my possession in particular.
At the time of the song's inclusion, I had no idea of its author's name or its title, but it so inspired me that I thought it would have been a mistake not to present it to the reading public.
All I had to get started was the song sung by a female singer. I had to play it repeatedly in order to transcribe the words. And the words I was able to write down led me to believe that they were addressed by a woman to her lover. Throughout the work I saw the word "anh" as the recipient of the tender feelings, and lovely heart of this woman in love. I assume, given my ignorance and the meager evidence I had, that I was dealing with the voice of a young woman speaking to her man. To me it was only natural for a woman in love to spill her heart and feelings out at a highly inspiring time such as autumn.
It was pointed out to me that the original version of the song uses the pronoun "em" instead of "anh," making the speaker a man. But it was a stroke of genius about the marvelous nature of the lyrics that either interpretation was equally appropriate, equally enchanting, and equally beautiful.
I hope by saying this that I did not offend the more sensitive members of the audience about giving voice to a woman where love is involved. In a culture that constrains female amorous expression such as ours it might be anathema to even think of a woman openly declaring her love in the same way as a man is accustomed and encouraged to do. Logically, though, I see no reason why a female heart should be any more or less free to express itself than a male one is. If we are for equality, men and women both should be allowed the same cultural right of expression. Viewed in this light my "wrong" interpretation of the original version is defensible. And I hope Ngo Thuy Mien as well as others agrees with me on this score.
I love the song's lyrics for its highly poetic imagery and lyrical quality.
Whether you are a man or a woman, I want to lead you into the world that Ngo Thuy Mien has conjured up for us. Ladies, follow me, and you too, gentlemen, follow me, out of your present world.
Close your eyes and picture yourself in a wood, where the light drizzle of fall weaves its strands of tiny droplets across the landscape, where leaves are drifting every which way carried by the whims of a refreshing breeze. Can you see that in your mind's eye? With your eyes still closed, listen now to the courtship song of a deer hidden somewhere among the trees. If you have difficulty with the deer's song, substitute your own love song.
And listen to the solitude that envelops the scene. Do you sense utter serenity amid loving nature? Breathe in deeply. Do you feel a sense of peace from the fresh pure air? Do you feel the caring hand of autumnal nature surrounding you in its protective shield, as if to safeguard you from harm while you are communing with yourself, with your lover, and with nature itself?
Now let go of yourself, and free up your soul from care. Turn your attention to your own heart. Listen carefully to the stirrings of your heart, its strings vibrating to the gentle and tender touch of the breeze caressing your face, teasing your hair, and causing your lips to tremble with the intense feelings welling up from inside. Imagine now that your lover is there by your side. Keep your eyes closed still. With your lover by your side, grasp him or her in your arms, and very very gently place a tender kiss on his or her lips. Sing into his or her ear a lullaby, softly, softly… Tomorrow, my friends, the rain will lash the sheer hillsides, and you and your lover will plunge into a deep, voluptuous love in each other's embrace. Savor every minute of these enchanted moments for soon they will be just a memory, but one that will last you a lifetime.
Prolong the ecstasy a little more, and grasp the divine feelings that you and your lover share in this wondrous world. It is not a fantasy, not a phantasmagoric vision with the fleeting life of a shooting star, but a real experience. An experience that you will cherish for the rest of your life. For where else but in the world of autumn can you find such exquisite feelings, such strong yet tender emotions, and such blissful moments as only this season can bring you?
Now open your eyes. If they got misty, don't be embarrassed for, my friends, you have just experienced the magic world of love that Ngo Thuy Mien has given you, without asking for anything in return.
If you look in your heart and see it filled with love, and sob because your heart begins to ache from love, tell Ngo Thuy Mien how much his creation has changed your life. For I believe love changes your life. Read his song below, or sing the song if you know the tune, and find out for yourself what I mean. 20 February 2003
(Nhạc Sĩ Ngô Thụy Miên - Ca Sĩ Xuân Sơn)
Mùa Thu Cho Em
Anh có nghe mùa thu mưa giăng lá đỗ,
Anh có nghe nai vàng hát khúc yêu đương.
Và anh có nghe khi mùa thu tới,
Mang ái ân, mang tình yêu tới.
Anh có nghe, nghe hồn thu nói,
Mình yêu nhau nhé.
Anh có hay mùa thu mưa bay gió nhẹ
Anh có hay thu về hết dấu cô liêu.
Và anh có hay khi mùa thu tới,
Bao trái tim vương màu xanh mới.
Anh có hay, hay mùa thu tới,
Hồn em ngất ngây.
Nắng úa dệt mi em và mây xanh thay tóc rối.
Nhạt môi môi em thơm nồng.
Tình yêu vương vương má hồng
Sẽ hát bài cho anh và ru anh yên giấc tối.
Ngày mai khi mưa ngang lưng đồi.
Cho anh anh nghe mùa thu chơi.
Anh có mơ mùa thu cho ai nức nở
Anh có mơ mơ mùa mát ướt hoen mi.
Và anh có mơ khi mùa thu tới,
Hai chúng ta sẽ cùng chung lối.
Anh có mơ, mơ mùa thu ấy
Tình ta ngát hương.
Chanson d'automne
Entends-tu, m'amour, les pluies et les feuilles d'automne,
Les chevreuils dorés chanter leurs chants d'amour?
Et l'automne arrivé très doucement nous donne
Des sentiments tendres et doux qui remplissent nos coeurs
De passion amoureuse, nous murmure à l'oreille
Des voeux d'amour mutuel sans fin ni pareil.
Sais-tu, m'amour, les pluies et les brises d'automne,
Qui descendent silencieusement en solitude?
Quand l'automne à pas lents et indécis nous donne
Des espoirs nouveaux et dépourvus d'inquiétude.
La fraîcheur automnale et la fin de l'été
Remplissent mon âme et mon coeur de volupté.
Le soleil couchant se repose sur mes yeux,
Les nuages bleus se sont logés dans mes cheveux.
Et mes lèvres pâles pleines de chaleur odorante
Rougissent ma face d'amour de couleur charmante.
Je te chanterai une berceuse douce, mon chéri,
Pour te donner un sommeil bien profond et beau.
Demain la pluie battra fort les flancs des coteaux,
Et nous célébrerons l'automne à notre envi.
Rêves-tu, mon amour, des sanglots mornes d'automne,
Qui font couler des larmes de mes yeux humides?
Rêves-tu des pas d'automne furtivement marchant
Qui remplissent nos coeurs de volupté charmante?
Song of Autumn
Did you hear, sweetheart, autumn rains and leaves,
The golden deer that sing their courtship song,
And autumn softly gliding in steps long
To bring new love in which we fain believe?
The autumn spirit whisp'ring gently in my ear
Eternal love we swear for you and me, my dear.
Did you know, sweetheart, autumn rains and breeze,
The autumn easing down in solitude?
Did you know, sweetheart, fall has come in peace,
And filled our hearts with new and soothing mood?
The autumn cool and sweet smells sing and dance,
That set my soul afire in drunken trance.
The waning sun lit up my eyes aglow,
As clouds in azure sky blew my teased hair.
My pale and fragrant lips flew in the air,
And blushed my face with love in lovely show.
I will sing you a soothing song, my dear,
To lull you to a deep and peaceful sleep.
Tomorrow rain will lash the hillside sheer,
And you and I will bask in autumn deep.
Did you dream, sweetheart, autumn gloomy sobs,
That fill my eyes with tears and dewy drops?
Did you dream, sweetheart, autumn furtive steps
That lead our hearts to love's voluptuous depths?
Ngô Thụy Miên
The Slope of Dreams
(Nhạc Sĩ Ngô Thụy Miên - Ca Sĩ Anh Ngọc)
You dwell on the heights, lofty and shrouded in the haze of mist. From the vale below I look at the mysterious hilltop with a sense of deep yearning. How many times have I walked you home, scaling the gentle slope that leads to your chamber of dreams? How many times have I returned winding my way down to my abode of solitude? On your commanding heights, you hold my dreams hostage, you hold my soul captive, you dictate my pains and loneliness. And down below, I can only look up, hoping somehow we will join our dreams and bond our bodies, to the same rhythm and to the same heartbeat.
Why should love be so fragile, yet at the same time persistent, pervasive, and profound, clinging with all its might to the hopes and dreams of a lifetime? When I followed the footsteps you left behind in the sloping path, I felt your presence in every one of them. You were there, and now where are you? Still ensconced in your dreamy heights, or yonder across the thousand miles of ocean? In my wildest moments of loneliness, I dream of you, my heart given up to you.
Let me have my last dream, sweetheart. That there will be a day when we will be together again. There will be no heights to look up to, no slope to dream of, and no distance to cross, for we will be in each other's arms.
9 February 2005
Dốc Mơ
Ðêm đã về trên dốc
Gió xôn xao ru yên tình mình
Em có về bên đó, dõi mắt trông theo, trông theo tình bền
Mà ngày tháng đâu nào có đợi chờ
Người yêu dấu đưa em vào dốc mơ.
Ðưa em về bên dốc mơ Là đưa anh vào cõi mong chờ
Tóc rất buồn như lá tơ, buông hửng hờ, tình rồi có như mơ
Em mắt cười như ánh sao Bó môi hồng tựa bao lời nói
Nói đi em câu mong chờ
Dấu đi nổi ơ thờ,
Tình ơi.
Con dốc này, từ khi được mang dấu giày em về
Ngày tháng nào đưa em vào ngàn trùng sóng
Hạnh phúc nào từ khi, từ khi quen lối đưa em về qua
Ngưới yêu dấu đã xa thật xa, đẹp như giấc mơ.
Em bây giờ như lá thơ Và anh vẫn là nỗi mong chờ
Dẫu đã ngàn trùng cách xa, bên kia trời biển rộng có bao la
Sẽ có ngày ta có nhau
Thì xin một lần cho lời cuối
Giữ cho nhau thương yêu rồi Sẽ bên nhau muôn đời, tình ơi.
Ngô Thụy Miên (1980)
The Slope of Dreams
The night has fallen on the slope
With rustling wind nursing our love.
Gone home you have taken our love
With you, our faithful love and hope.
Not time nor tides are going to wait.
Let me take you to our dream slope.
I take you to the slope of dreams
Where I linger in lonely waits,
And pine away my life, meseems,
A love fragile in dreams ornate.
Your starlike eyes glitter with smile
And rosy lips utter words fine
Of deep longing for dreams of mine
To hide our aching pain,
O love.
This slope has seen your sunken steps
Through times and tides' enormous depths,
Has seen our bliss taking the path
Of dreams of you so far away.
Now you are my belov'd poem
I still yearn for your love in vain
Through vast oceans of miles distant
Longing to be with you again.
Let this be my last words of hope
For that love given each other
Let it be love now forever.
Translated by Thomas D. Le
3 February 2005
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