Li Po The Great Chinese Poet Poem by NHIEN NGUYEN MD

I knew your name many years ago.

You are Li po the great poet of Chinese ancient time.

Your poems were full of drunkenness.

You drank all the time, from morning to night.

You wrote a lot of poems.

Your poems were filled with sadness

Just like afternoons being filled with dark clouds.

You traveled around, carrying winds and dusts

You borrowed the earth for your bed and pillows

You covered yourself with blankets of clouds.

Looking up the sky while your senses were out

The mighty Tian Shan peak invited you to drink even more

You lay there dreaming of clouds and winds

Of the flower garden and of the filled wine jar

Of the boat carrying you and the moon downstream.

Nights after nights, you looked up the sky

Pouring down your throat with a jar full of wine.

You sat and embraced the Moon with your heart.

That Lady Moon is your friend

Your own Shadow is your dearest part.

You invited the Moon to drink with you

The Moon couldn't drink but agreed to dance.

Your Shadow always drank and danced with you.

Embracing the Moon, you danced,

Your Shadow followed your steps.

Three of you stayed close when you were lucid.

When you were deep in your drunken stupor

Three of you departed in three different ways.

You promised to meet your friends in the Milky Way

After getting lost by your own drunkenness.

12/31/2014

NHIEN NGUYEN


Translation of

TƯỞNG NIỆM THI HÀO LÝ-BẠCH - Poem by NHIEN NGUYEN MD


Tên ông tôi biết đã lâu

Ông là Lý Bạch nước Tầu xa xưa.

Thơ ông đầy những men say

Rượu thì ông uống sáng trưa tối chiều.

Thơ ông viết cũng khá nhiều

Nỗi buồn vương vấn như chiều nhiều mây.

Ngược xuôi, gió bụi phong trần

Đất là giường gối, đắp chăn mây trời

Khi say ông ngó đỉnh trời

Thái Sơn cao vút càng mời ông say.

Ông nằm mơ gió cùng mây

Vườn hoa hũ rượu, thuyền trăng xuôi dòng.

Đêm đêm ngửa cổ nhìn trời

Hũ rượu ông uống, ông ngồi ôm trăng.

Bạn ông, một ả Hằng Nga

Bóng hình ông nữa, bạn vàng của ông.

Ông mời Trăng uống với ông

Trăng không thể uống, đồng lòng nhẩy chung.

Bóng ông vẫn uống nhẩy cùng

Ôm trăng ông nhẩy, Bóng mình nhẩy chung.

Chưa say, ba bạn ở cùng

Khi say chếnh choáng ba đường chia tay.

Hẹn nhau nơi giải Ngân Hà

Sau khi đã lạc tìm nhau chỗ này

12/31/2014

NHIEN NGUYEN