Parents' Love Is Like Long Mountain Range And Pacific Ocean Poem by NHIEN NGUYEN MD

Today is Mothers' Day

I appreciate and thank both of my parents.

Father's sacrifice was as gigantic as Trường-Sơn mountain range.

Mother's love was as voluminous as water of Pacific Ocean.

Parents worked very hard to earn their living.

Loving their children, they sacrificed every day.

Father plowed and tilled family fields.

Mother traded in market, plucked mulberry leaves to raise silkworms.

Father threshed rice stalks, mother sieved broken rice grains.

Together, they milled rice and rice pounding sounds echoed late into the night.

Resting on my parents' arms, on swinging hammock

I grew up amidst their soothing lullabies.

Mother's milk nursed me lovingly when I was an infant.

Holding me in her arms, my mother's heart was so close to mine.

Her heart sang to me while her milk nursed me.

Her heart sang to me countless sweet lullabies

She lulled me to sleep since I was still in her womb.

How sweet have been the words Mom and Dad

And soul-warming, the music from their hearts.

They chanted folk songs and said their prayers.

They prayed Rosaries and asked for God's blessings.

They lived their lives of just people.

They respected authorities and empathized with their subordinates.

They loved people just like loving themselves.

They loved their parents and grandparents.

They attended morning mass and said their evening prayers.

They loved each other their whole lives.

They worked hard in raising their children and loved them always.

Attending mass at St Paul's church this morning,

I said my prayers in honoring my parents.

NHIEN NGUYEN MD


Above poem is translation of the Vietnamese poem Of NHIEN NGUYEN MD


CÔNG ƠN CHA MẸ NHƯ NÚI, ĐẠI DƯƠNG


Hôm nay, ngày Mother's Day

Lòng con cảm tạ Mẹ Cha, hai người.

Công Cha như dẫy Trường Sơn

Nghĩa Mẹ như nước đại dương Thái-Bình.

Mẹ Cha vất vả mưu sinh

Thương con, Cha Mẹ hy sinh tháng ngày.

Cha thì lo việc cầy bừa

Mẹ thì chợ búa, hái dâu, nuôi tằm.

Cha thì đập lúa, mẹ sàng

Mẹ Cha gĩa gạo, tiếng chầy vang đêm.

Ru con giấc ngủ, tay êm

Mẹ Cha ru võng, con thêm tuổi đời.

Ngày nào còn tuổi nằm nôi

Đôi dòng sữa mẹ nuôi con ngọt ngào.

Mẹ ôm, tim mẹ thật gần

Bên dòng sữa ấm, tim này ru con.

Nhạc tim ru mãi, Mẹ thương

Mẹ ru con ngủ ngày còn trong thai.

Ngọt ngào hai tiếng Mẹ Cha

Ấm thay tiếng nhạc tim Cha Mẹ mình.

Sáng chiều, tiếng hát, lời kinh

Mẹ Cha lần chuỗi, cầu xin ơn trời.

Mẹ Cha giữ đạo làm người

Kính trên, nhường dưới, thương người như ta.

Thương Cha, thương Mẹ, ông bà

Sáng thì dự lễ, tối cầu tại gia.

Cả đời Cha Mẹ thương nhau

Nuôi con vất vả, thương con cả đời.

Sáng nay dự lễ St. Paul

Nhớ ơn Cha Mẹ, lòng con nguyện cầu.

NHIEN NGUYEN MD