MẸ VIỆT NAM
Mother Vietnam
(To Mother and the Youth of my Country)
MẸ VIỆT NAM is divided into four parts:
Part I: MOTHER'S EARTH
Part II: MOTHER'S MOUNTAINS
Part III: MOTHER'S RIVERS
Part IV: MOTHER'S OCEAN
It comprises twenty linked songs and a finale.
(Translator's Note: The English verses of Me Viet Nam are for singing and
therefore aim to convey feelings and ideas rather than to be an accurate
translation. As far as possible, however, all references to Vietnamese
mythology, popular literature and history have been preserved.
For a brief explanations of these myths, refer to
Me Vietnam: An Introduction)
ÐẤT MẸ
MOTHER'S EARTH
1. MẸ TA
OUR MOTHER
Me Viet Nam, no rouge, no powder
Me Viet Nam, just soil and sun
Me Viet Nam, no silk, no velvet
Me Viet Nam, just plain homespun
2. MẸ XINH ÐẸP
BEAUTIFUL MOTHER
Her cheeks rosy, so rosy, her hands so white,
Slender of build, round-breasted, waist wasp-like,
- In the wind she lies -
O Me Viet Nam, eyes so clear, hair a-streaming in the wind,
By the ocean, legs a-stretching, she's looking for the rain.
For husband fair she looks for husband fair,
The gentle earth is eager to welcome the ploughshare
- In the mist she smiles -
O Me Viet Nam off'ring her suntanned body, Me Viet Nam
Virgin ricefield, waiting still for seeds to come, Me Viet Nam
Beneath the dawn sky,
In golden twilight,
The swallows of spring are soaring in free flight
In search for love, Me Viet Nam!
3. MẸ CHỜ MONG
MOTHER'S WAIT
For her husband Mother waits,
Arms outstretched she mends the skies.
In hills and streams her love endures,
The soul of Oa-Nu in her eyes.
4. LÚA MẸ
MOTHER'S RICE
We met when earth was brown,
When seeds slept in the ground.
When rain in Spring came late,
Hand in hand, we knelt in wait.
Then rain at last came round,
Green tips showed through the ground,
In close embrace we felt
Sweet raindrops dripping down.
Green ran the countryside,
Love grew one Summer night,
In the cool breeze from the South,
Under the moon we made our vows.
Far stretch the golden plains,
Sweet smells the ripened grain,
Young bride, I'll take you home
In the gentle Autumn rain...
5. MẸ ÐÓN CHA VỀ
SHE WELCOMES FATHER
She welcomes him, welcomes him with open arms.
Though life be hard, true love is in their hearts.
- Love is in their hearts -
O Me Viet Nam, all year round she works hard to feed her man,
O Me Viet Nam, day and night she keeps the fire, waves the fan.
Devoted wife, she may have been Chau-Long
Repaying his debts, always keeping her faith pure and strong.
- She's novice Kinh-Tam -
As a novice, for a fatherless child she took the blame,
Kind and loving, silently she raised him in her name.
She is the warrior with velvety eyes,
Deadly to her foes, in battle she still smiles
A smile for peace, Me Viet Nam!
NÚI MẸ
MOTHER'S MOUNTAINS
6. MẸ HỎI
MOTHER'S QUESTION
For king
For lord
He goes...
O God how many foes
Must he kill, kill for them?
7. MẸ BỎ CUỘC CHƠI
THE FESTIVAL IS OVER
Springtime breeze, upon the hillsides
Wild flowers sway,
Wild flowers sway
Young mother's thoughts stray
On this Spring day...
It's festival time
Where's the laughter gone
Where's the young folk gone
They went long ago
When drums shook the moonlight
On Great Wall one night,
The men went to fight
On far battlegrounds.
The festival is over now!
Summer breeze, the setting sun wanes
On the hill
On the hill.
One Summer day,
The child stops play,
Where is my dad?
Like Nam-Xuong's soldier
Is he gone forever?
The lingering light
Plays tricks on the dyke.
Could this shadow be
My son, can you see
Your wish has come true!
Your father's come home to you!
8. MẸ TRONG LÒNG NGƯỜI ÐI
MOTHER IN THE TRAVELLER'S HEART
Deep run the forests
Tall rise the mountains
Yet we know there'll be a way
Though hardships may abound,
Though dangers surround,
Yet we know we'll see the day
To Lam-Son we go
To That-Son we go
Where ancient battles were won.
Hoanh Son's great rampart
Faithfully stands guard,
Yes, we know there'll be a way
Remember Mother's words
In days long past we heard
Life was made to share
Man was born to care
Yet the world has seen many sorrows.
War rages through our land,
Our people need our hand,
Let's join our Mother in the mountains.
My love, you're called to war,
I'll wait for evermore.
Our mulb'ry I'll tend,
Our child I'll defend,
While the soldier answers his Mother's call.
Her arms extending wide,
She stands by our side,
Her son for her love must fight!
9. MẸ TRẢ LỜI
MOTHER'S ANSWER
For people
For country
For village,
Keep well my love and fight
I'll raise, raise our child.
10. MẸ HOÁ ÐÁ
MOTHER TURNS INTO STONE
Autumn wind, a young child sleeps
Mother sings,
Mother sings.
For four thousand years
The shadow has called
The shadow has gone
The shadow has fall-en
To nourish the fields.
Hilltops have gone white
As bones bleached and dried,
And blood stained the earth
And Mother's milk dried.
But when good news came
Her breasts gave forth a sweet milk stream!
Winter chill, she stands and she looks
Endlessly,
Endlessly,
In the four winds
What does she see
A ploughman in rags,
A peddling girl
And her unsold cakes.
She stands and she finds
A young begging child,
A human draught horse
With a lumbering cart,
A poet downhearted,
Then Mother turns into stone.
SÔNG MẸ
Mother's Rivers
11. MUỐN VỀ QUÊ MẸ
LONGING TO GO HOME
I wait on the bank each day
The homeward boat
(repeat)
Never comes this way
(repeat)
12. SÔNG CÒN MẢI MÊ
OBSESSED RIVERS
Khoan hoi ho khoan oi khoan khoan ho ho khoan
Why do you river run across my way
Khoan hoi ho khoan oi khoan khoan ho ho khoan
Why don't you ferry never come this way
The mighty Red, so swift he flows,
The Ðà he grabs, the Lô he tows,
The Bạch Ðằng buries many Northern fleets,
Each one is vying for the greatest deeds.
Heigh ho heigh ho
For fame and glory look how fast they go!
Heigh ho heigh ho
Their mother's waiting but away they flow!
Heigh ho heigh ho
Heigh ho heigh ho
13. SÔNG VÙI CHÔN MẸ
RIVERS ENGULFING MOTHER
Brave and proud she stood in defeat and welcomed a glorious death.
Borne away by the wand'ring Hát, her body drifted on the waves...
Her heart remains for all time defiant in the wat'ry grave.
Reaching to aggrieved souls, she gathers Nam-Xuong's wife in her arms.
O Mother! Mother!
For your sons and daughters you chose the river!
O Mother! Mother!
This water forever shall cleanse your children's hearts!
Driftwood, mother was gath'ring in the shallows by river's side.
Rising flood, surging, swirling wild, took her in a mad treach'rous tide.
14. SÔNG KHÔNG ÐƯỜNG VỀ
RIVERS WHICH HAVE LOST THEIR WAY
Khoan hoi ho khoan oi khoan khoan ho ho khoan
In many colors, treacherously they ride,
Khoan hoi ho khoan oi khoan khoan ho ho khoan
Engulfing mother, murderous-minded and wild,
The blood red stream fights off the brown,
The sick and helpless green cries out,
The yellow king shows off his golden gown,
The snaking troops follow the dragon's crown.
Heigh ho ho heigh
For fame and glory they have gone astray,
Heigh ho ho heigh
Poor loveless souls who forgot mother's way,
Heigh ho ho heigh
Heigh ho ho heigh
15. NHỮNG DÒNG SÔNG CHIA RẼ
RIVERS OF DIVISION
Whereto do rivers go,
Splitting and parting as they flow?
As the Silv'ry Stream divides
The Cowherd and his Princess Bride,
Song Thuong's dark and light
Flow on side by side,
Stream of love and stream of hate and spite.
O Sông Gianh scene of grandiose schemes!
O Bến Hải of shattered dreams!
Born of joyful springs
Floods of tears you bring,
Cold and grim, soullessly wand'ring streams!
Bonds of friendships and love you part,
Splitting brothers, estranging hearts,
Breaking bones and limbs,
Slashing flesh and skin,
Wounds that leave forever searing scars.
O how many a broken dream
Has passed under Hiền Lương's beams?
Sund'ring North and South,
In the mist you flow,
Cold and grim, soullessly wand'ring stream!
Back home a mother yearns
For wayward children to return.
BIỂN MẸ
Mother's Oceans
16. MẸ TRÙNG DƯƠNG
MOTHER OCEAN
She sings a lullaby of gently lapping tide,
A vast embrace of blue turquoise she opens wide,
Bestows her gift of salt to bring us pleasure at meal time,
With fish and prawn she fills the net of a grateful child.
Our Mother's old and sweet
She threatens no big storm,
Her rain is gentle and her wind is mild.
Each day her hopeful heart turns to the morning sun's warm rays,
Each night her longing rises for the children gone astray
She looks to Northern winds
And to the sunny South,
Love reaching out to boundless empty space.
The lullaby of pines and gently lapping tide
Is calling wayward children back to Mother's side.
17. BIỂN ÐÔNG SÓNG GỢN
WAVES ON THE EASTERN SEA
Ha a a ho o hoy
Over the Eastern sea
Ha a a ho o hoy
The waves are roaming free
Calling on wand'ring sails
To return home from all four seas.
Ha a a ho o hoy
Ha a a ho o hoy
Rivers come from far and wide
Born on snow-lined mountainsides
To Viet Nam they converge
And merge in Mother Ocean's tide.
Ha a a ho o hoy
Ha a a ho o hoy
18. THÊNH THANG THUYỀN VỀ
HOMEWARD SAIL THE BOATS
With billowing sails we catch the fresh'ning breeze,
Along the river t'wards the sea we ride with ease,
We ride the playful waves, the playful waves.
We ride the playful waves, the playful waves.
We ride the playful waves, so playful the waves.
We children are returning home to Mother Sea,
Our mother waiting, waiting tirelessly
Our mother waiting, waiting tirelessly
Our mother's waiting, waiting tirelessly,
As wand'ring swallows flock home from, from the seas,
Our home so sweet and full of beauties.
Our home so sweet and full of beauties.
Our home so sweet and full, so full of beauties!
With waves so gentle and the sea, the sea so kind.
We'll live in peace with all of mankind.
We'll live in peace with all of mankind.
We build a home of love, our home Viet Nam,
Wéll bring our love to all the world with open arms.
Ting ting tang, tang ting ting,
For our Mother, let us sing
We shall love, we shall share
We shall love, we shall share.
19. CHỚP BỂ MƯA NGUỒN
LIGHTNING ON THE SEA, RAIN ON THE SPRINGS
Last night lights flashed on the sea
And rain came down on mountainsides...
Sadness and delights they brought, laughs and cries.
Mother smiled and sent her clouds
Ascending to the lofty skies,
And rain washed away
The sins of mankind...
20. PHÙ SA LỚP LỚP MÂY TRỜI CUỘN BAY
SILTING SANDS AND SWIRLING CLOUDS
The waves are rising rising with the tide,
In the moonlit night with silt and sand they come to shore,
The surging, swirling waves in the moonlight
The surging, swirling waves in the moonlight
The waves are surging swirling in the moonlight
And salty deltas grow to plains of fertile earth
And lifeblood circles back to my heart.
And lifeblood circles back to my heart.
And lifeblood circles back to my heart,
Young children watch the joyful larks soar and fly
And clouds that float so high, oh so high!
And clouds that float so high, oh so high!
And clouds that float so high, so light and so high!
They roll and swirl and weave their veils 'round the sun,
As seasons come and go, they weave on.
As seasons come and go, they weave on.
As seasons come and go, they weave their dreams
And bring down Mother's rain in sweet, gentle streams
Ting ting tang, tang ting ting
Hand in hand, let us sing
Now wéve learnt, learnt to love...
Now wéve learnt, learnt to love...
21. MẸ VIỆT NAM ƠI !
O MOTHER VIET NAM
Me Viet Nam always in our hearts (*)
Me Viet Nam always in our hearts (*)
We long for the touch of your hand,
We vow to cherish Mother's land.
Life's but a brief moment in time,
A mother's love will never die,
O Me Viet Nam,
O Me Viet Nam.
(*) or: Me Viet Nam oi, Me Viet Nam oi
FINALE
CHUNG KHÚC
22. VIỆT NAM VIỆT NAM
Viet Nam, Viet Nam the sounds I heard
The very day I saw the world,
Viet Nam, my land!
Viet Nam, Viet Nam the words I'll say
The very last on my dying day.
I see thy many splendors,
Heights of soaring grandeur,
Mighty neverending streams.
I hear thy voice proclaim
That freedom is thy aim,
That happiness for all is thy dream.
Thy future is in sight,
A sacred flame so bright
That one and all on earth shall see.
For mankind we shall fight
With love instead of might
To build a world that's just and free.
Viet Nam, Viet Nam!
Eternally will shine thy flame!
Viet Nam, Viet Nam!
For ever live thy name!
Started in November 1963
Completed in May 1964
With ever deepening Love and Faith in Mother
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