Padi fields near Vinh, Nguyen's hime town

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Early On The Road To Phoenix Citadel

Nguyen Du 1765-1820 For love of country          I must face the road, The night dim drizzle          meng-meng. The moon sinks          to the sound of a gibbon's wail, Man's path is to push onward. But strong or weak          one fears the road, My hair's too short          to block the wind. Stopping over night in a village         I meet woodsman, We're both pitiful         but have little else on common.

Fènghuáng Lùshàng Zǎoxíng

Ruǎn Yōu, 1765-1820 Zhèngfū huái wǎng lù, Yèsè dāng méngméng. Yuè luò yuánshēng wài, Rén xíng chù jī zhōng. Lì shuāi dāng wèi lù, Fà duǎn bùjīn fēng. Yě sù féng qiáo zhě, Xiāng lián bù zài tóng.

Translator:

Liam Kelley 翻譯者

Notes: Called out of retirement, Nguyen Du reluctantly leaves his home in Vinh and journeys north to the Phoenix Capital, Hanoi. From Liam Kelley's fascinating study of Vietnamese envoy poetry, Beyond the Bronze Pillars, Envoy Poetry And The Sino-Vietnamese Relationship, University of Hawaii Press, 2005

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