His poetry was recovered only from the 1990s (“Văn phẩm Quỳnh Dao”, Thanh niên Publishing, 1999, gathered by the poet Anh Chi). The pieces below are quoted from the Vietnamese literary press; indicative English translations by the site. His name is engraved on stele no. 3 of the Hỏa Lò prison memorial.
I
Improvised octave at sixteenBài hoạ « vịnh về hưu » — ứng khẩu năm 16 tuổi
Improvised reply to a retired doctor’s poem, c. 1934
Wealth, honours, elegance — I have had my fill;
tasting fame and gain, I tell the sour from the sweet.
Into the garden of spring I step, glad, toward a new life;
on the sea of careers I ship the oar and lay old business by.
I feel the purse of the universe: money enough lies ready;
I tip the gourd of wind and moon: wine and poems overflow.
Stroking my beard I look back at those still in the game —
robes and parasols, ah! busy from dawn to noon.
Quỳnh Dao — presse familiale & vanhocsaigon.com (Phạm Quang Đẩu)
❀ ❀ ❀
II
Evening music (excerpt)Nhạc chiều — trích « Tơ trăng », 1939
From “Tơ trăng” (Moon-silk), Asiatic Press, Hanoi, 1939
The frail branches, drunk like the wind —
that day the evening music held us in its spell;
that day a shiver ran across my heart:
o my love, once more I sway and fall…
Quỳnh Dao — vanhocsaigon.com — « Thi sĩ Quỳnh Dao, một đời ngắn ngủi mà sôi động »
❀ ❀ ❀
III
Imaginary illness (excerpt) — for Hàn Mặc TửBệnh tưởng — tặng Hàn Mặc Tử (trích)
Dedicated to the poet Hàn Mặc Tử, c. 1939
The tree on the bank, dishevelled, drunk,
insists on going down into the green, green water!
Whose lovely limb has dipped into the mirrored lake?
The wave licks, frantic, till the branches break.
Quỳnh Dao — vanhocsaigon.com — « Thi sĩ Quỳnh Dao, một đời ngắn ngủi mà sôi động »
❀ ❀ ❀
IV
Poem of Huế (excerpt)Bài thơ Huế (trích)
Lines quoted by Hoài Thanh in “Thi nhân Việt Nam” (1942)
The bridge, dazzling white, the very colour of light;
blue clouds, clear cries of evening birds…
A row of young princesses smiling beneath their palm hats —
the river opens its heart to greet the beloved shadows…
Quỳnh Dao — « Thi nhân Việt Nam », Hoài Thanh — Hoài Chân, 1942
❀ ❀ ❀
V
Under the Giang Tô bridge (excerpts)Dưới cầu Giang Tô (trích)
Verse tale, 1940–1942 — the first anti-fascist poem by a Vietnamese poet
The whole sky has just tipped into autumn;
on the pear branch half the leaves sway, golden…
From the capital to the lonely hamlet,
bombs fall, bullets tear — hatred rises to the clouds;
the dry fields lie strewn with white bones;
in the heavy misted evening the kite flies off with its prey…
…Black smoke over Bích Dương, the pavilion in ruins;
five Japanese soldiers in a line
sweep one burst sideways — a volley of bullets flies;
West Lake darkens its waters, heaps up cloud;
trembling, the moon traces the eyebrow of a beauty…
Quỳnh Dao — vanhocsaigon.com — extraits cités
← Back to the poetry collection