In haste [Poem]

 In haste

Let me put out suns

To stay fading colors; 

Let me tie up winds

To stay wafting scents.


To you bees nectar honeymoons;

Here the blooms of deep vast verdure;

Here the buds of swaying young sprigs;

To swallows here ardent love hymns.

And here light flutters on lashes;

Each morning, joy knocks at the door;

First month tastes sweet as timid lips;

In my mirth I find me in haste:

I long for spring before summer falls.


Spring comes by, so passes spring by,

Spring’s still green, so shall spring grow late,

Spring’s demise shall mark that of mine.

My heart’s wide, yet the frugal skies

Extend not the youth of mankind;

Spring shall cycle back, but—so what?

My youth shall never bloom twice.

Life is forever, but I am not,

Melancholic, I long for life itself;

The dye of time tastes like separation,

From rivers to mountains echo quiet farewells

Pretty windlet murmurs in fresh leaves,

Why, do you sulk for you must leave?

Cheerful songbirds briskly fall silent,

Why, do you fear the imminent wane?

Never again, alas! Never once more…


Let us go!

The season has yet to slant dusk,

Do embrace

Life and the burgeoning feeling of being alive;

I want to ride flowing clouds and gliding winds,

To get drunk on fluttering wings and love,

To lose myself in a plural kiss

And streams, and soil, and bright grass,

Giddied by fragrance, fulfilled by light

Sated by the notes and tones of youth;

-O flushed spring, how I want to sink my teeth into you!


—Xuân Diệu


Translator’s note:

I tried my best to match the cadence of the verses to the original melody of the poem, instead of matching numbers of syllable. It’s nearly impossible to match syllables, considering how Vietnamese is monosyllabic and, well, just has a very different kind of grammar altogether. This is one of my favorite poem ever and I don’t think I can ever do it justice; but all works are works in progress, so here you have mine. Enjoy!


(The original poem in Vietnamese can be found here: https://www.thivien.net/Xu%C3%A2n-Di%E1%BB%87u/V%E1%BB%99i-v%C3%A0ng/poem-IyS6PGZk72z5lfRoUlCUtg )

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