Truyện Kiều- The Tale of Kieu (Verses 145-180)

Truyện Kiều (Câu 145-180)

Nguyễn Du

145.
Chàng Vương quen mặt ra chào,
Hai Kiều e lệ nép vào dưới hoa.
Nguyên người quanh quất đâu xa,
Họ Kim tên Trọng vốn nhà trâm anh.
Nền phú hậu, bậc tài danh,

150.
Văn chương nết đất, thông minh tính trời.
Phong tư tài mạo tót vời,
Vào trong phong nhã, ra ngoài hào hoa.
Chung quanh vẫn đất nước nhà,
Với Vương Quan trước vẫn là đồng thân.

155.
Vẫn nghe thơm nức hương lân,
Một nền đồng Tước khoá xuân hai Kiều.
Nước non cách mấy buồng thêu,
Những là trộm nhớ thầm yêu chốc mòng.
May thay giải cấu tương phùng,

160
Gặp tuần đố lá thoả lòng tìm hoa.
Bóng hồng nhác thấy nẻo xa,
Xuân lan thu cúc mặn mà cả hai.
Người quốc sắc, kẻ thiên tài,
Tình trong như đã, mặt ngoài còn e.

165.
Chập chờn cơn tỉnh cơn mê.
Rốn ngồi chẳng tiện, dứt về chỉn khôn.
Bóng tà như giục cơn buồn,
Khách đà lên ngựa, người còn nghé theo.
Dưới cầu nước chảy trong veo,

170.
Bên cầu tơ liễu bóng chiều thướt tha.
Kiều từ trở gót trướng hoa,
Mặt trời gác núi chiêng đà thu không.
Mảnh trăng chênh chếch dòm song,
Vàng gieo ngấn nước, cây lồng bóng sân.

175.
Hải đường lả ngọn đông lân,
Giọt sương gieo nặng cành xuân la đà.
Một mình lặng ngắm bóng nga,
Rộn đường gần với nỗi xa bời bời:
Người mà đến thế thì thôi,

180.
Đời phồn hoa cũng là đời bỏ đi!

(English Version)

The Tale of Kieu

Author: Nguyễn Du
Translation: Đặng Hoàng Lan

The Tale of Kieu (verses 145-180)

145.
Vuong knew him and came forward to greet him.
The two Kieus with maidenly shyness took cover behind the flowers.
Actually, he was not really a stranger.
He was Kim Trong and he descended from a noble lineage.
His family was wealthy and his genius was well-recognized.

150. Famed for his literary skill and endowed with intelligence.
He was blessedly gifted and extraordinarily handsome.
When indoors he was courteous,and he was generous when out in public.
In fact, he lived in the same vicinity,
And he was a schoolmate of Vuong Quan.

155. It was rumored that his neighbor had two pretty daughters.
They were like the two ancient Kieus who were confined to the Đồng Tước tower,
They lived only a few houses from each other, but mountains and rivers separated them.
He could only love and dream of Kieu secretly for a time.
Fortunately this day they met by coincidence.

160.
Kim Trong was enjoying the arrival of Spring,
When he had seen the sisters’ figures from a far.
Like a spring orchid and an autumn daisy, lovely they both were.
Kieu was an exquisite girl and Kim was a genius.
They secretly fell in love, but neither dare say.

165.
They lingered in rapture between wakefulness and dreaming.
Both tried to determine whether to stay or to go.
Then as evening shadows summoned melancholy,
One mounted his horse, while the other longingly watched.
Under the bridge the water ran transparently.

170.
Beside the bridge the willow dangled gently in the late sun.
When Kieu returned home to her chamber,
The sun was setting and darkness began to fall.
The moonlight that slanted through the window,
Threw gold upon the water and shadows upon the trees in the garden.

175.
The arms of the teasel drooped toward the eastern neighbor.
Dewdrops fell heavily on quivering spring branches.
As Kieu watched the moon alone,
The past and the present mingled in her confused mind.
“If Dam Tien had befallen such a fateful ending,

180.
Then she was also unworthy of her vane existence.”