Truyện Kiều – The Tale of Kieu (Verses 425-460)

Truyện Kiều (Câu 425- 460)

Nguyễn Du

425.
Ngày vui ngắn chẳng đầy gang,
Trông ra ác đã ngậm gương non đoài.
Vắng nhà chẳng tiện ngồi dai,
Giã chàng nàng mới kíp dời song sa.
đến nhà vừa thấy tin nhà,

430.
Hai thân còn dở tiệc hoa chưa về.
Cửa ngoài vội rủ rèm the,
Xăm xăm băng lối vườn khuya một mình.
Nhặt thưa, gương rọi đầu cành,
Ngọn đèn trông lọt trướng huỳnh hắt hiu.

435.
Sinh vừa tựa án thiu thiu,
Dở chiều như tỉnh dở chiều như mê.
Tiếng sen sẽ động giấc hòe,
Bóng trăng đã xế hoa lê lại gần.
Bâng khuâng đỉnh Giáp non Thần,

440.
Còn ngờ giấc mộng đêm xuân mơ màng.
Nàng rằng: Khoảng vắng đêm trường,
Vì hoa nên phải đánh đường tìm hoa.
Bây giờ rõ mặt đôi ta,
Biết đâu rồi nữa chẳng là chiêm bao?

445.
Vội mừng làm lễ rước vào,
đài sen nối sáp lư đào thêm hương.
Tiên thề cùng thảo một chương,
Tóc mây một món dao vàng chia đôi.
Vầng trăng vằng vặc giữa trời,

450.
Đinh ninh hai miệng một lời song song.
Tóc tơ căn vặn tấc lòng,
Trăm năm tạc một chữ đồng đến xương.
Chén hà sánh giọng quỳnh tương,
Dải là hương lộn bình gương bóng lồng.

455.
Sinh rằng: Gió mát trăng trong,
Bấy lâu nay một chút lòng chưa cam.
Chày sương chưa nện cầu Lam,
Sợ lần khân quá ra sàm sỡ chăng?
Nàng rằng: Hồng diệp xích thằng,

(English Version)

The Tale of Kieu (Verses 425-460)

Author: Nguyễn Du
Translation: Đặng Hoàng Lan

425.
The joyous day was too short, not even yet ended.
But the hills in the west had swallowed the golden crown of the sun.
Tho no one was at home, she couldn’t stay anymore.
She left him and hurried back to her place of belonging.
When she got home, she heard her parents.

430.
They had not yet finished their feast.
She dropped the silk curtains at the door,
And with haste she crossed the garden, in the dark, alone.
The moon rose, painting light and dark shapes on the branches.
The faint light from a lamp was glittering through the curtain.

435.
Leaning on the table, Kim was dozing off.
He was in a state of half waking and half sleep.
Kieu’s light as lotus footsteps awakened him from sleep.
The moon was setting as she approached him.
In his dream, he was flying safely above the rainclouds.

440.
He thought it was just a dream of a spring night.
She said “In the emptiness of the night,
In desire of your love, I have found my way to you.
Now, we are clearly facing each other,
But perhaps we later will learn that it was a dream.”

445.
Kim was overjoyed and hurriedly invited her to come inside.
He inserted more candles and filled the jars of incense.
Together they wrote down a page of promise.
With a knife, Kieu cut a lock of her hair for their vow.
It was late at night and the bright moon was at the top of its arc.

450.
Then they solemnly swore their oath to each other.
They understood clearly even the faintest thoughts in their hearts.
Both of them had pledged lifelong faithfulness,
And sipped nectar wine in the cup of jade, like sacrament.
Her scent and the mirror’s reflection of her gave him ecstasy.

455.
Kim said “The breeze blew cool and the moon was clear,
But my heart still burned with constant thirst.
My pestle has not yet pounded on the Lam Bridge,
I feared that my bold request would turn into a wicked deed.
She replied, “We were bound together by threads of fate,