Top 10 Best Poems by Poet Bùi Minh Quốc (Dương Hương Ly)

Our Vast Homeland

Poem by Bùi Minh Quốc

Mother digs trenches since her hair was green
now she's silver, still digging
under the watchful eye of Uncle Ho
night after night, the sound of the hoe echoes.

Our country, twenty years of war
the sound of the hoe heavy with the love for our land
mother's trenches like fortresses
protecting every step we take.

Our vast homeland
the enemy cannot scar it all
mother's heart is boundless
she hides entire divisions underground
where the darkness of the trench is the brightest
where I see the strength of Vietnam.

On the trench lid
the American enemy gathers to attack mother
half-spoken words
mother stays silent before the enemy's blows.

On her body, many wounds
her hair turned silver, then turned more
but every night
each hoe strike still drills into the land.

There are armies rising from the land
the enemy is terrified
they're surrounded by battlefields.

Our vast homeland
mother's heart is boundless.


9-1967

Poem about Happiness

Poem by Bùi Minh Quốc

(In memory of beloved XQ)

I
Rest now, my love
With the fertile land of Duy Xuyên
On your grave, spring forever blooms
The battlefield remains evergreen.

The battlefield knows no peace
Guns fire hastily. You march to chase the enemy
With immense pain as boundless strength
You chase, stepping over countless obstacles
Oh, how brightly your bayonet shines today
I lose you as I lose half my life
The pain I cannot express in words
A deep-seated fire burns within me
The bullets of the enemy hit you, swirling deep within me
I'm stunned as if my heart has fallen
As if the sun of happiness suddenly sets
But, my love, at this moment
I feel strangely clear-headed
Directly aiming at the enemy, eyes without tears
I fire the gun.

II
What is happiness? Many times we're puzzled
Constantly asking, but the answer eludes us
Until the day we set off far away
The South calls, and we are there together.

Remember, my love, those lean, hungry times
Every meal we shared half a bowl of forest ferns
You pale and thin, carrying heavy cassava on your back
Your lips pale, your hair damp and soft
You've overcome many hardships
And every break, you look at me
You speak of the things you plan to write
Amidst the pain, you sit and write
The Giang River murmurs incessantly
The floodwater returns... The small page is soaked in rain
You still write: the heart overflowing with emotions.

And you call that happiness...

Remember, my love, the days of Operation Dong Xuan
You set off confidently
B-52s dropping thousand-ton bombs
There you were, stepping briskly against the wall
That same bright smile on your lips.
Thon 6 Binh Duong, the sandy beach waves swelled
The sun sparkling in the eyes of those clinging to the coast
The enemy retreated as you arrived
Old mothers tell stories of tank blocks
Around the sand dunes flattened by the enemy
Children, in the rain of bombs, still go to work and school
Rice fields and sweet potato rings still green and overflowing
In a corner of the burning Na-pan garden
You're amazed to find a daisy.

And you call that happiness...

Like green shoots meeting the spring rain, like swallows soaring in the sky
You're engrossed, among many people
Through Thọ, Xuyên Châu, Xuyên Hà, Xuyên Phú...
The heroic land is alluring
From the first moments, it binds your life
You've known many acquaintances
You, the small messenger, mother clinging to your side
The gentle, courageous guerilla fighters
The Thu Bon River always stirring emotions
The laughter sounding so real around you
You arrived, bathing in the water's embrace
The river tells you stories of the past
You open your eyes, marveling at the villages and hamlets
And you cry out when you see the source
Every story on this land defeats America.
You've met many brave heroes
You've shared with them
A bunch of wild vegetables beside a bomb crater
Moments of tension as the enemy encircles
The indescribable suffering of a time in slavery
You grew up with them in the field of battle
Among bombs and bullets
You've seen wondrous, pure souls
Each night, setting out simply to sacrifice
To create a tomorrow full of sunshine
You're puzzled, you stand still in silence
This beauty, you've yet to name
Awakening to many new things within you
Where the pen listens to life's urging.

And you call that happiness...

III
You left nothing behind
But sparkling eyes smiling behind lashes
And I know, when unexpectedly hit by a bullet
You left with eyes peacefully smiling
For being a morning light
For knowing you'll be in the future.
I will live beautifully the days you didn't get to live
I will love fully what you didn't get to love
You in me is the bustling spring
From this moment, how much more radiant you are.

March 8 - 1969
September 6 - 1969

Source: Trường Sơn - đường khát vọng, National Political Publishing House, 2009

Sometimes

Poem by Bùi Minh Quốc

Sometimes in the hustle and bustle of life's journey
We inadvertently pass each other by
Walking absentmindedly, unaware that
We are losing a soul we've long awaited...

The Poem of Those Over 30

Poem by Bùi Minh Quốc

Though no longer standing under the old me tree
Hair and beard as harmonious as the laws of poetry
Pants and shirt as flat as the first love
I still maintain the same good thoughts.

Thank you, the me arches on Saigon streets
Reminding me of the first love's ecstasy
My love, we never grow old in love
Even though we have passed the age of thirty.

No longer do I wait for you to prepare a smile
As many annoyances are etched behind my eyes
No longer do we meet to kiss intimately
But all my worries I share with you.

No longer do I wait for the scent of rationality each night
We silently speak words of love
But every bite I take, every time I sleep
You are there, tenderly covering me.

No longer do I wait for the yard to be full of daisies
I shyly hand you a love letter
But seeing your shy smile
Is when my heart starts to beat wildly.

And if I can't shave in time for my birthday
Can't give you a flower, you won't scold
Because every day loving you, I silently say
Let's keep the same good thoughts
As when you first came into me.

Ode to a Virtuous Wife

Poem by Bùi Minh Quốc

You sit there, forgetting day and night
Ten fingers, cleaning a gentle world
Those dolls, sparkling in myriad colors, in your eyes
You silently push back the storm that engulfs my life.
The roaring storm surrounds us fiercely
The relentless siege of snake-like eyes and mouth
You sit there, ten fingers cleaning thoroughly
A gentle world - the message of your soul.
The time of recklessness, of filth turning into power
All sieved through your hands - in the end, only
In the end, only
A gentle world lifting my dreams forever.

(28-7-1997)

Lullaby for the Distant

Poem by Bùi Minh Quốc

For the distant child

Distant child, Distant child
Now sleep, my dear
Wrapped in the night's flowers
I lull you, a lullaby of hope
I lull you, far away

My hand trembles
My heart is gentle
I lull you gently
Sleep well, my dear

I lull you, I lull you
Through stormy skies
I lull you, I lull you
Over gentle hills

Oh storm, retreat
Oh hill, so green
Lull sweetly, smoothly

Distant child, Distant child
Sleep soundly in dreams
Oh fairy, dear
Here I lull with hope
Oh jade, precious
Here I lull you far

Lull afar, lull afar...


Hanoi night 6-12-2001
Source: Lullaby for the Distant/ Women's Publishing House, 2002

Spring in Dalat

Poem by Bùi Minh Quốc

For Hiền

There you are, blending with the scented sky
Filling my life with valleys and hills
A myriad of fingers dreaming on smooth grass
Mimosa sighs, blossoming flowers

A young horse at noon, wild and free
Hoof beats lightly on fragrant waters
Oh maiden, holding the reins loosely
Your soul drifts towards the murmuring wind

The sun warms the earth beneath the forest's feet
Dew whispers, insects suddenly quiet
Spring ripens, mountains ache
Stars shine, casting a proud figure


Source: 'Contemporary Knowledge' magazine, Spring of the Year of the Horse, 1992

Poem for a Departed Soul

Poem by Bùi Minh Quốc

Eyes of poetry gaze at the bright sky
Innocent beginnings, words spoken at fifteen
You never knew the long years of fire and bullets
A bright sky still lingers in longing

Many disappointments have faded, I thank fate
For not sweeping you into the storms of my life
I gladly carry all the national struggles
So you may find a realm of peace afar

Thank you, fate, thank you
For allowing me to return safely
To gaze at the bright sky
To open my heart to you from afar

Hanoi, 16-12-2001
Source: 'Ru xa' / Women's Publisher, 2002

The Wild Rose of Eternal Beauty

Poem by Bùi Minh Quốc

Wild roses bloom quietly by the fence
Walking alone on an endless road
Suddenly, in the bustling world, I hesitate
What does the wild rose by the fence signify?

Lost in the endless road
The wild rose by the fence is now far away
Sorrowful, the fragrance of destiny
Ensnaring my soul with a thousand years

Da Lat, 15-12-2002
Source: 'Ru xa' / Women's Publisher, 2002

You Inspire My Poetry

Poem by Bùi Minh Quốc

You inspire my poetry
But you don't know
You cascade like rapids
Flooding my soul

You recreate my life
But you don't know
A green soul with silver hair
For you, I shed tears

Da Lat, 7-1-1999
Source: 'Ru xa' / Women's Publisher, 2002