Top 15 Poems Honoring July 27th

Oh brothers... sacred souls of mountains and rivers

Our country undergoes beautiful transformations
Your examples, our pride, stand tall
Your contributions never fade away

For decades, our homeland has been unified
Yet heavy hearts still mourn the losses
Grief lingers across every corner of our land
The battlefield's echoes of bones and blood endure

You fought for our homeland with valor
Preferably sacrificing your own blood and bones
For the peace and prosperity of our nation
So our land can bask in the warm sunshine of dawn

Today, our homeland is truly beautiful
It's a tribute to the heroes with blood-stained sacrifices
The entire nation remembers this shared day
Smoke and incense convey endless sorrow

From deep forests, mountains, to azure seas
Respect and grief surge for the fallen heroes
The entire nation bows solemnly
Incense smoke rises...
... paying tribute to the spirits of the fallen soldiers.......

HP 23-7-2019

Flowing Vermilion Ink

Đoàn Thịnh

Let each of us, reaching today
Plant a perpetual incense in the heart
The fragrant scent permeates the flesh and skin
To make our days brighter.

Those who fall, what remains?
Blood and flesh merge into the vast sea
Bones rise high in the wide streets
In the laughter of life joyous everywhere.

Every morning send words to 'soul warriors'
Just a bit, but not reluctant nor hesitant
Every bit of land in the majestic mountains and rivers
Will unite solemnly in a poem.

Will there still be consolation, tears welling up?
The low and high statues, where are they now?
Then the blood of gratitude, forever true
In each person, flowing a stream of ink.

The red incense not only to express gratitude
But to continue the path of those before us
The vast land and boundless waters
Perfuming each step with fragrance.

Đoàn Thịnh

(Dedicated to the souls of my father and his comrades)

Glimpses of my father's face
Drift through the singing air
Điện Biên, a magical page unfolds
Youthful soldiers, comrades reunite

The ancient battle scars the rural chest
Enemy bombs tear through the northwest sky
Mother said: on stormy nights, the song echoes
Towards “Vừng đông… hửng sáng”* they depart

Điện Biên, oh...
please tell me
Which bunker held my father and his comrades awake?
Cold raindrops on dry rice cakes
Rifle barrels aimed towards the enemy

Him Lam's battlefield
blooms of yesteryears
Years pass, still vivid in pain
Isn't it so, father: those Ban flowers
White, flickering moments in Điện Biên

Amidst the mystical red flag sky
Mường village echoes victorious songs
Father, come back
This autumn
With the sun
Merge with the valiant defenders of the country

The song becomes the midwinter flame
The green shadow of my father on Điện Biên's fields

Tuần Giáo – Lạc Dương
7/2019

Nguyễn Huấn

July comes, and thoughts of our comrades return.

Youthful years devoted to the Motherland.
For war stirs the heart's fervor.
Departure without promise of return.

July arrives, the nation calls once more.
Quảng Trị land, Thạch Hãn River bleeds.
Ancient citadel in desolation amidst bombs and shells.
Eyes sting, voices choke with grief.

July comes, offering fragrant incense.
In remembrance of the heroic fallen.
Sacred waterfall, find peace in eternal rest.
Rustling winds...
On hills of purple sim flowers...!!!

Raindrop Autumn
Hanoi 25/7/2019

Where is peace while you're away?

For years, mother waits anxiously each night
Since your departure till now
Longing overwhelms, gazing at your photo

This image resembles you as though it's printed
Mother's faith rests upon your image alone
You defend the homeland, its hills and rivers
Many nights, weary, mother waits and watches

An old, lonely body, vast and desolate
Waiting by the green river's edge, tears flowing
A small heart, mother bestowed upon you
Make me steel, to achieve great feats

Mother's child battles in the North, conquers the East
Now mother waits, yearning for your return
Exhausted, now numb, the wait has taken its toll
No longer waiting, mother returns to the ancestors

In the peaceful world beyond,
Or at the gate of Buddhas and deities welcoming
For many years, mother has wished and longed
Now mother enters the realm of celestial beings

Oh child, gentle and kind
Mother hopes you sleep in a distant land
Our country, with its majestic landscapes
Missing you, yet joyous and content

Gazing at your picture, mother is filled with sorrow and joy
Mother rejoices, mother grieves, tears flowing
Glancing through the worn-out door frame
Watching you, mother's tears flow once more

Oh child, where have you wandered?
Come back to fulfill mother's lifelong wish
Through many years, separated by distance and sky
Oh child, return to where mother lies.

25/7/2019 - Văn Lan

One life, two deaths, here it lies

Amidst rain of bombs, fire, and determined frail bodies

Firmly gazing, silently resolute
Clutching onto milestones amidst the thunderous invasion

Knowing one's fervor like gasoline
Standing tall, steadfast against the enemy's advances

Proud of our Vietnamese nation
The heroic stature of our ancestors for eternity.

Poetry by Nguyễn Hường
24/7/2019

Dedicated to the fallen soldier Đinh Văn Tèo, and several comrades from Đông Đô village who sacrificed in 1972 on the Quảng Trị front

Some lay in the deep forest
Some weakened, writhing in pain
A time of thunderous bombs, echoing gunfire
Still vivid in the memories of many.

Regretting the youth of yesteryears
Countless first loves shattered
Those from the North, those from the South separated
Letters lost along the way.

Youth left behind on the battlefield
Along with passionate love aflame
Quảng Trị in the July days
Rain pouring relentlessly all day...

My friend lies here
A few days before the final battle
Listening to the waves of Cửa Việt
Singing lullabies for decades.

Forever young at twenty
While I'm nearing seventy
The river of time continues to flow
Rest in peace, dear Tèo!

5/10/2018
Poetry by Nguyễn Quang Toản, Thái Bình.

The war ended long ago,

Yet you refuse to remember to return home,
Leaving mother waiting every day,
Her heart hardened, her body frail and thin.

Yearning for you, mother waits tirelessly,
Day and night longing for your return,
So her heart won't ache anymore,
So she won't face the lonely nights alone.

Tears of love fall from her eyes,
For how many years has she waited for you, my child!

Poetry by: Trần Tuyết Tuyết

On the twentieth Tet's sunrise,

Ngọc Đông* bravely sacrificed on the battlefield.
Mother Nga* wailed in sorrow!
Following bombs and bullets, searching for her child.

When Father died, Mother aged,
Sacrificing for the nation to remain free.
National independence must be secured,
Father fought the enemy fiercely.

But fate had its cruel way.
Father died on the brutal battlefield!
Now it's your turn to depart,
Farewell to comrades, following the heroic example.

Mother Nga wraps chung cakes,
Offering soldiers in celebration of victory.
Oh Heavens! Do You know?
The enemy burned everything, leaving nothing but ashes!

Pity Mother and her children,
No shelter for their weary bodies!
Yet, come Tet in the year of the Dog,*
Soldier Ngọc Nghĩa* marches off again.

For the country's sake, he dares all,
Risking his life, a name engraved in history.
Mother's life also takes a turn,
Determined to paint a glorious picture for the family.

The enemy launches relentless attacks,
But Mother remains steadfast, refusing to yield.
Beaten and bruised every day,
The more it hurts, the fiercer Mother becomes!

Fermenting courage in her descendants,
Fervently fighting for the waiting homeland.
On Liberation Day, Mother shouts,
No more worries, our country is united!

Lighting incense, praying to Buddha in the sky,
Protecting the martyrs in the heavenly realm.
Returning to Vietnam victorious,
Serving the people to build a strong and prosperous nation.

Nguyên Đức

July 2019

Something... strangely familiar, my country?

The sun and rain still come, the trees remain lush,
From North to South, as if the sky is weary,
More than ninety million hearts... tighten, calling out your name!

The Fatherland records your merit, the soldiers' splendor,
You forever shine within the nation's heart,
Soldiers are like soaring birds,
You fall into the compassionate embrace of Mother Sea.

The country bids you farewell, tears welling,
To the world... no more enmity,
Comrades silently endure their pain,
Following in your footsteps, the iron bird flaps.

What happiness... sometimes turns to anger,
Is there any peaceful life... untouched by tears?
You depart... how many wrenching hearts,
Wife and children, how long will their lament last...?

You meld into Mother Âu Cơ's embrace,
Like a sea eagle, seeking the way back to Motherland,
Su30, CaSa 8983 will forever enter the generation,
The military march, the resplendent waves of the East Sea.

You merge with the vast sky and sea,
The lineage of Dragon Fairies, Vietnam forever...
You! You are... Trần Quang Khải!
The iron bird, the military's sentinel amidst the sky and sea.

A history thousand years will forever remember,
The State commends you... ascending to the rank of Major,
Trần Quang Khải... rest peacefully, Anh!
The young wife takes over for you... the family's pillar.

The mourning band Chị reluctantly stands strong,
Comrades replace you in safeguarding the country's peace,
You sleep... amidst the country's vast sky and sea,
Be calm and content in a peaceful dream.

Millions of compatriots pay respects before your spirit,
You proudly wear the colors of the Fatherland's flag,
Sleep, Anh... the ocean hums softly,
The Motherland, the homeland, sheds tears, etching deep in the heart...

Light a heart-shaped incense... sending remembrance to you!

Vọng Thanh

June 19, 2016

The Truong Son range stands silent and vast,

But Mother's love forever seeks her child beneath the grave's cold cast.

The hills adorned in purple heather,

Bring tears to aging eyes, tracing the path together.

Far away, amid trials untold,

Mother remains the steadfast home, the heart of the household.

Where your forest grave does lie,

With comrades fallen, under the same sky.

Scent of incense, Mother's presence felt,

A sacred spirit, words in silence melt.

Countless nameless mounds, fields of green,

Candlelight for you, Mother's love unseen.

Oh Mother, bent with age, weary and worn,

Cannot bear to see your child forlorn.

A life lived in spiritual grace,

Loving every warrior, departed in the fray's embrace.

Offering flowers at the tomb's side,

You linger still, awaiting the fragrant tide.

Who created this battlefield's scene?

The green leaves weep, holding young bones serene.

Mother, a bastion of hills and dales,

Embraces her child, a warrior who never fails.

You marched for Peace's noble plight,

Mother's love, your ultimate sacrifice, bright.

Honoring the fallen, a million souls,

Autumn evening, tears wet the hills of wild sim flowers.

Phạm Quang Thu

War, cruel and grim,

Many shed blood on the battlefield, a solemn hymn.
Family, names, homeland,
Who truly knows, buried beneath the land.

Visitors to the grave, somber and still,
Offer incense, unaware of the girl's or boy's name, a chill.
Bowing before the memorial,
Praying for souls to accept gratitude's serial.

For generations to come, descendants and kin,
Peaceful lives forever grateful within.

By Author Nguyễn Đức Phúc

22/7/2019

When leaving, I promised my parents dear,

To return and build a home in the land held dear.
My wife, like Lady Tấm, gentle and fair,
Grandparents rejoice when grandchildren they bear!

Now with silver hair, teeth worn down,
I seek for a resting place, a spring to own.
In the deep forest, in chill and thirst,
Fearing loneliness, why don't we part first?

Mother dreams in broad daylight,
I am still in my youthful prime,
As if Father is still waiting in sight,
Meals served after toils, the daily grind.

Heaven's tasks are but rain and sun,
Elders worry about all and feel undone.
Mother and Father's eyes, dim and weak,
Seeing me return, they clearly peek!

Sitting, waiting, aging with each dawn,
Early and late, smoothing wrinkles, a faded fawn.
But faith diminishes, slowly fading away,
With Mother and Father, I'll depart one day.

In the realm of peace, where distant it may seem,
I return, by the lotus pond – Mother awaits!
Still cherishing me as in those youthful gleams,
By our parents, we're complete, in love, and fates!

Nguyen Dinh Cuong

Lighting incense respectfully before the grave of our fallen heroes,

Their loved ones, unknown, unseen...
Father, present through tears
Full of memories, as Mother recounts about Him.

The most beautiful days of youth
Mother toils amidst the ebb and flow of life
Raising a small child for Father's steadfast steps
Crossing Truong Son to drive away the enemy... to protect the homeland.

I was born without knowing Father's figure
But Mother said... He was very brave
He was rejected right from the medical examination
By literate, the military didn't accept Him.

Father wrote blood letters sent everywhere
Determined to enlist and set off to fight the enemy
Leaving a young wife alone in the north
With the troops... bombs, bullets, and jungle rain.

Only mentioned upon arrival in the coffin
'Both... parents, please try to persevere
Son... daughter, both named Toan Thang
On the day of peace, will surely return home'.

Who knows
Half a century... the path
Since Father stepped, He never returned
Mother aged and left forever
Never once seeing Father's 'skeleton'!

Old comrades... recounted amidst fading tears
Father was captured in the enemy's siege
Then fell to ensure the campaign's safety
Determined not to confess despite guns pointed at His head.

A hasty grave buried under the Du's root
Bombs devastated afterward, hard to find anymore
Because comrades had to rush into the firing line
Some sacrificed, some disabled returned.

Remembering Mother's words before departing...
Switching jobs, I headed south to search
Where Father passed, where many memories lingered
The former battlefield turned into work a few times.

Many days I queried the locals
No results, feeling nearly hopeless
But Father... Mr. Nguyen Thanh is still alive
He is the one who identified Father.

A towel embroidered with the words Kindness - Peace
Father's name, Mother, and Mr. Bac buried together that day
After five sessions, finally found by me
Bathing fragrant water... Where Father's homeland lies!

I, His descendants now complete in the homeland
Respectfully salute the fallen heroes' spirits.

Hạ Như Trần

Oh mother, please cheer up

Your son has only one leg left
Endured the fierce war
Part of the body turned to ashes

Despite the stretched and cramped leg
The car carries you safely on the road
For you to visit every street and alley
Remembering the day you bid farewell, dear mother

Seeing your tears fall
Seeing you, I feel troubled in my heart
Those nights climbing hills and crossing mountains
Remembering your eyes brimming with love

Remembering the night wounded by a bullet
The doctor said to amputate my leg
Hearing that, my heart sank
Where could I find a leg to care for you, my aged mother?

But eventually, I overcame
To return to your side in old age, lonely
Now, mother, strive to rise
Together, let's travel across our homeland.

Hồ Viết Bình

9/5/18