Top 10 Most Beautiful Poems by Poet Bế Kiến Quốc

By dawn, the lilies have fully bloomed.
Time cannot be stopped or held back!
A season of flowers bids farewell,
As the fragrance begins its journey...

There is a place
Where someone waits for me

Through the passing days,
As branches shed leaves and sprout anew,
As flowers change with the seasons,
The one who waits still waits for me.

Though friends of my age
Have found their matches,
Though many suitors come knocking,
The one who waits still waits for me...

I journey on, seeking,
Holding love in my heart.

If the evening shadows grow long,
I won’t feel too sad.

If the road seems empty,
I won’t feel too sad.

Two or three girls
Have offered me their love.

If they ask for it back,
I won’t feel too sad...

I continue. And I know,
Trust in life’s journey,
Even if I arrive late,
The one who waits still waits for me.

The night erases the day we've lived,
All the words of night fall silent,
The trees and flowers, earth, water, and sky,
What you see—at night, disappears.

The night takes over. There’s no more space for me,
You retreat into sleep. Is there peace?
The night sweeps away all thoughts in your mind,
Lost in dreams, encountering unfamiliar scenes.

Lost in dreams, no familiar faces to find,
Meeting familiar people, but they don’t recognize me.
The night is void. I am no longer me,
Yes, I die every time night comes to claim me.

Each time the day is about to rise, I try with all my might
To return to the world I once knew,
But in the end, when the sun finally rises,
I am too weak to return anymore...

1983

Source: Bế Kiến Quốc, Forever the First Day (Poetry), Publishing House of the Writers' Association, 2002

I must leave once the day is done,
Love is finished, and so are the grievances.
I dissolve in the dust of this world,
The glow of life fades, leaving behind the cycle of reincarnation.

If there’s any sorrow, don’t feel too much sorrow,
Grieve just enough, as with all farewells.
I leave behind nothing, taking nothing with me,
Lightly, like the wind, as I depart.

Then, in that distant place, I will freely recall
Each day, every moment that has passed,
All the time I spent on those things
To avoid loneliness among the stars.

5-6-1991

Source: Bế Kiến Quốc, Forever the First Day (Poetry), Publishing House of the Writers' Association, 2002

Abandoning these earthly bare feet,
With all the illusions and the dust flying.
Letting go of my hands, abandoning them all,
The cold hands that once touched mine.

Sealing my lips, not a word more,
My ears no longer listen, my eyes no longer care.
Freeing this earthly body, leaving the mundane,
The moon of my subconscious offers itself to you.

5-1990

Source: Bế Kiến Quốc, Forever the First Day (Poetry), Publishing House of the Writers' Association, 2002

People who meet late in life
Often promise to make up for it in the next life...

But who knows
If there will be a next life? And even if there is,
Is it certain we will meet again?

You

Treasure each day, each moment,
When we are together, close to one another.
Never let go, hand in hand,
Value the love of the present moment!
We met in this life, here and now,
Such luck may never happen again!
Don't let us lose each other! Because who knows, forever
We may be far apart, across countless galaxies,
And you may never be by my side again...

8-4-1999

Source: Bế Kiến Quốc, Forever the First Day (Poetry), Publishing House of the Writers' Association, 2002

Dedicated to Ngô Thế Oanh

Summer is fading, the day of departure has arrived.
The sea changes its color, darkens under the calm sky.
Autumn hesitates at the lonely intersection,
The rain hastily ushers the evening light into the night...

The sadness of longing creeps into your eyes,
And beside the fence, bougainvillea flowers stand still.
We both knew, as we held the cup of water,
What flavor lingered, indifferent at the bottom.

Among friends, the talk has turned to
The next meeting. When our eyes meet,
The distance has a color that is not quite purple,
Not quite green, and not completely colorless.

If we love, nothing will truly be lost.
The net of time gathers memories aboard the boat;
Even so, looking at the anchor deep in the mud,
Who can truly maintain peace...

It’s time to say goodbye, summer is almost over.
The flowers shine brightly, the phoenix petals not yet faded.
All night long, the waves... The sea rushes with energy...
I silently tell myself: Farewell, Quy Nhơn!

Quy Nhơn, 9-1982

Source: Bế Kiến Quốc, Forever the First Day (poetry), NXB Hội nhà văn, 2002

You hold the old calendar
- Where did yesterday go?
You go outside and ask your father,
He pats your head and smiles:

- Yesterday stayed
On the flower branch in the garden.
The rosebud is still growing
Waiting for the day to bloom.

- Yesterday stayed
In the grain of rice your mother planted.
The field awaits the harvest
Golden with the color of hopes.

- Yesterday stayed
In your little notebook.
As you study diligently
Yesterday is still with you.

Source: SGK Tiếng Việt 2, Volume 2, NXB Giáo dục, 2002

The white lily. And the wall is also white.
Why does the flower's shadow on the wall appear black?

Don't look away, my dear,
I don’t know why I have wronged you,
But the question will forever linger:
Why does the flower's shadow on the wall appear black...

1969-1987

This poem is often mistakenly attributed to the German author Heinrich Heine, but it was indeed written by Bế Kiến Quốc.

We need new branches of flowers
To bloom for you and me
We need new moonlit nights
To lead us into the dark sky...
Love doesn’t stop
It doesn’t fall into routine
Love is always new
Like the first days we met

We need little quarrels
To remember and to forget
We need questions to ask
To stir up doubts and jealousy!
We need new songs
To sing about our belief,
We need afternoons of waiting
As the whole road waits for you...

Love doesn’t stop
It doesn’t fall into routine
Days pass, one after another
Getting better, getting more beautiful
Love is always new
Forever the first day...