Introduction

Since I've left Vietnam I've been slowly translating verses from the Tale of Kieu from the original Vietnamese poetry into English. I really like the Tale of Kieu and the significance it has in Vietnamese culture. I am going to write some more analysis later but for this first post I am putting up is what I have posted already on Facebook. For my translation, I work with two other English translations along with my own interpretation. Translating poetry is always difficult because of the metaphors and other poetic language. Nguyen Du also uses a consistent meter and rhyming scheme which is very difficult to demonstrate in an English translation. The first translation I use is one that I bought while I was living in Hanoi. It was translated by a British man called Michael Counsell. I like it because it includes the original Vietnamese along with his English version. He tried hard to make the English version have a similar poetic tone. It flows nicely but he did take a lot liberties with it. It seems to me that when you translate poetry that adheres to a strict meter then you can either try to keep the translation truer to the meter and rhyming scheme or the exact meaning of the verse but you have to be an exemplary poet to get both. I think Michael Counsell's translation is more on the side of the meter approach and it is very readable. I do find though that he excludes or alters some interesting metaphorical language for expediency's sake.

The other translation I refer to was done by Huynh Thong Sanh and I access it through this website

:http://www.hn-ams.org/forum/showthread.php?t=6653

His translation follows the line numbers exactly and is a much more direct translation. He didn't try to follow the meter or rhyming scheme as much but his lines are much closer to the original's in terms of meaning. I like using both of these translations because they balance each other out and are good references for me.

So far I haven't tried to match up with the rhyme scheme or meter. I am not much of a poet so it might not read as nicely as more seasoned translators but I'm just trying to get my foot in the door. Also as you can see I have only translated small sections of the work. I read through both English versions and I chose the verses that I thought were especially interesting. Like any work of long poetry; there are peaks of poetic greatness but are necessarily surrounded by more "filler" poetry to convey the plot of the story. Now I'm going to show what I've done so far and then I will update with some analysis and more translations later. I appreciate any feedback :)

Người Việt Nam oi! Truyện Kiều rất khó dịch bởi vì tôi không phải là người Việt Nam. Khi tôi đã sóng ở Việt Nam thì tôi học truyện Kiều với bạn bè người Việt Nam của tôi nhưng tôi không biết nhiều người Việt Nam ở Mỹ. Bây giờ tôi một mình tư dịch lấy vậy. Đây khó quá. Tôi cần bạn giúp tôi. Cảm ơn :)

Truyện Kiều:

 363-368

Từ phen đá biết tuổi vàng,

Tình càng thấm thía, dạ càng ngẩn ngơ.

Sông Tương một dải nông sờ,

Bên Trong nọ, bên chơ cuối kia.

Một tường tuyết trở sương che,

Tin xuân đâu dễ đi về cho năng.

363~368

From then on, like the touchstone revealing pure gold,

Their love grew richer, yet they felt more sadness by the day.

Like the tale of Xiang River, where two lovers suffered,

And waited for each other, one upstream and one downstream,

The wall separating Kim Trong and Kieu blocked the passage of their notes of love

Like tall, snowy mountains that even if the snows melted in spring, would be impassable.

393~396

Mặt nhìn mặt, càng thêm tươi;

Bên lời vạn phúc, bên lời hàn huyên.

Sánh vai về chốn thư hiên,

Góp lời phong nguyệt, năng nguyền non sông.

393~396

They gazed into each other’s eyes, their happiness ever increasing,

Their vows brought them bliss they could not have imagined,

Their vows warmed their souls and cooled their tempers,

Side by side they returned to the study room,

The devotion they felt for each other weighed heavy like their oath to their homeland.

409~418
Nàng rằng: -"Trộm liếc dung quang,
Chẳng sân Ngọc Bội, cũng phường Kim Nôn.
Nghĩ mình phận mỏng cánh chuồn,
Khuôn xanh biết có vuông tròn mà hay?
Nhớ từ năm hãy thơ ngây,
Có người tướng sĩ đoán ngay một lời:
"Anh hoa phát tiết ra ngoài,
Nghìn thu bạc mệnh một đời tài hoa.
Trông người lại ngâm đến ta,
Một dày một mỏng biết là có nên?"

409~418

“When I first stole a glance of your handsome face,” Kieu said,

“It was clear you would work with those dressed in jade,

Dwell in the kingly chambers, but as for me,

My fate is as fragile as a dragonfly’s wings.

Will heaven allow our vows to come to fruition or not?

I remember a time from my childhood,

I met a seer who told me my fortune:

‘Your inner beauty will enlighten the world like an eternal spring,

Yet heaven will cast a thousand autumns worth of misfortune upon you,

Thus is the poetic life.’

I look at your bright destiny and then reflect upon myself,

Can we expect fortune to know what we deserve?”

437~440
Tiếng sen sẽ động giấc hòe,
Bóng trăng đã xế hoa lê lại gần.
Bâng khuâng đỉnh Giáp non Thần.
Còn ngờ giác mộng đêm xuân mơ Thần.

437~440

Although Kieu’s soft steps were as light as a lotus petal

Kim awakened from his princely dreams,

And the pair was illuminated by the soft, pale light of the waning moon.

Kim retained the vague feeling of dwelling at the peak of a divine mountain.

He still believed he was lost in a spring night’s dream.

 493~496

Rằng:-"Quen mất nết đi rồi,

Tẻ vui thôi cũng tính trời biết sao!

Lời vàng vâng lĩnh ý cao,

Họa dần dần, bớt chút được không."

493~496

“I am well aware our fate is out of our control,
Heaven alone knows why some are blessed with happiness
And others cursed with sadness.