Yellow Crane Tower by Cui Hao vs Hoàng Hạc Lâu by Vũ Hoàng Chương
Hoàng Hạc Lâu và Vũ Hoàng Chương
Yellow Crane Tower
Cui Hao
https://www.cchatty.com/Yellow-Crane-Tower-g-100002?hl=en
According to "Chinese folklore", the Yellow Crane Tower , in today Wuhan China, was privately build circa 220 AD by a rich "restaurateur and wine maker" in dedication of gratitude and respect to an "immortal" who had flown away with the "golden crane" that he had “given” him by drawing the crane on the wall. Because of that "golden crane", he became rich! . Later the building was modified for military purpose by Sun Quan, the emperor of Eastern Wu in the three kingdom war period. Since then this famous Tower had been damaged, destroyed, and then rebuild, modified many times as result of wars and fires.
This version of English translation is NOT mine!
昔人已乘黄鹤去,
A man of yore rode off on a yellow crane,
此地空余黄鹤楼。
and all that’s left here is Yellow Crane Tower.
黄鹤一去不复返,
The yellow crane, having flown, never returned;
白云千载空悠悠。
the white clouds for a thousand years freely drift.
晴川历历汉阳树,
Now the trees of Hanyang are arrayed before the clear river,
芳草萋萋鹦鹉洲。
And fragrant grasses grow lush on Parrot Island.
日暮乡关何处是?
And where are the gates of home in the fading light?
烟波江上使人愁。
The fog rippling over the River evokes such woe.
Source: https://vacantmountain.wordpress.com/2013/05/23/%E9%BB%83%E9%B6%B4%E6%A8%93-the-yellow-crane-tower-by-%E5%B4%94%E9%A1%A5-cui-hao/
This is my translation attempt in Vietnamese:
Người xưa cưỡi hạc bay khuất trời
Nay còn Lầu Hạc đứng chơi vơi
Hạc bay một lần không về nữa
Mây trắng ngàn đời thong thả trôi
Cây bến Hán Dương còn in bóng
Cỏ thơm Anh Vũ vẫn ngát đồi
Chiều xuống đường quê đâu chẳng thấy
Sương khói trên sông đẩy sầu khơi.
Nguyên-Khả
Vũ Hoàng Chương
This Vietnamese version below IS NOT a translation of Cui Hao’s poem. But Vũ Hoang Chuong, the author, the most famous poet of the South Vietnam during the Vietnam War , for political reason, had just borrowed (trước tác or trứ tác) the title and the geolocations of Cui Hao’s poem to express his sorrow for the defeat of the South and his disgust and depisement at the new regime of the Communist/Vietcong before he was tortured and murdered by them in 1976.
(Note: Nguyễn Du did NOT translated 金雲翹) (Kim Van Kieu) in Chinese by 青心才人(Thanh Tâm Tài Nhân) into “Truyện Kiều” in Vietnamese. Nguyễn Du created Truyện Kiều! Like Vũ Hoàng Chương, Nguyễn Du just borrowed the tilte, names, and the geolocations of Thanh Tâm Tài Nhân’s story to create his own story. That’s the famous story of Kiều we’ve all known today!
Hoàng Hạc Lâu
"Xưa hạc vàng bay vút bóng người
Đây lầu Hoàng Hạc chút thơm rơi
Vàng tung cánh hạc đi đi mất
Trắng một màu mây vạn vạn đời
Cây bến Hán Dương còn nắng chiếu
Cỏ bờ Anh Vũ chẳng ai chơi
Gần xa chiều xuống nào quê quán
Đừng giục cơn sầu nữa, sóng ơi..."
Vũ Hoàng Chương Trước Tác 1976
*
I will attempt to compose a song with this lyrics, folks! :-) Why not!
Because, as far as I am concerned, the late composer Cung Tiến had been asked to do so by Vũ Hoàng Chương himself …. Cung Tiến did, but failed to deliver Vũ Hoàng Chương’s very last message to the Vietnamese contained within his very last poem he had composed (NOT translated from Cui Hao’s,) under the barbaric communist regime.
I feel sorry for Vũ Hoàng Chương. His own friends, his own comrades, his own people have failed to understand his last words and last wishes …
Forty five (45) years have passed since the existence of his last poem…Not a single Vietnamese has fathomed what he had entrusted in such beautiful poem that depicts a tragic events with full of pride and emotion in his most difficult and desperate time of his entire life.
Nguyên-Khả, Thetaoofanarchy