Scent of Yesteryear | Hương Xưa
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Author: Cung Tiến | Fayland Maiden Rendition
O Friend, an evening with gentle golden sunlight,
do you dream a faraway dream?
O Friend, the road to the home village is so far,
winding across many rivers.
Still there, the bamboo trees whisper softly in the wind.
Still there, the banyan shades hold lovers’ secret rendezvous.
Still there, starlit nights,
with the soul immersed in the music of the flute…
O Friend, I still remember those long-ago afternoons,
with butterflies dancing by the lake.
O Friend, I still hear the gentle, sorrowful lullabies
of folk verses.
Still there, in my memories,
the silk loom spinning endlessly.
Still there, in my memories,
the kites drifting lazily in the sky…
How many lifetimes
would it take to speak all the words of love?
Alas, on many long nights,
my soul still dreams of some distant lifetime.
In the misty rain,
listening to Tang poems, feeling despondent.
Even if passion should fade from my heart,
the two-chord fiddle still loves the old melodies.
The “Moonlight Sonata” still remembers Cô-Tô city.
My soul still hears in dreams
the music of vague, patient waiting.
And I will love for eternity
the lady Quỳnh-Như of those olden times.
Alas, on long nights,
my heart still dreams of her.
Even though promises
have been forgotten.
The Golden Age, long gone,
has faded into oblivion.
Waiting… until when
for the reincarnation of my Beloved?
O Friend, which evening will bring
gentle golden sunlight to warm hearts everywhere?
O Friend, which evening will autumn return,
for me to gather the falling leaves?
When will love be imprinted on our lips?
When will people love one another
and live peacefully together?
Making life full of joy,
like lovers singing together…
Making life full of joy,
like lovers singing together…