Original author: Trần Khánh Dư | A Water-Moon Presentation
A bilingual, spirited Water-Moon verse-story opera adapted from the only surviving lushi poem of Trần Khánh Dư — a legendary 14th-century Vietnamese wartime general who lived over a hundred years old.
Một gánh kiền khôn quẩy tếch ngàn
Hỏi chi bán đó, dạ rằng than
Carrying down the mountain
a shoulder pole of heaven and earth.
Passersby ask me
what’s being sold,
and I tell them
“coal”.
Ít nhiều miễn được đồng tiền tốt
Hơn thiệt nào bao... gốc củi tàn
Some money made is fine
and the trade’s honest.
What’s a little gain or loss
from these piles of firewood.
Ở với lửa hương cho vẹn kiếp
Thử xem sắt đá có bền gan
This entire life,
I just want to live true
to my vows
of love and faith.
We will see
if iron and stone
can stand the test of endurance.
Nghĩ mình lem luốc toan nghề khác
Nhưng sợ trời kia lắm kẻ hàn
My face’s begrimed –
I have considered
another trade.
But then I’m afraid
that many people
will suffer the coldness
of this chilly winter.