Gửi người em sắp rời Sàigòn

Em sang đây mang giùm anh chút nắng!

Nắng Sàigòn – Hà Nội – Nắng quê hương

Nắng ngày xưa em nhặt ở sân trường

Đem hong gió thu vàng hay ép sách.

Em cũng nhớ mang vầng trăng nguyệt bạch

Dải mây hồng uốn éo nét thanh tân

Hái giùm anh vài chục nụ tầm xuân

Làm quà tặng những người thân, bạn hữu.

Ghé bờ hồ ngắt mấy cành dương liễu

thật xanh tươi để anh nhớ hồ Gươm

Ðền Ngọc Sơn! Hãy vào thắp nén hương

Rồi thu xếp cho hành trang xuất ngoại!

À còn nữa! Cả một thời mê mải

Huế – Ngọ môn – Trăng vẫn giãi sông Hương!

Núi Ngự Bình đang kể lể niềm riêng

Thôn Vĩ Dạ tình người thơ vời vợi!

Nhớ nghe em! Ðừng để anh ngóng đợi!

Một chút tình – Một nắm đất quê hương

Nơi hồn anh ấp ủ nặng tình thương

Dù xa lắm vẫn ngậm ngùi tưởng nhớ!

Bút Xuân Trần Đình Ngọc

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Our Native Country’s Sunshine

My dear! When you come here, please bring me some pieces of sunshine from Saigon and Hanoi.

These two pieces represent the whole nation’s sunshine.

That was the same piece of sunshine that you picked up from our school yard when you were a schoolgirl,

And very respectfully and carefully, you put it to the Fall wind or between two pages of your dictionary to save them.

Also, please bring me the old crystal bright moon,

and some long pieces of pink cloud.

As gifts for my relatives and friends, please bring me two dozen beautiful blue roses.

I’m sure you would have used the train to go to Guom Lake almost everyday. Please pick some green willow branches for me to remember the lake itself.

By the way you also should go to Ngoc Son temple to light some fragrant incenses remembering your deceased beloved.

Then, go home and prepare well for your trip to the foreign country as you planned.

However, I have much more to remember

and to tell you.

When I was very young, I was fascinated by our old capital,

Hue city is always lovely with Ngo Mon, the royal gate.

Its crystalline moon gives the brilliant blue light to the quiet and calm Huong River, while Ngu Binh mountain also has its own story to tell,

The Vi Da hamlet with the poet’s deep and loyal love.

Bring me everything as I told you, please! Don’t let me wait!

And more! How about a little love and a little piece of soil of our fatherland where I can permanently put my spirit and soul in it?

I always miss and love our native country though it is very far from here, my dear!

But Xuan Tran Dinh Ngoc