POEMS BY ARCHITECT, AND POET ANH DAO

 

POEMS BY ARCHITECT, AND POET ANH DAO

(His real name: Dao Viet Can)

⦁ Date of birth: August 8, 1955

⦁ Address: P1, House C/T, Obstetrics & Gynecology Hospital, Ngoc Khanh, Ba Dinh, Hanoi

⦁ Residence: 184B Phuong Luu, Dong Hai Ward 1, Hai An, Hai Phong

⦁ Head of the Dat Viet Poetry Club, Hai Phong

⦁ Occupation: Vice President of Hai Phong Architects Association

⦁ Former member of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam Construction Consultants Association VCCI

⦁ Former Chairman of the Board of Directors, General Director of Hai Phong Construction Design Consulting Joint Stock Company HCDC

His poems: 

RETURNING TO HAI PHONG

Affectionately dedicated to Nguyen Quynh Trang and Joe Weisgerber, who traveled from Luxembourg to Hai Phong for their wedding on June 19th, 2022.

Today I returned to Hai Phong to meet my parents,

They taking me on a summer journey through the city.

Le Hong Phong Street blazed with red flowers,

Welcoming me from the airport to the Sea City.*

The Dinh Vu Cat Hai Bridge felt like a dream,

Taking me to Cat Ba Island, immersed in memories.

Lan Ha Bay, was more beautiful than any book’s pages,

With its blue seas and lush mountains, it was a whole paradise.

Pham Van Dong Avenue led out to Do Son,

Ardently with the scent of flowers, the breeze from the sea.

The pine forest whispered like a heart yearning,

Bringing me the waves of unending emotions.

The Dragon Hill Resort rested by the sea,

Rows of endlessly green coconut trees,

Embracing the golden sands, the boundless blue sea,

Like a paradise manifesting on earth.

My father took me through the windswept seas,

Visiting Hon Dau, where the waves eternally crashed.

The lighthouse standing tall like a brave warrior,

Guiding ships through vast ocean miles.

By the Tam Bac River, with lingering sentiments,

Bidding farewell to my parents with love and longing.

I carry my deepest thoughts,

Of the City of Red Phoenix Flowers, as beautiful as a star.**

NOTE: 

* and **: Hai Phong City.

(Translated into English by JyKhanh)

 

🌹

REFLECTIONS ON LUXEMBOURG

Affectionately dedicated to Nguyen Quynh Trang and Joe Weisgerber,

on the occasion of their parents' visit to Luxembourg in August 2019.

Arriving in Luxembourg one morning,

The streets stretch green with rows of trees.

A small house, its rose garden in full bloom,

The scenery here was love at first sight.

The old town still stands today,

The ancient road, weathered over the years.

Whose footsteps have left these marks?

Still visible, etched in the path.

Look at those nameless houses,

Where lives were lived and forgotten.

Curved windows on gray-red walls,

Where long nights were spent together.

I walk again down this street,

The old city remains to this day,

A reminder for all time,

That past wars were forever futile.

The river winds along the long stone wall,

Casting shadows of trees in the morning light.

For countless rendezvous of lovers,

Keeping their love as fresh as today.

Winding along the long streets,

I wander through the morning light.

Luxembourg, the place of dear affection,

For tomorrow and the future.

Luxembourg, August 2019

Poet: Anh Dao, M.Arch.