Passing Autumn Wind

(Một Thoáng Gió Thu)
Một thoáng gió lay
Lá vàng khẻ nhẹ
Lìa cành du dương
Đong đưa trong gió

Mĩm cười với gió
Nhắc nhở thu sang
Thu vàng rực rỡ
Điểm điểm trời xanh.

Writer's Notes
Thoáng nhìn phong cảnh mùa Thu trong khi đang rửa chén vào một buổi trưa ngày thứ Bảy của tháng 10 năm 2013.

Those lines call to mind a glimpse of Autumn scenery as I momentarily looked out the window while doing the dishes on that one Saturday afternoon in October 2013.

At 35

Rustling leaves
Blowing winds
Summer days are coming to an end.
When the wind starts to change its direction
Autumn is near, in full color.

To the grace of God’s given life
I was born on a beautiful autumn day.
May I live helping to touch other people lives
And letting theirs touch mine.
Thanks be unto God for the gift of life!

Writer's Notes
Written on my 35th birthday in thanksgiving for God's gift of life.

Travelling

When I travel, I never travel alone. It is Him who travels with me.

10,000 feet up in the sky
I see God’s wonders lie
Oh, what a beautiful sight
That He had designed
It’s a feast to the eyes.

Lie above the sky
Are the truth and the light
Shining from on high
Reach the earth and alike
They reflect the light.

Ordering one’s life
Toward the light
Radiant, oh so bright
Wholeness of sight
Perfect one’s life
A joyous life.

Writer's Notes
Written about a year ago to date with the thought of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux in mind as I was reflecting about past travels.

Autumn Persimmons

Thu Hồng

Viết tặng Ba
For Dad

Ichi-Ki-Kei-Jiro "Itchy" Asian Persimmon
Photo by Mei

Gió xuân thoang thoảng khí trời trong
Mưa hạ đi qua gọi nắng hồng
Vun cây tưới đất chờ thu đến
Thu về thu hoạch giữa trời đông.

Ba tôi có một vườn hồng
Trái xanh lơ lững ở trên không
Thu sang tiết lạnh trời đông đến
Nhặt trái trên không màu đỏ hồng.

Literal English Translation version:
Spring breezes bringing along the fresh smell of air
Summer rain passerby calling for sunshine
The gardener gardening, waiting for fall
Autumnal harvest in the midst of winter’s chill.

In the garden, there are Dad’s persimmon trees
Hanging green fruits set against the blue summer sky
Fall arrival heralds in the crisp winter air
Picking orange colored persimmons hanging from the airy branches.

Writer's Notes
Viết vào những ngày cuối tháng 7 đầu tháng 8 năm 2013 in reflection of the year passed as the season comes and goes.

The above set of seven word, two four-line stanzas were written with the thought of Dad as ba tôi thích nhất là mùa Thu when leaves change color and the air is crisp.

Given Thu Hồng is a word play on the literal Vietnamese translation of the English title Autumn Persimmons. Literally, "Autumn" means "mùa thu" or simply "thu" in Vietnamese and "Persimmons" means "cây hồng" (persimmon trees), "trái hồng" (persimmon fruits) or simply "hồng". Together, they made up the Vietnamese title of Thu Hồng.

The photo was edited using Google+ photo.

Endure

JAN 忍 NHẪN

Hanging Scroll of 忍 Calligraphy
Photo by Mei

A Sense of Self-Contentment
知足常樂 Tri Túc Thường Lạc
zi zeoi soeng lok

To Peacefully Endure
能忍自安 Năng Nhẫn Tự An
nang jan zi ngon

Calming of the Heart
心平氣和 Tâm Bình Khí Hòa
sam ping hei wo

With Much Peace and Happiness
千祥雲集 Thiên Tường Vân Tập
cing coeng wan zaap

Writer's Notes
Hanging in my study room is the above pictured scroll of 忍 calligraphy which I brought back from a trip home in the summer of 2006.

The English translation together with the Vietnamese Nôm (Chữ Nôm 字喃 - Chinese-like script) and alphabet (Quốc Ngữ - Vietnamese national language) decipherment are results of a seven years long off and on project originated from the love for languages.

Credits and/or Citations:
The decipherment incorporated the utilization of the online Vietnamese Nôm Preservation Foundation (VNPF) Nôm Lookup Tool for Vietnamese Nom and alphabet and MDBG Chinese-English dictionary for Jyutping Cantonese romanization.

The photo was edited using Google+ photo.