Thề non nước
TẢN ĐÀ
Nước non nặng một lời thề,
Nước đi, đi mãi, không về cùng non.
Nhớ lời nguyện nước thề non,
Nước đi chưa lại, non còn đứng không.
Non cao những ngóng cùng trông,
Suối tuôn dòng lệ chờ mong tháng ngày,
Xương mai một nắm hao gầy,
Tóc mây một mái đã đầy tuyết sương.
Trời Tây ngã bóng tà dương,
Càng phơi vẻ ngọc nét vàng phôi pha.
Non cao tuổi vẫn chưa già,
Non thời nhớ nước, nước mà quên non.
Dù cho sông cạn đá mòn,
Còn non, còn nước, hãy còn thề xưa.
Non cao đã biết hay chưa?
Nước đi ra bể lại mưa về nguồn.
Nước non hội ngộ còn luôn,
Bảo cho non chớ có buồn làm chi.
Nước kia dù hãy còn đi,
Ngàn dâu xanh tốt non thì cứ vui.
Nghìn năm giao ước kết đôi,
Non non nước nước không nguôi lời thề.
Mountain's and water's oaths
English version by NGUYEN HUU LY
Waters and mountains carried a heavy load of oaths
Waters have gone, and incessantly gone without a return to mountains
Remembering the plights between waters and mountains
Waters didn't come back yet mountains still stood alone
High mountains were so much looking forward to awaiting
Streams of tears drained off and awaited days and months
The handfull of bones became thin down
The silky hair was plenty of snows and dews
The more the western sky had gradually declined to its setting sunlight
The more it displayed the beautiful appearance and its golden features had lost their freshness
High mountains didn't attain their old age
They missed waters, but waters forgot them
Even if rivers were dried off and the rocks eroded
Mountains and rivers were still subsisted, so they still had kept their olden oaths
As for high mountains, did you already know that:
If waters pour out to the sea, rains would be back to their sources
Waters and mountains met again forever
Give to mountains a tip-off without boring and worrying
Even if waters were still flowing
Thousands of mulberries become evergreen, mountains would be more pleasant
Promising to each other to join in wedlock
Oh, mountains and waters! Never break your oaths!