Night with my love

 

Night with my love

 

Sleep, my love, a nightful sleep

Let a sight of war touch not of your dream

What an enduring life, you’ve lived through in the jungle’s deep

Now, we are together – even our time is brief

 

An image of you – of love and sorrow,  I’ve always kept

 Which edged my mind, and sweeten my lips

But you, a simple lullaby, and a loving smile

still a yearning that you’ve missed

 

Sleep, my love, sleep

Here I sing a sweet song

Just for you,  I’ve kept it so long

 

In your arms, hidden a tearful face

What war has given?  what has it taken?

and that happiness has forsaken us

It left the coarseness in your heart,

the hard lines edged your forehead

the scars that ploughed deep,

an imprinted pain on your chest

 

Sleep, tonight, my love, sleep!

My deepest of sorrow, and my sweetest of love

Here, I will sing it for you

in my arms, go sleep!

Through the window, a shaded moonlight

shinning on your face

the reality of war - which isn’t too far,

Is it a distance of our fate?

A short distance of our fate?

 

In my arms, gently, my soldier, go to sleep!

With frail hands, I will  shade you from those flares

Which bloom as a nightmare in the naked night

War! war, please stop there!

 Do not come near

Do not cloud his eyes!

Do not touch his life!

Sweetheart, I am holding you tight,

You, a brave soldier of mine

I’m holding you back

from this war and all wounds war makes

even for just tonight, one night, I am holding you back!

Sleep, darling, sleep tight!

even for just tonight!

be safe by my side.

 

6/21/17

Nhật Thụy Vi

 (based on ‘Đêm với Người Yêu’

Written in Dalat 1968)

Night with my love