A Poem For My Young Lover

a tired horse gallops up a mountain in the sad night wind
a spring meanders lonely in one corner of the sky
you, sweet breath of a time uncorked
what memory can I hold on to-what flowing hair, parted in two

a young squirrel stakes its fate on a strange mountain
and I, a forest bird, wings wearied with constant wounds
a scent of green grass cools ivory footprints
you, as blackboard & white chalk, our lives broken

a hundred butterflies swim home along the same course
a spring overflowing will have to leave its source
you, slender silk dress, more slender than a hill silhouette
O forest, how many years the trees waiting

you a pure and spotless thing in my dust-filled life
call me back to see the simple sunlight
you, just coming of age, your love a lure of waterfalls
pity me, a horse astray, cut off from the herd

Translation by Kevin Bowen and Nguyen Ba Chung