MỘT BẢN DỊCH XUẤT SẮC TỪ TRUYỆN KIỀU SANG THƠ ANH NGỮ 

BỞI THI SĨ HOÀI VĂN TỬ Tiến Sĩ Đàm Trung Pháp,

 Professor Emeritus Texas Woman’s University

245 Chàng Kim từ lại thư song,

246 Nỗi nàng canh cánh bên lòng biếng khuây. 

247 Sầu đong càng lắc càng đầy,

248 Ba thu dồn lại một ngày dài ghê.
249 Mây Tần khóa kín song the,

250 Bụi hồng lẽo đẽo đi về chiêm bao.
251 Tuần trăng khuyết, đĩa dầu hao,
252 Mặt mơ tưởng mặt, lòng ngao ngán lòng. 

253 Buồng văn hơi giá như đồng,
254 Trúc se ngọn thỏ, tơ chùng phím loan.

255 Mành Tương phất phất gió đàn,
256 Hương gây mùi nhớ, trà khan giọng tình. 

257 Vì chăng duyên nợ ba sinh,
258 Thì chi đem thói khuynh thành trêu ngươi. 

259 Bâng khuâng nhớ cảnh, nhớ người,

260 Nhớ nơi kỳ ngộ vội dời chân đi. 

261 Một vùng cỏ mọc xanh rì,

252 Nước ngâm trong vắt, thấy gì nữa đâu!

 263 Gió chiều như gợi cơn sầu,
264 Vi lô hiu hắt như màu khảy trêu.

245 Since the time he was back in his study,
246 A painful feeling of missing her bothered him constantly.
247 The harder he tried to drain the sadness away, the worse it seemed to be.

248  Each longing day seemed as long as three full years to him.
249 Heavy clouds wrapped up the beauty’s abode, it seemed.

250 Kieu, behind the flowers, constantly appeared to him in dreams at night.

 251 The moon crescent grew thinner; oil in the lamp dried up25 many times.
252 He dreamed of her charming face, and secret love made him suffer terribly. 

253 In his study, the atmosphere became chilly.

254 Stiffened was the rabbit hair26 of the writing brush of our scholar.\ And slackened became the strings of his guitar.

255 The silk blinds palpitated in the fresh breeze coming from afar;
256 Incense sharpened his missing her; tea only intensified his secret love. 

257 He said, “If between us, there exists no predestined conjugal affinity.27

 258 Why do I have to suffer from that encounter with the breathtaking beauty? 

259 Thinking melancholically of the person he loved, of the scenery

260 And of the place of that marvelous encounter, out he went hurriedly. 

261 The grass was still there with its deep green;
262 Besides limpid water sleeping in the stream, nothing was seen.
263  The evening breeze fanned up his profound sadness;

264 With a mocking air, reeds were swinging their heads.