Nguyễn Ngọc Bích - The Bronze Drum Rhapsody

Thunder, thunder and lightning in the upland jungle
Thundering sounds, lightning that thunder on
Announcing a parching drought in the midlands
That parches even one’s throat and mind.
Let us beat our drums, our bronze drums to pray to Heaven,
Thundering, they thunder on
For three rolls reaching all the way to the Celestial Court
Asking that propitious rain pour down on Earth:
For us to have water to drink, and water to irrigate the fields,
And rice to eat and hay to cook,
The common people only dreaming of peace,
Peace – a favor of the gods, a gift from Heaven,
So that everything down on Earth can transform into something good.

Let us play loudly on our bronze drums,
Let them thunder to wake up the dawn
With its thousands of shimmering rays:
O! Our country will look so beautiful
And the gourds and watermelons will be so green
As they share the same bower, growing greenly
And swaying in the spring breeze of love
Drunk with joy, every household and every clan will be happy
As they come together to celebrate Tet.
The racing boats fly above the waves of the long river
Bringing so much happiness to one, especially one in love.
Let us play loudly on our bronze drums,
The thousand birds will flap their wings and fly up,
Flying together in a confusion of songs.
They fly back to the source of the national spirit
Where the deer happily prance about
Searching for that source water,
A transparent, clear-water spring
With the drums rolling, we sing in our very bones,
People sing and dance, shaking their spears,
Spears that destroy the wicked,
That deflects devilish schemes and demonic plots,
That clear up pollution far and near.
The gift of Heaven, man’s power will make the earth blossom
As our green planet turns and turns together with the immense universe,

Uncounted are the miracles of Heaven and Earth
As the incarnated rivers roll on and on.
Let’s play loudly on our bronze drums,
The sacred drums that opened up the Van Lang Kingdom,
So that one-day they are reborn again.
Let us play loudly on our bronze drums,
So that our people’s sacred soul can incarnate in the empty shell
Of those who have their culture, their souls and even their fatherland.
Let us go back to the natural virtue of our ancestors,
Restore the basic of Southern morality,
A natural state of love and peaceful disposition,
With mutual help and collaboration within the larger family,
So that the grace of God can be evenly spread, near and far,
Living in the spirit of great harmony as dictated by our ancestral Kings,
At peace spiritually,
At peace with the world,
At peace with Nature.
We will just melt in a world yearning for peace,
The sun burns gloriously,
Our love is immense and powerful
As we offer this drum rhapsody to the Spring of Eternal Peace.

Translated by
Nguyễn Ngọc Bích
Springfield, VA
October 31, 1999