To One Who Lays Down

You lay down, after one time, having been here
You enjoyed yourself in this life
You flew high in the arc of the heavens
You lay down, without friends, with no one
With no one, each day
With no one, for eternity
I’ll lull you into a deep sleep, when the rainy season arrives
In this cemetery, only one kind of bird can be found

You lay down, so your hatred, can be forgotten
We said goodbye on a sad day
The earth embraces you, and returns you to its source
And from there, in this big world, your absence
Like wings of a bird, leaving the jungle
Like a heart, departing love
Right here one time, I watched you arrive
With anguish, to speak would ruin the moment

Your friends are still there, do you know that ?
Your lover’s still here, do you remember ?
The garden and grasses still green
The sun still rises
Your shadow, like wings of a bird, sinking

Which part of the sky, have you flown by?
You left an empty hole in each morning
You’ll forget the lover
Friends will be distant
Oh months and years, all your footprints, will be faded into dust

You lay down, like the one time, you distanced yourself
The child has returned home
The desolate earth closed shut all promises
A city person, one day, recalls a name
Each new dawn, fire and bullets
Blood and bones, pile up
Please let the one who just lay down
To see the luminous paradise, at the end of the vast heavens.

translated by Tran Duy Tinh