Nó (Waif) - Anh Bằng + Hoàng Minh (1967)

Slow-Rock

Thằng bé âm thầm đi vào ngõ nhỏ

The little one walks silently in the narrow alley
Tuổi ấu thơ đà mang nhiều âu lo.

His youthful days bear many worries.
Ngày nó sống kiếp lang thang, ngẩn ngơ như chim xa đàn, nghĩ mình tủi thân muôn vàn.

He lives fated to wander, bewildered like bird who has strayed from the flock, in eternal self-pity

Mẹ nó qua đời khi còn tấm nhỏ

His mother died when he was still young
Một chén cơm chiều nên lòng chưa no.

One bowl of evening rice, stomach not yet full.
Cuộc sống đói rách bơ vơ, hỏi ai, ai cho nương nhờ, chuỗi ngày tăm tối vô bờ.

A life of helpless hunger in tatters, one asks, who could he lean on in the limitless dark days 

Đêm đêm nó ngủ một manh chiếu rách co ro một thân côi cút không nhà

Night after night he sleeps on a tattered mat, curled up, orphaned without a home
Thân em lá cỏ bạn quen ai có đâu xa.

His body a blade of grass, friend nowhere around.
Thằng Tư con Tám hôm qua trên phố lê la.

The lads Tư and Tám yesterday were on the street hanging around.

Miền Bắc điêu tàn nên đời nó khổ

The North is in ruins so his life is miserable
Một chén cơm chiều nên lòng chưa no

One bowl of evening rice, stomach not yet full.
Nhiều lúc nó khóc trong mơ, mẹ ơi con yêu mong chờ bao giờ cho đến bao giờ.

Often he cries while dreaming, mother your beloved child will you wait, will you wait until the end.

nguồn: Anh Bằng, Hoàng Minh, "Nó," Saigon: Mỹ Hạnh, 1973

Chữ nó, trước kia ta chỉ dùng xưng hạng người mà ta lấy làm khinh hèn, chớ không mấy khi dùng mà xưng sự vật. (Phan Khôi, 1930)

The words "nó," before we only used it to name the category of people that we despise or look down on, it was not often used to name objects. 

It was a challenge translating this two letter title. Vietnamese people employ "nó" in many ways these days, sometimes in this derogatory way, sometimes just to fill in for he or she in the case a person of lower status (say, a child) or to fill in for "it." 

Gaunt, ragged orphans were a part of Vietnamese life. The lyrics of this song make it clear that this pitiable scene is located north of the 17th parallel. In socialist society one imagines that there were be a safety net to provide for orphaned children. By the same token, children were sometimes shunned and abandoned because of their family status, or as the result of land reform. Was this song simply created for psy-war purposes.

The Republic of Vietnam had plenty of vulnerable orphans, although I imagine that they would have been incorporated into the "informal economy" (think of Dickens - Fagan, Oliver Twist, the Artful Dodger). Nevertheless, Vietnam at that time was in the midst of a civil war, so the heartlessness had to be found on the other side. The song cover shows a toddler who while looking forlorn does not look to be un cared for. The urban setting looks much more like Saigon and Hanoi.

Hoàng Oanh thâu bài "Nó" cho hãng dĩa Sóng Nhạc năm 1967. Văn Phụng làm hòa âm. Có người húyt sáo cùng giọng hát cảm tình của Hoàng Oanh.