Lột mặt nạ nhẩy (Throw Off The Dancing Mask) - Phú Sơn (1959)

Ngô Thổng thống mang nhiều điệu nhảy
Của Hoa-kỳ về dạy cho dân:

"Hồng-kông," điệu nhảy giật gân,

"Thoát y" điệu nhảy truồng trần tô hô!

"Hu-la-húp," lắc khu, ưỡn bụng,

"Rốc-canh-rơn," hí hửng, gật gù,

Ngài đang thay mốt, đổi gu,

Nhập thêm "tả bủ, ta bu," quái kỳ!

Các điệu nhảy "mê ly" của Mỹ.

Ngài tổng đều chú ý nhập ngay.

Trong làng nhảy nhót xưa nay

Ngài từng nổi tiếng là tay nhảy cừ!

Chờ xem điệu nhảy từ tầng gác

Pho-rết-tan (1) khai thác nao

Từ dinh Độc lập tầng cao

Đích thân ngài sẽ đâm đầu nhảy luôn.

Điệu này mới thật mê hồn!

(1) Forrestal, bộ trưởng chiến tranh Mỹ, năm 1950 đã nhảy từ tần gác xuống sân tư tử sau khi được tin Liên-xô đã chế được bom nguyên tử.

nguồn: Độc Lập 21 tháng 3 1959

President Ngô has brought many dances

From the United States to teach the people:

"Hong Kong," a shocking dance,

"Striptease," a naked, boisterous dance!

"Hula-Hup," shaking the hips, thrusting the belly,

"Rock-n-roll," gleeful, nodding,

He's changing fashions, changing tastes,

Bringing in "Tabu, Tabu," so bizarre!

The "enchanting" dances of America.

The President immediately took notice and adopted them.

Into the long-standing world of dancing,

He was once famous as a skilled dancer!

Wait and see his dance from above

Forrestal (1) which he will exploit

From the high floor of the Independence Palace

He himself will jump in and dance.

This dance is truly mesmerizing!

(1) In 1950, Forrestal, the US Secretary of War, jumped to his death from a balcony after learning that the Soviet Union had developed an atomic bomb.

This is a strange bit of doggerel. Yes, people in the Republic of Vietnam loved to go out dancing. The twist was a very popular fad. So popular that Ngô Đình Diệm's brother and sister-in-law tried to stamp it out. The Ngô family in actuality were killjoys and prudes.

The invocation of deceased Defense Secretary James V. Forrestal is an even stranger touch. The accompanying footnote (poems with footnotes are immediately suspect) incorrectly states that Forrestal died in 1950, taking his life after learning that the Soviet Union had built an atomic bomb. He took his life on May 22, 1949, a few months before the Soviet Union successfully test their first nuclear weapon. The Defense Secretary became mentally unstable after being removed from his post by President Harry S. Truman. When this poem was published ten years later I doubt whether many people remembered James V. Forrestal, least of all the people of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

Ngỏ hồn qua đêm (Baring My Soul Through The Night) - Triết Giang [Hoàng Trang] & Hàn Châu (1966)

BOLÉRO

Chiều bàn giao cho vùng đêm đen biên giới.

Evening, relief came at the border's black night.  
Theo cánh quân anh đóng ven lưng chừng đồi.

Along the flank, I'm stationed hillside, halfway up  
Nghe muôn côn trùng than trong đêm trường sầu thương thế nhân

Hearing an untold number of insects moan through the long night sorrowing for mankind.  
Hồn rung tiềm thức quay trong vùng thương nhớ, len lén đưa anh qua bến mộng ngày xưa.

My soul, stirred unconsciously, turns back to memory's realm that seeps in, guides me past the dream docks of long ago.

Chuyện ngày xưa chia đều ra hai phe đánh.

Events long ago equally divided two fighting factions.  
Anh lấy cây làm súng bên em diệt thù.

I took up a stick as a gun alongside you to eliminate the enemy,  
Phe kia ngang tàng xua quân đốt nhà đuổi hai đứa ta

The other side arrogantly driving away soldiers, burning houses down, chasing away the two of us
Trò chơi tuổi xanh đôi bên cùng nhau đánh tương sát lẫn nhau như oán thù nghìn thu.

Children's games, two sides solemnly striking each other as if there was hatred and resentment for millennia  

Tháng tháng tiếp nối, thơ ấu ra đi anh giã từ cuộc chơi đó...

Month continues after month, youth has gone and I bade farewell to that game...
Đêm tiễn đưa anh, quay gót son mềm em đếm dài cây số thương

The evening you saw me off, your soft pink heals, calculating the long kilometers, feeling
Gói ghém quá khứ trong chiếc ba lô nơi tuyến đầu nằm thao thức

Packing up the past in a backpack at the front, laying awake
Giây phút suy tư, xanh giấc mơ gầy nghe trái sầu rụng nửa đêm.

Moments of reflection, hopeful slender dreams, I hear the sad fruit fall in the middle of the night.  

Nhìn hỏa châu lưng trời soi chia đêm tối

Looking the flares off in the sky, dividing the night's darkness
Anh ngỡ như ngày cưới hoa đăng ngập trời.

I imagine it was like our wedding, floral lanterns flooding the sky  
Xin em tin rằng đôi ta bây giờ dù xa cách nhau tình yêu ngàn năm không phai nhạt hương sắc

Please dear, believe that the two of us, although now far apart, fragrance of our thousand year love will not fade
Anh hứa yêu em trong suốt cuộc đời này.

I promise to love you all of this life.  

nguồn: Triết Giang & Hàn Châu, "Ngỏ hồn qua đêm" (Sài Gòn: Châu Kỳ nhạc tuyển, 1966)

Hoàng Trang was one of my favorite people in the Vietnamese music world. He was gracious, thoughtful and helpful in every way. He co-wrote this song a short time after he was wed. I know that he spent intervals of time during the 1960s among military units so he should have had a solid understanding of the psychology of the Republic of Vietnam soldier.

He describes the soldier's setting well -- a long night watch enveloped in an atmosphere of flares and an insect chorus. The thud of a falling piece of fruit breaks up the monotony. War songs are often about action, but it seems that the greater reality of soldier's life is that they spend a lot of their time waiting in remote locations with only sporadic sometimes terrifying action. Waiting leads to thinking, to an imaginary conversation with a soulmate, someone who would understand and comfort you.

Much of that thinking is nostalgia. Bến mộng / dream docks refer to the passage of his wife to his family, to their conjugal union. Bright explosions in the night recall the fireworks at their wedding. He firmly recalls the moment the parted and he entered his service. Midst the alternating worry and waiting of a foot soldier, he holds on tightly to his love for her, to their enduring mutual love.

The song poses a true riddle. Why do people of one nation fighting one another with the fervency and abandon of children's war games? The answer given is that they and their way of life have been attacked. The narrator can give no deeper understanding of the issues, but defense is a legitimate reason to take up arms. He is defending her and the future life they want to lead. The night insects appear less than satisfied with this outlook as they moan in sorrow for mankind.

Thanh Thúy sings "Ngỏ hồn qua đêm" recording on the Shotguns 27 tape in 1972.

A bâtons rompus (Casual Conversation) - (1925)

Car la Marine Francaise d'est past morte encore!

Le "Jules Michelet" n'est point seulement intéressant par ses 4 cheminées et ses gros canons.

Le Jules Michelet est un navire mélodieux. Du matin au soir, presque chaque jour, les habitués de l'Arsenal et des quais s'arrêtent souvent, sur la berge, pour écouter les harmonies de bon aloi qui sortent, à jet continue, de la plage avant. Il ne s'agit point des jolies modulations du sifflet de manoeuvre, mais bien d'un véritable orchestra absolument remarquable, malgré l'absence de certains pupitres. Et ce fut un vrai régal, l'autre soir, autour du kiosque chauve de Boulevard Charner!

Nos élégantes Saigonnaises ont pu d'ailleurs de rendre compte aussi que les cols-bleus musiciens du Michelet, n'excellent point seulement dans la partition de Lakmé ni dans l'exécution impeccable du ballet de Coppélia, un des chefs d'oeuvre de Leo Delibes. L'autre soir, autant que les réglements l'ont permis, on a dansé ferme sur la plage arrière du croiseur aux sons encore de cet excellent orchestre et même aussi d'un jazz band hors pair!

"A bâtons rompus," Saigon Sportif 8/21/1925

Because the French Navy isn't dead yet!

The "Jules Michelet" isn't only interesting because of its four funnels and large cannons.

The Jules Michelet is a melodic ship. From morning till night, almost every day, regulars at the Arsenal and the quays often stop at the bank to listen to the quality harmonies that flow continuously from the foredeck. It's not the pretty modulations of the boatswain's pipe, but a truly remarkable orchestra, despite the absence of some sections. And it was a real treat the other evening around the bare bandstand on Boulevard Charner! [đường Nguyễn Huệ today]

Our elegant Saigon ladies could also attest that the blue-collar musicians of the Michelet excel not only in the score of Lakmé, but also in the impeccable performance of the ballet Coppélia, one of Léo Delibes' masterpieces. The other evening, as far as regulations permitted, there was lively dancing on the cruiser's aft deck to the sounds of this excellent orchestra and even a superb jazz band!

The armored cruiser Jules Michelet (source: Wikimedia Commons)

The battleship Jules Michelet circulated among French ports throughout the Far East and Pacific region. Such a vessel definitely projected colonial and imperial power. For the French residents of Saigon the vessel's arrival was heartily welcomed and here we learn one of the reasons why. The Jules Michelet brought a little variety to the city's musical life.

The article remarks about "regulars" at the docks enjoying the rehearsal of the naval band. The regulars would have included a number of Vietnamese dockworkers. The ladies of Saigon enjoyed the band's ability to perform classical works by Délibes, but the musicians were most appreciated by those who loved to kick up their heels and dance. The jazz band must have been a subset of the larger naval band. At that time a jazz band was almost certainly a dance band. I would imagine that they sounded similar to Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians.

Với chủ trương phục hưng nền Quốc nhạc Tivi (With the Object of Reviving National Music On TV) - Trùng Dương (1969)

Một ban gương mẫu như vậy không chắc đã huy động, nhưng cái gì khó khăn mới gọi là đặt giá. Chúng tôi cần đến những tay đờn thật xưa hiện giờ còn sống; đã biết qua nếp chơi tài tử cũ, ngón đờn không phải bị nhiễm độc bởi sự cải biến hàm hồ của cổ nhạc đương thời.

Chính những người đó mới làm sống lại mẫu mực của cổ nhạc. Và đó mới gọi là hòa tấu hay hòa ca cổ nhạc, chớ không phải... đánh giặc nhạc theo kiểu Năm Cơ - Văn Vỹ.

Such an exemplary group we'll probably be unable to mobilize, but the difficulty lies in the price. We need thosemusicians who have been playing for a long time who are still with us; those familiar with the manner of playing olden talented amateurs music, who finger haven't been poisoned by the careless modifications of traditional music today.

It is these people who make the ideals of traditional music live again. And that is what could really be called traditional ensembles and singing, not like the... attacking-the-enemy music in the manner of Năm Cơ and Văn Vỹ.

nguồn: Trùng Dương, "Với chủ trương phục hưng nền Quốc nhạc Tivi có nên nhận thêm vài ban tài tử lớn," [With Object of Reviving National Music on TV, should we accept a few big talented amateur groups] Đuốc nhà nam 13 tháng 4 1969.

Nhạc tài tử is the musical system underlying cải lương theater. It is also a refined art form on its own. This opinion piece interests me because he describes a couple of musicians that I love in a derisive way. However, the derision is accurate. Listen here:

These two along with Bảy Bá are the backing track of hundreds of cải lương and vọng cổ recordings. I think playing on recordings accustomed them to time limits and made their playing more rapid fire and virtuosic. At times it has the energy of Flatt and Scruggs - Foggy Mountain Breakdown.

The "đánh giặc" metaphor is really funny. It's a battlecry to attack the enemy, but within this music there's, of course, no enemy. The abundant ability of these musicians results in an aggressive form of musicianship. I think the writer is right in wanting to promote musicians from an earlier time who would likely play in more relaxed manner. I have no idea what the Saigon Television channel decided to do.

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.