Moscow – Winter 1990

by Tran Dang Khoa

Everything shall come to pass, my dear
All events shall end like the trends of short and long skirts
The intelligent minds will become senile
What beauty does not wither and fade?

Time marches onward, coldly and cruelly
A masterpiece today may become a shame tomorrow
The countless idols we revere and worship
Are reduced to bare earthly foundations, chipped away by rain and shine

Somewhere out there, war is roaring
Some countries out there are undergoing upheavals
How fragile and pitiful the Earth is
Against the schemes and plots of humankind

Amid the changing and uncertain world
I love you. We don’t need much
Let’s stop worrying about what will come
And only know that we are together at this very moment

We drifted here, into unfathomable passion
The snow at the start of the season is smoothly white. The towers’ tops are majestic
Let’s be silent to let the quivering lips
Convey nature’s mysteries

All shall come to pass. Only love remains
Love helps us to forevermore remain Humans
If love no longer exists in this world
Then perhaps, the Earth will have been dissolved…

1990