Two Monkeys by Brueghel				    

       
            I keep dreaming of my graduation exam:
            in a window sit two chained monkeys,
            beyond the window floats the sky,
            and the sea splashes.

            I am taking an exam on the history of mankind:
            I stammer and flounder.

            One monkey, eyes fixed upon me, listens ironically,
            the other seems to be dozing -
            and when silence follows a question,
            he prompts me
            with a soft jingling of the chain.
 
                 by Wislawa Szymborska - 1957   
                (trans. by M.Krynski and A. Maguire)


          Hai con khi? cu?a Brueghel

        DDo' la` nga`y thi to^'t nghie^.p to^i tha^'y trong mo+
        Hai chu' khi? xi'ch ngo^`i tre^n ba^.u cu+?a
        Ngoa`i tro+`i ma^y lo+` lu+~ng
        So'ng bie^?n ri` ra`o  vang

        Mo^n thi ve^` li.ch su+? loa`i ngu+o+`i
        To^i lu'ng tu'ng la('p ba la('p ba('p

        Mo^.t chu' khi? nhi`n to^i cha(m chu'
        Va` la('ng nghe mai mi?a la`m sao
        Co`n chu' kia du+o+`ng lo+ mo+ ngu?
        Nhu+ng khi to^i chu+a bie^'t tra? lo+`i
        Chu' nhe. nha`ng khi'ch le^.
        Ba(`ng chuo^~i xi'ch lanh canh.

             DDo^ng A di.ch
        

Chu' thi'ch:
* Brueghel: chu+a ro~ la` ai. Do`ng ho. Brueghel o+? xu+' Ba('c
Bi? - Ha` Lan co^? sa?n sinh ra nhie^`u ho.a si~ no^?i tie^'ng,
trong ddo' co' Brueghel O^ng (1525-1569), ta'c gia? mo^.t so^'
bu+'c tranh no^?i tie^'ng nhu+ "Icarus ddang ro+i".