Mai! Anh đã quen em một ngày

Tomorrow! I met you just one day ago
— The word “Mai” (Tomorrow) in Vietnamese also serves as a name, adding layers of meaning. It can be a poetic address to a person (possibly named Mai), a symbolic reference to the future, or both.

Anh đã yêu em một ngày

And I loved you in that one day
— This sudden intensity reflects the Vietnamese romantic ideal of love at first sight, a theme often found in nhạc tình (romantic songs).

Một tình yêu quá không may

A love that was too unlucky
— The phrase “quá không may” evokes sorrow and fate—common motifs in postwar Vietnamese ballads where love is often thwarted.

Mai! Anh nhớ môi em miệng cười

Tomorrow! I miss your lips, your smiling mouth
— Descriptive, tender imagery of the beloved, rooted in the poetic language typical of Vietnamese lyricism.

Anh nhớ môi em ngọt lời

I miss your lips and your sweet words
— Emphasis on lời ngọt ngào (sweet words), reflecting the importance of gentle speech in Vietnamese courtship.

Dù lời yêu thương chưa nói

Even though words of love were never spoken
— The idea of unspoken love is culturally resonant, reflecting a value on subtlety and emotional restraint in traditional Vietnamese relationships.

Mai! Anh đã yêu em thật rồi

Tomorrow! I truly loved you already

Anh đã yêu em thật nhiều

I loved you deeply
— The repetition and intensification highlight sincerity and emotional depth, often performed with expressive phrasing in nhạc vàng (golden-era sentimental music).

Một tình yêu quá cô liêu

A love too lonely
— “Cô liêu” (lonely/desolate) evokes a mood of solitude and quiet suffering, strongly associated with pre-1975 love songs.

Mai! Em đã cho anh hẹn hò

Tomorrow! You gave me a date

Nhưng đã cho anh đợi chờ

But you made me wait
— The theme of being stood up speaks to longing and missed connections—both literal and metaphorical in romantic storytelling.

Để rồi không đến bao giờ

And never came at all
— This finality and sense of abandonment are central to the melancholic tone of many Vietnamese love ballads.

Chiều về nhạt nhòa trên khu phố mưa bay

Evening fades dimly on a street with drifting rain
— A vivid, cinematic image. Rain and twilight often symbolize loneliness in Vietnamese songs.

Lòng buồn thêm xót xa niềm cay

The heart grows sadder, stung by bitterness
— "Xót xa" and "niềm cay" (pain and bitterness) reflect tình buồn—the genre of “sad love.”

Lời hẹn hò đầu tiên em đã quên đi

You forgot our very first date

Con đường rộng vắng như biệt ly

The wide, empty road feels like separation
— The use of space (“rộng vắng”) to express emotional desolation is a recurring poetic device. “Biệt ly” (farewell) adds a deep sense of finality.

Mai! Anh đã xa em thật rồi

Tomorrow! I am truly far from you now
— A resigned tone, common in Vietnamese break-up songs, where separation is often depicted as fate.

Anh sẽ xa em trọn đời

I will be far from you forever

Dù lòng thương nhớ không nguôi

Even if the longing never fades
— "Thương nhớ" (tender yearning) shows the depth and persistence of Vietnamese emotional attachment.

Mai! Anh biết em trong một ngày

Tomorrow! I knew you for just one day

Anh đã yêu trong một ngày

And I loved in that one day

Cho sầu đau đến bao ngày

Only to bring sorrow for countless days
— This encapsulates the bittersweet ethos of Vietnamese romance: brief joy, long-lasting pain.

Đời mình còn dài trong năm tháng chua cay

Our lives stretch on through bitter years
— “Năm tháng chua cay” reflects a poetic fatalism, rooted in the hardship of postwar life.

Còn tìm đâu thấy những ngày vui

Where can we find joyful days again?

Chuyện tình mình tựa như cơn gió trôi đi

Our love story is like a drifting wind
— The wind metaphor is common in Vietnamese poetry, symbolizing impermanence and missed fate.

Riêng lòng anh xót xa biệt ly

Alone, my heart aches from this goodbye
— Closing on a note of solitary grief, consistent with the emotional inwardness of Vietnamese ballads.