Last night…

Nizàn kha chu ka khua a har tàwpkhâwk a ni e! Inah ka awm a, zanriah pawh kîl peih mümal lo khawpa khawhar ka ni—ka khawhar dàn chu. Ka nupui hual lah chu a reh vung vung mai si a. Awm ngaihna ka hre lo pawh ni loin awm loh ngaihna pawh hi ka hre lo a ni! Ka tih ngai tawh loh—nupui nei mai tùr ka nih avànga ka insùm vena—làmtual—ballroom lam ka pan leh ta pek a nih kha!

Chu zàn khawharthlâk takah chuan ballroom lam chu a lo reh hauh lo. Bourbon whiskey ka’n lam sak a. Peg khat kha ka duhtâwk viau … emaw ka intih laiin peg khat chuan peg dang a hring ta zêl si a. Min ti harh deuh huai paw’n ka hria.

Ka ṭhutna, ka table-ah chuan ngawi rengin ka ṭhu vàng mai a. Lu a hik a, pum a sa ham ham bawk. Mahniin ni mah ila, bourbon whiskey hna thawh chuan min ti ziaawm phian a, ka khawharna pawh a hnèm ngang mai. Chutih rualin ka thil in vëk chuan min ti zauthau tel deuh roh tlat bawk.

Met a girl

Ka kiangah chuan nula sam dum, a chhiata chhe lo zet mai hi a rawn ṭhu ve teh ngawt a. Wine min lam kêp chu kan in dùn a ni satliah lo, amah chu in tel ka duh tlat nia! A hmui chu, hnawihsen tel hauh loa sen vàm ham hi a ni a; a sam dum ngil leh sei tak, a dàra tla thla hnâp mai chuan min hneh tak zet a; chùlsak châkawm khawpa inhmeh sam dum pú a ni.

Chutah, rimawi a rawn ri ruai ruai a. Keimaha keimah—chak taka tho ṭhìn, ka chak lohna ni bawk—ka châkna kai tho tùrin ka bán chu a rawn vuan a, min kai tho zui a nih chu!

A ṭawng siam siam a. Aw … a ànka chu a va ném êm! Vàn angel an inrawlh ta emaw tih mai tùra máwi a ni! A mit meng chu maw … mipa thlèm nána îtawm tawpthang a ni a; mipa tù pawh híp thei tùr ang mit meng pú a ni. Fawh nawk nawk hnua fawh nawn leh mawlh mawlh châkawm tâwkin a awm a. Mahse … ka la insúm rih!

Chu nula chuan a tána tling lo Vál hi min be sek a. Ka chanchinte min zâwt siam siam reng a. A hnuah, min mamawh thu a sawi ta a nih chu maw le! Kei, mipa chak lo chak lohna hi min kaih chhuahsak takngial dáwn e, ka ti hial mai!

Then, we dance…

Rimawi tum thiamten rimawi an tum zêl a. Bourbon whiskey leh a wine min inpui chuan min ti phür zual zêl bawk si. Kan lám ta a…

Làm lah chu, a talent dawn ni fahmiang—a thiam ngang mai. Mî han nàwk deuh salh salh paha làm chenin a thiam kim vek. Chutah, ka beng bulah a rawn ṭawng leh ser ser ṭhìn a; zä ka ti leh ṭhelh ṭhìn.

Lám reng chung chuan kan tìtî—a ni lo, min tìtì khum … a ni zâwk em? A thu sawite chuan thlûk an nei ni ten ka hre hial a! A hnu deuhah, hriat loh theih lohin; mi dang hriat ve atána a tih ni miah si loin, ‘Ṭhiana, heta tä hi min hruai chuak la…’ a ti a nih chu lè! Chu chu ka châk!

Rimawi a muang telh telh a, chumi mil chuan kan tawlh delh delh zêl a. A thu sawi chu ka chhàn ve hma hauhin … leh, a chhànna tùr ka ngaihtuah mék laiin, ‘Ṭhianpa, ka mamawh tak zet che! Ka kawppui … ka pasal ni mai la…’ min ti leh a nih chu!

Chûng a mi sàwmna hnar-awm loh lutuk tak maite chu ka chhàn loh zêl vàng ni maw—a kut no fahran mai—nawhlung pawh la tawk eih lo tih hriat ngawih ngawih khawpa no chuan, ka mistiri kut thap hruap mai chu min chùlsak heuh heuh pahin, ‘Hawh, “ni” mai ila…’ min ti zui leh zat bawk a!

A zei mai si a! Dawr dapa làm lah a thiam ngang mai bawk si! Kei, mipaah pawh Duapzùla hi min zùl ä zo takngial mai dáwn! Ka’n meng ṭha leh a—fiah tâwka men tumin. A mitah tak ka en kal mai. Mipa tána thlèmna zawng zawng hi, a mit mengah chuan hmuh tùr a awm kim vek! Chuti khawpa nù, no, zei, nalh, zùn pai chu a ni—he khual nula hi!

Mahse…

Ngaihtuahna fím hmang hmanin Pathianin min siam hlauh a. Mipa fa ka ni lo em ni? Thlèmsama ka ni ngawt dáwn em ni? Nupui hual nei lai ka ni lo em ni? Chhíngkhual nula ngaizáwnga a thlèm thlûk mai mai tùra piang ka ni em ni? Em ni … em ni …? tih mawlh chuan min mawlh a ni.

Mahse, eng ang pawha min hruai boa tlànpuiah pawh min sáwm sïng säng sawm sarih mah se, he nula hi ka zui lo ang! Mipa ka ni ve a, ka nupui hual kiangah thu ka tiam tawh miau a; chu ka thutiam chu eng mah hian a däl lo ang!

Sap ṭawnga “persuade” tih hi ka chan atán ka phal thei lo!  Bumin ka awm lo ang. Whiskey leh wine hna thawh avàng mai maiin ka thutiam—ni e, mipa dik tak thutiam kha ka sût mawlh lo ang!

Chhíngkhual nula chu ka’n en leh lawk a—a tàwp nán tih la phal chiah lo mah ila. A hmél chu, ṭhat chi kimin a la ṭha reng a. A mit mengah ringawt pawh chuan lunghlu man tam chi a inphúm ngei mai. A hmui lah chuan fawh a cho ár reng mai bawk si!—hnawihsen tel miah lo pawha sen vàm ham reng mai ka tih chuan! A biangsum—piai mai mai atána uiawm, fawh châkawm tàwpkhâwk neitu a ni bawk. A beng, a ngháwng, a awm báwr … a! ka sawi thui lú dáwn e—màwinaa thuam a ni fai vek! Chu chu ka kalsan ang maw!?

Kalsan ang! Kalsan ka ngai! Ka nupui hual chu mitthlaah a rawn lang zut zut a. He nula anga zei hi chu a ni lo. Nò-ah pawh a tluk hek lo. Mit meng leh hmui màwiah pawh a tluk hek lo ang. Mahse, min hmangaihtu a ni tlat!

He nula hian min bum mawlh lo ang! “Ka pasal tak ni tùrin…” tia thu min tiamtu tùr, ka nupui hual tán chuan “mipa” ka ni mawlh ang!

Ka hmangaih ber, ka phatsan hman ṭhelh, ka tána rinawm lo ve ngai lo hmangaihna chuan, chü Chhíngkhual nula lak atä chu min kuai hrang a. Chü hmangaihna chu, ka chak lohna min hriatpuitu mai ni loa min hre thiam zêltu a la ni fan a. A lam pana lêt leh chu ka tih vat tùr a ni zâwk.

Bumin ka awm hman ṭhelh a; mahse, Pathian khawngaihna avàng chauhin vènhim ka la ni a; “Rinawmin” ti theiin ka la awm hlauh e.

Almost Persuaded
–David Houston/Freddy Fender

Last night all alone in a barroom
Met a girl with a drink in her hand
She had ruby red lips, coal black hair
And eyes that would tempt any man

Then she came and sat down at my table
As she placed her soft hands in mine
I found myself wanting to kiss her
For temptation was flowing like wine

    And I was almost persuaded to strip myself of my pride
    Almost persuaded to push my conscience aside
    Then we danced and she whispered, “I need you
    Take me away from here and be my man.”

Then I looked into her eyes and saw it
The reflection of my wedding band
And I was almost persuaded to let strange lips lead me on
Almost persuaded
But your sweet love made me stop and go home

Hla chanchin

“Almost Persuaded” hi Glenn Sutton leh Billy Sherrill (Epic Records hotu/producer) te phuah dun niin kum 1966-a David Houston-a record a ni. He hla phuahtute hi country rimawi khawvêla hla phuah lama hriat hlawh tak—pop leh country music kaih kawp hla—“country-politan sound” an tih mai ṭhin—1960s chawhnu lam leh 70s chhoa hlawhtlinpui êm êmtute an ni.

David Houston-a sak, “Almost Persuaded” hian August 1966 aṭangin Billboard Hot Country Singles chart-ah No. 1 hauh ṭanin chawlhkár kaw chhúng No. 1 nihna a hauh a. Kum 46 leh thla hnih hnu—December 15, 2012-ah Taylor Swift-i hla, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” khân chart-a No. 1 nihna hauh rei záwngah a rawn nih rual ta chauh a ni.

Grammy Award 1966-a “Best Country & Western Recording” dawngtu he hla hian sak chhàwn (cover) a hlawh hle a. Kum 1975-a a album “Before the Next Teardrop Falls”-a Freddy Fender-a sak chhàwn khân hriat a hlawh zui hle. Mi dang, he hla lo hlawhtlinpui tawhtute zíngah, “Country mi lian”, hêng—Tammy Wynette (1967), Patti Page (1966), George Jones (1967 leh 1983), The Statler Brothers (1967), Johnny Paycheck (1968), Charlie Rich (1974), Tanya Tucker (1977), Merle Haggard (1986), Hank Williams, Jr. (1990), Lefty Frizzell te leh Dottie West te pawh an tel nawk a ni.