A poem in Vietnamese by Nguyễn Đức Sơn
Translation: Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm
Art: Đinh Trường Chinh

A puddle of holy water

babe, I will come unannounced

dry mouth and the point of ecstasy farfetched 

a night in the bushes in the foetal position

you’ve yet peed and my spirit was already wet

—–

April 2022

—

Vũng nước thánh 

anh sẽ đến bất ngờ ai biết trước

miệng khô rồi nẻo cực lạc xa xôi

ôi một đêm bụi cỏ dáng thu người

em chưa đái mà hồn anh đã ướt

—

(in trong tập “Đêm nguyệt động”)

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source thivien.net

Nguyễn Đức Sơn, the poet was born on November 18, 1937, in Du Khanh village, Thanh Hai district, Ninh Thuan province, originally from Thua Thien Hue. He began writing poetry very early with the pen name Sao Trên Rừng, and other pen names like Sơn Núi. On the morning of June 11, 2020, passed away at the age of 83.

Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm, the blogger, poet, and translator, was born in 1971 in Phu Nhuan, Saigon, Vietnam. The pharmacist currently lives and works in Western Sydney, Australia.