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

A maimed cricket

With rickety wings

No one cared about

The Ants were all over it at one summer’s end

All alone in this ugly World

Dead amongst the bamboo shoots

—–

April 2022

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Cảnh đời

Có một con dế què

Cánh mòn đập rè rè

Không ai nghe

Kiến bu trần trụi cuối hè

Một mình trên Trái Đất màu mè

Nằm chết trong lùm tre

Thơ Nguyễn Đức Sơn 

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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.