The sunset gushing sentiment

A poem in Vietnamese by Niê A Dũng
Translator: Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm
Photogragry: Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm

The sunset gushing sentiment

When the sunset is on fire gushing sentiment

a dissolving sun

missing the rain

a lifetime of thirst

exhausted

coursing hoarsely through the night

returning from the beyond

I’m dumbfounded by my clumsiness 

backward tenderness

waking up at dusk

to find me on fire

sprouting a new love

drained within a haze

someone had bound my heart

with an everlasting mystical lasso

and I’m wading against the tides

panicking

and lost

July 2022

_

Hoàng hôn trút nỗi niềm 

khi hoàng hôn phổ lửa trút nỗi niềm

mặt trời tan

chiều nay thiếu mưa

như khát cả một đời

kiệt quệ 

vọng đêm khàn tiếng

thiên di bay về

anh chết lặng trước tình yêu vụng tính

ngược đời 

thức dậy lúc ban chiều 

bỗng thấy mình đã cháy

mầm yêu mọc 

rũ miền sương khuếch đại

ai đó trói buộc lòng anh

bằng thứ dây ma mị miên trường

lội ngược dòng

bấn loạn

bâng khuâng 

Niê A Dũng


Niê A Dũng, Anh Dũng, the poet born Nguyễn Văn Dũng in 2002 at Thanh Vân, Cát Tân, Như Xuân, Thanh Hoá. Currently lives in Hanoi, Vietnam

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.

By Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm

There's magic in translating a body of work from one language to another.

8 comments

  1. Absolutely beautiful writing, nice photograph and thanks so much for the translation. By the way I am not unfollowing anyone as I noticed I had to refollow you. Please know I will never unfollow my WordPress friends. Love ❤️ Joni

    Liked by 1 person

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