afraid of the virus  | Lê Vĩnh Tài

Covid-19, art by Nguyễn Tấn Vĩ

A poem in Vietnamese by Lê Vĩnh Tài
Translator: Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm

you turned away
as we hugged each other

you drifting further
as we touched each other

you’re the tornado
in the calm

you’re the umbrella
a cover from the rain
when we’re drenched

you are
the sleeping white rabbit
as the daffodils bloom
gently on our forehead

vì sợ con vi rút

khi chúng ta ôm nhau
bạn quay đi

khi chúng ta chạm vào
bạn trôi xa

khi mọi thứ trở nên bình tĩnh
bạn làm cơn lốc xoáy

bạn là một chiếc ô
để che cơn mưa
khi chúng ta trút nước

bạn
con thỏ trắng ngủ
nơi hoa thủy tiên đang nở hoa
nhẹ nhàng trên đầu…
_____
MARCH 2020


Lê Vĩnh Tài, the poet and translator born in 1966 in Buon Ma Thuot, Daklak, Vietnam. The retired doctor is still a resident of the Western Highlands and a businessman in Buon Ma Thuot.

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.

Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm's avatar

By Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm

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

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