Within the nest of crumbling leaves

A poem in Vietnamese by Thái Hạo
Translator: Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm
Photography: Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm


Within the nest of crumbling leaves

winter

pine cones yearning for the horizon

a soul cast in the wind

brown

in the fading light

A wedding departs from the foot of the mountain

her skirt ballooning like clouds

bleaching white a reedy meadow

the gale

the afternoon 

the pines in pieces

besprinkle with frost

scented with amber

Autumn in departure to the day

a source of misty sunlight

residing songs

resounding meadows of old

ancient pines squeaky in the wind

golden marvel-of-peru

prayers in a white dress

in praise of an exquisite beauty

November 2020

_____

Trong ổ lá mục

mùa đông

những trái thông nằm nhớ chân trời

linh hồn vỡ gió

nâu dần

nắng phai

Đám cưới đi ra từ chân núi

váy lộng như mây

trắng vương đồi lau

gió thổi

tơi bời

thông chiều

rạn sương

vương mùi hổ phách

Từ ngày thu giã biệt

nắng sương một cõi

nằm hát

thăm thẳm đồi xưa

thông già rít gió

phấn vàng

lời kinh áo trắng

tụng giai nhân…

Sydney autumn, Australia

Thái Hạo, the poet and journalist currently live in 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.

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