the spattered empty anger 

A poem in Vietnamese by Nguyễn Man Nhiên
Translator: Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm
Art: Nguyễn Man Nhiên

into a river
a flask of flowers on the table
a bunch of quivering roses

the leaves closing up in the night
to open up in the early morning light

—

May 2021

_

tôi nhổ xuống sông

những cơn giận rỗng
một bình hoa trên bàn
một bó hồng run rẩy

những chiếc lá úp lại trong bóng đêm
và mở ra trong nắng sớm

…

© 2018 Nguyễn Man Nhiên

Nguyễn Man Nhiên, the poet and digital artist who currently lives in Saigon, 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.

10 comments

  2. Open up in morning light,
    toss thorns across the abyss.
    Let them sink,
    swallow the cinders of hell whole

    Open up in morning light,
    frighten away brimstone and ash
    Open up in morning light
    and trust it’s all too beautiful to run from.

    Hell won’t catch you,
    you’re heaven bound
    Leaping passed the horned adornments
    the burning triton

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