when you’re a poet, you’re a thief

A poem in Vietnamese by Lê Vĩnh Tài
Translator: Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm
Photographer: Dr. Lâm Ngọc Hoàng

when you’re a poet

you’re thief

and the vernacular isn’t what you steal

–

you steal the hearts

of those who happened to read

you

_____

là nhà thơ

bạn chính là kẻ trộm

nhưng bạn không đánh cắp ngôn ngữ

–

bạn chỉ đánh cắp trái tim

của những người đã lỡ đọc

bạn…

_____

JANUARY 2021

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.

By Lê Vĩnh Tài

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.

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  2. Pingback: when you’re a poet, you’re a thief — Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm | Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News

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