A poem in Vietnamese by Thái Hạo
Translator: Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm
Photography: Nguyễn Thị PhươngTrâm
a poem in the wind
like a white linen scarf
flew the length of the East coast
a raised flag in the cemetery
–
I voted for myself with a white test kit
in my tired aching hand
appeared nothing
we’re all still negative
laughing like lunatics
surveying a home destroyed last night
–
while you are still dear
as negative as the field of sunflowers
we safeguard for each other a long sigh
clouds in the deep valleys have hidden the abyss
–
Buddha sat crying alone by the river
austere sutras
as a bunch of people danced at the side of the mountain
erected boulders
the souls slipped away
the fallen brick and mortar flew
–
I voted for my hometown
salt and white rice
on the severed roads
–
the ballots of spring fields
seedless husks
bleached white
a nestling warbler
alone flew
searching for white rice
on the freshly erected graves…
—
MARCH 4, 2022
—–
Bài thơ gửi đi
như chiếc khăn sô gai màu trắng
bay dọc bờ đông hải
nghĩa địa phất cờ
–
Tôi bỏ phiếu cho tôi bằng que test kit màu trắng
không có gì hiện lên
trong lòng bàn tay nhức mỏi
chúng ta vẫn âm tính
với tiếng cười của những người mất trí
đang đi quanh ngôi nhà vừa đổ xuống đêm qua
–
em vẫn âm tính với với cánh đồng hoa hướng dương màu vàng
chúng ta đặt vào nhau một tiếng thở
dài
mây trong lũng sâu đã đậy kín những miệng vực
–
Bụt ngồi khóc một mình bên dòng sông nước chảy
lời kinh khắc khổ
đoàn người đang múa trên triền núi
đá dựng
những linh hồn trượt chân
vôi vữa rã rời bay đi
–
Tôi bỏ phiếu cho quê tôi
là muối và gạo trắng
trên những đường đứt quãng
–
lá phiếu của cánh đồng mùa xuân
hạt lép
trắng toát
con chích bông làm tổ
một mình bay đi
tìm gạo trắng
trên những mồ mới xây…
Thái Hạo, the poet and journalist currently lives 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.
Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm 
Reblogged this on Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News.
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It’s compelling how this idea of white as death is repeated again at the end. I love when a poem does such a great job bringing an idea in the beginning back around. A while ago, you criticized me for asking you for the interpretation of a poem. Reading this piece, I have a deeper understanding of why because I could interpret this in soooooo many different ways. That makes the poem more impactful, you know?
By the way, I do a poor job of making time to read published and successful and famous poems, so I read your translations to make up for it hehehehehe 😁
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hmmm, that’s an interesting way of paying someone a compliment yeah. I, thank you, kind sir. I truly enjoy reading your poetry too, and as you said, probably because we’re on a similar journey. The only difference is that your smile is more brilliant than my eyes yeah. 🙂
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It feels very comforting to meet people who are similar to me. So once again, thank you for sharing and for your vulnerability. My smile is bright because it helps shine the way when my journey gets a bit too dark (my vision sucks so that doesn’t help lol). It’s my secret tool that I can never lose because what am I without my smile? I’m sure you have your own thing too that shines through any obscurity and helps you to get up!
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It’s writing down the painful stuff and reading poetry. Don’t tell anyone. :))
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Haha I won’t!
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