Absence

A poem in Vietnamese by Sấu Mã
Translator: Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm

In a class call

Serious or chaotic

He was in

Seconds of awkward silence

.

He acknowledges

He’s there

Everyday

A cold pot of tea

.

The tea leaves moulding

Resounding

In oblivion in darkness

No one should open the lid

.

In truth, he didn’t know where he’d been..

.

August 2020

_____

VẮNG MẶT

.

Trong mọi cuộc điểm danh

Nghiêm trọng hay xô bồ

Anh

Mấy giây ắng lặng

.

Chỉ anh biết

Anh vẫn đó

Mỗi ngày

Như bình trà nguội

.

Bã trà lên men

Ngân nga

Trong lãng quên trong tối đen

Đừng ai mở nắp

.

Thực ra anh cũng không biết anh bỏ đi đâu.

.

6/2/2017 


Sấu Mã, the poet is a retired professor living 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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