afraid of the virus

A poem in Vietnamese by Lê Vĩnh Tài
Translator: Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm
Art: Nguyễn Tấn Vĩ

afraid of the virus

.

you turned away 

as we hugged each other 

.

you drifting further

as we touched each other

.

you’re the tornado

in the calm 

.

you’re the umbrella

a cover from the rain

when we’re drenched

.

you are

the sleeping white rabbit

as the  daffodils bloom

gently on our forehead…

_____

vì sợ con vi rút 

.

khi chúng ta ôm nhau

bạn quay đi

.

khi chúng ta chạm vào

bạn trôi xa

.

khi mọi thứ trở nên bình tĩnh

bạn làm cơn lốc xoáy

.

bạn là một chiếc ô

để che cơn mưa

khi chúng ta trút nước

.

bạn

con thỏ trắng ngủ

nơi hoa thủy tiên đang nở hoa

nhẹ nhàng trên đầu…

_____

MARCH 2020

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 Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm

There's magic in translating a body of work from one language to another.

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