Dad, where does poetry come from

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

Michelangelo’s hand of God (source: Google images)

“Dad, where does poetry come from

it’s all been done what’s there left to do”

But the poet continues to compose poetry:

the sky is like a mirror

broke, as she, with her hand

reach out and grab a hold

of you

you hang 

there, upon yourself see the scars of time

November 2021

“Ba ơi thơ có từ lâu

người ta làm hết còn đâu Ba làm” (thơ của con gái)

Nhưng rồi thi sĩ vẫn làm thơ:

bầu trời như tấm kính

vỡ, khi nàng với tay

ra và nắm

lấy bạn

bạn treo

ở đó, nhìn mình đầy vết sẹo thời gian


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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