the old

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

the old

often are stricken with senility

loneliness

 `

but you

you’re still too young

you’re forgotten

`

you fret: mama oh I can’t recall but

possibly

I could have still

an entire life

`

July 2019

_____ 

người già

nhiều khi mắc bệnh không trí nhớ

bơ vơ…

`

còn bạn

bạn còn trẻ quá

nên bạn chỉ bị quên

`

bạn nói: mẹ ơi con quên

hình như con

đã từng có

cả một cuộc đời


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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