An old lullaby

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

An old lullaby

————

you return home

a prize in hand

your heart light 

`

many felt lightheaded

as they watched you laughed

`

while I was in awe of the United States of America

like waiting butterflies I hovered

eyes wishful

`

my two tiny hands giddy

in front of all the candy

I wanted to taste everything

`

I wanted to take one and run 

take and run

run and take

like in revolutions

a disappearing fog in my head

my childhood…

____

Bài hát ru ngày xưa

————

bạn trở về nhà

tay đầy món quà 

và bạn trở nên dễ chịu 

`

nhìn bạn cười 

nhiều người muốn xỉu 

`

khi tôi khám phá ra nước Mỹ 

như loài bướm chờ đợi 

bay trong ánh mắt xa xôi

`

hai bàn tay nhỏ bé của tôi 

cũng như sôi 

cũng muốn hốt 

`

chạy và hốt 

hốt và chạy 

như những cuộc cách mạng 

tưởng đã thành sương mù trong tâm trí

tuổi thơ…

_____

JUNE 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.

6 comments

      1. Thank you my kind friend. Your work for the good of others, is truly admirable. I feel certain they feel such blessings from you sharing their art and words with us. Love, Joni ❤️

        Liked by 1 person

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