timelessly love shall belong to us | Lê Vĩnh Tài

Trần Băng Khuê

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

as you slept
a storm brew up high in the clouds
March 8th the wind was cold 

– was that a haiku?

when Romeo and Juliet couldn’t simply watched each other sleep
the breeze of time
blew away your memories

you kept saying love is sweet
I’ve never known
such breeze of time
these constant gentle breeze
scents of lilac

time and time again
love shall belong to us
because I touched
your soul with my finger

we’ll love each other till it’s possible
no mention of
August third…

Romeo Romeo where art thou Romeo?
the remaining idiot
curled up inside a cavity of your heart…

nằm ngủ
đám mây đang mưa gió trên cao
gió lạnh ngày tám tháng ba

– đó có phải là bài thơ haiku?

khi Romeo và Juliet vẫn nhìn nhau không ngủ
cơn gió của thời gian
thổi bay những ký ức của bạn

bạn cứ nói tình yêu ngọt ngào
tôi không bao giờ biết
những cơn gió của thời gian
cứ nhẹ nhàng thổi
mùi tử đinh hương

mãi mãi
tình yêu sẽ thuộc về chúng ta
vì tôi đã chạm vào
và tâm hồn bạn đã chạm ngón tay tôi

chúng ta yêu nhau đến khi nào có thể
không kể
tháng tám ngày ba

Romeo Romeo đang ở đâu?
chỉ còn rô-méo-ô
đang nằm chèo queo trong tim bạn…
_____
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.

Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm's avatar

By Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm

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

8 comments

  1. This poem is stupendously sensual — kudos to the writer 👏💯👌😄.

    The featured image was a great choice — you yourself are like those extra-pretty flowers in this “field” of poetry 😆🤭💞💞

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    1. 😂😍 awww, I am glad you feel that way🌹✌️😆. You are welcome and I hope you had a great Good Friday 🙏😃🤗

      By the way, what does LVT mean? 🤔; pardon my pitiful ignorance🤭🤣

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  3. 😂😂 hahaha, right! of course it was🤦‍♂️😅🤣. I should have known it meant, the one — thee only: Lê Vĩnh Tài! LOL.

    I am delighted that LVT appreciated my feedback and that you have mercifully given me a second chance 🙌😃😆.

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