A poem in Vietnamese by Lê Vĩnh Tài
Translator: Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm
Mama, now that I’m old enough
I’m able to discern the earnestness of the moon throughout my life
thank you, papa and mama, for erecting our home
pointing out where the moon rises and sets at the end of the sky
now you’re old mama but the moon is forever young and forever shy
mẹ ơi con ngần ấy tuổi đầu
mới chợt nhớ trăng qua đời con tha thiết
cảm ơn cha mẹ dựng nhà cho con biết
hướng trăng lên trăng lặn cuối trời
mẹ già rồi trăng vẫn trẻ mẹ ơi…
_____
AUGUST 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 
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