Count | Lê Vĩnh Tài

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

Night and the Falling Verses.. Photography by Nguyễn thị Phương Trâm

count the raindrops
the storm

count the leaves
on the tree

count the stars
oh heavenly

count the fish
swimming in the sea

count each drop of happiness
she will never end.
heart
she can count on the laughter
eyes
she shall count on you to the very last time.
—
September 2023

đếm những giọt mưa,
cơn mưa.

đếm những chiếc lá,
trên cây.

đếm những vì sao,
thiên đường.

đếm những con cá,
bơi ngoài biển.

đếm từng giọt hạnh phúc,
nàng không bao giờ kết thúc.
trái tim
nàng chỉ đếm được tiếng cười
đôi mắt
nàng sẽ đếm bạn đến lần cuối cùng.

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.

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