A poem by Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm
Translation into English by Lê Vĩnh Tài
The accumulating sum
of any glory in my vernacular
could never equate to you.
In such truths,
I am beyond words.
Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm
dù tích lũy
bao nhiêu tinh hoa
tiếng mẹ đẻ của tôi không bao giờ tương đương với bạn
cho dù như vậy
tôi vẫn vượt qua hàng rào ngôn ngữ
để yêu chữ như yêu
mẹ…
Lê Vĩnh Tài
—
March 2021
_
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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