I’m frightened that I may forget. | Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm

Minh Trâm Tâm

I’m frightened that I may forget.
The smile at the corner of eyes
The wiry silver strains
The dark brown sinewy hands

Why are tears on my cheeks
Lines on your forehead
I had looked for them
Who are these tall children?

How could it?
How could my heart forget?

tiểu túy tử

Tôi run sợ dẫu vài giờ quên lãng


Những nụ cười trong khoé mắt người thân
Những nét nhăn phãng phất nét bụi trần
Những đôi tay rắn chắc nhuộm màu than

Và vì sao giọt lệ nằm trên má?
Dưới trán nhăn đôi mắt nét u sầu
Tôi lo sợ, tìm kiếm đôi trẻ thơ
Những đứa trẻ nhà ai cao ngất vậy?

Sao thế nhỉ, tôi làm sao thế nhỉ?
Những nhân ảnh trong tim hoài vô tận…

Trần Trí Tuệ

24th July 2016



NB. I had a concussion during a Pilates class, lost an entire Saturday morning. It was extremely frightening. I had always wondered if it was some strange trick or design of the universe.

Trần Trí Tuệ, the poet and translator currently lives in Australia.

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.

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

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