The flaws in poetry | Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm

Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm

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

The flaws, imperfections
Scattering raw scars
Me in awe, a witness
__Poetry’s weeping

Stuck, somewhere between the molecules
Fibres of oozing plasma, white blood cells
Haemoglobins carried Poetry into my heart
I’m a sobbing fool 

Ah,
Perfection…

March 2020

những vết thương không chảy máu trong thơ
———-

những vết thương làm bài thơ
lãnh thẹo
vết sẹo tươi đến mức làm nhà thơ
kinh ngạc

bài thơ chỉ lo khóc lóc

thơ
nó bị mắc kẹt đâu đó trong vết thương
giữa các sợi huyết tương
bạch cầu hay huyết khối
hemoglobin lo mang thơ vào trái tim
cho nhà thơ lim dim ngồi im
thở…

nhà thơ luôn là một kẻ ngốc
thổn thức
quên mất vết thương của thơ
đang lên da non hoàn hảo …


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.

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By Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm

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

7 comments

      1. LOL I am glad that’s why you think about it 🙌💙🤣🥰. And thank you for your adored lesson in Vietnamese proverb haha.

        I will definitely keep that in mind and I am doing very well 🤩🤩. I can only hope to keep up with 2023, it’s already the 3rd of March 👍😂

        Liked by 1 person

  1. Trâm what a beautiful piece. Also, what a lovely photo of you such a beautiful woman. Thank you for all the work that you do translating and introducing poets, and art that we would never otherwise get a chance to see. Blessings, prayers and love going towards you, and all of your loved ones and poetica friends.

    Liked by 2 people

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