A poem in Vietnamese by Tạ Xuân Hải
Translation and photography by Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm
People have all kinds of opening
Minty to shitty, smart to unbecoming
The words twisted unrecognisable: truths
Alley cats with their mouths open: lawless
Silence is a virtue: learn it off by heart
Choose the right words: please and thank you
See a therapist for your delusions of grandeur
Because “the dildo of consequences seldom arrives lubed”
Thiên hạ phân ra lắm loại mồm
Những thơm cùng thối, dại cùng khôn
Người ngay uốn lưỡi: đường đoan chính
Kẻ tà mở miệng: thói du côn
Im lặng là vàng: lòng nhớ thuộc
Lựa lời mà nói: dạ nên ôn
Cái bệnh vĩ cuồng mau chữa, kẻo
Lại bị chửi cho: thứ mặt… dày :))
Tạ Xuân Hải, the poet and YouTuber is a native of Ma Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district, Nghe An province.
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 
Wow, what a unique take! It’s a wild ride through words and truths.
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My translation reflected the crude humour in the original poem. I truly enjoyed translating it. Glad I could share it with you. Happy hump day yeah. 🙂
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No worries at all, I still enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing it with us. Happy hump day. 😄
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haha, now there’s a mental image! 😲🫢😉
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🙂 happy hump day my friend
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right back at you! 😉👌👍🌟✨💫
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Oh my goodness, I love this. The poetic cadence is masterful and what a way to speak the truth. ❤️❤️
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Thank you. 🙂
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You are so welcome, please don’t ever be silenced by fretting about what is appropriate in the literary realm. You have a truly unique style. Please always use your voice!!
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😀 😀 😀 😀 …. never arrives lubed!!!!! 😉 🙂 🙂
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:))
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Beautiful poem 💕 silence is a virtue. Well shared 💐
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Hello there, lovely to see you, happy hump day yeah.
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Welcome 🙂 Hi visit my YouTube channel.https://youtube.com/@pritilatanandi2010?si=2zKc_nrfvAoQ6PRZ. If possible then subscribe to it. It will be my pleasure ☺️ thank you 🙏🏼 stay blessed 😊
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done 🙂
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