Naughty pup | Nguyễn Lãm Thắng

A poem for kids in Vietnamese by Nguyễn Lãm Thắng
Translator: Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm

Trâm & Shani Photography: Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm

Pup broke nan’s bowl
Nan screamed, pup flee
Pup sulked under the guava tree
You ran after him with a bone

Pup didn’t know he has to atone
Wagging his tail happy with his bone
Gather pup in your arms, you laughed:
– “You can have your treat, it’s okay
Look at your sad face
Go in quick and say sorry to nan!”

Pup understood then
With the bone in his mouth ran to nan
Wagging his tail.
—
May 2023

Cún hư



Cún hư làm bể chén bà
Bà la, cún bỏ chạy ra ngoài vườn
Nằm bên gốc ổi… mà thương
Bé liền mang đến khúc xương đùi gà

Cún như biết lỗi lắm mà
Ngoắc đuôi mà chẳng dám tha xương đùi
Đưa tay ôm cún, bé cười:
– “Ăn đi nào, chớ sụt sùi mà chi
Mặt mày xấu xí lạ kỳ
Xin bà tha lỗi, mau đi vào nhà!”

Cún giờ mới chịu hiểu ra
Ngậm xương chạy đến bên bà… vẫy đuôi.

Nguyễn Lãm Thắng

Born August 14th, 1973, writes under many pseudonyms: Nguyễn Lãm Thắng, Lam Thuỵ, Trà Thị Kim Xuyến and as a children’s author: Nguyễn Trần Bảo Nghi, Du Lãm, Nhật Quang, Nguyễn Trần Khải Tú…

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.

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