poem by Bùi Chát
translation by Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm
people generally remember
but for the most, the longer they live
the more they forget
forgetting a person’s name
forgetting something or another
that particular forest they were to give a name
that voice. to the point where there is a place where
they should not forget
for ten years I have forgotten how to write poetry
the verses they escaped me
together with those childish vows
the reason for my existence
lucky though
no matter how bad life gets
some things I will never forget
like how to tell someone to f..k off!
Quên
Nhiều người hay nhớ
Nhưng phần lớn thường quên
Càng sống càng dễ quên
Quên tên một người, hay một đồ vật
Quên một khu rừng quên chưa đặt tên
Quên một giọng nói. Thậm chí
Quên một nơi ở không được phép quên
Tôi đã quên làm thơ trong mười năm
Quên lời thề tuổi trẻ
Quên ý nghĩa tồn tại của mình
May mắn thay,
Dù cuộc đời rượt đuổi
Tôi vẫn không khi nào quên chửi
Bùi Chát is the poet, writer, publisher and artist’s pen name. Bùi Quang Viễn was born on October 22, 1979, at Hố Nai, Biên Hòa, Đồng Nai Province, Việt Nam. Born to family of patriotic Catholic refugees from the North in 1954.
Graduated in 2001 from the Faculty of Literature, Linguistics, and Journalism of Hồ Chí Minh City University of Social Sciences and Humanities. Bùi Chát named and cofounded Nhóm Mở Miệng (Open Mouth Group) with the poet and writer Lý Đợi, promoting Graveyard & Garbage Poetry.
Nhà Xuất bản Giấy Vụn (Scrap Paper Publishing House), also founded by Bùi Chát, distributions of xerographically structured sensitive works by “pavement poets”. In 2004, Bùi Chát and cofounder Lý Đợi were detained for two days for distributing flyers at a poetry reading raided by the authority. In 2005, the culture department blocked their performance at the Goethe Institute in Hà Nội.
In 2011, Bùi Chát was awarded the IPA Freedom to Publish Prize “for his exemplary courage in upholding the freedom to publish.” He was arrested on his return to Việt Nam after receiving the award in Buenos Aires and detained for several days.
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 
ain’t this the truth
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