A day in a life of an Eastern poet
A poem in Vietnamese by Nguyễn Bắc Sơn Translator: Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm source: Nguyễn Thái Bình social media page He’s a true astrologer Needs nothing Treads thousands of miles To view holy relics – He may admire one day the ripe golden rice field And discovers the generosity of heaven and earth – One […]
A day in a life of an Eastern poet — Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm
I am loving the Vietnamese poems translated by Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm. They are full of a sense of place. The reader is drenched in a monsoon of emotions, but they are conveyed with imagery rather than words. Sorrow is often present, but sentiment never rears it’s ugly head.
There’s some gorgeous reading to be had here. This stanza is just a taste of what is in store. From an earlier post, “Widow”:
You recite alone the prayers in a fresh light
The moon hazy, night tired, one dying stick of incense
A heavenly day sound in the howls of a dog
Terracotta roofs leaning in falling fruit
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