By Lê Vĩnh Tài, translated by Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm
bells ringing
cadence
resounding afloat drifting in thick fog
chirping birds
whipping gale
a lone wooden boat in the middle of the sea
crashing waves
foaming isle
boats and barrels swimming in tides of tears
the people’s voice
the word thought to be PATIENT
to think it should be HEART
_____
tiếng chuông
giai điệu
mênh mang chiếc phao trôi giữa sương mù
tiếng chim
gió ném
chiếc thuyền độc mộc giữa biển khơi
tiếng sóng
sủi bọt hòn đảo
thuyền thúng bơi trong thủy triều nước mắt
tiếng dân
tưởng là chữ NHẪN
ai ngờ chữ TÂM..
_____
white light
continuous flashing
a black and yellow buoy in the fog
- Through the translation of this poem I had to do a mini research on the evolution of the Vietnamese language. A fulfilling aspect of discovering new vocabulary. The “NHẪN TÂM” had always implied cruelty, and I’ve never given it more thought. The Vietnamese written text was in classical Chinese, the character patient is the sum of two characters: the character representing a knife balanced on top of the character representing the heart. Hence without this balance, without fortitude or forbearance the heart is severed, we end up with “NHẪN TÂM”, we’re heartless, we become cruel, and pain a consequence.Thus, sadly my translation has lost an aspect of the original text.
NHẪN: the knife is balanced atop the heart; patience; forbearance; fortitude
TÂM: heart
NHẪN TÂM: the knife cuts the heart; heartless
