By Lê Vĩnh Tài, translated by Nguyễn Thị Phương Trâm

3 verses 

.

bells ringing

cadence drifting

resounding through the thick fog

.

birds chirping 

gale whipping

the lonely wooden boat in the middle of the sea

.

waves crashing 

isle foaming 

boats and barrels swimming through the tides of tears

.

the people’s voice

the word thought to be PATIENCE

to think it should be HEART 

_____

3 câu

.

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

.

NB. 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

_____

MARCH 2020