From March 2nd to 7th, Vietnam’s Association of Writers organised many activities to celebrate the 13th Vietnam Poetry Day in Hanoi such as: the third international conference on Vietnamese literature, the second Asia-Pacific Poetry Festival, and the 13th Vietnam Poetry Day. The event has drawn 150 poets from 43 nations and territories. Van nghe Quan doi online introduces some typical poems which were read on this occasion.
. ANH NGOC
A POEM OF A WHITE HAT
Quite by accident, you turn and see me
The white hat hides an unknown smile
That’s all it is, and you pass by
Why does my heart get strangely confused?
Unknown one, a passer-by
Never met, never a date
A face and a trusting smile
Who are you? Where are you from?
Are you whom I’ve longed to see
In times of loneliness and darkness?
No hope, no love, no friends
I whished to see a smile when I looked up.
I whished to see a face
Like a flame – a burning face
Like a stream – a pure face
That hid no scheme when I looked at it.
Some feeling that’s higher than love
Some feeling that’s deeper than friendship
The hat blooms like a white flower
Like a morning smile presented to me.
So I walk peaceful among the people
Carefree and not cautious
And whenever I feel blue, I’ll whisper:
Dear, do you really exist?
(Translated by VAN ANH and ERIC THIEL)
. PHAN THI THANH NHAN
THE ROAD
If you go for a walk with your darling
I wish you’d remember a small thing
The road we walked on,
Please, never be there with a girl, not me
The line of tree now grow old
Their branches touch each other in tender
How can we know?
The turns of road push us far far away
If you go for a walk with a new darling,
Please, avoid our happy road
(Translated by DILI)
.Y PHUONG
LOVE LIFTS UP THE WINGS
There existed a little bird
Draining a cup of water to the dregs
Getting closer, I whispered:
"How could you fly then?"
Leaning his head, he replied:
"Love lifts up the wings!"
(Translated by NHUE ANH)
.NGUYEN BAO CHAN
MISSING
Leaves are absent from the trees
Clouds are missing in the sky
The Sun longs for the figure of Spring
coming with green buds
Someone has left
The season has gone
carrying traces of the birds
those left on grey tiled roofs,
pass by the corner of one's eye
A hasty flapping sounds in my chest
My heart wants to escape,
fly away with the birds
to a green place of young leaves
where a home opens to welcome us
with hot tea
Steam covers the lip marks in our cups
The furniture is filled with the smell of the past
When the hands of the clock intimately
hold each other
at Midnight
Time can hardly breathe
Have you heard the wings in my heart?
When you come back
I might have gone
the trees have no more leaves
the sky no more clouds
the chest empty
Only the traces of birds
forgotten on grey tiled roofs
and in tearful eyes as well
Please make the old clock run again, Darling!
And, light your candle with the burning marks of my lips...