POET VAN TRAN

Mom and I resumed translating. Below are the 5 poems by POET VAN TRAN. Enjoy! 

pp. 177-81: Van Tran’s poems;

The Poem for Mother

My mother worked hard from morning to night

Raising her young and innocent children in the house

Toiling all day without a word of complaint

Only to fulfill her responsibility as a mother

We children take to heart that 

When growing up, we have to show gratitude to her

Wishing that she lives for a long time

So that we could listen to her sweet counsel. 

The Poem for Father [sorry, too short 😀 ]

My father was sent to the re-education camp 

For two continuous years

My mother stayed at home, taking care of house chores

Looking after her young children

  

The Poem for Maternal Grandmother

My grandmother is now seven three

Short stature with rosy complexion

Loving her children and grandchildren, she visited us in the south

Rubbing heads, scratching backs, hardly a resting moment

Every time she visited us, I knew

I offered her a hot cup of tea with sugar

Grandma smiled, taking out a small bag of peanuts

Toothless chewing, crimson red betel nuts

How sad I am when she returned to the north 

A simple stanza I dedicate to my grandma.  

Sunday: March 26, 2017

The cat

My family raised a kitten

All day long, it ran up and down, playfully

But everyone, not too quick to laugh at it

Because, while being mischievous, it never bothers anyone 

Everytime a rat appears,     

It spreads its claws, lights up its eyes, and frightens even a big rat

But without rats, the cat becomes a Buddha 

Curling with eyes half-closed

Two ears still listening quietly 

Long tail twitching as if searching for something 

I wish that the kitten would behave better.

Doing housework [Everyone had a great laugh, translating this poem 😋 ]

Part I

Morning has arrived, time to wake up

Sweeping the floor, boiling the water, sorting out the vegetables, stir-frying the noodle

After breakfast, I’m ready to go

Arriving at Ba Hat market, what to buy?

First was a kilogram of potatoes

Tender beef, sprinkled with onions

Buying several kohlrabi (xu hao) still with green leaves

Adding a bunch of green onions

Then, a dime of lemon

Ground pork soup with green onions

Rhythmically, I march home

Not a coin left in the pocket

Now, I’m ready to go home.

***********************

Part II

Back at home, I put the meat in the refrigerator

Selecting the vegetables, and frying the sesame salt

With the sound of musical instrument 

Singing a song, echoing all around the house 

Getting ready with lemon, onions, pepper, garlic

Lighting the stove, cooking the rice

Then slicing beef,

Seasoning with fish sauce and salt, I stir fry

Peeling the kohlrabi

Greening leaves, savory bowl of soup 

How can you forget my hard work

Multi-tasking, (nu si Van Tran) well regarded/well known in the household. 

Trích "Đi"

Tác Giả: Doãn Quốc Sỹ

Dịch Giả: Doãn Thị Quý và gái Ngọc