When people laugh, flowers and grasses smile too.
When people grieve, they weep in sorrow.
Phan Hoang, an acclaimed poet from Vietnam, the Land of Blue Dragon, shares his poetry
Phan Hoang, a journalist, poet, and a teacher of creative writing, was born on October 10th, 1967 in Phu Yen, a central coastal province of Vietnam. He is former Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City Writers’ Association, Chairman of Poetry Council of Vietnam Writers’ Association (2015-2020), and currently is a member of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam Writers’ Association, Editor in chief of Vanvn.vn – The voice of Vietnam Writers’ Association. He has published 15 books, including 4 volumes of poems and epics; He won many literary and press awards.
FLOWERS AND GRASSES ALSO HAVE SOULS
FLOWERS AND GRASSES ALSO HAVE SOULSWhen people laugh, flowers and grasses smile too.
When people grieve, they weep in sorrow.
A traveler’s foot has yet to leave the temple gates,
Yet flowers and grasses cry beneath the steps, green branches twisting and bleeding.
Are they carrying blessings home—or misfortune?
***
SOARING IN THE ALLUVIAL FAITH
The airplane wings tilt in the clouds
Like hands waving in boundless space
The drifting clouds gently float
The alluvial land and sky nurture seeds of hope
Lifting souls to soar toward faith.
***
A VILLAGE AT PEACE IN PRAYER
Hands soiled with mud, hair scented with pomelo and lemongrass
The farmers chant their prayers with solemn devotion
Sacred verses rise, the trees and fruits bow their heads
White clouds on pilgrimage pause, arching into dragons’ shadows
Departed souls ascend, serene as the smoke from burning fields.
***
THE BEAUTY OF FAITH
I visit temples often, yet I am no Buddhist
I admire churches deeply, yet I follow no creed
In my dreams, I stand in awe of the mystical, ethereal beauty
The light of compassion shines across a peaceful horizon
I know that Buddha and Christ have always dwelled within my heart.
***
NOTHING BUT GRASS AND WHITE CLOUDS
NOTHING BUT GRASS AND WHITE CLOUDSA thousand years ago, the grass was green beneath our feet
A thousand years from now, the clouds above will still be white
People come in an instant, and in an instant they leave
Happiness and sorrow drift like a migrating breeze
Yet the earth remains green, and the sky forever white.
***
GREATNESS IS BORN OF SIMPLICITY
I do not follow Buddha, yet my heart holds his kindness
I study wisdom, embracing the truth of impermanence
True power lies within a scholar’s grace
With honor as the compass to govern both home and land
Through tempests far and wide, I still dream of peaceful sleep in my homeland.
***
MIDNIGHT ECHOES OF PARTING
Perhaps it is the sound of a wandering monk
And a great master preaching profound truths
Perhaps it is the call of herons wading through shallow and deep fields
All the burdens, struggling up mountains, down to the sea
Or perhaps it is my own awakened soul, questioning this fleeting dream of life.
(Translated into English by JyKhanh, revised by Bob Chee)
_____________
