Pham Van Anh
Born in 1980, Vietnamese poetess and prose writer Pham Van Anh has Master’s degree in Political Science. She is member of Vietnam Writers’ Association and has so far published 12 books of prose and poetry. She is winner of 15 national literary and musical awards.
Seasonal Ditty
What fate urges us to be true?
In front of the man with a misty gaze
I walk into the path that your whorl shows
Believe in that place’s dawn!
Dew on hand and moon on shoulder
The person who closes my lips is warm and sweet
I know I belong to the man in front of me
Like split chestnuts
Sweet confusion after the thorns
Why aren’t you tears?
I cry to forget
Why aren’t you bitter yeast?
Drunkenness fades…
People and silhouettes
This afternoon…
The room opens your face in the serene morning
The lake closed the joys and sorrows that we trust to return
Autumn is over…
Autumn is over…
Is over…
***
Run in front of the rain
Who knows, tomorrow I’ll be cold
Who knows, tomorrow you’ll be indifferent
Insist on believing that love is forever
Holding by putting out our hands to catch the rain…
The last citadels I broke
An invisible fortress covers my own sadness
And prevent joy from coming
When fragility touches the look of your eyes
When you come the night is no longer
Only the moon and stars pass through the door jam
To have fun with us
Thanks to heaven and earth, bestowed upon living beings
Who knows, tomorrow will erase it all
We are willing to treat each other like strangers
Even the handshake is much elegant
Even though I know your eyes are fixed on your back
Who knows, tomorrow will all be diluted
Please believe that the night is auspicious
And love is still trembling
When in the midst of people,
Suddenly you appeared.
***
Waking up a spring
Oh honey…!
Call your name in the morning with fragrant grass
Wake up to the sound of a green pigeon
Awaken the fallen asleep poison key
By the cobwebbed pane
Urge the alluvium to go on a journey to the sea
Like the sound of me looking for you in this early spring
It’s just a call
To hear nature silently respond
The grass and trees seem to understand us
Also bustling with love…
Also bustling with passion…
Every morning
Call your name in the spring garden
Thousand blue eyes look at you lovingly
Expect a face full of sweet kisses
Expect warm shoulders tightening hugs
Oh honey…!
Is your name growing love on the green leaf!?
***
Dream in the heart of an ancient well
Toss a coin in the heart of an ancient well
The wind of the Red River stirs the dyke
Bells for heaven and earth
Slowly creeping into each geyser
The meditative realm of steps into the unknown
Crossing the silent curve of yin and yang tiles
The sky is still blue
As if there were no storms
Floating coins bring blessings
New Year follows the flock of bats flapping their wings to fly
The Bodhi root was ragged through the cold winter
In silence were suffocated young buds
The tree learns to be a part of
Silence when sinking deep with silence
Nature shines with supreme joy
Happiness is simply happiness
The rustling sound of leaves jokingly calls each other
The wind outside the dike toppled the ash of votive paper
Bring back to heaven the world’s sorrows
The money will then sleep in the heart of the ancient well
Learn to become part of a thousand years
Darkening the way of flying bats!
Boisterous…
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