Y Nhi
PROMETEO
Revista Latinoamericana de Poesía
Número 81-82. Julio de 2008.
A SHORT ANTHOLOGY
OF VIETNAMESE POETRY
Edited by Nguyen Bao Chan
Y Nhi
1944
Longing
To leave
Like a boat pulling away from a dock at dawn
While waves touch the sandbars, saying goodbye
Like a still-green leaf torn from a branch
Leaving only a slight break in the wood
Like a deep purple orchid
Gradually fading and
Then one day closing off like an old cocoon
To leave
Like a radiant china vase displayed on a brightly lit shelf
As the vase starts to crack
Like a lovely poem ripped from a newspaper
First sad
Then elated
As it flies off like a butterfly in late Summer
Like an engagemement ring
Slipping off a finger And hiding itself among pebbles
To leave
Like a woman walking away from her love.
Translated by Thuy Dinh and Martha Collins
1999
Última actualización:
06/07/2018
