Επιμέλεια: Εύα Πετροπούλου Λιανού
Poet Le Thanh Nhan, pen name Phan Le, hails from Duc Tho, Ha Tinh, and currently resides in Hanoi. He graduated from the Faculty of Literature at Hanoi University of Science and has worked in the field of culture for many years. His poetry collection, *Vuon Doi*, was published by the Literature Publishing House in 2023.
GARDEN OF LIFE (VƯỜN ĐỜI)
I stroll through the garden of life
My heart stirred with a strange emotion
Rows of trees are sprouting
Promising a season of blossoms and leaves
Oh, my homeland is so beautiful
With pink lotus ponds and bamboo hedges
Golden chiem-rice* glimmers in the sunlight
While the tree canopy echoes with cicada songs
The heart of the homeland protects
When we were children
Winter nights and summer mornings
Through peace and through war
Many times the homeland has shed blood
Many times the enemy has been devastated
On the red lips of children and grandchildren
The melody of Vi Dam resonates
Fresh pink lotuses, yellow chrysanthemums
Red royal poinciana blooms along the dike
Winter has passed, spring and summer have arrived
Flowers merge with the warmth of sunlight
In the vibrant garden of life
We sow the seeds of dreams…
* Chiem-rice (in the two winter-spring/summer crops in the North), is the type of rice planted in the winter-spring crop, usually from October, November to May, June every year.
SUMMER (MÙA HÈ)
The cuckoo calls to awaken the summer apricots
The faint scent of lotus drifts through the rustling bamboo tips
The sweet aroma of rice fills the warehouse yard
Rhythmically, at the gate, loads come in and out
A pile of straw and a flock of chickens chirping
A row of hibiscus flowers drying in the garden
The green rice seedlings dance in the breeze
Sweet potato shoots stretch their tips, swaying and floating
The sky is layered in shades of blue
The sun shines with a bright red halo…
(Translated to English by HFT)
