{"id":12006,"date":"2010-04-30T00:01:00","date_gmt":"2010-04-30T00:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/damau.org\/archives\/12006"},"modified":"2022-02-27T02:38:36","modified_gmt":"2022-02-27T02:38:36","slug":"three-poems-by-tran-da-tu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/damau.org\/en\/12006\/three-poems-by-tran-da-tu","title":{"rendered":"Three Poems by Tr\u1ea7n D\u1ea1 T\u1eeb"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Translated by Linh Dinh from the Vietnamese<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Love Tokens<\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ll give you a roll of barbwire<br \/>\nA vine for this modern epoch<br \/>\nClimbing all over our souls<br \/>\nThat\u2019s our love, take it, don\u2019t ask<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ll give you a car bomb<br \/>\nA car bomb exploding on a crowded street<br \/>\nOn a crowded street exploding flesh and bones<br \/>\nThat\u2019s our festival, don\u2019t you understand<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ll give you a savage war<br \/>\nIn the land of so many mothers<br \/>\nWhere our people eat bullets and bombs instead of rice<br \/>\nWhere there aren\u2019t enough banana leaves to string together<br \/>\nTo replace mourning cloths for the heads of children<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ll give you twenty endless years<br \/>\nTwenty years seven thousand nights of artillery<br \/>\nSeven thousand nights of artillery lulling you to sleep<br \/>\nAre you sleeping yet or are you still awake<\/p>\n<p>On a hammock swinging between two smashed poles*<br \/>\nWhite hair and whisker covering up fifteen years**\u00a0<br \/>\nA river stinking of blood drowning the full moon<br \/>\nWhere no sun could ever hope to rise<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m still here, sweetie, so many love tokens<br \/>\nMetal handcuffs to wear, sacks of sand for pillows<br \/>\nPunji sticks to scratch your back, fire hoses to wash your face<br \/>\nHow do we know which gift to send each other<br \/>\nAnd for how long until we get sated<\/p>\n<p>Lastly, I\u2019ll give you a tear gas grenade<br \/>\nA tear gland for this modern epoch<br \/>\nA type of tear neither sad nor happy<br \/>\nDrenching my face as I wait.<br \/>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><em>Saigon, 1964<\/em><\/p>\n<p>*An allusion to the shape of Vietnam<br \/>\n**The age when he started publishing poetry<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>T\u1eb7ng v\u1eadt t\u1ecf t\u00ecnh<\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>T\u1eb7ng cho em cu\u1ed9n d\u00e2y th\u00e9p gai<br \/>\nTh\u1ee9 d\u00e2y leo c\u1ee7a th\u1eddi \u0111\u1ea1i m\u1edbi<br \/>\n\u0110ang leo k\u00edn t\u00e2m h\u1ed3n ta h\u00f4m nay<br \/>\n\u0110\u00f3 l\u00e0 t\u00ecnh y\u00eau ta, em nh\u1eadn \u0111i, \u0111\u1eebng h\u1ecfi<\/p>\n<p>T\u1eb7ng cho em m\u1ed9t xe plat t\u00edch<br \/>\nXe plat t\u00edch n\u1ed5 gi\u1eefa ph\u1ed1 \u0111\u00f4ng<br \/>\nGi\u1eefa ph\u1ed1 \u0111\u00f4ng n\u1ed5 tung x\u01b0\u01a1ng th\u1ecbt<br \/>\n\u0110\u00f3 l\u00e0 h\u1ed9i h\u00e8 c\u1ee7a ta, em hi\u1ec3u g\u00ec kh\u00f4ng<\/p>\n<p>T\u1eb7ng cho em cu\u1ed9c chi\u1ebfn hung t\u00e0n<br \/>\nTr\u00ean qu\u00ea h\u01b0\u01a1ng c\u1ee7a bao nhi\u00eau b\u00e0 m\u1eb9<br \/>\nN\u01a1i \u0111\u1ed3ng b\u00e0o ta \u0103n bom \u0111\u1ea1n thay c\u01a1m<br \/>\nN\u01a1i l\u00e1 chu\u1ed1i kh\u00f4 \u0111\u01b0\u1ee3c n\u1ed1i l\u00e0m kh\u0103n tang<br \/>\nV\u1eabn kh\u00f4ng \u0111\u1ee7 \u0111\u1ec3 ch\u00edt \u0111\u1ea7u con tr\u1ebb<\/p>\n<p>T\u1eb7ng cho em d\u00f2ng d\u00e3 hai m\u01b0\u01a1i n\u0103m<br \/>\nHai m\u01b0\u01a1i n\u0103m b\u1ea3y ng\u00e0n \u0111\u00eam \u0111\u1ea1i b\u00e1c<br \/>\nB\u1ea9y ng\u00e0n \u0111\u00eam ti\u1ebfng \u0111\u1ea1i b\u00e1c ru em<br \/>\nEm \u0111\u00e3 ng\u1ee7 ch\u01b0a hay em c\u00f2n th\u1ee9c<\/p>\n<p>Tr\u00ean chi\u1ebfc v\u00f5ng \u0111ung \u0111\u01b0a gi\u1eefa hai \u0111\u1ea7u tan n\u00e1t<br \/>\nR\u00e2u t\u00f3c tr\u1eafng ph\u01a1 tr\u00f9m k\u00edn tu\u1ed5i m\u01b0\u1eddi l\u0103m<br \/>\nCon s\u00f4ng m\u00e1u tanh d\u00ecm ch\u1ebft tr\u0103ng r\u1eb1m<br \/>\nNh\u1eefng m\u1eb7t tr\u1eddi kh\u00f4ng bao gi\u1edd bi\u1ebft m\u1ecdc<\/p>\n<p>Ta c\u00f2n \u0111\u00f3 em \u01a1i bi\u1ebft bao t\u1eb7ng v\u1eadt<br \/>\nC\u00f2ng s\u1eaft \u0111eo tay, bao c\u00e1t g\u1ed1i \u0111\u1ea7u<br \/>\nH\u1ea7m ch\u00f4ng nh\u1ecdn g\u00e3i l\u01b0ng, xe v\u00f2i r\u1ed3ng r\u1eeda m\u1eb7t<br \/>\nBi\u1ebft ch\u1ecdn c\u00e1i n\u00e0o \u0111\u1ec3 g\u1eedi cho nhau<br \/>\nM\u00e0 g\u1eedi m\u00e3i t\u1edbi bao gi\u1edd cho xu\u1ec3<\/p>\n<p>Th\u00f4i. Ch\u1ec9 xin t\u1eb7ng em th\u00eam tr\u00e1i l\u1ef1u \u0111\u1ea1n cay<br \/>\nH\u1ea1ch n\u01b0\u1edbc m\u1eaft c\u1ee7a th\u1eddi \u0111\u1ea1i m\u1edbi<br \/>\nTh\u1ee9 n\u01b0\u1edbc m\u1eaft kh\u00f4ng bu\u1ed3n kh\u00f4ng vui<br \/>\n\u0110ang d\u00e0n d\u1ee5a tr\u00ean m\u1eb7t t\u00f4i ch\u1edd \u0111\u1ee3i.<br \/>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><em>Saigon, 1964<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Standing<\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Standing there. Standing on Freedom Street*<br \/>\nStanding beneath the brightest streetlamp<br \/>\nStanding to solicit and to shift back and forth<br \/>\nStanding to gesture and to jiggle<br \/>\nStanding to pant with rubber-stuffed bosom<br \/>\nStanding shamelessly with diseased asset<\/p>\n<p>Standing there. Standing there since when<br \/>\nSince when and until when<br \/>\nO my sisters, how would I know.<br \/>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><em>Saigon, 1965<\/em><\/p>\n<p>*i.e., Tu Do Street, much frequented by prostitutes servicing American GIs during wartime<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>\u0110\u1ee9ng<\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u0110\u1ee9ng \u1edf \u0111\u00f3, \u0111\u1ee9ng tr\u00ean \u0111\u01b0\u1eddng T\u1ef1 Do<br \/>\n\u0110\u1ee9ng ngay d\u01b0\u1edbi ng\u1ecdn \u0111\u00e8n s\u00e1ng nh\u1ea5t<br \/>\n\u0110\u1ee9ng m\u1eddi m\u1ecdc, u\u1ed1n \u00e9o v\u00e0 \u0111ong \u0111\u01b0a<br \/>\n\u0110\u1ee9ng ra hi\u1ec7u v\u1eaby tay v\u00e0 ng\u00fac ngo\u1eafc<br \/>\n\u0110\u1ee9ng th\u1edf d\u1ed1c b\u1eb1ng ng\u1ef1c \u0111\u1ed9n cao su<br \/>\n\u0110\u1ee9ng nh\u1eabn nh\u1ee5c c\u00f9ng v\u1ed1n li\u1ebfng b\u1ec7nh t\u1eadt<\/p>\n<p>\u0110\u1ee9ng \u1edf \u0111\u00f3, \u0111\u1ee9ng \u0111\u00f3 t\u1ef1 bao gi\u1edd<br \/>\nT\u1eeb bao gi\u1edd v\u00e0 \u0111\u1ebfn bao gi\u1edd<br \/>\n\u00d4i ch\u1ecb em t\u00f4i, l\u00e0m sao t\u00f4i d\u00e1m bi\u1ebft.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Fragmented War<\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The loose change are still warring on the table<br \/>\nAmid paint brushes, useless plays, poems and bits of paper<br \/>\nThe long war, the miserable scraps of food\u00a0<br \/>\nA weird adventure inside a bowl\u2019s rim<\/p>\n<p>How do we exit from it<br \/>\nBeside stripping ourselves naked<br \/>\nTo search and sketch ourselves, to confess<br \/>\nIs there a body not as obscure as the night<br \/>\nA desire not as messy as a storm<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s when history assumes the enemy\u2019s face<br \/>\nI punch his chin hurting my hand<br \/>\nHear love dissolving like a breath exhaling<br \/>\nWhile the past is as exhausted as an illusion<br \/>\nAs you look down<\/p>\n<p>How do we exit from it<br \/>\nBeside finding each other<br \/>\nTo weep, lament and swap stories<br \/>\nIs there a history not as treacherous as you<br \/>\nA truth not as ragged as mother<\/p>\n<p>These are mornings you must stand on the balcony<br \/>\nEvenings you must wander the streets<br \/>\nSuns that must be put into frames<br \/>\nNights that must appear as words<\/p>\n<p>And how can we exit from it<br \/>\nBeside dying<br \/>\nSo as to finish, fall and exterminate ourselves.<br \/>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><em>Saigon, 1965<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Chi\u1ebfn tranh r\u1eddi<\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Nh\u1eefng \u0111\u1ed3ng b\u1ea1c l\u1ebb c\u00f2n \u0111\u00e1nh gi\u1eb7c tr\u00ean b\u00e0n<br \/>\nGi\u1eefa s\u01a1n c\u1ecd, k\u1ecbch c\u1ea1c, th\u01a1 th\u1ea9n v\u00e0 gi\u1ea5y l\u1ed9n<br \/>\nTr\u1eadn chi\u1ebfn d\u00e0i th\u00ea th\u1ea3m mi\u1ebfng \u0103n<br \/>\nCu\u1ed9c phi\u00eau l\u01b0u k\u1ef3 c\u1ee5c trong mi\u1ec7ng ch\u00e9n<\/p>\n<p>Ch\u00fang ta ph\u1ea3i ra kh\u1ecfi n\u00f3 b\u1eb1ng l\u1ed1i n\u00e0o<br \/>\nNgo\u00e0i c\u00e1ch kh\u1ecfa th\u00e2n<br \/>\n\u0110\u1ec3 t\u1ef1 l\u1ee5c so\u00e1t m\u00ecnh, t\u1ef1 h\u1ecda v\u00e0 t\u1ef1 c\u00e1o<br \/>\nC\u00f3 th\u00e2n th\u1ec3 n\u00e0o kh\u00f4ng m\u00f9 m\u1ecbt nh\u01b0 \u0111\u00eam<br \/>\nC\u00f3 ham mu\u1ed1n n\u00e0o kh\u00f4ng t\u1ea3 t\u01a1i nh\u01b0 b\u00e3o<\/p>\n<p>\u0110\u00f3 l\u00e0 khi l\u1ecbch s\u1eed hi\u1ec7n th\u00e0nh m\u1eb7t k\u1ebb th\u00f9<br \/>\nT\u00f4i \u0111\u1ea5m l\u00ean c\u1eb1m h\u1eafn tay \u0111au \u0111\u1edbn<br \/>\nNghe \u00e1i t\u00ecnh tan nh\u01b0 ti\u1ebfng th\u1edf ra<br \/>\nV\u00e0 d\u0129 v\u00e3ng r\u00e3 r\u1eddi nh\u01b0 \u1ea3o t\u01b0\u1edfng<br \/>\nkhi nh\u00ecn xu\u1ed1ng<\/p>\n<p>Ch\u00fang ta ph\u1ea3i ra kh\u1ecfi n\u00f3 b\u1eb1ng c\u00e1ch n\u00e0o<br \/>\nNgo\u00e0i c\u00e1ch t\u00ecm \u0111\u1ebfn nhau<br \/>\n\u0110\u1ec3 kh\u00f3c l\u00f3c, than th\u1edf v\u00e0 chia s\u1ebb<br \/>\nC\u00f3 l\u1ecbch s\u1eed n\u00e0o kh\u00f4ng l\u1eeba d\u1ed1i nh\u01b0 em<br \/>\nC\u00f3 ch\u00e2n l\u00fd n\u00e0o kh\u00f4ng t\u1ea3 t\u01a1i nh\u01b0 m\u1eb9.<\/p>\n<p>\u0110\u00f3 l\u00e0 nh\u1eefng bu\u1ed5i mai ph\u1ea3i \u0111\u1ee9ng tr\u00ean bao l\u01a1n<br \/>\nNh\u1eefng bu\u1ed5i chi\u1ec1u ph\u1ea3i l\u00f4ng nh\u00f4ng ngo\u00e0i ph\u1ed1<br \/>\nNh\u1eefng m\u1eb7t tr\u1eddi ph\u1ea3i \u0111\u00f3ng trong khung<br \/>\nNh\u1eefng \u0111\u00eam t\u1ed1i ph\u1ea3i hi\u1ec7n ra th\u00e0nh ch\u1eef<\/p>\n<p>V\u00e0 ch\u00fang ta ph\u1ea3i ra kh\u1ecfi n\u00f3 b\u1eb1ng l\u1ed1i n\u00e0o<br \/>\nNgo\u00e0i c\u00e1i ch\u1ebft<br \/>\n\u0110\u1ec3 t\u1ef1 k\u1ebft li\u1ec5u, t\u1ef1 ng\u00e3 v\u00e0 t\u1ef1 di\u1ec7t.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p align=\"right\">.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I\u2019ll give you twenty endless years<br \/>\nTwenty years seven thousand nights of artillery<br \/>\nSeven thousand nights of artillery lulling you to sleep<br \/>\nAre you sleeping yet or are you still awake<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":709,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"h5ap_radio_sources":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,223,22,37,43],"tags":[421,387],"class_list":["post-12006","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dich-thuat","category-ngay-30-thang-tu","category-sang-tac","category-tho","category-tu-viet-ngu","tag-30-4","tag-tran-da-tu"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/damau.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12006","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/damau.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/damau.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/damau.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/709"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/damau.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12006"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/damau.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12006\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":72126,"href":"https:\/\/damau.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12006\/revisions\/72126"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/damau.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12006"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/damau.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12006"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/damau.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12006"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}