HIDDEN FACE FLOWER (Collected Poems) - Mai Văn Phấn. Translated from Vietnamese by Pornpen Hantrakool. Edited by Susan Blanshard
Mai Văn Phấn
Translated from
Vietnamese by Pornpen Hantrakool
Edited by Susan Blanshard
HIDDEN FACE FLOWER
Thai version: “บุษบาซ่อนหน้า"
Vietnamese version: "hoa giấu mặt”
ศาสตราจารย์ กวีนักแปล พรเพ็ญ ฮั่นตระกูล
Professor - Poet Pornpen Hantrakool
Poet Susan Blanshard
A Glance
A small pond beside a foothill
Reflects
A hill’s peak
A Sleeping Spider
Dreaming
to be human
A spider hangs from its web
And sleeps
To Separate
An
evening’s twilight surrounds a yard
A flock of birds gathering outside
Beat their wings
To Strike a Gong
A
gong stick
Wrapped in an old shirt
A vibrating sound of human sweat
A Bow Speaks
A
bow drawn, wards off evil demons outside the door
The last night of a final year
A rustling of dried leaves on the door sill
Erecting a New Year Pole
Spring
soaked in the soil
Digging the soil down
Found the old year there
To Restart
A
harvested field
A stork swoops down
An unkempt dawn
A Flower
Tomorrow
morning, a flower will bloom
The moon tonight
Already spread its sweet fragrance
Pomelo Flower
A
fragrance spreads in a garden
A singing voice of treepie
Comes from each raceme of flower
Fruitful Autumn
Peeling
a persimmon
Just ripened
Afraid someone will ring the bell
Cold Weather
Covered
with a blanket
I forget the leaf
Trembling outside the window
Time to Chant a Prayer
The
song of a bird
Fragrant incense
Thoughts are a prayer for the buds of new leaves
A Mountain
Summit
The
wind
Wherever it blows from
Carries sweet essence of the lotus flower
End of a Day
A
maiden waded through a stream
The sun faded and shone
Then just set
Through the Teeth of a Rake
A
rice field, cleared of grasses
A buffalo sleeps
Rice seedlings, not yet transplanted
In Mid Winter
A
mask hangs on the wall
Cold wind blowing hard
Bores through an eye
At Dawn
A
water spider
Awakes
In the middle of a lotus flower
To Be Aware
Moonlight
on a tree
Scattered away
What else remains to be gathered
Sweet Fruit
Extruded
roots
Point at the sky
A little stem
Moon Night
Hands
placed on a pillow
Breathing quietly and listening to a colony of bats
Flying through a cage of moon beams
A Lake Surface
The
sound of a bird dropping onto the water’s surface
A fish jumps
Snatching at mosquito
The Moon Rises
A
narrow house
A lot of talking
A mantis, leaping to the top of a tree
A New Day
The
dawn’s light breaking
An open beak of a young bird
Sipping bright clouds
Ripe Fruit
Who
bakes
In the trunk of a tree
By another flame
A Ringing Bell
A
waterfall drops, a gibbon howls, an insect…
The echo goes on
Only in my memory
Two Seasons
I
stand between
A cicada’s chirp and
A chrysanthemum
Return to the Village
A
sound of sedge mat weaving
The moon over a river
Slow and sleepy
Night Storm
A
wind tears at the roofs of houses
The moon
Reclines on top of the storm
Making a Nest
A
flock of sparrows nest on the roof
I walk without a sound
Below the landlord’s descendants
At Dusk
Sunlight
Reluctant to leave, waits until
A chrysanthemum closes its fan of white petals
Searching for a Flower
Following
a fragrance
Around mountains
Some stony slopes are found
I
I
withdraw to my chair
Drawing a sky
No place for clouds
Powerless
A
rain squall, striking heavily,
Pound not on
A flower
A Meadow Flower
There
is no one who dares to gather
This moment
A bleeding flower
An Eagle
Flying
higher
Gaining confidence
The Earth is now a drop of dew
Pure Light of Early Morning
A
small cup of tea
Half a cup is drunk
Sunlight shines on sodden leaves
A Silence
A
mouth full of water
Dreads to speak
A bee is passing over a flower
Previous Life
I
was a patch of grass along a walkway
You walked in a pair of red shoes
To tread on me, didn’t you?
The Encounter
You
fly, I fly too
A blanket of clouds
Cuddle both of us
January
In
a red skirt
You stroll around a flame tree
Not yet budded
Mixing Colors
Your
scarf
A Christmas flower
Flowing… white… permeating… yellow… radiating… red… stunning
Missing You
A
full glass of water
I drink
A brimful of light
Advice for You
That
chrysanthemum has almost faded
Remember to take its color
To knit a yellow sweater
A Moment
Seeing
a blue sky
Carving the empty silhouette
Of you, my love
An Image of a Spotted Deer
You
breathe in a bush
A blossom bud
A pair of horns sprouts up
A Tale of Fireflies
We
are side by side
The bole of a tree lights up
Our galaxy
A Heavenly Tree
Roots
We seek each other
Hardworking, pulling earth on our own
A Gentle Breath
The
moon on a river
A warm cup of tea
A fan held gently in your hand
As Wood Speaks
The
moon drops down
Slowly, slowly
A sound of weevils eating wood
A Split Second(*)
Having
not yet recited the Buddhist scripture
A flowerpecker
Flits swiftly to another sprig
________
(*) A split
second or khana is the shortest unit of
time in the
Buddhist concept.
Callous
Who
lost the straws
From that simple grave
All his life and death in tatters
Ancestors Death Anniversary Day
Hesitating
A
fish swims through
The offering of food disintegrating
Appreciation
As
the moon lights up
The shadow of a tree bows down
Beside a Buddha statue
Going Up to Đồng(*) Temple
Rising
wind
Raising each Buddhist monk
Up in line
_______
(*) Đồng Temple is a Buddhist temple built during
the rule of the Lê dynasty, nearly 250 years ago. It was founded on the peak of
the Yên Tử mountain in Quảng Ninh province. This cloud-kissed mountain is 1,068
m above sea level.
Burning
Votive Paper
Father,
you will not need these
Just in case you do, I will send you
A hat and a walking stick
Grave Visiting Festival
Grandmother
longs to meet me
Some of the dead
Stop her
An Early Morning in Mother’s Native Village
Washing
my face quietly
Herons and bitterns on the riverbank
Break the silence with boisterous noise
Merciful
The
setting sun behind the pagoda
Flowing water, leaves and birds…
All of them speak Lord Buddha’s words
A Well
An
offspring of the sea
A coiled umbilical cord
In the heart of the soil
An Essence of Buddhism
A
heron
Fumbling into the sound of a wooden fish
Envisions
In a Bramble Bush
Thorn
does not pound thorn
They cluster together
Till fragrance passes through
A Witness
Skulking
in a witness stand
Seeing an ebb tide
The stand is in the sky
A Minotaur
My
hair is long
Stooping down while reading a book
Grazing… step by step, soundlessly I trot
Day and Night
At
the place where I sit to play chess
Win or lose
The fireflies are gathering
Thinking in
the Rain
Unbelievable
The cloud that fascinated me before
Is soaking me now
A Secret
A
place where a mouse was trapped
Throughout the night
No other crosses over
So It Is
A
wind
Blows calmly
Between an animal and a trap
A Sorcerer
Knocking
over the potion
The flap of spell
Soaked
To Go
Fishing
Casting
a fishing line
No decoy
Into the moon’s shadow
A Bird’s Cry
A
rasping sound of a bird signals danger
A small candle
Illuminating the murkiness
Air
A
lotus petal
Falls down gently
Into a muddy pond
Many People Behold
A
bulldozer
Outdoors
Covers a sprout
Enter Into Dusk
Trampling
the embers of fire
Extinguished
Feeling blue and joy confusion
A Joke
A
school of little fish
Swimming around a big fishhook
Caught milling about
Fish
The
beating sound of tocsin
Water has just boiled
A tinkling pot’s lid is crying
The Ebb
Both
riverbanks dry up
Fishes bellies dissected
Dried out and hoar frosted
Let’s Keep Silent
An
oil lamp has burnt out
Some mayflies
Are offering their lives for us
Ripe Rice
An
intrusive sound of a bittern
Harsh beyond possibility
As for the scarecrow, it is deaf
Wavering
A
fish
In the midst of a sea current
Turns slimy
Yin Yang
A
leaking house
A picture on the wall
In a cold sweat
Searching for a Way
Where
a bell is rung again
I have found
A worm creeping on the ground
Excessive
Tying
a chicken
Just one string is needed
Two or three for what…
Life is Full of Danger
Heron
Young and vulnerable
Where is your mother?
Reality
Garbage
in ribbon strands
Floats faster than
The water’s current
Invisible Fishhook
Picking
up a leaf
Putting it in my mouth
Who is catching me
In the Wood
A
wounded wild animal should be told
If it cries out
It will be killed
Freedom
An
old rat
Going around a trap
Until the springs collapse
Unsteadiness
A
dewdrop holds its breath
Hanging over
A dirty puddle of water
Flowers at the Temple Entrance
More
fragrant than other places
The Gods
Are right beside the scent of flowers
A Dream of Scales
A
fish wriggles violently
The sound of water breaking from a pond
Freedom swims
Paradise Fish
Swimming,
belly up
Still gasping
Swept away by a river
A Symbolic Picture
A
fish nailed up
Tail and head
The endless sea
Cold, Tomorrow Will Be
A
shoal of young fish
Vying for the surface
The bait of ornamental fishes
In the Midst of a Market
Each
one in each place
A free cat and a free dog
Alone in the breath of humans
Rowing on the River Nhật Lệ(*)
A
paddle moves me
Rowing back
On the sunny river
________
(*) Nhật Lệ is a river situated in Đồng Hới city, Quảng Bình province. It flows northeast before reaching the South China
Sea. At the mouth of this 152 km long river, there are several beautiful white
sandy beaches. In the past, it was the site of several wars between the
kingdoms of Đại Việt and Champa, and the civil wars between the Trịnh-Nguyễn
Lords.
Phong Nha Cave(*)
A
stalagmite arm
Reaches out
Weighing heavily on my shoulders
________
(*) Phong Nha Cave is found in Phong Nha - Kẻ Bàng National
Park, Quảng Bình province, near the coast. This famous natural cave is situated
7,729 m under a Kẻ Bàng limestone mountain, at a depth of 7,729 m. Inside;
there are 14 grottoes; 44.5 km of passages and a 13,969 m underground river
that flows through the cave. The natural beauty is evident in majestic
stalactites that hang from cathedral like ceilings, In 2003, the cave was named
a UNESCO World Heritage Site, for its geological value.
The Stony
Plain of Nhay(*)
Waves
crash over the boulders
A piece of white sand
Sinks to the depths
________
(*) The
Stony Plain of Nhảy,
is located in the district of Bố Trạch, Quảng Bình province, near Đồng Hới
city. The plain features numerous pristine shaped stones that have been eroded
by the sea. The beautiful beaches around this area are white and pristine. The
unique feature of this area is the relationship between the waves and rocks.
When a wave pounds the rocks, it looks like a large frog jumping over the
rocks, creating a series of rattling sounds.
Passing
Through the Gate of Heaven at Đèo Ngang(*)
Entering
heaven
Softer grasses
Your fingers taper off
________
(*) Đèo Ngang is the pass traversing the Hoành Sơn
Mountain in Hà Tĩnh Province and the Trường Sơn, mountain range which runs from
Laos to Vietnam. The mountain pass is 250 m, high and 6 km long and is situated
in Quảng Bình Province. During the French occupation, the pass was named Porte
d’Annam, the Gate of Annam.
Return to
the Age of Bàu Tró(*)
A
thousand reincarnations
Again, I take a stone axe
To cut what I cannot break
________
(*) Bàu
Tró is the name of the archaeological site of prehistoric
inhabitants during the Late Neolithic Age, around 5,000 years ago. The site is
situated in the city of Đồng Hới, Quảng Bình Province. Here, a freshwater lake
is named after the site. This lake is thought to have been an important
freshwater source for the community, at that time.
Angle of
Vision
1.
A
garden’s corner
Falling
water, pouring on a boulder
Evening
twilight, leaving quickly
2.
Heavy midnight rain
One more blanket in a private room
Trapped water flowing down someone’s back
3.
A yellow flower stretches out to the
water’s surface
No wind dares to come near
A tree throws its leaves into a pit
4.
On a thorn
The sun shoots
A dewdrop
5.
Braiding a cage
Of sky
Keeping a bird
6.
Abundant trees
Rely on their dreams
To flower
7.
A narrow house
A wind blows out, as
A wind blows in
8.
A cloud is entangled in the sun
Taking up
The twilight of sunset
9.
A butterfly perches on
A raindrop
Working out by fluttering its wings
10.
A herd of goat
Grazing all the grasses
Spring just shows up
11.
Rain pours down
On the flamboyant
To end the fire
12.
Only one step moves forward
Summer now
Autumn will conclude
13.
A golden apple is still green
A hand is still wet
Autumn has gone away
14.
On a muggy day
A knife, held in one’s hand
Suddenly turns blunt
15.
Two gemmae
Generating the spring wind
Stooped down on grasses last night
16.
Wave after wave
Washing the legs of
A little crab
17.
The first morning of spring
Being permissive
Not predictable
18.
Ray after ray of moonlight
Plaited together
A peony steps on the light passing through
19.
Reaping grasses, tilling soils,
watering trees...
How would you know
A wedding of two white butterflies is taking place
20.
The spring season is wondrous
The caterpillars
Lie motionless
21.
A trap
A beast
In between is a haze
22.
A swaying tree
Thinks that a nightingale
Has made it drunk
23.
A bowl of cold lotus tea
The surface of a swamp
A sublime soul
24.
In an absent moment
Two flowers
Inject aroma into each other
25.
Turbid water
Fish plunges into fish
Spring rain
26.
Velvet and white
A half remaining petal
No smell of pests
27.
The sound of a thunderbolt
Shakes a lily
Slightly
28.
A narrow bed
A dream of flooding
Flowing through the mouth of a culvert
29.
A fallen leaf
Hiding in the stump of a stunted tree
Much more sorrow
30.
Withered grasses
Barren lands
The world nearby
31.
A thunder flash
A fish in the mouth of a raptorial bird
A hope
32.
A flower
Has dropped down under the sun
A complete ceremony
33.
A butterfly
Waiting for a lotus blooming
Pursuing, not flying away
34.
A swarm of ants, search for each
other
Tears in their eyes
In a time of flood
35.
Peach blossom
Engraved on an earthenware kettle
Long winter on a brazier
36.
A tailorbird
Looked at my face
Then soared away
37.
If only a bell rang
The flower of late autumn
Would bloom
38.
Rowing a boat
A bird’s chirping
In the middle of the river
39.
Rain soaks both
The young banana sprout and
The caterpillar
40.
A slight wind
A bird on a roof
Shivering
41.
Requiem for a dead soul
A faint bell ringing
Sounds
like the color of young grass
42.
Looking at a lake’s surface
A sound of fish wriggling
A lock is opened
43.
The moon
Its light brightening
The withered grasses
44.
The sound of birds in spring
Crossing over a mountain
Shaking a tree
45.
Winter
A bird with numb legs
Soaring at dawn
46.
In a deep forest
A frog
Gapes at me
47.
A mallow in the picture
A full jug of clean water
Here I am
48.
A dark cloud covering the head
A cave entrance in the dark
Half fearful, half feeling cool
49.
Angle of vision
An overturned orange husk
The water in a river, running dry
50.
Seeing a lotus leaf withered
Planting out paddy fields
Feeding birds
51.
The bowl of water, placed
Near a wooden goat
A drought
52.
Hiding beneath a white flower of
temple tree
Rain
Washing the earth
53.
A bird in a picture
Hanging in a dark corner
Makes the beak longer
54.
Kissing you
The trumpeting sound doubles
Go slowly
55.
Holding your hand
I have already absorbed you
Your hair and all
56.
Looking for a long time
Into a lantern
A hexagonal loneliness appears
57.
A spring morning
A shadow of an old tree
A dwarf
58.
Counting every sound of a ship’s
horn
Marking every page of a notebook
Waiting to read them on stormy days
59.
A brocade pattern
Some threads embroidered thickly
A king with his concubines
60.
A kingfisher
Passes close to the soul of a fish
Caught in a net
61.
A worm
Eating a ripe fruit
A man in the night
62.
A horse stamps and loosens its hoof
A man feigning insanity, blocks the orderly road
A dog eats the rotten hoof.
63.
Sleeping
Getting lost in a foreign land
Not knowing what to take
64.
Playing with a scrap of wood
Throughout the afternoon
An old cat never tires
65.
In a meeting
A bluebottle
Suddenly, raising its voice
66.
While taking a bath
News is heard
The world has changed
67.
New Year’s Eve
The Earth
An illuminating candle
68.
A day of working
Constructing an emperor’s mausoleum
Knowing which angle is which
69.
A cloud
Covering the moon
Closing an eye
70.
A sword
Cooled
Becoming tempered by water
71.
An abyss tells a grove of trees
To hold fast to a cliff
To bloom undefiled flowers
72.
A grey cloud
A black sea
A fish strives toward the water’s surface
73.
Burying my feet in damp soil
I have undergone a change of life
Close to a tree
74.
A leaf shakes
A door is open
A hammer held in one’s hand
75.
A cockroach
Dares not creep through
A rusty sword
76.
Not knowing how to save a friend
from illness
A dewdrop at the end of autumn
Is transparent
77.
Looking up
To greet the spring rain
Getting a drop sometimes
78.
A bowl of rice, an egg
The dead man did not eat
Ceded to worms and crickets
79.
Grass on the tomb of father
Seems planted
In another time
80.
A maiden, reciting a Buddhist
scripture
A centipede
Slinking away
81.
The sun
Moving through a mist
Cooling down while a coffin is placed in a grave
82.
A man just resting in peace
Facing a stream
Under the hollow of the earth
83.
From a graveyard at night
A flashlight illuminates a village road
Opposite the burial ground
84.
An evening’s twilight, moving over a
garden
Asks for leaves of a jujube tree
To bath a tiny baby
85.
A spotted dove
Hovers over my ancestors’ tombs
In the season of field burning
86.
The same key
Today
Unable to unlock
87.
A wall turns bright
A paintbrush
Soaked in a bucket of oil
88.
An evening
A rat and I
Rush across a road
89.
A wind blows
Steadily
Into a cricket’s hole
90.
A night
Falling steadily
A dead flower, no more scent
91.
Joining a water’s surface
Eavesdropping
A fish’s story
92.
Holding your hand
A twig filled with flowers
Frail and pale
93.
A cloud waits for
A river
To carry it to the sea
94.
Under a jujube tree
Holding out one’s hand
Finding the way of blossoms
95.
Looking at the wagtail
Over my head
A rare moment is given to me
96.
On the Day of Vesak
In the corner of a pagoda yard
Ant eggs, in rows, are placed
97.
Of all the rainfall
Only a few drops
Drop straight down
98.
Forgetting to bring wings
Still, I
Can fly
99.
A bumper crop
A colony of ants
Food transported to the hand of Lord Buddha
Biography of Pornpen Hantrakool
Pornpen Hantrakool was, born in 1947 in the old quarter of Bangkok,
near Chao Phya River, Thailand. She, has been a Professor at Tenri University
in Japan and an Associate Professor at Silpakorn University of Thailand. She
taught history for many years. During her career, she has had works published,
both in Thai and in English. She has been a guest lecturer and researcher in
many universities, including Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, and India. She now
writes and translates poetry. She has been invited to participate in
international poetry and literary festivals in certain countries - Vietnam, Sri
Lanka, India, and Kenya. Having done some academic works on Vietnamese history,
and literature. In 2012 she was granted an honorable certificate with a
decoration from the Vietnamese Writer Association for her pioneering
contribution to Vietnamese Studies in literature. Many of her poems have been
published in magazines and anthologies. She has had two books published on
poetry: “Springs and Autumns Speeding Through Time,” is her first bilingual
book of poetry written in Thai and in English, and “hoa giấu mặt - Hidden Face
Flower - ” composed by Mai Văn Pham, is her first bilingual book of poetry
translated from Vietnamese into English and into Thai.
Biography of Susan
Blanshard
Susan Blanshard was born in Hampshire, England. She is an
internationally acclaimed Poet, Essayist, and Best-selling Author. Susan has
written more than 35 books. She has edited
translations for 7 international volumes of poetry. Selected poetry and essays
are published in The World’s Literary
Magazine, Projected Letters, Six Bricks Press, Arabesque Magazine, Lotus
International Women’s Magazine, ICORN International Cities of Refuge. PEN
International Women Writers’ Magazine. PEN International Writers Committee The Fourth Anthology, Our Voice, Nuestra Voz, Notre Voix.
Her literary essays The Pillow Book, Four
Recipes, The Traveler, Orientation, published in Arts And Culture, Lotus International Magazine, Hanoi. Her
collected poems Running the Deserts,
Midnight Mojave were included in the Vaani 9.69 seconds, a collection of short stories and poems dedicated to
the London Olympics
2012. Selected new poetry from Poems from the Alley, have been translated into Bengali to be
included in three upcoming literary reviews. She has also published book-length
poetic prose: Sheetstone: Memoir for a
Lover, Sleeping with the Artist, Fragments of the Human Heart, Memoir of Love and Art: Honey in My Blood.
Susan is member of PEN Interntional Womens Writers and a Foundation Member of
Asian Pacific Writers APW. She lived in Hanoi for eight years and has written
two non-fiction travel books on The Old Quarter of Hanoi. She is married to a
visual artist and writer. They have two adult children. Susan resides near
Sydney, Australia where she is currently completing a three book work of
fiction.
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