A Vietnamese Bidding Farewell to the Remains of an American
From the original Vietnamese poem by Tran Thi My Nhung,
translated by Phan Thao Chi
You died in the forest, alone.
The two of us dug this grave for
you,
prayed for you to rest in peace.
Is it too late to love each
other?
You and I,
You and I,
once separated by an ocean,
by the color of our skin,
by language.
But destiny bound our lives
together.
Between us now, the ocean seems so small.
How close are our two continents.
I believe your American sky
is as blue as the sky above this
country.
May you rest forever in the soil
of your home.
Original Poem: http://voiceseducation.org/node/399
The original poem was written by Tran Thi My Nhung from the
point of view of a Vietnamese person burying an unknown American soldier. My
found poem illustrates the theme that despite the cruelty of war, compassion
can still be found among those who realize the two sides are not so different
from each other.
I appreciate that this poem focuses on the compassion present during war time, an aspect not often remembered. It was also refreshing to read literature written by a Vietnamese person.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Joelle, if is extremely refreshing to read a poem bringing the two different sides of the war together. The author of this poem looked past their race and recognized that they were all the same.
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