Bitter Potion, For Ngọc Trâm: Mai Văn Phấn’s Poetry

As fever is burning you on its pyre
I become ash too
The bitter potion cannot wait any more
Holding your hand
I pour
My grief into the empty bowl…

O’ daughter! As the mist falls
My hardship arches across the cold night
For frail flowers
To give off scent needs bitter roots.

Sweat becomes callused hands
Spring pours into the medicine bowl
My old age weeps with mute tears
While truth bursts out for no reason.

I wonder what you eat in your dreams
I put the bowl on the window
When you grow up to my age now
At the bottom of the bowl
There may still be a storm.

Ramuan Pahit, Untuk Ngọc Trâm: Puisi Mai Văn Phấn

Saat demam membakarmu di atas apiannya
Aku juga menjadi abu
Ramuan pahit tak bisa menunggu lebih lama
Sambil menggenggam tanganmu
Aku menuangkan
Dukaku ke dalam mangkuk kosong…

Wahai putri! Saat kabut turun
Kesulitanku melintasi malam yang dingin
Bagi bunga rapuh
Mengeluarkan aroma memerlukan akar pahit.

Keringat menjadi tangan yang kasar
Musa mengalir ke dalam mangkuk obat
Usiaku yang tua menangis dengan air mata bisu
Sementara kebenaran meledak tanpa alasan.

Aku heran apa yang kau makan dalam mimpimu
Aku menaruh mangkuk di jendela
Saat kau tumbuh dewasa seperti usiaku sekarang
Di dasar mangkuk
Mungkin masih ada badai.

(Terjemahan bahasa Indonesia oleh Bambang Kariyawan Ys)

Vietnamese poet Mai Văn Phấn was born 1955 in Ninh Bình, Red River Delta in North Vietnam. Currently, he is living and writing poems in Hải Phòng city. He has published 16 poetry books and 1 book “Critiques – Essays” in Vietnam. 30 poetry books of his are published and released in foreign countries and on Amazon’s book distribution network.
Poems of Mai Văn Phấn are translated into more than 40 languages.
Mai Văn Phấn has won a number of Vietnamese and international literary awards, including:

• The Vietnam Writers’ Association Award in 2010;
• The Cikada Literary Prize of Sweden in 2017;
• The Award of Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts in 2019;
• The Literary award from Association of Literary Translators of Montenegro in 2020;
• Twice won the Golden Pen Literature Award of Russian Federation in 2019;
• The Award Aco Karamanov of North Macedonia in 2020;
• 1st Prize in The International Creative Meeting and Festival “Together in the XXI Century” in Bulgaria 2020;
• The medal Alisher Navoi of the Union of Writers and Historians of Central Asia in 2021;
• Winner of Sahitto (Bangladesh) International Award for Literature 2021;
• The Award of Newspaper Kitob Dunyosi (Uzbekistan) in 2021;
• The Award of the International Slavic Literary Forum “Golden Knight” 2022;
• The Poetry Collection of Year Award of Boao International Poetry Award (China) in 2022 (for the Poetry Collection “Улетел на рассвете”);
• The Award of the International Poetry Competition “My heart in the Mountains” named writer William Saroyan (Armenia) in 2022;
• The Frederick Turner prize of Mundus Artium Press (USA) for Poetry in 2023;
• The Award of the International Literary online Competition “To you, Nesvizh, I dedicate …” (Belarus) in 2023.