Closed Eyes: Mai Văn Phấn’s Poetry

With closed eyes the world appears unpolluted. The surrounding pure spaces are spreading and latticed. We see ourselves in childhood holding a bright candle in the church. The candlelight is filling eye-sockets, filling the hollow immobile gaps amidst secret verdant foliage. With closed eyes the forest resembles a garden. The rattan stems, the ferns and wild grasses take the shape of huge ancient trees. The needle leaves form a large canopy. The earth bee, the porcupine, the squirrel, and the bull are similar shapes… And I stayed motionless for a long time with my eyes closed. Even though my premonition had warned me, they were looking for a clue, fanning the wind, taking fright… With closed eyes we can see people and all things in justice and in a clear light. Pens and books, beds and drawers, knives and chopping boards, and the old bike were of the same size. Each human organ opens up with multiple strange eyes, while the venoms absorbed are permanently sealed up with no way of escape. With closed eyes you are not so busy as when I am with open eyes. But your silence makes queer resounding sounds, telling me that your love has penetrated the trees, the streets and houses, the gardens, the fields, and the rivers and springs… From now on we need not doubt anything until we close our eyes forever

(Translated by Nguyễn Tiến Văn. Edited by Susan Blanshard)

Mata Tertutup: Puisi Mai Văn Phấn’s

Dengan mata tertutup dunia terlihat tak tercemar. Ruang-ruang murni di sekitar menyebar dan berlapis-lapis. Kita melihat diri kita sendiri di masa kanak-kanak memegang lilin terang di dalam gereja. Cahaya lilin mengisi soket mata, mengisi celah-celah diam di tengah dedaunan hijau rahasia. Dengan mata tertutup, hutan terlihat seperti taman. Batang rotan, pakis, dan rerumputan liar membentuk sosok pohon-pohon kuno yang besar. Daun jarum membentuk kanopi besar. Lebah tanah, landak, tupai, dan banteng memiliki bentuk yang serupa… Dan aku tetap diam untuk waktu yang lama dengan mata tertutup. Meskipun firasatku telah memperingatkanku, mereka mencari petunjuk, menerpa angin, ketakutan… Dengan mata tertutup, kita dapat melihat manusia dan segala sesuatu dengan adil dan cahaya yang jelas. Pulpen dan buku, tempat tidur dan laci, pisau dan papan potong, serta sepeda tua memiliki ukuran yang sama. Setiap organ manusia terbuka dengan berbagai mata asing, sementara racun yang diserap tersegel permanen tanpa jalan keluar. Dengan mata tertutup, kamu tidak sebegitu sibuknya seperti saat aku dengan mata terbuka. Tetapi kebisuanmu menghasilkan suara-suara aneh yang bergema, memberi tahu saya bahwa cintamu telah menembus pepohonan, jalan-jalan dan rumah-rumah, taman-taman, ladang-ladang, dan sungai-sungai serta mata air… Mulai sekarang kita tak perlu meragukan apapun sampai kita menutup mata kita selamanya.

(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.