Page 81 - Dragon&Fairy in Poetry
P. 81
Thanh Thanh
POETRY REINFORCES MY
FAITH
Original “Thơ Tiếp Niềm Tin”
by LÊ NGUYỄN
As a pupil, I used to write poetry in school-time;
Two grades: three years! hard exams to pass, class to
climb.
Green envelopes, rose paper−nightly copying and
reading fans;
School-age verse: dreamy soul but empty hands!
Grown-up, I used to write poetry on the battlefields
smart,
Exposed to the enemy’s bullets aimed at our chest,
heart.
Ink mixed with blood, the foes on all sides besieging
as reef,
Inspired by resentment, poetry reinforced my belief!
Then, I used to write poetry in every hard labor camp,
Defying chains and shackles and even starvation, to
stamp,
Writing captives’ verse, setting to disgraced inmates’
strains,
Hoarse to eulogize... the sublime time, superb brains!
I used to roll over onto my back on the wooden
floor
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