Les fleurs s'ouvrent sur ta tombe (i)

from poet Thanh Hai and translators Mireille Gansel, Hữu Ngọc and Xuân Diệu at La Maison des Éditions en Langues Étrangères

(Mồ anh hoa nở)

FLOWERS BLOOM ON YOUR TOMB

a few days ago, they killed you they threw your body at the end of the hamlet before leaving they rolled their threatening eyes: - this guy is a communist let no person bury him!

hardly did they turn their back when a handsome coffin painted in red carried you to the tomb and to accompany you

all the village, all the street, little and big, guys and girls, arrived from everywhere the further they got the more there were

your tomb on the high hill this branch of flowers the children picked for you this crown our sisters braided for you this rose, the little brothers planted

your tomb on the high hill the roses bloomed their perfume slipping around and them - when they passed by their buzzard eyes did not dare to fall on the tomb of a communist - red roses - red as if the blood was becoming flower on the page of history of the country

THANH HAI (born in 1930) Born in the province of Binh Tri Tien. He made himself known most of all by his lyric poems during the resistance against the American aggression in Southern Viet Nam.

With love to my friend Hữu Ngọc and his chief Nguyẽn Khắc Viện, who edited and published this volume in great hopes for peace in 1977, at the publishing house where Ngọc welcomed me 20 years later and I met Viện on his deathbed around the corner.

This is the first Viet Nam letter of exactly 1 so far addressing Mireille Gansel’s translation “Les fleurs s'ouvrent sur ta tombe” with poet Xuân Diệu and editor Hữu Ngọc from the work of poet Thanh Hai.

We also have written once only on the 3 friends’ translation “Chaque jour je viens quand même” by poet Hoàng Trung Thông on November 7, 2022, and on “Questions sous terre” from poet Tế Hanh on December 9, 2022.

We have twice sent letters on their translation “Être mère au Viet Nam” by poet Chế Lan Viên, the first on November 30, 2022, and the second on December 27, 2022.

We twice have addressed as well their translation “Poème des chauffeurs de camion sans pare-brise” by poet Phạm Tiến Duật, first on December 18, 2022, the again on January 8, 2023.

We have written letters as well about Sang et Fleurs, her collection of translations with Xuân Diệu from poet Tố Hữu. We sent the first of 5 on February 28, 2023, the second on March 3, 2023, the third on March 9, 2023, the fourth on March 12, 2023, and the fifth on March 24, 2023.

We have written once so far about her recollection and study of translation, Traduire Comme Transhumer.

Viet Nam letters respects the property of others under paragraph 107 of United States Code Title 17. If we asked for permission it wouldn’t be criticism. We explain our fair use at length in the letter of September 12, 2022.