From the six-eight folk verses, she steps out into the world  (*)

Soft hair hurriedly brushed, dress still rumpled

A strand of fresh grass caught her toes

Hands holding a few uncompleted, broken-hearted songs of Love

When she smiles, it’s like the moon goddess breathing on the mountaintop

When she departs, the grapefruit fragrance quietly creeps into poetry

From her presence, the verses sway gracefully

From her presence, the music notes dance happily

Night by night, gazing at the sky

The stars dim, the fishes dive, the spider webs remind of home...

From the six-eight folk verses, she steps out into the world

Her lullaby’s filled with nostalgia of the sweet long ago days

A lullaby resounding in her mind from childhood years

On grandma’s shoulders she rests, 

Her mind filled with the gentle “ạ ời” lulling sounds

Grandma gently pats her back

In comforting warmth, she falls into deep slumber. 

From the six-eight folk verses, she smiles

With a wave of the hand, she spreads simple poetry lines

Floating on the creaking crib of olden years

Flowing with the verses, the night gradually disappears...

(*) six-eight: a popular Vietnamese poetry form