THE WRITERS POST (ISSN: 1527-5467) the magazine of Literature & Literature-in-translation. PREMIER ISSUE VOLUME 1 NUMBER 1 JUL 1999

HOANG NGOC HUONG ______________ THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME Translated by N. SAOMAI This is not the first time I stretch my skin to give you birth This is not the first time I teach you the language of the world.  This is not the first time My hair is flying white in your childhood This is not the first time Hollow are my eyes, weary and worn out my skin and flesh.  This is not the first time Down below in the dry earth I lie This is not the first time Your tears run sweet my grave. For I had lived, and died You had also died - and rose from the death Many, many times, I have been you. And many, many times you have been me - also Therefore, This is not the first time.  Translated by N. SAOMAI (This English translation version has been published in Songvan magazine [ISSN 1089-8123, discontinued in 2000], issue 10, 1997, which is under the same ownership and editorship of The Writers Post’s publisher and editor N. Saomai / Nguyen Sao Mai). · THE WRITERS POST (ISSN: 1527-5467), the magazine of Literature & Literature-in-translation. Copyright © 1999 The Writers Post. Nothing in this website may be downloaded, distributed, or reproduced without the permission of the author/ translator/ artist/ and The Writers Post. Creating links to place The Writers Post or any of its pages within other framesets or in other documents is copyright violation, and is not permitted. The Writers Post Jul. 1999 Return to Contents HOME