ABSTRACT

There is a Vietnamese poem that children usually recite as their introduction to poetry. Cong cha nhung Nui Thai Son Ngia me nhung nuoc trong nguon chay ra Father’s effort of rearing a child is as high as Mount Thai Son Mother’s love for her child is as deep as the spring that run out from the mountain cavern. Mount Thai Son is the highest mountain in Vietnam, but with instruments the height can be measured; just as the father’s effort in rearing his child is great, but it is contained and tempered. The woman’s love for her child goes deep into the womb, before the child opens its eyes or takes its first breath of air. For nine months, the child is part of the woman, her source of love for the child runs deep, like the sweet spring that feeds the moss and ferns on the mountainside. In the dark caverns, the water talks among the rocks, echoes bounce around in the dark, then it tumbles into the sunlight sparkling and clear. There is no measurable depth to its source, rich in minerals from earth, passing by earth’s heaving crimson heart.