The Sino-Vietnamese Teacher

Each year, when peach flowers blossom,

We see again the old teacher

Display black ink and crimson paper

On the sidewalk busy with passers-by.

 

Many people hire him to write,

Praising in wonder his talent:

"His dexterous hand draws like

Dancing phoenix, flying dragon."

 

But each year, clients become rarer.

Where are you now calligraphy users?

Untouched red paper deep in sadness,

Unstirred ink gloomy inside the jar.

 

The teacher is still sitting there,

Pedestrians are unaware.

A yellow leaf falls on the paper

As dusty rain flies in the air.

 

This year, peach trees bloom again

Ancient teacher is not seen.

People from millennia past

Where are your souls now?

Translated by Dr. Chat V. Dang

(From: Vietnam History: Stories Retold for a New Generation)