Vietnam


        Woman, what's your name? - I don't know.
        Where were you born, where do you come from? - I don't know.
        Why did you dig a hole in the ground? - I don't know.
        How long have you been hiding here? - I don't know.
        Why did you bite the hand of friendship? - I don't know.
        Don't you know we will do you no harm? - I don't know.
        Whose side are you on? - I don't know.
        There's a war on, you must choose. I don't know.
        Does your village still exist? - I don't know.
        Are these your children? - Yes.
                               
        by Wislawa Szymborska - 1967
       (trans. by M.Krynski and A. Maguire)



                   Vie^.t Nam

        Chi. o+i, chi. te^n gi` ?
                               - To^i kho^ng bie^'t.
        Chi. sinh ra o+? dda^u va` dde^'n tu+` dda^u ?
                               - To^i kho^ng bie^'t.
        Nguye^n co+' gi` chi. dda`o ha^`m ma(.t dda^'t ?
                               - To^i kho^ng bie^'t.
        Bao la^u ro^`i chi. tru' a^?n o+? dda^y ?
                               - To^i kho^ng bie^'t.
        Sao chi. na('m cha(.t tay tha^n thie^.n the^' na`y ?
                               - To^i kho^ng bie^'t.
        Chi. co' bie^'t chu'ng to^i kho^ng ha.i chi. ?
                               - To^i kho^ng bie^'t.
        Chi. o+? phi'a be^n na`y hay o+? phi'a be^n kia ?
                               - To^i kho^ng bie^'t.
        Chie^'n tranh dda~ xa?y ra, chi. dda`nh pha?i cho.n.
                               - To^i kho^ng bie^'t.
        Xo'm la`ng chi. co`n nguye^n ve.n chu+' ?
                               - To^i kho^ng bie^'t.
        DDa^y la` con cu?a chi. pha?i kho^ng ?
                               - Va^ng.


                Vie^.t Nam

           Chi. o+i, te^n chi. go.i sao ?
        Vu`ng na`o nguye^n qua'n, no+i na`o dde^'n dda^y ?
           Chi. dda`o ha^`m ho^' chi dda^`y ?
        Tha^n thu+o+ng chi. na('m cha(.t tay co+' gi` ?
           Bao la^u tru' a^?n mo^~i khi ?
        Chu'ng to^i kho^ng ha.i chi. gi`, chi. tin ?
           Chi. theo phi'a ddo', be^n mi`nh ?
        Chie^'n tranh dda~ va^.y chi. dda`nh cho.n tho^i.
           Xo'm la`ng chi. co' to+i bo+`i ?
        La('c dda^`u kho^ng bie^'t, cha(?ng lo+`i na`o tho^ng
           Co`n dda^y con chi. pha?i kho^ng ?
        Nga^.t dda^`u thu+a da., ta^'c lo`ng hie^?u nhau.
 
		DDo^ng A di.ch