Green Rice

When Edward Hirsch reprinted Da's "Garden Fragrance" and "Night Harvest." (from "Six Vietnamese Poets") in his column in "The Washington Post," he gave special praise to the simultaneous clarity and complexity of Da's poetry. Now, for the first time in English, readers can enjoy a full volume of her selected work. Many of her poems deal with her experiences during the war, but her range of themes is wide-including love, motherhood, women's issues, and the sometimes-difficult movement into -middle age.

Garden Fragrance

"Last night a bomb exploded on the veranda
But sounds of birds sweeten the air this morning
I sense the fragrant trees, look in the garden
Find two silent clusters of ripe guavas"

White Water Lily

"Like a sudden feeling of gladness
A small white water lily appears
In a vast wind, on a deep blue lake
Only the faltering lily speaks
Clear and pure as when I lay
Lullabied in my cradle"

Born in 1949 in the south central part of Viet Nam, Lam Thi My Da spent the war in Quang Binh province, near the scene of much heavy fighting. Author of five books of poetry in Vietnamese, she is widely recognized one of the Vietnam's major poets.