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The Secret of Hoa Sen
Poems by Nguyen Phan Que Mai
Translated from the Vietnamese by Bruce Weigl and Nguyen Phan Que Mai
Nguyen Phan Que Mai is among the most exciting writers to emerge from post-war Vietnam. Bruce Weigl, driven by his personal experiences as a soldier during the war in Vietnam, has spent the past 20 years translating contemporary Vietnamese poetry. These penetrating poems, published in bilingual English and Vietnamese, build new bridges between two cultures bound together by war and destruction. The Secret of Hoa Sen , Que Mai's first full-length U.S. publication, shines with craft, art, and deeply felt humanity.
I cross the Lam River to return to my homeland
where my mother embraces my grandmother's tomb in the rain,
the soil of Nghe An so dry the rice plants cling to rocks.
My mother chews dry corn; hungry, she tries to forget.
Translated from the Vietnamese by Bruce Weigl and Nguyen Phan Que Mai
Nguyen Phan Que Mai is among the most exciting writers to emerge from post-war Vietnam. Bruce Weigl, driven by his personal experiences as a soldier during the war in Vietnam, has spent the past 20 years translating contemporary Vietnamese poetry. These penetrating poems, published in bilingual English and Vietnamese, build new bridges between two cultures bound together by war and destruction. The Secret of Hoa Sen , Que Mai's first full-length U.S. publication, shines with craft, art, and deeply felt humanity.
I cross the Lam River to return to my homeland
where my mother embraces my grandmother's tomb in the rain,
the soil of Nghe An so dry the rice plants cling to rocks.
My mother chews dry corn; hungry, she tries to forget.
148 pages, Paperback
First published November 11, 2014
19 people are currently reading
661 people want to read
About the author
Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai
14 books2,465 followersBorn and raised in Việt Nam, Dr. Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai is the author of the international bestseller The Mountains Sing, runner-up for the 2021 Dayton Literary Peace Prize, winner of the 2020 BookBrowse Best Debut Award, the 2021 International Book Awards, the 2021 PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award, and the 2020 Lannan Literary Award Fellowship for Fiction. She has published twelve books of poetry, fiction and non-fiction in Vietnamese and English and has received some of the top literary prizes in Việt Nam including the Poetry of the Year 2010 from the Hà Nội Writers Association. Her writing has been translated into twenty languages and has appeared in major publications including the New York Times. She has a PhD in Creative Writing from Lancaster University. She was named by Forbes Vietnam as one of 20 inspiring women of 2021. Her second novel in English, Dust Child, is forthcoming in March 2023.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
May 7, 2020
Two Truths
At Ha Noi's Metropole Hotel,
two men eat salmon imported from Norway,
fresh oysters and beef from Australia, water from France, sausages from Germany;
the plate-glass windows reflect them,
and the waitresses are dressed in ancient clothing, their hands folded in respect.
On the other side of the glass,
a man fixes bicycle tires for a living;
his hope throbs in the heat of summer's midday.
A woman carries plain noodles on her pole
which she sells with tofu and shrimp paste.
They were all farmers once,
and now belong to two different truths,
with nothing between them except the thick plate glass, and a steam of people crawling forward, in a hurry.
The Secret of Hoa Sen is dual language with Vietnamese and English translations.
Nguyen Phan Que Mai's first novel was published this year (March 2020) - The Mountains Sing. I have seen several of your #bookstacks with this new book, and I hope people will also look to this earlier publication to learn more about her work.
These poems raise awareness of various historical events, as well as observations on war, modern life, globalization, labour, and inequality. One specific poem "The Garment Workers of Bangladesh" draws a specific focus on the high costs of "fast fashion" and disposable commodities, and the sweat shop conditions that lead to the deaths of hundreds in a 2013 garment factory collapse in Dhaka.
Many more to contemplate and learn from here. A truly moving and "conscious" collection of poetry.
At Ha Noi's Metropole Hotel,
two men eat salmon imported from Norway,
fresh oysters and beef from Australia, water from France, sausages from Germany;
the plate-glass windows reflect them,
and the waitresses are dressed in ancient clothing, their hands folded in respect.
On the other side of the glass,
a man fixes bicycle tires for a living;
his hope throbs in the heat of summer's midday.
A woman carries plain noodles on her pole
which she sells with tofu and shrimp paste.
They were all farmers once,
and now belong to two different truths,
with nothing between them except the thick plate glass, and a steam of people crawling forward, in a hurry.
The Secret of Hoa Sen is dual language with Vietnamese and English translations.
Nguyen Phan Que Mai's first novel was published this year (March 2020) - The Mountains Sing. I have seen several of your #bookstacks with this new book, and I hope people will also look to this earlier publication to learn more about her work.
These poems raise awareness of various historical events, as well as observations on war, modern life, globalization, labour, and inequality. One specific poem "The Garment Workers of Bangladesh" draws a specific focus on the high costs of "fast fashion" and disposable commodities, and the sweat shop conditions that lead to the deaths of hundreds in a 2013 garment factory collapse in Dhaka.
Many more to contemplate and learn from here. A truly moving and "conscious" collection of poetry.
November 24, 2014
The Secret of Hoa Sen’ is a recent collection of poetry from the poet and novelist, Nguyen Phan Que Mai. Her poems are concerned with the human condition. She is an observer, but she observes through the eyes of the many: ‘I mirror myself into your eyes’ is the opening line from one of the many poems. It encapsulates the acute sensitivity caught in her writing about the distress of others. This empathy and her ability to accept other’s perspectives continue throughout the pages. She makes use of first, second and third person viewpoints, both singular and plural, in order to encompass all. It is the face of personal sufferance alive in a world of oppression and natural disaster that she uncovers through her words.
The images, Nguyen Phan Que Mai portray may appear as simply described but her sentiments potent. For example, alluding to the garment worker of Bangladesh she writes, ‘… they had sewn the broken patches of their lives with the needles of their patience … into shirts that men in the West paid for with a peck of dirt.’
Nguyen Phan Que Mai is not hesitant at expressing anger at wrong-doing. However, and unusually, she does not voice vitriol towards the persecutor. Her heart beats alongside the pulsing of other hearts, whatever their background. She walks through their dark ‘forests’ and swims aside them in their rough seas. Her insights, always sensitive to the oneness of human experience, often surfaces within the waves of her words. In her poems, ‘Separated Worlds’ and ‘Vietnam Veterans Memorial’, for example, Nguyen Phan Que Mai emphasises how a sense of loss and suffering is an universal emotion: the sadness of oppressor as well as that of the oppressed acknowledged and heard with a gracious understanding.
The gentle lull of Nguyen Phan Que Mai’s native Viet Namese language could have been easily lost without a sensitive translation. But her voice sings out sentient-full of colour, smell, taste and texture portraying nature and life in the faraway. These faraway places, however, are not portrayed as distant, or as being lands apart from us. They are the locations of the everyday in the everyplace. She writes as if those lands are our own homelands which are, ‘rocking us’ in their embrace. All humans are similar, she suggests, all live under the same ‘Rain of no nationality’. Our own misfortunes are ‘Only an arm-span’ away.
Nguyen Phan Que Mai’s own love of humanity emerges through the evocative lines of her poetry. She records ordinary people trying to survive the needless traumas encroaching upon their daily lives. Her message is simple: care for each other. We are but one.
The images, Nguyen Phan Que Mai portray may appear as simply described but her sentiments potent. For example, alluding to the garment worker of Bangladesh she writes, ‘… they had sewn the broken patches of their lives with the needles of their patience … into shirts that men in the West paid for with a peck of dirt.’
Nguyen Phan Que Mai is not hesitant at expressing anger at wrong-doing. However, and unusually, she does not voice vitriol towards the persecutor. Her heart beats alongside the pulsing of other hearts, whatever their background. She walks through their dark ‘forests’ and swims aside them in their rough seas. Her insights, always sensitive to the oneness of human experience, often surfaces within the waves of her words. In her poems, ‘Separated Worlds’ and ‘Vietnam Veterans Memorial’, for example, Nguyen Phan Que Mai emphasises how a sense of loss and suffering is an universal emotion: the sadness of oppressor as well as that of the oppressed acknowledged and heard with a gracious understanding.
The gentle lull of Nguyen Phan Que Mai’s native Viet Namese language could have been easily lost without a sensitive translation. But her voice sings out sentient-full of colour, smell, taste and texture portraying nature and life in the faraway. These faraway places, however, are not portrayed as distant, or as being lands apart from us. They are the locations of the everyday in the everyplace. She writes as if those lands are our own homelands which are, ‘rocking us’ in their embrace. All humans are similar, she suggests, all live under the same ‘Rain of no nationality’. Our own misfortunes are ‘Only an arm-span’ away.
Nguyen Phan Que Mai’s own love of humanity emerges through the evocative lines of her poetry. She records ordinary people trying to survive the needless traumas encroaching upon their daily lives. Her message is simple: care for each other. We are but one.
September 14, 2022
“I hug the rice straw to sleep. Because I keep my homeland in my heart, my harvest is rich, all year round.”
🌾
How often do you enter a book blindly & they leave you with an experience, you know you won't ever forget no matter how hard you try?
South East Asian literature is one among the many I haven't explored extensively & I wanted to change that with a #womenintranslation read for the #WITmonth and I stumbled across Vietnamese poet Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai's poetry collection “The Secret of Hoa Sen”.
Lately I've developed a love for poetries & this collection surely counts as my favorite among the ones I've read so far.
“The Secret of Hoa Sen”, translated from Vietnamese by Bruce Weigl & Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai herself, is a collection of 52 poems set in the rich vastness of Vietnam and the stories the land hold.
Encompassing themes of love, war, traumas, fears & separation; the tiny snippets of poems are filled with sadness but also hope.
The ode to times lost to wars, families destroyed & the generational traumas seeping in through the cracks hold you steadfast & rip your soul.
Even through bleakness there stands an unwavering hope & resilience.
The vast Rice fields form their own identity & the food represent more than just appetite in Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai's poems. They are the link to the land & witnesses to the tragedies that befell and the Phoenixes that rose.
Read this collection & you'll know how beautiful it is.
In simple elegant sentences this beauty will hold you captivated, it'll fill your eyes with tears & you'll find yourself gravitated to them again and again. This collection will forever leave an impression on you & your soul.
Need I mention that it's my HIGHLY RECOMMENDED read?
.
.
.
I want to start reading this all over again! It's the most beautiful poetry collection I've read. 🥺
🌾
How often do you enter a book blindly & they leave you with an experience, you know you won't ever forget no matter how hard you try?
South East Asian literature is one among the many I haven't explored extensively & I wanted to change that with a #womenintranslation read for the #WITmonth and I stumbled across Vietnamese poet Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai's poetry collection “The Secret of Hoa Sen”.
Lately I've developed a love for poetries & this collection surely counts as my favorite among the ones I've read so far.
“The Secret of Hoa Sen”, translated from Vietnamese by Bruce Weigl & Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai herself, is a collection of 52 poems set in the rich vastness of Vietnam and the stories the land hold.
Encompassing themes of love, war, traumas, fears & separation; the tiny snippets of poems are filled with sadness but also hope.
The ode to times lost to wars, families destroyed & the generational traumas seeping in through the cracks hold you steadfast & rip your soul.
Even through bleakness there stands an unwavering hope & resilience.
The vast Rice fields form their own identity & the food represent more than just appetite in Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai's poems. They are the link to the land & witnesses to the tragedies that befell and the Phoenixes that rose.
Read this collection & you'll know how beautiful it is.
In simple elegant sentences this beauty will hold you captivated, it'll fill your eyes with tears & you'll find yourself gravitated to them again and again. This collection will forever leave an impression on you & your soul.
Need I mention that it's my HIGHLY RECOMMENDED read?
.
.
.
I want to start reading this all over again! It's the most beautiful poetry collection I've read. 🥺
June 30, 2020
This is a wonderful bilingual collection of poems that transported me directly to Vietnam, both south and north. Its food and culture, its lush greenery, floating markets, rice fields and colourful flowers. Some poems are dedicated to members of her family and some bring back the war and other human tragedies. Her gaze often falls not only on beautiful scenery but also on the lives of ordinary, disadvantaged people now and in the past. There are also several love poems. The language of the poems is often metaphorical but also specific when necessary and they manage to say a lot without that many words.
* * * * *
The curves of the village temple,
the Persian lilac's purple
the sunset with low-flying stork wings.
I hug the rice straw to sleep.
Because I keep my homeland in my heart,
my harvest is rich
all year round.'
(from My Father's Home Village)
* * * * *
The curves of the village temple,
the Persian lilac's purple
the sunset with low-flying stork wings.
I hug the rice straw to sleep.
Because I keep my homeland in my heart,
my harvest is rich
all year round.'
(from My Father's Home Village)
January 20, 2018
Un tazón de arroz casi me hace llorar.
June 7, 2024
Beautifully written poems of Vietnam. I loved the author's novels The Mountains Sing and Dust Child, so I thought I would try reading her poetry. Most poems describe life during the Vietnam War and aftermath. Very emotional.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 28, 2020
Vietnam is a place dear to my heart. I had been consuming Vietnamese themed novels vicariously when I first came across this collection of poems by Nguyen Phan Que Mai. I was so excited to read it, and when I finished I was astonished by the scope of Que Mai’s lyrics and the beautiful simplicity of it all. From the English language translation (unfortunately even if I understand Vietnamese I fear that I have yet to understand the subtleties of itt), the poet shines through as simple as hoa sen (lotus) – in no poems does the poet try to festoon and decorate words to the point of dishonesty. Que Mai treats the subjects with delicacy and truth.
The themes of predilection in this collection seems to be making sense of a world so rife with loss. The poet imagines her grandfather and grandmother through symbols of Vietnam that are still carried out today. The former is imagined as a ghost coming to an offering altar to eat pho noodles (Eating Pho With My Grandpa) and the latter to be living in rice plants (The Poem I Can’t Yet Name). She also writes to make sense of the disappearance of a dear friend (The Boat Girl) and to give an ode to a persistent aunt despite her turmoil (Pearls of My Aunt)
The poet also astutely paints a picture of her reaction to a globalising, fast changing world. A dissection of the woes capitalism brings is done personally (Garment Workers of Bangladesh) or through an observation of the changing times (Two Truths). The poet does not shy away from confronting that trauma that defines Vietnam in the eyes of the West as a war rather than a nation. She writes of a shared guilt and sense of jadedness in war (With A Vietnam Veteran).
It would be a mistake to think that the poet only deals with harrowing subjects though. Delicious depictions of the beauty of Vietnam come alive through poems dedicated to places in the country (Thousand Years, Mekong Delta). Sensual descriptions of the little things are effective. Hymns to the nature (The Sea, Touching The Hair of Sunrise) are as beautiful as the nostalgic lullaby to the fish sauce that blooms into magic through the hands of the mother (Fish Sauce and Flowers)
Que Mai’s soul is nicely summarised in the poem that ends this collection (Freeing Myself). There, she rejects a passive attitude towards things and depicts how words give her wings and gifted liberation to her, letting her to be soaring even higher than her words. This is not an overstatement. The collection is a testament to this acquired freedom. Bravo.
The themes of predilection in this collection seems to be making sense of a world so rife with loss. The poet imagines her grandfather and grandmother through symbols of Vietnam that are still carried out today. The former is imagined as a ghost coming to an offering altar to eat pho noodles (Eating Pho With My Grandpa) and the latter to be living in rice plants (The Poem I Can’t Yet Name). She also writes to make sense of the disappearance of a dear friend (The Boat Girl) and to give an ode to a persistent aunt despite her turmoil (Pearls of My Aunt)
The poet also astutely paints a picture of her reaction to a globalising, fast changing world. A dissection of the woes capitalism brings is done personally (Garment Workers of Bangladesh) or through an observation of the changing times (Two Truths). The poet does not shy away from confronting that trauma that defines Vietnam in the eyes of the West as a war rather than a nation. She writes of a shared guilt and sense of jadedness in war (With A Vietnam Veteran).
It would be a mistake to think that the poet only deals with harrowing subjects though. Delicious depictions of the beauty of Vietnam come alive through poems dedicated to places in the country (Thousand Years, Mekong Delta). Sensual descriptions of the little things are effective. Hymns to the nature (The Sea, Touching The Hair of Sunrise) are as beautiful as the nostalgic lullaby to the fish sauce that blooms into magic through the hands of the mother (Fish Sauce and Flowers)
Que Mai’s soul is nicely summarised in the poem that ends this collection (Freeing Myself). There, she rejects a passive attitude towards things and depicts how words give her wings and gifted liberation to her, letting her to be soaring even higher than her words. This is not an overstatement. The collection is a testament to this acquired freedom. Bravo.
April 29, 2020
I enjoyed Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai’s The Mountains Sing so much, that I went in search of more of her writing. This led me to The Secret of Hoa Sen. Although published 6 years ago, it presages and expounds upon many of the themes prevalent in her novel: the importance of family, the vitality of Vietnam, the universality of nature and our relation to it. The poems in this book are subtle yet powerful, and share humanity in a way the world needs most right now, person to person. Quế Mai’s heartfelt empathy and love for her family, for her country, for the world and us all shine through in this incredible collection of poems.
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December 13, 2019Bí mật của Hoa Sen cũng chính là bí mật của tâm hồn Việt và tâm hồn Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai. Những bài thơ trong cuốn sách chạm đến phần sâu thẳm của tâm hồn người đọc. Nó làm ta xúc động, những bài thơ nâng ta lên, gột rửa tâm hồn ta, cho ta nhìn thấy một cách rõ ràng hơn bao giờ hết những gì quý giá của tinh hoa văn hoá Việt Nam qua lăng kính và cách nhìn của nữ thi sĩ Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai.
Cám ơn Chị, cám ơn tài năng và một tâm hồn luôn đau đáu hướng về quê mẹ, hướng về những giá trị nhân văn của Chị.
Cám ơn Chị, cám ơn tài năng và một tâm hồn luôn đau đáu hướng về quê mẹ, hướng về những giá trị nhân văn của Chị.
March 24, 2020
“Truth-in-Advertising” – I read and write poetry every day … for me it is not a supplement, but a staple of my daily diet. This book was a gourmet meal. These poems are sumptuous … full of flavor and savory tastes. But, I warn fellow “diners” … chew slowly. There is a lot to digest! We are served platters of memory and hope that have been simmering in Vietnam as the people there have lived through generations of war in which the goodness and badness of people on all sides are revealed through the family recipes used to prepare, cook, and serve this many-course meal.
March 17, 2020
I have been trying to get back into reading poetry. I picked The Secret of Hoa Sen because I read The Mountains Sing bu Nguyen Phan Que Mai and it was so beautiful. Her poems are just as beautiful if not more. I cannot pick a favorite because they all touch my heart. She truly has the gift of bring emotions to life through her words. There's nothing more touching than reading words from the heart.
April 8, 2020
These were incredibly beautiful, intense poems. Many of them are these beautiful expressions of intense grief and others just bring an image to life, like this: "The women carry the seasons of guava, mango, and plum to me." The perfection of that, and in a poem in translation, is remarkable.
August 13, 2021
Exquisite poetry!
Library Journal says it best: "Born in 1973 in Vietnam’s north but raised in the south’s lush delta, award-winning poet Nguyễn writes precise, vibrant poems that give voice to her country’s present, grounded in tradition and dark history.”
One of my favorite poem included was My Mother’s Rice:
Through the eyes of my childhood I watch my mother,
who labored in a kitchen built from straw and mud.
She lifted a pair of chopsticks and twirled sunlight into a pot of boiling rice,
the perfume of a new harvest
soaked her worn shirt as she bent and fed rice straws to the hungry flames.
I wanted to come and help, but the child in me
pulled myself into a dark corner
where I could watch my mother’s face
teach beauty how to glow in hardship,
and ho to sing the rice to cook with her sunbaked hands.
That day in our kitchen
I saw how perfection was arranged
by soot-blackened pans and pots,
and by the bend back of my mother, so thin
she would disappear if I wept, or cried out.
Library Journal says it best: "Born in 1973 in Vietnam’s north but raised in the south’s lush delta, award-winning poet Nguyễn writes precise, vibrant poems that give voice to her country’s present, grounded in tradition and dark history.”
One of my favorite poem included was My Mother’s Rice:
Through the eyes of my childhood I watch my mother,
who labored in a kitchen built from straw and mud.
She lifted a pair of chopsticks and twirled sunlight into a pot of boiling rice,
the perfume of a new harvest
soaked her worn shirt as she bent and fed rice straws to the hungry flames.
I wanted to come and help, but the child in me
pulled myself into a dark corner
where I could watch my mother’s face
teach beauty how to glow in hardship,
and ho to sing the rice to cook with her sunbaked hands.
That day in our kitchen
I saw how perfection was arranged
by soot-blackened pans and pots,
and by the bend back of my mother, so thin
she would disappear if I wept, or cried out.
April 19, 2025
This collection of poetry is very heart-felt. I was able to really see what the poems were about as the descriptions were so vivid. The poems are mostly about Viet Nam, its history and also personal to Nguyen Phan Que Mai’s life and family. There were also some that do not thematise Viet Nam, some bringing to attention the American side of the war, others talking about things Nguyen has faced in different parts of the world that have impacted her. What I find really intriguing about this publication is that we not only get the English translations of the poems, but also the Vietnamese original. I find it really fascinating to see the differences - especially in format - between them and also found the short introduction at the beginning as well as the footnotes quite helpful. Having read her English debut novel The Mountains Sing, I saw some of what that novel is about in the poems of this collection. Really enjoyed it and would recommend!
September 25, 2020
Extraordinary writing, what compassion
I read this after reading “The Mountain’s Sing” and thought it could not be topped, it was by these poems. Pain, honesty, truthfulness and healing all in one. Through Veterans for Peace I was able to meet the author on Zoom and was impressed by her quietness and honesty. A wonderful writer and two wonderful books, I highly recommend them both.
I read this after reading “The Mountain’s Sing” and thought it could not be topped, it was by these poems. Pain, honesty, truthfulness and healing all in one. Through Veterans for Peace I was able to meet the author on Zoom and was impressed by her quietness and honesty. A wonderful writer and two wonderful books, I highly recommend them both.
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April 4, 2021Vietnamese culture. Flora and fauna. Impact of war. Translated poetry. Very accessible.
February 2, 2022
Enthralling
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 8, 2022
3.5 for now (need to let that sink in)
Observant and heartfelt writing that does not let go of its accessibility (which I love since I’m new to reading poetry).
Observant and heartfelt writing that does not let go of its accessibility (which I love since I’m new to reading poetry).
August 10, 2025
I’m not usually interested in poetry, but these were beautiful poems, where the hardships of the people of Vietnam are evoked and beautifully conveyed.
September 7, 2025
"one day the clouds open and pour into me"
September 26, 2020
It is because of this book, and Que Mai's beautiful, incomparable writing, that I now understand contemporary poetry.
They poems are so intensely visual and emotional, I was transported to the places they describe, and moved to tears. Among the many stunning moments:
"She lifted a pair of chopsticks and twirled sunlight..."about her mother cooking rice.
What a gift she, and her writing, are.
They poems are so intensely visual and emotional, I was transported to the places they describe, and moved to tears. Among the many stunning moments:
"She lifted a pair of chopsticks and twirled sunlight..."about her mother cooking rice.
What a gift she, and her writing, are.
June 5, 2024
Que Mai's poetry immerses you in the sights, sounds, colours and flavours of her home country, Vietnam. A wonderful poet, writer and human.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews