When Quỳnh was young,he had to cross the river in a small, three-plank ferryboad to go to school .Sometimes,he đi not have enough money to pay the low fare. The ferry woman had a kind heart and knew that Quỳnh was a good student. When he could not pay, she let him travel free of charge.,Quỳnh finished learning at the village school and went to the city to continue his study. In time, he became a mandarin and one day decided to return to his village The same woman was still rowing her ferry boad across the river.,Quỳnh was sincerely pleased to see her again and asked about her family.,She told him all that had happened since he left . She also let him know that her son was going to marry but that she was too poor to prepare a proper wedding., There was a small islet in the river and it gave Quỳnh an idea how he could help the woman who had been so kind to him when he was young .He told her to get her son to build a small, thatched bamboo hut on the islet .When he hut was finished ,Quỳnh started a rumour .It soon became common knowledge that the highly educated mandarin Quỳnh had returned to his native village .He was writing poems in a small hut on the islet where thay would be left on display .The rumour spread quickly around the region and many people came to view the poems .They hired the ferryboat to take them to the islet and the woman was busier than ever before in her life.when the visitors arrived at the hut they found only one scroll on which was written one line "Damn those who tell what they saw here " .They knew they had been tricked by Quỳnh but were afraid of losing face. When asked about the poems in the hut they would only answer, "Go and see for yourself ". More and more were curious and the ferrywoman carried more and more to the islet .After several days, Quỳnh went to see the ferrywoman .-"I think you have earned enough for your son's wedding .Tell him to dismantle the hut and take the materials home to use " .
| English | ENJOY QUỲNH 'S POEMS |
| Vietnamese | Xem Thơ Quỳnh |