Poems of Hồ Xuân Hương : 詠屋𧋆 - River Snail
| 詠屋𧋆 | River Snail | 博媄生𫥨分屋𧋆 𣎀𣈜粦𨀎盎𦹵灰 君子固傷辰扑𧞣 吀停𪭟𢭴魯𦟹碎 | Fate and my parents shaped me like a snail, day and night wandering marsh weeds that smell foul. Kind sir, if you want me, open my door. But please don’t poke up into my tail. |
| Vịnh ốc nhồi | Bác mẹ sinh ra phận ốc nhồi Đêm ngày lăn lóc đám cỏ hôi, Quân tử có thương thì bóc yếm Xin đừng ngó ngoáy lỗ trôn tôi. |
| Notes | |
| The river snail, inhabiting ponds and rice fields, is considered unpleasant and foul. Bóc yếm in line three means “remove covering,” punning on the word for the operculum (the glassy opening) of the snail and its homonym, a kind of brassiere worn by women of Hồ Xuân Hương’s time. | |