Lin Lae Lae La: Selected Poems
by Maung Sein Win
Translated by Ei Ei Tin and James Green
60 Poems ~ English/Burmese ~ 147 pages
Cover design: James Green
Price: $7.00
Publisher: Myanmar Refugee Education Fund
ISBN: 9798263020972
To Order: Amazon.com
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Lin Lae Lae La: Selected Poems of Maung Sein Win is a collection of sixty poems by Maung Sein Win and translated from Burmese to English by Ei Ei Tin and James Green. Winner of the SEA Write Award in 2013, Maung Sein Win’s poems are an open window onto Myanmar’s landscapes and people. With language at once spare and lyrical, these poems invite the reader to linger over images of rivers and forests, and to share a nation’s resilience in the face of conflict and displacement.
ADVANCE PRAISE:
As you delve into this collection, you will discover a writer whose heart beats for the love and the customs of his homeland, and whose pen, with unwavering conviction, embraces the vital matters of his nation.
–Khet Mar, Author of The Souls of Fallen Flowers and other works
Maung Sein Win (Padigone)’s poems show the soul of Myanmar (Burma) – its beauty, pain, and strength. From the jade mines of “Hpakant” to the river of “Ayeyarwaddy,” his verses mourn loss yet celebrate enduring hope. In “Rhododendron,” flowers bloom like blood on the battlefield. In “A Mother’s Day Prayer,” love and sacrifice echo through a mother’s strength. These poems are more than words. They are the unbroken song of a land that still fights.
–Aung Sway, Journalist, previously with Voice of America
Ei Ei Tin and James Green have translated Maung Sein Win’s poems with clarity and sensitivity. These translations preserve the spirit of a people longing for peace in their homeland.
–Daw Tin Mar Swe, Managing Director, DTMS Construction and Survey Company
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Maung Sein Win (Padigone), son of U Tun Kjwe and Daw Chi, was born on 10 Maym 1950 in Mae Salee Tie Village, Padigone, Pyay District, Myanmar. He graduated with a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree and worked as an engineer until 1988. His interest in literature began during his student life, when he published poems and helped lead university publications, including an annual technical magazine and a weekly newspaper. His first poem was published in Yoteshin magazine in August 1965.
In 1983, he published his debut novel, Chew Yet Pae Pa Law Nyar Yae, marking the commencement of his literary career. Over the past 30 years, he has authored more than 90 novels, 10 poetry collections, six short novels, and four collections of essays. He received the prestigious SEA Write Award in 2013 and presently serves as a committee member on Myanmar’s National Literary Board. His most recent publication is the poetry book Swe Taw Tha Kha Ah Lwan Shay. Known for his deeply reflective and socially conscious writing, Maung Sein Win is a leading voice in contemporary Burmese Literature.
ABOUT THE TRANSLATORS:
Ei Ei Tin is a native of Myanmar who currently resides in Mae Hong Son, Thailand, where she is employed by the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS). Her responsibilities with JRS include curriculum development and teacher training for schools in refugee camps. She graduated in Electrical Engineering from the Government Technical Institute, Pyay, Myanmar, and currently is completing graduate study in education at University College London. A former refugee from Myanmar, she is fluent in Burmese and English.
James Green is a retired university professor and award-winning poet. He serves as a volunteer education consultant for the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), located in Mae Hong Son, Thailand. He received B.A. and M.S. degrees from Missouri State University, the Ph.D. from Saint Louis University, and the M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Antioch University in Los Angeles. His website is found at www.jamesgreenpoetry.net
FROM THE BOOK:
In Love
by Maung Sein Win
In love,
there is poetry
In love,
there is Sadha.
In love,
there is a kiss.
In love,
the heart learns to yearn.
In love,
there is acceptance.
In love,
the eye only will see
what it finds beautiful
In love,
there is no distance
nor time.
In love,
intimacy is eternal.
In love,
there no aging of flesh
nor fading of memory.
In love,
a flower may bloom in any season.
When absent
I long for its fragrance.
|
