<sup>Woodblock paintings depicting two beauties in the Hàng Trống folk tradition. Employing a “half-printed, half-painted” approach, a Hàng Trống artist would first produce a blank image via an inked template, then use a brush to hand paint each section, blending colors with water to adjust their shadings. Named for Hàng Trống (Drum Street) in Hà nội, this tradition produces highly polished, painterly prints for home decoration .

translated from the Vietnamese by Thúy Ðinh</sup>

 

How old are they, these two elegant beauties
The older one looks dewy, her sister, same
With forms as pure as the unwritten page
Throughout the ages their springtime never wanes 
But lest their bloom won’t last, their grooming is steadfast 
A way to gain shelter for their willowy fate! 
And what of that other pleasure—why is it omitted?
The short-sighted illustrator is to blame. 

 

Đề Tranh Tố Nữ 

Hỏi bao nhiêu tuổi hỡ cô mình
Chị cũng xinh mà em cũng xinh.
Trăm vẻ như in tờ giấy trắng
Nghìn năm còn mãi cái xuân xanh.
Phiếu mai chi dám đường trăng gió
Bồ liễu thôi đành phận mỏng manh.
Còn thú vui kia sao chẳng vẽ
Trách người thợ ấy khéo vô tình.