Poem from the bookThe Lotus Seed

Nothing that grows in a pond

Surpasses the beauty of the lotus flower,

With its green leaves and silky yellow styles

Amidst milky white petals.

Though mired in mud, its silky yellow styles,

Its milky white petals and green leaves

Do not smell of mud.

- Anonymous (by Vo danh; translation by Dinh D. Vu)