Ho Chi Minh: From 'Prison Diary' The Vietnamese leader is also a
poet. In 1942, at age 52, Ho Chi Minh, now Chief of State of
North Vietnam, was arrested in South China, accused of being a
spy. For fourteen months, bound in leg irons, he was shifted
from jail to jail. Throughout he kept a diary written in poetry.
Following is a selection from Prison Diary, translated from the
Chinese by Aileen Palmer and available in paperback from China
Books and Periodicals. Hard Is the Road of Life Having climbed
over steep mountains and high peaks. How should I expect on the
plains to meet greater danger? In the mountains, I met the tiger
and came out unscathed: On the plains,. I encountered men, and
was thrown into prison. The Flute of the Fellow-Prisoner
Suddenly a flute sounds a nostalgic note; Sadly the music rises,
its tune is close to sobbing: Over a thousand miles, across
mountains and rivers, Journey's an aching grief. We seem to see
a woman Climbing a far off tower to watch for someone's return.
For prisoners, th