Man cleans sofa for first time in years and makes discovery

Everyone loves sitting on their sofa. Whether its for a long lounging session or a quick five minute breather, many people spend their free time at home doing little else.

This is definitely the case for Tautari Sanders, who bought a second hand couch from a friend who was moving abroad.

In the 10 years he has owned the furniture item, it has always been a place of comfort and harmony. He spends a lot of time on there relaxing with his partner in their home in New Zealand.

However, it was only recently when the couple decided to clean the sofa that they discovered something puzzling hiding inside it.

As they took off the cover, they noticed a strange message written on the inner cushion, along with a name written on another part of the sofa.

Tautari told Newsweek: “We thought that was kind of strange. We were worried it was going to be a cry for help for someone in poor working conditions.”

The couple knew the sofa was manufactured in Vietnam but were struggling to make sense of the message when using translation apps.

So, Tautari and his partner decided the next best option would be to post a photo of the text to Reddit.

He said: “We know its a great place to source information from a large number of people globally,” he said.

It didn’t take long for them to receive a response – and the meaning behind the writing was not at all what they expected.

Instead of a desperate plea, the message was actually a poem, likely composed by someone who had been working on the furniture.

Here is the translated version:

• That river still flows for thousand lives
• Because in adversity, I had to leave you
• I still miss you when you’re far away
• I miss your eyes and your smile

As another Reddit user went on to explain, the poem is part of a popular type of Vietnamese poem called a “lục bát”. This translates to “six-eight” – the number of words on each line.

They added: “This is actually a popular type of Vietnamese poem with rules and rhythm that is hard to translate. The sixth word of the six-line should rhyme with the sixth of the eight-line, and the eighth/last word of the eight-line should rhyme with the 6th/last word of the next six-line.”

After discovering the true meaning of the writing, Tautari was able to breathe a sigh of a relief.

He added: “We were relieved to find out it was some lovely poetry.”

However, even though they have been put at ease, the reason as to why the person chose to write the poem on a sofa remains a mystery.

Tautari theorised: “We have no idea why they have written such a personalised, heartfelt message on something that would ultimately end up not ever being seen.

“Maybe practicing some poetry before sending it to his or her lover? Perhaps we will never know.”