Spring Came In The Form Of Korean Poetry

A Taste for Life’s Weekend Challenge: # 4

My I See You As I See Flowers book/ Photo by the Author

Time created a wide space between me and poetry.

Then, a Korean poem casts a magic spell on me. Now, we are only a few centimeters apart.

I could say I was caught off guard.

As a bystander and silent admirer in the world of poetry, the bravest I can do is to embrace the thoughts of the famous ones from a distance.

Then, one poem I’ve met in my fangirling saga brought me into the bosom of poetry.

Yearning
There are roads I want to take
When I’m told not to
There are people I want to see
When we agreed not to
There are things I want to do more
When I’m told not to
That is life and yearning
That is you.
- Na Tae Joo

It all started with that poem. That’s the English version.
One of the 116 poems of Na Tae Joo, a Korean poet, in the book I See You As I See Flowers.

I bought the book.
I created myself a problem. They are all written in Hangeul. That’s all I know, their alphabet and some words.

But every problem has a solution. (That’s what I know)
I translated them using Google Translate and Papago.

It’s a brain-draining task. Each application has its own translation. And arranging them into readable sentences is mind wrecking.

Some of the poems have an English translation that can be found online. Though, finding them needs a Sherlock Holmes talent.

Months ago, an English edition was published. But translating them is more adventurous and fulfilling than buying one.
Though three years after I bought the book, I’m still halfway through translating the poems.

There are many good Korean poets out there. Google is generous enough to bring us to their works.

I love my journey with those poems. It unlocked doors to love poetry beyond the distance. It encouraged me to hold a pen. And penned the first one after a very long time.

And I am deeply grateful.

Here are 3 of the poems in the book.

멀리서 빈다/ A Wish From Afar

My English Translation/Photo by the Author

섬/ An Island

My English Translation/ Photo by the Author

연 애/ Love Relationship

My English Translation/ Photo by the Author

They are my new beginnings.
The start of something new
Where endless possibilities blossom
Where hibernation ends
Where happiness sprouts.
Just like spring
Just like what the season is all about
Just like the book
The flowers are in full bloom
If Spring is a fountain of joy,
so they are.

Osan