A Flower, a Sunset, and a Picture

                                  Jaigyoung Choe

Shall I say what he told you?
The words he uttered on the day he enthralled you
The words, the gaze, with which he set your heart aflutter
I can say
Because he told me the same words
And enthralled me in the same way

Shall I say what he told you?
If you enter the castle of truth that is hidden deep in those mountains
You can encounter a flower that is more beautiful than any flower
View an evening sunset that is more beautiful than any sunset
And discover a picture that is more beautiful than any picture
So promised the castle’s gatekeeper in his sweet voice

His promises that you alone can possess that beauty
And that he will divulge only to you the secret means of passing that gate
How hollow they were
How heartbreaking his false words are
I know only too well
For I might be more heartbroken than you are

One day the gatekeeper unlocked the gate and grudgingly allowed me to enter
It was there that I came across a rather beautiful flower, sunset, and picture
Putting aside my regrets that I could not find a more beautiful object
Today I hold again those rich memories close to my heart
Envision that impassable castle deep in the mountains
And live my life reminiscing the beauty I witnessed there

You have grown weary of waiting for him at his gate
Shall I tell you what the gatekeeper will say when the sun is about to set?
He will say that there are also beautiful flowers blooming everywhere outside his gate
That you can see a flaming sunset wherever you wander
And that you too can paint a lovely picture once you have a brush in hand.

The sun rises, the moon sets, and time passes beautifully today inside and outside the castle.


(July, 2013)   (translated by 최자윤)