Chrysanthemum 미당 서정주 국화 옆에서

This is one of the Korean poems that are close to my heart. I used to know the poet. A great man! All too human! When you get to know him, you get to know what it is like being a Korean. Here is my translation of one of his poems. I had never thought I would attempt to translate it into English - for I had thought it was an impossible task, especially this particular poem - until I read Brother Anthony's translation of it. I was slightly ticked off. His translation is not bad, but I don't feel the rhythm of the original in it. Mine may not be up to par but I feel closer to the original with my own translation. I'm still working on it, so you'll see the progress as it develops.

First, Brother Anthony's:

For one chrysanthemum to bloom
the nightingale
must have wept like that since spring.

For one chrysanthemum to bloom
the thunder
must have rolled like that in sombre clouds

Chrysanthemum! You look like my sister
standing before her mirror, just back
from far away, far away byways of youth,
where she was racked with longing and lack.

For your yellow petals to bloom
the frost must have come down like that last night
and I was not able to get to sleep.

And here is my translation. I'm only halfway through, and I have blank verse in mind.

Perhaps it was for a Chrysanthemum
The Cuckoo started singing so in spring.

Perhaps it was for a Chrysanthemum
The thunder Thunder rolled so in dark clouds. (01-13-09)

Sweet Flower! my sister do I see in you,
My sister, having left the lonely path
Of bygone youth behind,
With all its heartaches, missing and longing for,
Now standing before her looking glass.

Perhaps it was for yellow petals of yours to bloom
It hailed Hail was falling so last night
And I was kept kept me awake.

I will finish it when I'm drunk some other time. Done! (01-14-09) But I'm still not happy with it at all. I will come back and work on it again some other time. *** Drafts are born to cry for revisions.***

So Chong-Joo (1915-2000)

Ah! this picture is as I remember him when I saw him before I left Korea.