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DO-JONG-HWAN in a neat pile, my life too will be put back in order. Brushing the dust off my clothes I will greet evening in a slow and simple way. As darkness cloaks the woods and valleys the grass and trees align their hands towards the stars. We are a family living the same life. I hear a wish for abundance and peace cradled in the arms of the complete, massive universe. Tonight, many stars are still covered by the clouds while the night fog has not lifted from my heart. But as I become familiar with the simplicity of life, with a firm grasp on consistency when my eyes regain the light of the universe the stars will come flooding to this valley. Of all that which fills me up within, remove what should be removed and return what should be returned. Let things fall into place. If I were to get back a natural face and smile and mature into the well-balanced character that you are, with righteousness and goodness joined in the body, how wonderful it would be. Then summer mountains and autumn forests will rejoice. I am happy to have known you in my later days. May you find peace on the other side of the sea. In memory of you and your timeless search for perfection in the forest and beneath the stars. Continued online . . . To read these poems online please go to www.banipal.co.uk/selections Do Jong-hwan was born in 1954 and is among the foremost poets in Korea. He made his literary debut in 1982 and has since published many collections of poetry. As a poet who depicts the struggle of common people in a divided country, Do opens up new possibilities for the unification of North and South Korea. He is the recipient of many Korean literary prizes. 190 BANIPAL 43 – CELEBRATING DENYS JOHNSON-DAVIES
page 193
KWON YEO-SUN To Believe in Love TRANSLATED BY CHARLES LA SHURE Becoming a regular at a bar in your neighbourhood might be a disaster as far as everyday life is concerned, but it is a boundless blessing when it comes to memories. It was late one evening this past February. Even I was surprised that I had dropped by this bar alone. I didn’t enjoy soju or makkeolli, and this didn’t seem like the kind of place to sell wine or beer.Yet I opened the door, went inside, took a seat, and ordered a drink. I was served some kimchi and seasoned greens before the bar food I had ordered came out. I got the feeling that I had come to the right place, or rather that I had been hooked well and good. The kimchi and greens alone were more than enough for me to finish off half a bottle of liquor. From that time on I was a regular at that bar, dropping by two or three times a week. As I drink alone – mung bean pancakes and makkeolli, or stew and soju, with some seasoned greens and kimchi – the thoughts that come to mind are trivial bygones, such as: “That’s right, that’s what she said then” or, “I wonder why she did that.” The moment I enter that bar I am free of any uncertainty about the future or urgent problems that require my immediate attention. It has become a place that simply whispers to me: “Memory . . . memory.” As I drink slowly, images from my life flash before me like slides, and within my memories I lead a clueless life, like one who does not know his right from his left. Though it is really night, here I live in the midday of my memories. The one for whom I wait now beneath that scorching sun is a woman, one I adore in secret, like a favourite bar you keep to yourself, but who would now probably think of me only as a friend and has long since forgotten me. It is here I learn that indulging in my memories shows that I am waiting, and the memories themselves are BANIPAL 43 – SPRING 2012 191

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DO-JONG-HWAN

in a neat pile, my life too will be put back in order. Brushing the dust off my clothes I will greet evening in a slow and simple way. As darkness cloaks the woods and valleys the grass and trees align their hands towards the stars. We are a family living the same life. I hear a wish for abundance and peace cradled in the arms of the complete, massive universe. Tonight, many stars are still covered by the clouds while the night fog has not lifted from my heart. But as I become familiar with the simplicity of life, with a firm grasp on consistency when my eyes regain the light of the universe the stars will come flooding to this valley. Of all that which fills me up within, remove what should be removed and return what should be returned. Let things fall into place. If I were to get back a natural face and smile and mature into the well-balanced character that you are, with righteousness and goodness joined in the body, how wonderful it would be. Then summer mountains and autumn forests will rejoice. I am happy to have known you in my later days. May you find peace on the other side of the sea. In memory of you and your timeless search for perfection in the forest and beneath the stars.

Continued online . . .

To read these poems online please go to www.banipal.co.uk/selections

Do Jong-hwan was born in 1954 and is among the foremost poets in Korea. He made his literary debut in 1982 and has since published many collections of poetry. As a poet who depicts the struggle of common people in a divided country, Do opens up new possibilities for the unification of North and South Korea. He is the recipient of many Korean literary prizes.

190 BANIPAL 43 – CELEBRATING DENYS JOHNSON-DAVIES

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