A poem by Yun Dong-ju
translated by coconutwheel
The Snowing Map
In the morning that Soon-ee left,
With my heart unable to speak,
Large snowflakes fell
Sadly outside the window
Covering the map
Spread out in the distance.
I return to the room, looking,
But there is nothing there at all.
The wall and the ceiling, white.
Will it snow inside the room?
Will you fly from me like history lost?
Even though you wrote me a letter
With your last words here,
I don’t know where you’re going,
Which street, which village, which house?
Are you to remain only in my heart?
The falling snow covers
Your small footsteps, again and again,
That I can’t even follow.
If the snow melts,
Flowers will bloom in each
Of your footprints, but if
I can find even just one between
The blossoms,
Snow will fall in my heart,
For a year, twelve months,
Forever.