Her flesh is soft, soft
her skin radiant
her hair silky black
her ears astute
her words alive
her frame lean
her manner impulsive
like a sparrow
like a swallow
like a parrot
like a peacock
With age
her wrinkles show
her skin darkens
her hair grays
her hearing fades
her eyes dim
her speech slows
her body slouches
her gait stalls
like a giraffe
like a bear
like a buffalo
Gone are the many days
promised by youth
As old age comes
death is near
How do I not savor youth?
If youth was of the future,
But, youth is of the past
So, no use in what is lost
I was dreamy
fickle
brief
With age, I am
calmer
deeper
strong and patient
Let the reckless past be wasted
Well spent years forgotten
No need to savor youth
Let me welcome what comes with age.
Na Hyeseok [pen name Jeongwol] (1896 - 1948) South Korea
Translated by Tanya Ko Hong
Source: Lunch Ticket
The translator Tanya Ko Hong is herself a poet. You can find her at tanyakohong.com and on Instagram@tanyakohong. She was born in South Korea and lives in a bicoastal (LA & New York) in the USA. She has an MFA in poetry from Antioch University. Tanya is the author of four poetry collections, most recently The War Still Within: Poems of the Korean Diaspora (KYSO Flash Press, 2019),
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