Dark and fearful, the night was long,
But the new day has come, this bright new world,
The bells of freedom, clamorous, ringing,
The birds in the sky do their fluttering dance.
Mansae, mansae, manmansae! Hail freedom!
The sound of chains and whips, those chilling sounds
Gone — and the barred windows thrown open, wide open.
Kick away your seats and arise, my friends.
Do you not hear the sound of freedom’s bells?
Mansae, mansae, manmansae! Hail freedom!
Our mouths, once packed with gravel, are open again.
Let’s sing the songs we love — to our heart’s content.
They took away our ears, but now they’re open, wide.
Let us fill ourselves with joy, this taste, this world, so vast.
Mansae, mansae, manmansae! Hail freedom!
Bandi (born 1950) North Korea
Translated by Heinz Insu Fenkl
Source: Evening Standard The Red Years: Forbidden Poems from Inside North Korea by Bandi, Katie Law, 28 August 2019
Mansae, mansae, manmansae! - literally, 10,000 years; a traditional greeting meaning "live long"
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please keep your comments relevant and free from abusive language. Thank you. Note that comments are moderated so it may be a day or two before your comment is posted - irrelevant or abusive comments will not be published.