The Azaleas Project
translations and transformations of Kim Sowol

Transformations

These transformations are derived from the “poetic residue” collected translations, which were treated as a corpus for practices like erasure and computational text manipulation. In addition to the translation selected for the performance, these transformations were read to present new lenses on what already exists: a poem with many interpretations.

Untitled erasure

       go away
Through       me
           weep though

                see me
         to leave
            you
        
        an armful

    where I

   though                passionately

go away,
  without

Grown

            to adorn

        flowers

Grown weary of me,
I will            to    my tears


I will be ready to let
no complaints whatsoever

    carpet your way

Armfuls

Purple azaleas have blossomed
and I have brought armfuls here. I plucked
them to scatter in your path as you fade away.
Oh yes, walk into the sunset.

When you turn away from here, take an
armful to be crushed, take care to
tread lightly as you walk out. I’ll send
flowers without words as you go each step.

You know you want to leave home often
even though you hate to decide why.
I know you’ll leave me in the shape of
an armful when you walk away.

Armfuls II

Purple azaleas bloom,
and I’ve brought armfuls.
I plucked them to scatter here
in your path as you
fade. Please, walk towards the sunset.
When you turn away

from here, take an armful to
be crushed, please take care
to tread lightly as you walk
out. I’ll send flowers
without words for each small step.
You know you want to

leave home often although you
hate to decide why.
I know you’ll leave me in the
shape of an armful
when you walk away. Make your
steps lightly on the

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