This section collects English translations of Kim Sowol’s poem
As is true of poetry in translation, some of these translations are unconventional, iconoclastic, or introduce new meanings into the text. The expansive selection of these translations is intended to be inclusive and does not directly address the “correctness” of these translations, but rather to show as both David R. McCann and An Sonjae have written, the evolving cultural and historical contexts in which poems are translated. If you know of other translations of the poem, please contact the site’s maintainer.
When you hate to see me
And decide to leave,
I’ll quietly let you go.
I’ll pluck an armful of azaleas
In the Yaksan hills at Yungbyun
To strew over your path.
Tread softly on the flowers,
Each step soft and silent.
When you hate to see me
And decide to leave,
I’ll never never shed tears.
Let azaleas grow abundantly
around where I am buried
so when you come to stomp on my grave
your feet will be covered with petals
and you will want to come back often
even though you hate me passionately.
When you leave
tired of me
when you go
I shall not weep
to see you go
I will gather
pink azaleas
from gardens
to adorn your path
when you go
Weary of seeing me, when you
go away,
without a word, gently,
I shall let you
go.
From Mount Yak
in Yŏngbyŏn,
armfuls of azaleas
I shall gather and scatter on your way.
As you go, step by step
on the flowers placed before you
tread lightly,
softly as you go.
When you leave,
weary of me,
without a word I shall gently let you go.
From Mount Yak
in Yongbyon,
I shall gather armfuls of azaleas
and scatter them on your way.
Step by step
on the flowers placed before you
tread lightly, softly as you go.
When you leave,
weary of me,
though I die, I’ll not let one tear fall.
When you turn away from seeing me
and go,
gently, without a word, I shall send you away.
From Mount Yak in Yongbyon,
azaleas
I shall gather an armful and scatter them on your way.
Step after step away
on those flowers placed
before you, press deep, step lightly, and go
When you turn away from seeing me
and go,
though I die, no, not a single tear shall fall.
If you would go,
Tiring of me,
Nothing will I say.
I shall pick azaleas
At Yaksan, Yungbyun,
And deck the path you tread.
Tread gently
On my azaleas
Where the path is decked.
If you would go,
Tiring of me,
No cry shall you hear of mine.
When you leave,
Weary of me,
I’ll gently let you go.
I will gather
Armfuls of azaleas
From Yaksan to adorn your path.
Tread softly,
Step by step,
Upon the flowers as you go.
When you leave,
Weary of me,
I’ll bite my lips to stop my tears.
When you leave,
Grown weary of me
I will gently let you go.
An armful of azaleas
From Yaksan, Yongbyon,
I will gather to adorn your path.
Tread softly,
Step by step,
Upon the flowers as you go.
When you leave,
Grown weary of me,
I will bite my lips to stop my tears.
Should you leave me,
Saying you’re weary of me,
No word would I speak.
Only with azaleas
From Yaksan, Pyongbook
Nyongbyon,
Would I carpet your way.
Tread on, my dearest—
With lovely petals
I will weave your way.
If you grow weary of me,
No tears would I shed
Though I may die.