Azalea Flowers

by Kim Sowol · translated by Changsoo Koh

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.

Ko Chang-soo, translator. Best Loved Poems of Korea. Elizabeth, NJ: Hollym, 1994.