The Azaleas

by Kim Sowol · translated by Jaihiun Kim

If you go away,
Sick of the sight of me,
I’ll let you go without a word.

But I’ll also gather by the armful
The azaleas flaming in Yaksan, Yongbyon
And scatter them in your path

Tread gently
And lightly
As you pass.

If you go away,
Sick of the sight of me
I will weep no tears, though I die without you.

Sowŏl Kim. Fugitive Dreams. Edited and translated byh Jaihiun Kim and Ronald B. Hatch. Vancouver: Ronsdale Press, 1998.