Cover of Son Young-hee's "Where Did All Heart Beats in the World Go," which includes "Bus Stop Sonata" / Courtesy of Siindongne

Written by Son Young-hee

Translated by Nam Jeong-geun and Nam Seo-jeong

Bus Stop Sonata

An old man rests on a bus stop seat,

Though yellow pine pollen drifts into his mouth,

And flies cling to his eyes' red rim,

Though the village bus departs with a wheeze,

Its black tears float upon the breeze,

Yet on the wooden bench so stern,

The old man's patience does not turn.

Gobi

Father, last night my horse succumbed to fate,

Whether I let go or lost the reins, I can't state.

The pouring sunlight's weight closed my eyes,

As one step up, two steps slide, the climb defies.

Gray dunes, unable to topple time's decree,

This place, a labyrinth prison, trapped by the horizon's spree.

Chasing mirages through an age, only to crumble,

Every path a cliff, every path a tumble.

Father, last night my horse vanished in the gloom,

Leaving me to ponder this endless, sandy doom.

When Petals Flutter

When memories, named, surge forth and rise,

And clumps of sorrow in the mouth dissolve and sigh,

When someone breathes, invoking love's embrace,

When the shadow of the paulownia beyond the fence,

Bruises with laughter that crosses the stone wall,

And in the heart, petals forever amassed,

Rustle and flutter, never dry,

In the chest, where flowers lie.

Under the Moonlight

A widow

of the village,

bereft of her husband

too soon,

prowls each night

like a furtive cat.

Oh, may the moonlight

be so luminous

that her

elegant steps

fall only

on its

grace.

marsh

My mother taught me the art of silence

Emotions are a luxury except for breathtaking rice

Even as I wept and followed her for miles,

The stride has not been reduced

At times, the tales rising in my throat,

Began to settle like crustaceans in their shells.

With a mask of nonchalance,

A lifetime drifted by.

Whether the tangled interior was teeming with emotions,

This summer, Upo exhaled a deep breath.

Every night, from the muddy waters,

I retrieve my face.

pepper field lyricism

Along the single-lane highway from Yeongyang to Andong,

Where technicolor umbrellas open and close,

The habitual monsoon takes a brief pause to catch its breath.

Sunlight, overlaying an autumnal hue,

Coaxes and caresses, painting everything in shades of red,

As the green peppers slowly ripen.

The secretive chatter gathered in each furrow,

Claimed as the richest harvest of this poor season,

Returns home with the last of the workers.

Dongchun Circus

Curiosity or compassion, both fine to seize,

Though unseen, the crowd's expressions entwined.

The murmuring behind, a scent of cherry blooms,

Once a rounded jar, now a square table looms.

Upon the stage, body leans, legs rise with grace,

Spinning and turning, shoulders stiffen in place.

Boldly rising, meeting the audience's eyes,

Applause echoes hollow, exits in a bustle

No wrongdoing found, yet a chilling spine.

Spring up

In a beckoning allure, drawn helplessly

Within round chambers, silence grandiosely. Soundlessly, they grow taller, unseen advance, Boys becoming men soundlessly, in a trance. Homes of boys, each heart room in bloom, Where sun and moon coexist in secret fume. At times, these whispers ride the wind, Tickling souls of the pure-eyed, a curious hind.

Come forth, the world that stretches out in a split second

Seville

Did I finally see what should never be seen?

The eyes that follow the dirty coins

It was a begging look without any emotion

The romance to soothe my travel-weary soul is distant,

And the soulless performance of a rude, old musician

Sticks in my throat like an unfamiliar foreign dish.

Carrying a child on her back, begging for food,

The deep, desolate eyes of a beggar woman

Resonate as a distant wail in the faraway streets of this foreign land.

delusion

The old

plum tree

a couple of flowers

made

Every Flood has its Ebb

Every Flood has its Ebb

be confined

to a delusion

Where did all

heart beats

in the world

go