Translated by Chae-Pyong Song and Anne Rashid

Photographed by Kim Min-gon

Memory by Moon Jung-hee 

One person departed,
and all of Seoul is empty;
suddenly the world has changed into an opaque screen.
What you have left behind
is a magical memory
that will not melt in any time.
Today I burn my body
with its flame.

기억 /문정희

한 사람이 떠났는데
서울이 텅 비었다
일시에 세상이 흐린 화면으로 바뀌었다
네가 남긴 것은
어떤 시간에도 녹지 않는
마법의 기억
오늘 그 불꽃으로
내 몸을 태운다

Mun Jung-hee (1947- ) was born in Bosung, Jeollanam-do. She received her Ph.D. from Seoul Women’s University. She made her literary debut in 1969 in The Literature Monthly. Her poetry collections include The Baby Brier, For Men, Now Following the Rose, I am the Door, The Joy of Love, and The Prolific Virgin. She received such prestigious awards as the Modern Literature Award and the Sowol Poetry Award.