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Two Poems by An Taewoon scrap
by An Taewoon
Translated by Seth Chandler
March 8, 2023
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시 보다 2022
!Si boda 2022This English title may be a working title if the official translation has not yet been published.
공식 번역본이 출간되지 않은 경우, 이 영문 제목은 가제일 수 있습니다.
Moonji Publishing co., Ltd.2022
-
시 보다 2023
!Si boda 2023This English title may be a working title if the official translation has not yet been published.
공식 번역본이 출간되지 않은 경우, 이 영문 제목은 가제일 수 있습니다.
Moonji Publishing co., Ltd.2023
Author Bio 작가 소개
An Taewoon
Certain Human Emotions and Instances
Thinking back over various days,
Over certain human emotions and instances,
For Some, these instances and emotions begin to seem strange
That day
Those two days
By chance it’s excitement it’s resolve it’s chance discomfort it’s contradiction it’s seeping in by chance
For Some, when your surroundings seem suddenly familiar while going about daily life
You might stop to buy blueberries and socks and sundubu on the way home, gazing at the shapes and colors with fresh eyes
And then thinking, hm, been using money for so long
Money persists, appearing and disappearing, for a long time. A medium, finance.
And then thinking, am I like money, given and taken, passing momentarily through some hands, not passing through others but somehow persisting?
For Some, which days might come to mind?
Reflect
Saturate
It’s surprise by chance it’s a juncture it’s sorrow by chance it’s exuberance it’s solemnity by chance
Some might think of days to come
Feel some ambivalence about
People whose place of work is the zoo but do their best to take care of everything they can as the humans in that place
Take responsibility and contemplate close to nature and send back to nature or remain and spend their time stopping other humans
Realizing that wild animals don’t pity themselves
That day
Those two days
Some, how are you?
As I walk on the overpass, past the shop, along the floodbank, in the park, through the spaces we’ve made,
I realize, hm, so this is the living area of humanity
And if I go somewhere else on a day off, in that space there are flowers and grass and leaves and animals walking
It seems some animals don’t avoid humans. That feels strange, and there are some animals with jobs
And the animals with jobs stare back at the many human lives, then move on through still other humans. In that way, time passes.
Amid the many days,
Some, are you living well?
I mean, I wonder what area you’re wandering
What series of emotions and instances your life consists of
I am here
Saying let us cast a coarse net as flowing pieces, let us be caught in it here,
Becoming a distant person and remembering the past, about wind music and spring wind,
Rewinding the video of a dead person in the future,
I am here
Suddenly frightened by human ways of thinking, that eating an animal could give you its power
For Some, some things seem to pass by all at once in a flash
I sometimes momentarily enact my will, and sometimes step back
And become a person who kindles memories
Wondering what it means to live a good life as a human
To Some, I ask how are you?
I am here
But what is the feeling of being here? Suddenly it felt strange
And I looked around.
Goose Bojagi Practice
1.
He’s walking. He puts his hand in his pocket and feels the touch of cloth. He realizes it’s a goose bojagi. But that’s for wedding ceremonies—and where’s the goose and gander? Why does he only have the piece of cloth that wraps them? He doubts himself for thinking it’s a goose bojagi. He decides to find the geese. Maybe he’ll get to see some ducks at least. He walks to the streamside.
2.
He’s at a traditional wedding. The bride and groom are his friends. He watches the ceremony happily. The geese bearer passes the wooden goose and gander wrapped in the goose bojagi to the groom, and the groom places them on the goose altar. But just as the groom bends to bow before the bride’s parents, he’s suddenly jumped between them and snatched up the wooden geese. He’s thrown off the goose bojagi, and he’s running way with the wood carvings. The bride and groom and all the wedding guests stare after him. That’s when I picked up the goose bojagi. I tie the bojagi around my wrist.
3.
You take regular walks at the pond. After observing the limping goose over several days, you decide you’ve got to check on it. You take the goose to the wildlife hospital. It looks like it’s been bit by a turtle. After examining it, you risk surgery. Luckily, the goose’s condition improves. You tuck it in under a blanket. “You’ll be able to fly again tomorrow after a good night’s rest,” you think as you drift off to sleep.
4.
As he walks down the street, he discovers a red piece of cloth. He looks it over this way and that. It’s a curious shape. Strange. Something like a stingray kite. Maybe a rhombus. It has two tails attached to one corner. He folds it like a paper airplane. He tries to throw it. It doesn’t fly well. He sits down on a bench and keeps trying. I’m watching him do it, “Stop trying to make it fly. It’s for wrapping things. It’s a goose bojagi. You wrap it around like this.” I hold up my left hand like a beak. I tie the bojagi around my left wrist. He touches my wrist. He tries to send it flying far away. Again. Does it fly?
5.
He’d received the goose bojagi as a gift. But what about the geese? The wooden goose and gander? There aren’t any. Just the goose bojagi. He pondered what to do with it. He put it on the desk. He’d have to find something to wrap. What would it go well with? His phone? A mirror? His wallet? A pencil? He tried tying it to various things. He placed them on the windowsill. Interesting. That made it feel like the wind was blowing.
6.
I crumpled the goose bojagi, then opened it again. I crumple it and toss it in the air and catch it. I unfold it and toss it. It wraps my face.
7.
You roll around in your sleep a lot.
8.
You’re walking in the park. You watch as a red cloth comes flying your way. It falls at your feet. Just as you bend to pick it up, someone rushes over. It must be the cloth’s owner. You stop. You wait for his reaction. But a few moments pass without any sign from him. You look away and pick up the cloth. You gaze intently at it. While you observe the goose bojagi’s shape, he snaps a picture of you. Then he leaves.
9.
He coddles the goose bojagi. Who knows where he got it, but he’s holding it in his hands. He and the goose bojagi are in the tub. They relax together and soak in the warm water. He dunks the goose bojagi in the water and floats it on the surface. Hahaha—he’s putting the goose bojagi around his neck and smiling.
by An Taewoon
Translated by Seth Chandler
Writer 필자 소개
An Taewoon
Translator 번역가 소개
Seth Chandler
Seth Chandler is a literary and academic translator. He received his master’s degree in modern Korean poetry from Seoul National University and studied translation at LTI Korea Translation Academy. His work has appeared in Azalea, KLN, chogwa zine, and elsewhere.
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