Poetic Pause: An Autumn Prayer
Autumn Prayer
In autumn
may I pray, Lord.
Awaited till the leaves are fallen and may my
humble mother tongue be filled within me.
In autumn
may I love, Lord.
May I choose the only one.
To grow the most delightful fruits
may I plant this time of richness.
In autumn
may I be alone, Lord.
May my soul,
through the roaring sea
and the valley of lilies,
be reached atop a bough like a crow.
(May 25th 1934)
Translated, from Korean, by Daniel Yang