Let’s go! To Paris not to live, but to die

We present this work in honor of the 75th anniversary of the poet’s death.

Na Hye-sok
Korean
1896 – 1948

 

Let’s go! To Paris not to live, but to die
Paris killed me
Paris made me a real woman
Damn it, let me die in Paris!
Nothing to find, meet, or gain. No reason to return.
Forever I will go
Past and present, I am zero
I will be in the future

My four children!
Blame me not, but society, morals, laws, and customs
Your mother as a pioneer was a martyr of destiny
Someday you may come as ambassadors to Paris
Find my grave, leave one flower for me

Translation by Tanya Ko Hong

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.