Do Jong-Hwan is one of Korea’s most beloved poets. Through his poetry, Do Jong-Hwan depicts nature and beauty interwoven with a touch of melancholy and hope. He offers glimpses of wisdom with lessons learned from life’s greatest joys and deepest pains. This explains why so many people appreciate them—for the courage the poems give when life is difficult, when joy seems far away.
Where have flowers bloomed but never trembled?
Even those most beautiful
all trembled as they blossomed,
and as they shook, stalks grew firm.
Where is there a love which is never shaken?
Where have flowers bloomed though never been made wet?
Even those most brightly sparkling
were soaked and soaked again as they blossomed.
Battered by wind and rain, their petals opened warmly.
Where is there a life which has never been drenched?
The poet lost his wife at a young age to cancer and the love, pain, and sadness he feels is also seen in this beautiful collection.
Today there is
no sign of you,
who turned into a star
and lingered a while
outside the window
Critics and readers alike adore Do Jong-Hwan and this collection of his best poems make it clear why he’s so beloved. This new publication offers the additional advantage of being bilingual, so that readers also have access to the original texts of the poems.