[57th Modern Korean Literature Translation Awards] Poetry Commendation Award: To Unfold a Bird
Written by Lee Su-myeong Translated by Noh Hye-yeon To Unfold a Bird A bird followed by hundreds of birds. I pass through the hundred-fold bird, without disturbance. The birds are seething. I move myself. I move a rock. The birds enter the rock, leave the rock. I move the rock against the direction of bird, while they watch How to Fall Under the Minari Family Every morning I wake minari. I hover…
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In the 57th Modern Korean Literature Translation Awards, the Poetry Commendation Award was bestowed upon Lee Su-myeong's translation, titled "To Unfold a Bird." The poem explores the complex relationship between a bird and a multitude of birds, as well as the speaker's interaction with these avian entities.
The speaker observes the birds moving in a swarm, with each bird influencing the actions of the others. Despite the chaos, the speaker manages to move a rock, causing the birds to enter and subsequently leave the rock. The speaker's actions seem to guide the birds, demonstrating their ability to control the flock.
In another section of the poem, the speaker describes their personal connection to minari, a vegetable that holds significant meaning in Korean culture and cuisine. The speaker wakes up minari every morning, treating them as if they are a part of themselves. However, the speaker struggles to understand the underlying function of minari, as if they are trying to decipher a complex equation.
The speaker also reflects on the rhythm of minari, comparing it to abstract concepts of rhythm and melody. They see rhythm as an integral part of themselves, yet they push it aside at times. The poem concludes with the speaker breaking into today's minari, attempting to repair and understand them, but ultimately realizing that machines are driven by a desire for larger machines, rather than embracing their own machine-like nature.
The poem ends with the minari family growing smaller and emitting an unpleasant smell, symbolizing the inevitable changes that come with time.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
