One Jujube

Poetry and translation from Korean by Ihlwha Choi

Beside the front gate,
a single jujube,

Grown ripe and red throughout the summer,
Even the cat passes it by without a second glance,
And the magpie, coming down from the tree in haste
To devour the food left by the cat
Passes by the jujube without looking at it all.

The wind, carrying fallen leaves, gracefully changes its course,
But for the past three days, this lone jujube has remained in solitude.

That jujube, high up on the jujube tree,
Among the branches and amidst the leaves,
Alongside rain, wind, starlight, and the song of crickets,
Has thrived through the summer, becoming crimson,

Concealing a single sturdy seed within.
Beside the road where fallen leaves roll,
At the crossroads where seasons pass by,
Still, like a small hut, a long journey ahead,
One jujube is dreaming silently beside the front gate.

Ihlwha Choi is a South Korean poet. He has published multiple poetry collections, such as Until the Time When Our Love will Flourish, The Color of Time, His Song and The Last Rehearsal.

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