Translation Tuesday: Two poems by Moon Taejun

The South Korean poet mourns a departed mother in these elegiac poems, capturing the stillness and beauty in grief

By Moon Taejun and Hannah Pang for Translation TuesdaysbyAsymptote, part of the Guardian Books Network

As the editor of a world literature journal who’s read submissions across all genres for more than six years now, I’m always on the look-out for a certain cosmic echo when one piece of writing rhymes with another from a different continent, confirming our shared humanity. Last week’s poem by Portuguese poet Ana Luísa Amaral, addressed from mother to daughter, is perfectly answered by these elegiac verses by Korean counterpart Moon Taejun, mourning a departed mother and capturing a magnificent stillness.

—Lee Yew Leong, Editor-in-Chief, Asymptote