Erasing Myself

By Oh Sae-young - Translated by Chae-Pyong Song and Anne Rashid

On the mountain,

to live along with the mountain

is to become the mountain.

If a tree erases itself,

it becomes a forest;

if a forest erases itself,

it becomes a mountain.

On the mountain,

to live befriending the mountain

is to erase myself.

To erase myself

is also to erase you,

like a bellflower that blooms

by burning up longing

all night long.

When dew erases itself

it becomes fog;

when fog erases itself

it becomes a blue sky.

Likewise, on the mountain,

to live along with the mountain

is to erase myself.