Korean Poem "Anchovy"

Anchovy <By Moon Sun-tae>

Who would call you small and ugly?

Your brief life was truly fierce,

And your final silvery thrashing is majestic.

You shone when moving in a school,

Yet stood stiff and rigid in death when alone.

With that frail, pitiful body,

You once dazzled as you roamed the vast sea;

Now, you remain within me as hope,

Still thrashing—with a movement that brings tears to my eyes.

<Vocabulary>

* *Ppatppat-hada* (Stiff/Rigid) – 1. An object is straight and unbending.

2. An attitude or personality is unyielding or tough.

* *Padak-georida* (To flutter/thrash) – 1. A small bird repeatedly flapping its wings lightly and quickly.

2. A small fish repeatedly flicking its tail lightly and quickly.