Standing atop Mudeungsan

Standing atop Mudeungsan

Yong Wan Choi (1957)

Looking at the sky, chasing clouds, I climbed up and now I stand—
is it Mudeungsan [the Peerless Mountain] because there is no higher peak

Treading rough rocks, rugged gorges, and thickets
past every hill before and behind
I stood on the summit where heaven and earth face each other

The silver Gwangju Stream flowing far below
faintly mirrors my childhood self
born in Suncheon, I have come this far

Filled to the brim with four thousand years of our history
I stand here today, held in its embrace
I will engrave the meaning of Mudeungsan on my heart
and tell of it on the day I come back again

The world is waiting for me
light footsteps hurry the time along