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The Funeral Palanquin Goes With Falling Leaves
when a leader of the pallbearers stands high
on the front of a funeral palanquin recites a dirge
ringing a bell held in his hand
the pallbearers’ response to the dirge
stepping one on forward and two backward
echoes more melancholically in the air then the leader’s
because their response is so monotonous and simple
and in this melancholic air a nil life’s last journey
goes as a lonely soul
i wonder how did the soul on the palanquin live his life
the leaves fall on the pallbearers’ feet by a hillside slope
though there is no wind to sway, the day with no tomorrow
goes with the lonely soul
Note: A Palanquin is a covered litter or box used to carry a person of high rank. Although two or four men with ropes carried the palanquin, the funeral palanquin, Korean traditional, is larger in its size, decorated with flowers and colorful ornaments and covered with an awning and carried by ten or more men. Nonetheless, depending upon the funeral size, the number of carriers increases.
Copyright ©
Su Ben
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