Mountain Flowers is one of the best loved poems of Kim So-wol, by the fans and the literary critics alike. The work seems to express the poet's view of life and the world, observing the perpetual cycle of life manifesting itself in the guise of insignificant looking, yet hope-inspiring, wildflowers we see around us. They come and go with the seasons, repeating the never-ending cycle of rejuvenating and perishing. The flowers are also depicted as far away from the others, suggesting how they, and us humans, are all fundamentally lonely beings in the end. This contemplative look on existence is dressed up in a few succinct, almost haiku-like verses, each word and phrase coming alive in the simple meter of six-fours and seven-fives.
Looking at it more casually, I like to think of it as a praise song as well about the beautiful nature that surrounds us. The Korean peninsula is endowed with plentiful stretches of mountainous areas, to the point that there is a mountain or two in your view no matter where you are on the peninsula. The mountains are typically modest rather than imposing, making them easily accessible to ordinary folks. So mountain hiking is one of the common leisure activities in Korea. The poet might be making an apt reference to this fact.
Tony's Web
