A Digital Man
Her first name was “Lim,”
Before Chae Lim was divorced from Lee Seung-hwan.
In the summer of 2009, she was “Hyun-jeong,”
When Go Hyun-Jeong became notorious
For the role of Queen Seonduk.
Now she has been renamed “Min-ah,”
You might know her –
Shin Min-ah is gaining fame nowadays.
So, in brief, he loved Min-ah,
Died to seize her love,
Left his story on the walls of Facebook,
And, now, I am interpreting it.
For the first year,
He met Min-ah only on a computer monitor.
He dreamed of her until the dream grew
So that he would have died to make it real.
Two years had passed,
He wanted to reach into that monitor
And pull her into his world.
Maybe 3 years of his virtual constancy
Would inspire her to meet him face-to-face.
They followed in the well-worn footsteps of all lovers,
To cinemas, to bars, to motels.
Yet she was only an avatar,
Not “a thing itself” in Kant’s words.
Or as Boorstin put it, a fantasy or image,
A “desire for a non-reality.”
But she was none of these;
A remnant excreted from swollen desire,
She was eloquence, scorn, and frustration.
He had wandered long
Only to find a great separating wall
In this simulated world.
The rules governing the human soul were irrelevant.
A poison not without intrigue.
He finally decided
To become a Digital Man.
My love is stronger than my life. (2010/07/20 23:37)
I am from nothing, but wouldn’t go back to nothing. (2010/09/12 22:30)
Finally, I found the way. (2010/10/02 12:16)
Oh, my God! (2011/1/17 15:45)
He watched The Matrix series
For a thousand hours…
He found the WAY.
With a slight gesture from Master Keanu Reeves,
He could enter into that world.
As Bachelard put it, “the Value Addition” was gained.
According to Jeong’s theory, “the trans-being of Being”
Was acquired instantaneously.
He was seated safely in the digital world.
My darling Min-ah……
The first words of his testament –
The key that unlocked a new world.
One year has passed since his transition into the matrix.
Now, if you connect to any number of social networks,
You can hear whispers of their secret romance.
There, they also go
To cinemas, bars, and motels.
.
.
Jeong Han-yong: poet, born in 1958, poetry 『How to Make a Mink Coat』 etc.
Translated by Seth Feldman(Canada, b. 1977) is a teacher, writer and musician
