May 6 was a special day for my family. We held a family month festival at our weekend farmhouse in Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province. To commemorate the event, we erected a banner which read, “Celebrating the 1st Tree Peony Literary Festival in Honor of Peonggang Kim Jeong-kil.” Amid the festivities, the fragrant scent of tree peonies sprang from our garden.
Our son declared the opening of the festival, and then told me to explain to the participants how I had come up with this idea. Here’s what I said to them:
“Your mother is an avid flower lover. Around this time of year, the tree peonies are in full bloom and their aroma and elegant posture dominate our attention. I dare say, they remind me of your mother. Just recently, I happened to hear her in the kitchen reciting the poem, “Until Tree Peonies Bloom” by the poet Kim Yeong-rang. It created a strong feeling in me. So, I wanted to honor her in some way.
“It took me a while to come up with an idea then get her approval for this event which, as you all know, is unprecedented in our family. Later, I called your wife and your two sisters and explained my idea, which they wholeheartedly supported, although they found it hard to believe their mother would actually agree to recite the poem during the festival.”
After I was finished, our two daughters reported that they had researched the poem as well as the poet, and the tree peony, respectively, which thrilled me greatly. What I learned from them was the tree peony is called the flower of flowers. It reigns supreme.
For the highlight of the festival, my wife stood up from her chair and began to recite the poem with flushed cheeks like a peony, faltering here and stuttering there while looking from time to time at the sheet of paper on which the poem was written.
As she finished, we clapped so loudly we brought down the house. But she was not satisfied with her performance, insisting on doing it again, like a disappointed little girl, which prompted another round of thunderous applause.
After this rather hilarious moment, our daughter-in-law stood up with her violin and skillfully performed “Until Tree Peonies Bloom,” which elevated the festivities to a whole other plateau. Then, one of our grandsons, a beginner learner of English, read his grandfather’s English translation of the poem, which made his grandmother very proud.
Our son declared an end to the ceremony. Everybody said that they had fun and that they were looking forward to another idyllic festival next year. All the while, our two sons-in-law were busy taking pictures on their smartphone. We concluded the event by posing for a few commemorative photos in front of the banner, hoping to show other urbanites that there was a different side to rural living.
Hail to the tree peony and the supreme joys of family life!
Kim Haeng-jung
Former principal, Geumsan High School in Geumsan, South Chungcheong Province
