Don't Try Too Hard – Na Tae-ju's Poetry Collection

“Don’t try too hard to do well.”
You are beautiful enough just the way you are now.
A greeting of comfort and encouragement for this sparkling day.

You don't have to try so hard to do well. You are pretty enough just the way you are now. Even if you make mistakes and are clumsy sometimes, you are still a lovable person.
– From “To a Young Friend”

“How long will we be
“Are we going to have a dinner like this on a day like this?”
I was glad you were here today too

Tomorrow is the day I meet you/The place where I meet you will be heaven/Wouldn't you be an angel again?/From today on, I live in heaven/I meet an angel.
– From “Tomorrow”

The poet has always spoken of those called "you" who give strength in the arduousness of life. The warmth of the "unsparing love" we exchange in our daily lives becomes "the reason why morning comes every day" and the reason to start a new day. The love for "you," which "even a moment's thought lights a small lamp in my heart," becomes the strength to "rise again." The poet bows his head to those who enable him to "promise another tomorrow" and "embraces my grateful heart." He says, "The time we spent together was deep and profound, so I will not forget it." The poet earnestly hopes that they "stay with us for a long time."
Just knowing that “there is someone who thinks of me” makes “the world a little more enjoyable.” Perhaps I, too, might become someone who “prays for others and wants to cry with them.” Because “love is dazzling, beautiful, and full in itself,” it makes us “more humble,” “generous, delicate, and kind” to one another. In these difficult times due to COVID-19, we cannot “leave each other’s backs and hug each other,” but we must maintain our daily lives, believing that “better days will surely come.” “Although my heart is gloomy today, soon I will meet you.” “Like small, nameless birds, I too will chirp with joy.”
“The day we meet will surely come,” he says, his bright “heart waiting” for this, “Every day is the best day, and every moment is truly precious.” The poet is moved by the daily routine of asking each other how they are, “Is everything okay?” and saying, “When I think about it, it is truly a tearful twist and turn.” Things are all the more beautiful and thankful because they are impermanent. “How long will that greeting continue?”! Because this “life is so precious and beautiful,” we must live this “one-of-a-kind” life with “shivering gratitude,” and we seem to hear the poet’s affectionate voice, saying that we should do our best.