My Dear Mother

You brought me into this world,
You fed me, gave me drink, and raised me,
You wiped away my tears with a single touch,
You are my beloved mother.

I have hurt you many times.
Perhaps my tongue spoke cruel words,
Perhaps my hateful words broke your heart,
Yet you always loved me, my dear mother.

Though I could never say how much I love you,
Though I could never express it as every child should,
Though I could never embrace you or kiss you,
I have always loved you deeply, my dear mother.

Now you are far away from me, mother.
I wish we had more memories together.
Without you, I am nothing, mother.
I love you so, so much.

Since you left, the flowers in our home have withered; spring no longer comes.
Even the sun no longer warms us as it once did, mother.
You are the one who lit our dark paths like the sun,
You are the one who sheltered us like a mighty plane tree.
We missed you so much, my dear mother.

When you were gone, no one told stories as you did.
No one tucked us in at night.
No one mended the tears in our clothes.
And without you, no one understood or saw what lay within us.

For the first time, a holiday passed without you,
Without kissing your hands or embracing you.
For the first time, a holiday passed without you,
Without stealing sweets from your hands or receiving pocket money.

Do you know what “mother” means, mother?
Mother: when you fall silent, it is you who shouts to protect me.
When I hide from evil, it is you who becomes my shield.
It is you who cries again and again when you tell me not to cry.
Even if your heart is broken, even if you are afraid, you stand firm against hardship.
Even when your soul aches, even when your heart bleeds, you never make a sound.

I wish I could embrace you one last time with all of myself,
Kiss you deeply, from the depths of my soul.
I wish I had never made you sad.
I realized something too late, mother:
Mother, you are everything in this world.
Just as a person dies when their heart stops,
When a mother dies, time stops; everything ceases to exist.