During the recent concert, an ARMY held up a sign for RM that read, “Your lyrics are poetry.” RM later posted a photo of that banner on Instagram.
As my longtime ARMY friends know, I may be one of the biggest admirers of RM’s writing. Over the years, I have translated many of his lyrics, and I have approached each one with a great deal of respect and care.
Because with RM, a literal translation often is not enough.
His lyrics are packed with metaphors, symbolism, double meanings, and wordplay. Many of those layers disappear if the translator focuses only on the dictionary meaning of each word.
The challenge is not merely to translate what RM wrote, but to understand what he was trying to express and then recreate that experience for readers in another language.
In many ways, the process is similar to Deborah Smith’s translation of Han Kang’s work. She did far more than move words from Korean into English. She interpreted. She shaped each sentence so it felt natural and literary in English while preserving the emotional and thematic core of the original. Her work helped bring Han Kang to a global audience and was an important part of the path that ultimately led to Han Kang receiving the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2024.
That is how I have always viewed translating RM.
Not as a mechanical exercise. Not as a word-for-word conversion. But as an attempt to carry across the imagery, emotions, and intentions hidden inside the lyrics.
To remind ourselves why RM's lyrics are indeed poetry, I have decided to revisit and rework my earlier analyses and translations from mono. It remains, in my view, one of the greatest Korean albums ever made. Every song contains lines that reward careful reading, and every verse feels crafted with the attention of a poet rather than merely a songwriter.
I will be posting these revised analyses in the Articles section, beginning today with “Seoul.”
Even if you read my original translation back in 2019, I hope you will take another look. This new version is much more extensive.
I revisited old interpretations, expanded the analysis, explored several of RM’s metaphors and wordplays in greater depth, and incorporated thoughts that only emerged after years of living with the album.
Seven years have passed since mono was released.
Yet the words still resonate.
The images still linger.
And RM remains the poet in our hearts.
@cypherluscious 2022. 🥺💔😭
I was new ARMY so I didn’t “stand under” understand. I just “felt” understood. And it felt like this joy I had newly discovered was going away. 2 1/2 years later I read the transcript and it hit totally different. I’ve still not been able to watch it again.
💜
@cypherluscious I don’t think I can bear to watch Joonie cry. 💜 I can still hear the crack in his voice and his tone. “It’s as if we’re doing something wrong.” 😭
Jimin empathetically bringing him a shirt because that was the only thing he could do on camera to warm and comfort him. 🫶
BTS might have one of the most interesting album structures of the 2026 rollout with ARIRANG
“ARIRANG PASS” is a metaphorical hill of hardship, longing & eventual relief. the album structure physically mimics this climb of the metaphorical hill 👇🏻
🐨 أكبر مخاوفي هي بالطبع فقدان هؤلاء الرفاق ...أحبهم، هم مصدر سعادتي.
🐹هم من أنقذوا حياتي أعتقد أنني أقدّرهم لدرجة أنني قد أُعطي أحدهم كليتي إذا مرض.
🐱أتخيّل مستقبلًا نكون فيه نحن السبعة معًا حتى نهاية حياتنا.
🐿️ الآن وقد عدنا معًا، يقوم الأعضاء الآخرون بسد أي ثغرات أشعر بها في تعبيري وأدائي...أدركت أن هذا هو سبب وجودنا سبعة أعضاء.
🐥 اتمنى أن يستمروا BTS ل 40 سنة أخرى.
🐻 عائلتي التي أحبها.
🐰 حتى الآن، أعظم نعمة في حياتي هي أنني التقيت بهؤلاء الهيونغز .
@OT7BTSBestArmy P.S. For a person who finds it very difficult to write, I sure did write a lot, didn’t I ?!? Definitely a result of the Bangtan life affirmation!