EDEN | Yoonmin

eight

eight

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"THEY MADE HER A GRAVE, TOO COLD AND DAMP/FOR A SOUL SO WARM AND TRUE;/AND SHE'S GONE TO THE LAKE OF THE DISMAL SWAMP,/WHERE, ALL NIGHT LONG, BY A FIRE-FLY LAMP,/SHE PADDLES HER WHITE CANOE,"

Jimin has the poem memorized by now, and goes over it again and again in his head as he sits alone in the empty classroom. He's early - really early too his morning lecture. Taehyung promised to meet him here so they could go over the lesson from Monday. He's still not a hundred percent sure he understands it, but at this point he isn't even sure he'll be able to focus properly.

"AND HER FIRE-FLY LAMP I SOON SHALL SEE,/AND HER PADDLE I SOON SHALL HEAR;/LONG AND LOVING OUR LIFE SHALL BE,/AND I'LL HIDE THE MAIN IN THE CYPRESS TREE,/WHEN THE FOOTSTEPS OF DEATH IS NEAR,"

It's a beautiful poem, he thinks to himself, although Jimin prefers Poe's version. He finds this one too lengthy, and isn't in favour of the rhyming scheme. He feels as if the flow is broken up by having the second and last line rhyme together.

"AWAY TO THE DISMAL SWAMP HE SPEEDS—/HIS PATH WAS RUGGED AND SORE,/THROUGH TANGLED JUNIPER, BEDS OF REEDS,/THROUGH MANY A FEN WHERE THE SERPENT FEEDS,/A MAN NEVER TROD BEFORE,"

He spent hours studying it after not being able to fall asleep the other night. He carefully slipped from Jungkook's hold and wandered over to his desk, where he sat down and googled The Lake of the Dismal Swamp by Thomas Moore. Unlike Poe's version, Moore's ballad told the story of the native couple who lost their lives on the day of their wedding. Jimin notes how it's told in his perspective, of how he's trying to reach her as she paddles her canoe out of the water. In a way, it reminded him of one of his dreams - he hadn't had this dream for years, but once he dreamt of a man running through the woods at lighting speed, calling out his name. He too, was calling out for the man, but Jimin never remembered his name. He reviewed the poem a second time, trying not to analyse it as he went.

"AND WHEN ON THE EARTH HE SUNK TO SLEEP,/IF SLUMBER HIS EYELIDS KNEW,/HE LAY WHERE THE DEADLY VINE DOTH WEEP/IT'S VENOMOUS TEAR AND NIGHTLY STEEP/THE FLESH WITH BLISTERING DEW!"

He read it again, and again.

"AND NEAR HIM THE SHE-WOLF STIRR'D THE BRAKE,/AND THE COPPER-SNAKE BREATH'D IN HIS EAR,/TILL HE STARTING CRIED, FROM HIS DREAM AWAKE,/"OH! WHEN SHALL I SEE THE DUSKY LAKE,/AND THE WHITE CANOE OF MY DEAR?"

When he had read it enough times, he googled it again, but this time searching for answers. He researched into the early morning hours, not even noticed that the sun had come up and that Jungkook was stirring in his bed, one hand blindly searching for him.

"HE SAW THE LAKE, AND A METEOR BRIGHT/QUICK OVER ITS SURFACE PLAY'D—/"WELCOME," HE SAID, "MY DEAR ONE'S LIGHT,"/AND THE DIM SHORE ECHOES FOR MANY A NIGHT/THE NAME OF THE DEATH-COLD MAID"

"What are you doing?" Jungkook called out, startling him from his work. Jimin glanced over his shoulder at the younger who was sitting up now in his bed, half asleep. Jungkook ran a hand through his hair, and sighed. "Couldn't sleep?"

Jimin shook his head with a sad expression. "No," he mumbled. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to wake you,"

"I don't know why you're apologizing, you can't help it," he mumbled again. "What are you doing?"

"I uhm...I'm reading something for uni," he whispered. "It's a poem that Professor Kim told us to look at, it's kind of interesting actually,"

"What's it about?"

"A native couple - the girl died on their wedding day and the guy went mad, thinking he could see her paddling out on the water, and he drowned himself trying to reach her,"