Surat Cinta Istri Eung-Tae Lee

Tidak sengaja sih. Saya browsing karena bosan, kemudian saya menemukan website yang keren yang berisikan simpanan surat-surat yang menarik untuk dibaca lagi. Dan kali ini, saya ingin menceritakan satu surat cinta, yang tentu saja saya dapat dari website tersebut. Surat itu ditulis seorang perempuan yang sedang hamil pada 1 Juni 1586. Dia menulis dalam bahasa Korea, tapi seseorang berbaik hati menerjemahkannya ke bahasa Inggris.

To Won's Father

June 1, 1586

You always said, "Dear, let's live together until our hair turns gray and die on the same day." How could you pass away without me? Who should I and our little boy listen to and how should we live? How could you go ahead of me?

How did you bring your heart to me and how did I bring my heart to you? Whenever we lay down together you always told me, "Dear, do other people cherish and love each other like we do? Are they really like us?" How could you leave all that behind and go ahead of me?

I just cannot live without you. I just want to go to you. Please take me to where you are. My feelings toward you I cannot forget in this world and my sorrow knows no limit. Where would I put my heart in now and how can I live with the child missing you?

Please look at this letter and tell me in detail in my dreams. Because I want to listen to your saying in detail in my dreams I write this letter and put it in. Look closely and talk to me.

When I give birth to the child in me, who should it call father? Can anyone fathom how I feel? There is no tragedy like this under the sky.

You are just in another place, and not in such a deep grief as I am. There is no limit and end to my sorrows that I write roughly. Please look closely at this letter and come to me in my dreams and show yourself in detail and tell me. I believe I can see you in my dreams. Come to me secretly and show yourself. There is no limit to what I want to say and I stop here.

Kamu pasti mampu membayangkan kesedihan semacam apa yang menuntun seorang perempuan menulis surat semacam itu. Kamu tahu? Surat cinta itu ditemukan lebih dari 400 tahun kemudian.

Pada April 1998, arkeolog menemukan peti mati Eung-Tae Lee ketika melakukan penggalian makam kuno di Kota Andong, Korea Selatan. Lelaki itu meninggal ketika masih berusia 30 tahun. Dia adalah salah satu anggota klan kuno Yi Goseong.

Eung-Tae Lee adalah suami perempuan hamil yang menulis surat cinta itu. Suaminya yang masih utuh sebagai mumi ditemukan, dalam peti matinya, di dadanya, dia mendekap surat cinta yang ditulis istrinya.  Di samping kepala Lee, ada sepasang sandal yang dirajut dari kulit rami dan rambut istrinya.

Ah, sedih! Saya, tentu saja, tidak berani mengatakan kesedihan saya sebesar kesedihan perempuan itu ketika menulis surat. *long sigh*


* Catatan: Perihal perempuan yang menulis surat cinta kepada mendiang suaminya itu bisa dibaca di sini.