The thorns with poison have turned into boomerangs;
Ah, now they pierce me.
Ms. Park Young-ha is an eminent poet of South Korea
Poet Ms. Park Young-ha was born in Seoul. She is the editorial director of the monthly magazine Pure Literature. She made her literary debut in 1987 with the publication of her poetry collection The Sea of Consciousness. She has published the 387th issue of Pure Literature and has continued to publish subsequent issues since its first publication in 1993. She currently serves as the chairperson of the Poetry Division of the Korean Writers’ Association and as the president of the Pure Literature Writers’ Association. She has also served as the president of the steering committee of the 31st Youngrang Literature Prize, as an advisory committee member and president of the deliberation committee of PEN International, Korea Center, as a board member of the Korea Women’s Literary Society, and as a former board member of the Korea Poets Association. She has published several poetry collections, including The Sea of Consciousness, Park Young-ha’s Selected Poems (Korean/English), and Travel Is My Life and Dream, as well as more than 100 co-authored books. She has received numerous awards, including the Achievement Award from PEN Korea Center, the 34th Best Literature Award from the Korea Literary Critics Association, and the Achievement Award in Korean Arts and Literature.
Rose with Thorns
The house where my family once lived
Bloomed with roses
On the vines each summer,
Bringing joy to those who passed by.
Yet the roses, to guard themselves,
Were covered all over with sharp thorns.
Later I came to realize
That thorns had grown from my own body,
Leaving bruises on many people.
The thorns with poison have turned into boomerangs;
Ah, now they pierce me.
(Translated by Ms. Woo Hyeong-sook)
***
가시 장미
옛적에 살던 우리 집
여름이면 장미꽃 넝쿨이
아름드리 꽃 피워 오가는 길인들에게
즐거움을 안겨주었다
자신을 보호하기 위해 온몸에
가시가 돋아 있던 장미
훗날 생각해 보니
내 몸속에서 자란 가시덤불은
여러 사람에게 피멍을 들게 하였다
독을 품은 가시는 부메랑이 되어
나에게 꽂힌다
_________________
