The wave of dawn taps on the window
The tail of darkness, startled, flees
One by one, the reflections of light rise.
Hailing from Korea, the Land of Morning Calm, Poet Jang Choong Yeal serves as Executive Director of Culture at the Korean Writers’ Association, an Arts Committee Member of the Korean Center of International PEN, and Vice President of the Korean Association of World Literature. She has received more than seven awards, including the New Writer’s Award from the literary magazine Literature World (Munhak Segye) and the Heo Nanseolheon Literary Award. Her poetry collections include The Secret Letter I Couldn’t Seal and many others. She is an active literary figure engaged in diverse fields, widely recognized as a poet, poetry reciter, and emotional speech instructor. She previously served as Executive Director of Culture at the Korean Writers’ Association and as an Arts Committee Member of the Korean Center of International PEN, and she continues to contribute to both domestic and international literary exchange as Vice President of the Korean Association of World Literature. She is currently a specially appointed professor at the Future Education Center of Soongsil University and also serves as a judge in national poetry recitation contests, dedicating herself to nurturing the next generation across both literary and educational arenas. In addition, she serves as President of the Korean Recitation and Literary Arts Association, contributing to the expansion of poetry recitation culture. She is also active as a certified Literary Arts Instructor designated by the Ministry of Education. She continues to broaden the scope of literary education by lecturing at various institutions, including the Lifelong Education Center of the Korean Writers’ Association, Gangnam Cultural Center, Seocho Cultural Center, Meta Literature, and the Janaa Museum. She has published numerous works, including her poetry collection The Secret Letter I Couldn’t Seal, and her literary achievements and recitation skills have been widely acclaimed through awards such as the Korean Literary Award, Sangnoksu Literary Award, Korean Writers Award, and Korean Recitation Literature Award.
Turning on the Light
The wave of dawn taps on the window
The tail of darkness, startled, flees
One by one, the reflections of light rise.
In the place where black shadows have withdrawn
A dazzling gesture pierces through in rays
Tender leaves whisper,
And violet violets laugh in soft, low notes
Between people, attraction pulls like magnets
A semicircle rainbow carves in vivid clarity
What the invisible hand of love lifts up
Is the unwavering center of life!
The melody of life following the light winds around the earth
And scatters far, far away as drifting spores.
***
빛을 켜다
여명의 파장이 창을 두드린다
어둠의 끝자락이 화들짝 놀라 달아난다
하나 둘 일어서는 빛의 분신들
검은 그림자 물러난 자리에
광선으로 꽂히는 눈부신 손짓
여린나무 잎새 속살거리고 보랏빛 제비꽃들이
낮은 음표로 웃는다
사람과 사람사이가 자석처럼 당겨지고
반원의 무지개가 선명하게 파고든다
보이지 않는 사랑의 손길이 일으켜 세우는 건
흔들리지 않는 생의 중심이다
빛을 따르는 생명의 선율이 대지를 휘감고
멀리멀리 포자로 날린다.
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