To live like a flame,
To be struck once by lightning in the chest,
And turn to ash.
Hailing from the Land of Morning Calm, Poet Im Sol Nae has continued her active literary career since making her debut through the monthly literary magazine JayuMunhak in 1999. She has published six collections of poetry, including The QR Code of a Leaf, Amazon, That Transit Station, The Cry of an Awakened Amazon, Hong Nyeo, and many others. In addition to her literary achievements, she has gained wide recognition as a professional poetry reciter at numerous national events organized by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. Her literary and artistic accomplishments have been recognized through numerous honors, including the Yeongnang Literary Award, the Korean Literary Critics Association Award, the Lyric Poetry Literary Award, the 22nd Poet’s Poet Award, selection as a Sejong Excellent Book in 2014, and the 8th Buddhist Literary Writers’ Award. Poet Im Sol Nae is regarded as one of the leading artistic poets in contemporary Korea, expanding the boundaries of modern Korean poetry through her innovative fusion of poetry, recitation, music, and performance art. She currently serves as a World Ambassador of the International Academy of Ethics. Her representative works, including “Metamorphosis (羽化),” “Blue Butterfly,” “Becoming Godmother of Victoria,” “The Fireflies’ Shawshank Redemption,” “Three Souls,” “The Scarlet Light Universe” and “Sumbi Sori (Breath of the woman Diver)” have been translated and introduced in many countries around the world, including the United States, Spain, Italy, Greece, Russia, India, Nepal, Albania, Vietnam, Kyrgyzstan, and Jordan.
Living like a flame
To live like a flame,
To be struck once by lightning in the chest,
And turn to ash.
To proclaim a passion fierce as a scorching heatwave,
Only to be trapped within one’s own love,
And collapse, cooled into a bitter sorrow.
To set one’s life aside for a moment,
And gaze arrogantly upon the world.
To warm the blood
While turning into ash
That is the name of a poor wanderer.
시詩
불꽃처럼 살다
가슴팍에 번개 한 번 맞고
재가 되다
폭염같은 열정을 주장하다
제 사랑에 갇혀
비릿한 슬픔으로 폭삭 식어 내리다
목숨을 잠시 부려 두고
잘난척 세상을 쏘아보다
피를 데우면서
재가 되는일
가난한 떠돌이 이름 하나
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