In the shallow streams, let us nurture schools of minnows;
In the clear, swift river, let us raise shoals of salmon.
Onward we shall flow, until, at last, we become the sea.
Together, we become one.
Dr. Lee Hye Seon
Poet Dr. Lee Hye-Seon was born in 1950 and is a poet, literary critic, Doctor of Literature, and professor of poetry writing. She made her literary debut in 1981 through recommendations in the literary magazine Simunhak. She has published several poetry collections, including Extinguishing with Fire, Burning in Water, Half of the Spilled Liquor, Every day is a good day, Birdsong Delivery, If You Happen to Meet the Wind, The One Who Knows Me Better Than Myself, and A Divine Being (One God). Additionally, she has authored books such as An Evening with Lee Hye-Seon’s Poetry, Lee Hye-Seon’s Stroll Through Famous Poems, Literature and the Transfiguration of Dreams, and My Father’s Educational Methods. She also compiled Corona? Korea! In 2016, her works were selected as excellent books in the Sejong Book Literary Sharing Program.
She has received numerous literary awards, including the Yoon Dong-Ju Literary Award, Korean Contemporary Poet Award, Korean Arts and Culture Grand Prize, Critics’ Association Criticism Award, Dongguk Literary Award, Pyoam Ikjae Literary Award, Korean Poetry and Literature Award, and Seonsa Literary Award.
She has taught at various universities, including as a visiting professor at Dongguk University and Sejong University. She has also served as Vice Chairman of the Korean Writers’ Association, a member of the Literature Promotion Policy Committee at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Chairperson of the Korean Women Writers’ Association, and President of organizations such as the Dongguk Literary Society, Korean Poetry and Literature Writers’ Association, Gangdong Literary Association and Distinguished Scholar with IAE. Her current Positions are Advisor to the Korean Writers’ Association (KWA), Advisor to PEN International Korea Center, Honorary Chairperson of the Korean Women Writers’ Association and 4th President of the Korean Association of World Literature.
Her poetry has been translated and introduced in various countries, including Italy, Germany, Egypt, Greece, Belgium, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Kosovo, Albania, Vietnam, Mexico, South America, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan.
Becoming One
Beneath the brightening sky, tinted silver and purple,
A stretch of river flows.
When the time comes to set out on a long journey,
I wish to walk beside you.
Where the waters meet the shallows, let us bend and turn with the current.
As we journey on,
Let straw and silt,
Muddy waters and all, mingle together, until we flow as one body.
In the shallow streams, let us nurture schools of minnows;
In the clear, swift river, let us raise shoals of salmon.
Onward we shall flow, until, at last, we become the sea.
Together, we become one.
서시
― 우리 하나 되어
은보라색 밝아오는 하늘
그 아래 강물 한 자락
먼 길 떠날 때
나 그대와 더불어 길 떠나려 하네
가다가 여울엔 굽이쳐 흐르고
가다가
지푸라기 흙탕물 모두 섞여서
우리 모두 한 몸 되어 흘러가려 하네
얕은 개울엔 송사리 떼 기르고
물살 맑은 강물엔 연어 떼 길러서
흘러가겠네 마침내 바다가 되겠네
우리 하나 되어,
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