The moon, gracefully slipping through the window, becomes my dinner companion.
Lee, Hee Ju, a poetess from Korea, the Land of Morning Calm, shares her poem
Poetess Ms. Lee Hee-ju was born in 1965, went to Japan in 1989, and returned to Korea in 2010. She made her debut in 2022 by winning the Best New Artist Award from the quarterly literary magazine “Lovers”. Her poetry collection “National Highway” has been published. In 2023, she received the Ieodo Literary Award. She currently serves as the Vice President of Korean World Literature.
Dinner with the moon
In the tranquility of the evening,
As I opened the window, I suddenly felt the presence of the moon.
While the moon ventures into the world,
This evening, my husband and children have not yet returned.
The moon, gracefully slipping through the window,
Becomes my dinner companion.
From the crescent moon to the full moon,
The moon visits houses where people dine alone.
It becomes my companion and source of comfort,
Standing beside me in its gentle glow.
Finding solace in its luminous light, I confess my loneliness,
With a heavy longing in my heart,
I open my eyes to beauty with the moon by my side.
In the deepest recesses of my heart,
When longing descends like fog,
I always invite the full moon to dinner.
The full moon steadfastly remains,
Waiting to bring solace to my weary soul.
***
달과의 만찬
이희주
저녁의 고요함 속에서,
창문을 열자 문득 달의 존재가 느껴졌다.
달이 세계로 모험을 떠나는 동안,
오늘 저녁, 남편과 아이들은 아직 돌아오지 않았다.
창문으로 뛰어 들어온 달,
나는 달과 함께 식사를 한다.
초승달부터 보름달까지,
달은 사람들이 혼자 식사하는 집을 방문한다.
달은 나의 동반자가 되어 나를 위로하며,
달은 내 곁에 서 있고
그 빛 속에서 위안을 받으며 나는 외로움을 고백한다.
마음속에 무거운 그리움을 안고
달과 함께 나는 아름다움의 눈을 뜬다.
내 마음 가장 깊은 곳에,
안개처럼 그리움이 찾아오면
나는 달을 저녁 식사에 초대한다.
보름달은 내 앞에 수저를 내려놓지 않고
내 영혼에 위안을 줄 때까지 기다린다.
__________________
