Flight of the Ivy Leaf – A Poem from Jeju Island of Korea
Yang Geum-Hee, eminent poetess and research scholar from Jeju Island of Korea, the land of Morning Calm, shares her poem
Yang Geum-Hee
Born in 1967 in Jeju, Korea, Yang Geum-Hee published three books – two collections of poetry: ‘Happiness Account’, ‘Ieodo, Island of Legend and Existence’, and one collection of essay ‘Happy Companion. She was the first president of the Ieodo Literature Association, the editor in chief of the Jejuin News. She worked as a research fellow of the Society of Ieodo Research. She served as a researcher at Jeju Sea Grand Center at Jeju National University and a special professor at Jeju International University. Currently, she is editorial writer of New Jeju Ilbo, special researcher at the Institute of Social Sciences of Jeju National University, vice-president of the Jeju Regional Committee of the Korean PEN center, Executive of the Jeju Institute for the Korean Unification and Executive of the Korean Association of Ethics. She won 4 Literary Awards.
Flight of the Ivy Leaf
The flock on the wall, bathed in the glow of sunset,
Dancing and fluttering with wings of crimson red.
On the rugged cliff, in their nest,
Proudly boasting their green wings in summer.
Thanks to the wall standing there,
Passion turned the sunlight even more radiant.
As if weaving fabric, the wings were attached to the wall,
Growing long for a single flight.
Unaware that it was to be their final flight,
They strengthened their wings amidst the storm.
Those birds,
Living within the realm of the wall,
Desire to fly further away.
Ivy leaves rising to a different world,
Softly fluttering towards the soil,
Meeting the apex of life through an ecstatic flight.
***
담쟁이 잎의 비행
노을에 물든 벽의 새떼
붉게 물든 날개 파르르 떨며 춤을 추네
깎아지른 절벽 위 둥지에서
여름날 초록 날개 자랑스레 흔들었지
그곳에 벽이 있기에
푸른 열정이 햇살을 더욱 빛나고
직물을 짜듯이 날개를 벽에 붙들고
한 번의 비행을 위해 자랐네
그것이 마지막 비행인 줄도 모른 채
비바람 속에서 힘살을 키웠지
저 새떼는
벽의 세계에서 살다가
좀 더 멀리멀리 날고파
다른 세상으로 차오르는 담쟁이 잎새
흙을 향하여 사뿐사뿐
황홀한 비행으로 생의 정점을 맞는다
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