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.

I call you ‘Beotnamu’ (Friend Tree)

You are the tree of memories

When I was a spring maiden

I called your name for the first time

You, who always smiled at me even when I called ‘Cherry Blossom’ a ‘Friend Tree’,

Spring sways among the haze

The day I had no friends and no place to go

I walked into the shade of the flowers you spread out

Through the scenery of scattering flower rain

A child who spreads his hands and receives a rain of flowers,

A person who spreads his easel and draws spring,

A person playing guitar without an audience,

An old woman spreading spring greens on newspaper,

A person leaning on a bench and waiting for someone

When you scatter flower petals,

How beautiful are the landscapes that permeate each other

 

The people in the landscape that you became friends with

Like the fluttering cherry blossom petals, they will all leave someday.

***

당신을 ‘벗나무’라 부른다

당신은 기억을 찾아주는 나무

내가 봄 처녀였을 때,

당신의 이름을 처음 불렀었죠

‘벚’을 ‘벗’이라 불러도 마냥 웃어주던 당신,

봄이 아지랑이 사이에서 흔들거리고

벗이 없어 갈 곳 없던 날

당신이 펼쳐준 꽃 그늘 속으로 걸어갔지요

꽃 비 흩날리는 풍경사이로

꼬막손을 펼쳐 꽃 비를 받는 아이,

이젤을 펼치고 봄을 그리는 사람,

관중 없이 기타를 치는 사람,

신문지에 봄나물을 펼쳐 놓은 할머니,

벤치에 기대어 누군가를 기다리는 사람

당신이 뿌려주는 꽃잎 흩날릴 때

서로 스며드는 풍경이 어찌 그리 고운지

 

당신이 벗 되어 주신 풍경 속 사람들도

흩날리는 벚꽃 잎처럼 언젠간 모두 떠나겠죠.

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