If I die, I would be born again as a tree
Being shaken as much as the wind blows
Being soaked as much as the rain pours…
Kang Jeung-hwa, a poetess from Korea, the Land of Morning Calm, shares her poem
Poet Kang Jeung-hwa holds a Ph.D. in literature and made her literary debut in 1984 through the monthly literature magazine Simunhak. She has published 13 poetry collections, including The Wind and the Darkness, and received the 17th Simunhak Literature Award. She previously served as the 27th Chair of the Poetry Division of the Korean Writers’ Association and is currently the 28th Vice President of the Korean Writers’ Association.
I Would Be Born Again As A Tree
If I die, I would be born again as a tree
Being shaken as much as the wind blows
Being soaked as much as the rain pours
Withstanding the heat during the early summer
Enduring the freezing cold during the winter
Producing the annual rings in the body
If I die, I would take root in a place again
Not to be an old lonesome tree overcoming hardships
But to be strong one even if living in a short life
I would be very satisfied with my life as such
If I can help small trees with all the supports I can give protecting them from the threatening of rainstorms
At the end of my life after experiencing so many deaths
There would be nothing left I wish for
If I can die to protect the trees alive with my supports
(Translated by Kim In-young)
***
나무로 다시 태어나리
내 죽어 한 그루 나무 된다며
바람 부는 날 부는 만큼 흔들리고
비 오는 날 오는 만큼 젖으며
오뉴월 땡볕 거뜬히 견디고
동지설달 추위 참아가며
해가고 달 가도록 나이테 키우리.
내 죽어 다시 한곳에 뿌리내려
외롭게 수백 년 풍파 이기는 고목되어
오래 사느니 장정 팔뚝 크기로 살다가
더 작은 나무 비바람에 시달릴까
두 손 두 팔 벌려 버팀목으로 다시
살아진다며 무슨 여한이 또 있을까.
죽고 또 죽는 목숨 끝자리
죽어서 다시 살아있는 나무 지키는
버팀목 된다며 무슨 여한 있으리.
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