Not speaking does not mean there is nothing to say.
Nodding does not mean I agree.
Listening does not mean I hear everything.
Dr. Aum Young Ran is an eminent poetess from Republic of Korea
Poet Dr. Aum Young Ran, born in Yecheon, Gyeongsangbuk-do, received her Ph.D. in Modern Literature from Dankook University. She made her literary debut with the New Writer’s Award for poetry and essays from the quarterly journal Moonpa Literature. She is the author of Living That Way and Longing, the Reason, and has contributed to numerous collective volumes, including Moonpa Selected Poems and A Study on the Poetry of Kim Nam-jo. A prolific writer, she has also penned the lyrics to many children’s songs. Dr. Aum Young Ran has been recognized with several literary honors, among them the Changsi Literary Award and the Sigye Literary Award. She currently serves on the editorial board of Moonpa Literature and holds key positions in several literary organizations, including the Literature Promotion and Exchange Committee of the Korean Writers’ Association, the Korean Essayists Association, the Korean Women Writers Association, and the Gwanak Cultural Center. She is also an active member of the Korean Center of PEN International and Literature House Seoul. At present, she is the Vice President of the Korean World Literature Association, contributing to the advancement of Korean literature within the global literary sphere.
Silence — On That Pain
Silence — On That PainNot speaking does not mean there is nothing to say.
Nodding does not mean I agree.
Listening does not mean I hear everything.
Silence is not chosen because it is pleasant.
It only delays the words I want to say, the words I ought to say.
If you see it as a square, it will be a square;
If you see it as a triangle, then a triangle it becomes.
So many words—
Spilling like the Milky Way on a clear autumn night—
Press down on me,
I did not know then that silence itself can be pain.
So I kept hurting in silence,
Never seeing the self-weeping quietly within it.
***
침묵 그 아픔에 대하여
말하지 않는다 하여 할 말이 없는 건 아니다.
고개를 끄덕인다고 하여 인정하는 건 아니다.
듣고 있다고 하여 다 들리는 건 아니다.
침묵하는 것이 즐거워서 아니다.
하고 싶은 말 해야 할 말을 좀 더 늦출 뿐이다
네모로 보면 네모일거고
세모로 보면 세모인 것을
이러쿵 저러쿵 수많은 말이
가을 맑은 날밤에 은하수 쏟아내듯
내 온몸이 문드러질 듯 짓누르며 몰려온다.
침묵이 아픔인 것을 진작 알지 못한 채
아파하면서 침묵했었다
그 안에 울고 있는 나를 보지 못했다
___________________
