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.
Like your tears falling on my shoulders
About the Water Cycle
The *Cheonjiyeon waterfall falling vertically,
Water droplets shattering in the midst of a water storm,
They don’t push each other away, but embrace each other.
Like a pledge that can never be undone,
In the gap of accelerating speed,
Even if the round waters torn and shattered on volcanic rocks,
It doesn’t spare its own body with countless curves.
The more it empties and becomes one, the faster it accelerates.
Even the shattered water with different time gaps
Gathers and becomes one under the waterfall.
Forgetting the fear that was falling, water flows to the ocean
Embracing each other without boundaries.
When the wind brings waves and overturns the seawater,
Water embraces each other to not fall apart.
From the ocean that the sun caresses, rising to the sky,
They hold onto each other, forming water droplets.
Clouds flowing and turning into raindrops,
Just like all love begins with tears,
When people feel the most difficult and lonely,
Like your tears falling on my shoulders,
Water droplets melt the temperature and refresh the earth.
***
내 어깨에 떨구는 당신의 눈물처럼
– 물의 순환계에 대하여-
수직으로 낙하하는 천지연폭포
물보라 속으로 부서지는 물방울
밀어내지 않고 서로 그러안는다
영영 돌아올 수 없는 다짐인양
곤두박질치는 속도의 틈에서
둥근 물은 화산석에 찢기고 깨져도
무수한 곡선으로 제 몸을 아끼지 않는다
비우고 하나가 될수록 가속도가 붙는다
다른 시차를 두고 부서진 물도
폭포아래 고여 하나가 된다
물은 곤두박질치던 기억을 잊고
경계 없이 서로 안고 바다로 흘러간다
파도를 몰고온 바람이 바닷물을 뒤엎을 때
물은 떨어지지 않으려 서로를 안는다.
태양이 애무하는 바다에서 하늘로 오르다
서로를 붙들어 물방울을 이룬다
구름으로 흐르다 빗물 되어 내리는 물방울
사람이 가장 힘들고 외로울 때
모든 사랑이 눈물로 시작되었듯,
내 어깨에 떨구는 당신의 눈물처럼
물방울은 체온을 녹여 대지를 적셔준다.
___________________
*Cheonjiyeon Falls is a beautiful waterfall in Seogwipo, a city on Jeju Island, South Korea. The Waterfall is so-called ‘cheonjiyeon’ in the Korean language, which means ‘heaven and earth’ or ‘sky and land’ reaching each other. Or, it is where the heaven and Earth meet!
