Home Poetry Live and endure – Bouquet of Poems from Korea, the Land of Morning Calm

Live and endure – Bouquet of Poems from Korea, the Land of Morning Calm

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Live and endure – Bouquet of Poems from Korea, the Land of Morning Calm
Image Courtesy: Kkday

 Kang Byeong-Cheol

Kang Byeong-Cheol- Korea1Kang Byeong-Cheol is a Korean author, poet, translator, and Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science. He was born in Jeju City, South Korea in 1964. He began writing in 1993 and published his first short story, “Song of Shuba,” at the age of twenty-nine.

In 2005, he published a collection of short stories. He has won four literature awards and has published more than eight books. He was a member of The Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC) of PEN International from 2009 to 2014. He also served as an editorial writer for New Jeju Ilbo, a newspaper in Jeju City, Korea. Currently, he is a Research Executive at The Korean Institute for Peace and Cooperation.

Live and endure

All living things

Must endure the pain,

What I give you,

What you give me,

It’s possible to withstand the loss.

We are here for each other,

To bear the pain of loss,

For you, for me, for us,

To sacrifice is to lead a holy life.

Listen to the song of your heart,

Make vows of eternal love,

Whether faith or earthly love,

Each vow a promise of loss, but also of gain.

Hold tight to what we cherish,

Knowing that life is fleeting,

The mystery of love is this:

The greater the loss, the brighter it shines.

Two hearts surrender

To absolute love,

Embracing tightly through the loss,

Planting a garden that blooms with life.

Today, a seed is blown by the wind,

Falling to the ground,

Modest yellow flowers will bloom,

In someone’s garden, to be found.

***

살며 견디며

모든 살아있는 것은

고통을 견뎌야 한다

내가 너에게 주는 것도

네가 나에게 주는 것도

상실의 고통을 견뎌야 가능한 것이다

우리는 서로를 위하여

상실의 고통을 견뎌야만 한다

너를 위하여

나를 위하여

우리를 위하여

누군가를 위하여 희생하는 것

그것이 신성한 삶을 사는 것

마음의 노래를 들어라

영원한 사랑의 서약을 하는

신앙이든

세속적 사랑이든

모든 서약은 나를 내주는 상실의 약속이다

뭔가를 꽉 안고 있지만

사람이 산다는 것은

상실의 과정에 있는 것이다

사랑의 신비로움은

상실이 클수록

찬란히 빛난다는 것이다.

두 개의 마음은

절대적인 사랑에 항복한다

단단한 포옹으로

상실 속에서

생명과 함께 수확할 꽃을 피울 정원을 가꾼다

오늘도 씨앗 한 알이 바람에 날려 땅에 떨어진다

누군가의 정원에서 노란 꽃이 소박하게 필 것이다

***

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Image Courtesy: Culture Trip Korea

Shining star of Greece

What makes people happy is people

I met a person who had a good mind

She did not recognize how bright she shined

I said to her,

“Hey friend,

You’re a shining jewel,

Sparkling diamond.”

Even though your eyes see your own appearance,

I see you’re shining inside, so precious.

Even though the stars are far away,

They shine in my chest.

Even though you are far away,

You shine brightly right in my heart.

True friendship,

It’s the most sublime love.

Once you said to me,

“Every love has different meanings.”

My highest love is friendship,

Dear friend,

You are the most precious,

Shining diamond.

You make me happy,

You give me warmth.

***

그리스의 빛나는 별

사람을 행복하게 만드는 것은 사람이지

마음이 좋은 사람을 만났어

그녀는 자신이 얼마나 밝게 빛나는지 인식하지 못했어

나는 그녀에게 말했지

“야, 친구야!

너는 빛나는 보석이야,

반짝이는 다이아몬드.”

네 눈에는 네 외면이 보여도

나는 너의 빛나는 내면을 봐, 너무나 소중한

별은 멀리 떨어져 있어도

그들은 내 가슴에서 빛나고,

너는 멀리 떨어져 있어도,

내 마음에서 밝게 빛나지

진정한 우정,

가장 숭고한 사랑이지

한번은 네가 나에게 말했어

“모든 사랑에는 각기 다른 의미가 있다고”

나의 최고의 사랑은 우정,

친구여!

너는 가장 소중한,

빛나는 다이아몬드

너는 나를 행복하게 해,

너는 나에게 따뜻함을 주지

_____________

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