Once, I ran breathlessly up a hill, toward a waving flag. I walked without stopping, towards the faint rainbow.

Lee, Hee Kuk, an eminent poet from Korea, the Land of Morning Calm, shares his poems

Lee, Hee Kuk is an eminent poet of South Korea. He is Pharmacist and Adjunct Professor of College of Pharmacy, The Catholic University of Korea, and a member of Executive of PEN Korean Center of PEN International. He published 5 poetry books and won 4 Literature awards.

Meaning of shade

Once, I ran breathlessly up a hill,

Toward a waving flag.

I walked without stopping,

Towards the faint rainbow.

 

To get ahead of the person ahead of me that can be seen in the distance

I didn’t even glance,

The shade of the road that gave us a place to rest for a while,

Even in my tired shadow.

 

I just enjoyed the pleasure of getting ahead of others.

I didn’t see their distorted expression.

I climbed the hill before everyone else,

And just tried to capture the flag.

 

Finally when I standing at the top,

I looked around and there was no one around.

From the moment I grabbed the flag,

Only the invisible wind of envy and jealousy

Was blowing towards me.

The pockets of my heart, which had a hole in them, were also empty.

 

What I lost when I ran only looking ahead,

The words together.

I only realized it when I was alone,

Those small, insignificant things come together,

And those become a rainbow.

***

그늘의 의미

이희국

펄럭이는 깃발을 향해

숨차게 언덕을 달리던 때가 있었다

희미한 무지개를 향해

무작정 쉬지 않고 걸었다

 

저 멀리 보이는 사람을 앞서기 위해

잠시 쉬어가라 자리를 내어주던 길섶 그늘막도

지쳐 늘어지던 내 그림자에도

눈길 한번 주지 않았다

 

누군가를 앞설 때 쾌감만 누렸을 뿐

일그러진 그의 표정을 보지 못했다

남보다 먼저 언덕에 올라 깃발만 잡으려 했다

마침내 정상에 서고

둘러보니 주변에 아무도 없었다

깃발을 움켜쥔 그때부터

보이지 않던 시기와 질투의 바람만이

나를 향해 불고 있었다

구멍이 뚫린 내 마음의 주머니도 텅 비어 있었다

 

앞만 보고 달릴 때 흘리고 온

함께라는 말을

혼자가 되고서야 알았다

그 작고 하찮은 것들이 모여

무지개가 된다는 것을.

***

Rock

I was watching the lush weeds blowing away,

In the cold wind.

 

Living a beautiful life

Old trees that have been eaten away and become empty

I was looking at the lonely footsteps that had returned to the dirt.

 

Withered fields

I was watching it blossom with the song of new spring.

 

Time to walk a long way

The back of me being pushed away and chased somewhere else in another time

I was watching endlessly

 

Always in the same place,

As the name of rock.

***

바위

이희국

무성한 잡초들이

찬바람에 스러져가는 것을 보고 있었다

 

한아름 푸르게 살다가

구새먹어 텅 비어버린 고목들이

흙으로 돌아간 쓸쓸한 발자취를 보고 있었다

 

시든 들판이

새 봄의 노래로 뭉클하게 피어나는 것을 보고 있었다

 

먼 길을 걸어온 시간이

또 다른 시간에 밀려 어디론가 쫓겨 가는 뒷모습을

하염없이 보고 있었다

 

늘 그 자리에서

바위라는 이름으로.

____________

 Also read: Clock running backwards – A Bouquet of Poems from Korea