I did not realize that silence itself was pain.

I endured the pain in silence,

Never seeing the weeping self within.

Poet Um Young Ran from Korea, the Land of Morning Calm, shares her poetry 

Poet Um Young-ran was born in Yecheon, Gyeongbuk, South Korea and earned a Ph.D. in modern literature from Dankook University. She received the New Writer’s Award in the poetry and essay categories from the literary quarterly Munpa Literature. Her published works include Living That Way and Longing, Reason, along with numerous co-authored books such as Munpa Representative Poetry Selection and A Study on Kim Nam-jo’s Poetry. She has also written lyrics for many children’s songs. She has received several literary honors, including the Changsi Literary Award and the Sigye Literary Award. Currently, she serves as an editorial board member of Munpa Literature, a member of the Literary Magazine Promotion and Exchange Committee of the Korean Writers’ Association, an executive of the Korean Essayists’ Association, an executive of the Korean Women Writers’ Association, an executive of the Gwanak Cultural Center, and a member of both the International PEN Korea Center and the House of Literature Seoul. She is also the Vice President of the Korean Association of World Literature.

On the Pain of Silence

Even when I do not speak, there are things I want to say.

Nodding does not always mean agreement.

Hearing does not mean everything is heard.

I do not remain silent because I enjoy it.

I am simply saving the words I want to say,

And the words I must say, for later.

If you see it as a square, it will be a square.

If you see it as a triangle, it will be a triangle.

Countless words, spoken and unspoken,

Pour down like the Milky Way on a clear autumn night,

Pressing upon me, weighing me down.

I did not realize that silence itself was pain.

I endured the pain in silence,

Never seeing the weeping self within.

***

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

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 Read: Like a Single Word – Poetry from Korea