Like snow
Melting softly on pine needles,
Like dew calling forth the spring blossoms—
That is how I wish to live.
Dr. Aum Young Ran is an acclaimed poet from Korea, the Land of Morning Calm
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.
A Promise of Sunlight
A Promise of SunlightLike snow
Melting softly on pine needles,
Like dew calling forth the spring blossoms—
That is how I wish to live.
Becoming spring rain
That flows like lifeblood through the dry embankments,
Rolling and slipping on shimmering leaves—
And even when breaking into white laughter.
We are flowers
That bloom in humble places.
With a chest charred black yet standing on tiptoe
Along the late path home,
A glowing lantern smiling brightly—
The flower of life.
A lotus blooming in the midsummer mud.
Like a lantern that lights up the darkness,
Gathering even the reflected light
Of unripe fruit,
I will breathe gently upon the remaining sweetness
With all the passion I have left.
***
햇살의 다짐
사르르 녹는
솔잎 위 눈처럼
봄꽃을 부르는 이슬로
그렇게 살겠어요
메마른 둔덕에
혈맥으로 흐르는 봄비 되어
잎 윤슬에 미끄러져 굴러도
하얗게 부서져 웃겠어요
우리는 서로
낮은 자리에서 피는 꽃
숯검정 된 가슴 안고
늦은 귀가 길
목 빼고 서서
화사하게 웃는 인등
인생 꽃
한여름 진흙 밭에 피는 연꽃
어둠을 밝히는 연등처럼
설익은 열매
반사된 빛까지 모아
남은 열정으로
단맛 호호 불겠어요
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