The high tide approaches slowly,
Gently embracing the sand along the shore.
Mr. Lee Young-ha is an eminent poet from Korea, the Land of Morning Calm
Poet Mr. Lee Young-ha is a poet and literary figure who made his literary debut in 2010 through Literary Spring and Autumn (Munye Chunchu) and currently serves as a director of the same magazine. He has been actively engaged in promoting peace and reunification through literature, as well as fostering international literary exchange, as Vice President of the Korean Association of Unification Writers, a member of PEN Korea, a member of the Gyeonggi Poets’ Association, and an executive committee member of the Gyeonggi PEN Regional Committee.
A graduate of the Air Force Academy, he is a former combat pilot and a retired lieutenant general of the Republic of Korea Air Force, with approximately 2,300 flight hours. He served as Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force, contributing to the development of air force strategy and policy, and played a key role in advancing the military through his leadership in airspace defense and command positions.
After his retirement from the military, he was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Korea to Lebanon, representing his country on the diplomatic stage. In recognition of his distinguished service, he was awarded the Lebanese National Order of Merit. Drawing on profound reflections accumulated through years of military and diplomatic service, he has explored in his literary work themes of human dignity, humanitarian values, division and reconciliation.
For his literary achievements, he has received numerous honors, including the First Unification Aspiration Literary Award, the Hwang Hui Prime Minister Literary and Arts Award, the Grand Prize of the Goryeo Literary Award along with an Honorary Doctorate of Literature, the Gyeonggi PEN Literary Award (Work Award), the Special Creative Award of the Korean Literature Award, the Special Work Award of the Han Yong-un Literary Award, the Yun Dong-ju Star Literary Award, and the Literary Award commemorating the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Singapore.
His publications include Setdongin (a collaborative poetry series, and two e-books, including the poetry collection Growing Wings. His body of work, grounded in experiential reflection drawn from life in the field and ethical contemplation, reveals both the social responsibility of literature and its capacity for healing.
High Tide and Low Tide
High Tide and Low TideThe high tide approaches slowly,
Gently embracing the sand along the shore.
The waves come quietly, as if whispering,
Telling stories hidden in the crevices of the rocks,
And the darkened sea reveals its depth,
Preparing for a new encounter with the world.
The low tide withdraws back into the sea,
Revealing the land it had kept concealed.
Footprints left upon the sand,
The traces remaining where the water has swept through,
Are preserved as something precious,
Like the marks left by a human life.
By retreating, the low tide makes space
For the high tide to return once more.
Thus the world moves by pushing and pulling,
Respecting each other’s place.
The high tide fills, the low tide empties,
And within this we learn the lesson of endless cycles.
The sea’s dance, repeated again and again
Upon the same stage,
Breathes with the unceasing rhythm of life.
In the quiet harmony shaped by high tide and low tide,
At the point where the two intersect,
We come to understand:
One must be full in order to be emptied,
And emptied in order to be filled again.
When sky, sea, and land are woven into a single melody
And keep time with the tides,
We behold within it
The beautiful truth of life.
***
밀물과 썰물
밀물은 천천히 다가와
바닷가의 모래를 부드럽게 감싸 안는다.
파도는 속삭이듯 조용히 다가와
바위틈에 숨은 이야기를 들려주고,
짙은 바다는 그 깊이를 드러내며
세상과의 새로운 만남을 준비한다.
썰물은 다시 바다로 물러가며 감춰둔 땅을 드러낸다.
모래 위에 남겨진 발자국들,
바닷물이 휩쓸고 간 자리에 남은 흔적들은
마치 인생의 흔적처럼 소중히 남겨져 있다.
썰물은 돌아섬으로써 밀물이 다시 다가올 자리를 내어준다.
세상은 그렇게 밀고 당기며, 서로의 자리를 존중한다.
밀물은 가득 채우고 썰물은 비워내며
우리는 그 안에서 끊임없는 순환을 배운다.
언제나 같은 자리에서 반복되는 바다의 춤,
그 안에는 끝없이 이어지는 삶의 리듬이 숨 쉬고 있다.
밀물과 썰물이 만들어내는 고요한 조화,
이 둘의 교차점에서 우리는 깨닫는다.
가득 차야 비워지고, 비워져야 다시 채워진다는 것을.
하늘과 바다, 그리고 땅이 하나의 선율로 엮여
밀물과 썰물의 시간을 맞이할 때,
우리는 그 속에서 인생의 아름다운 진리를 보게 된다.
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