Crossing the vastness of silence,
I revise and revise again.
Poet Kim Bubae is a distinguished figure in contemporary Korean sijo literature, recognized for her active literary contributions and dedication to the advancement of traditional Korean poetry. She currently serves as the President of Culture & People, an organization devoted to cultural and literary activities, and holds the position of Honorary President of Daedong Literature. She is also a Board Member of Women’s Sijo Literature and a Member of the Korea Sijo Association, where she continues to promote the preservation and modern development of the sijo tradition. Throughout her literary career, Kim Bubae has received numerous prestigious awards in recognition of her artistic achievements and contributions to Korean literature. Her honors include the Grand Prize of the Daedong Literary Award, the Grand Prize of the Yi Jun Martyr Literary Award, the Midang Seo Jeong-ju Literary Award, the Top Excellence Award of the Jikji Literary Award, the Grand Prize in the Nationwide Literary Competition of the Chungju Literary Museum, the Nammyeong Jo-sik Literary Award, the Korean Federation of Artistic and Cultural Organizations (Yesul Chong) Literary Award, the Grand Prize of the Hyangchon Literary Award, the Sinsaimdang Literary Award of Munye Chunchu, and the First Yi Yuksa Memorial Literary Award. She was also selected four times for the Seoul Metro Literary Award and won the New Year Literary Contest in the Sijo Category organized by Culture & People, in addition to many other literary distinctions.
Song of the Poet
Casting aside all those prearranged formulas,
I leave one afternoon behind.
With a heartfelt cry,
I coax new shoots from variables,
And, carrying the weight of years upon my back,
Walk along the riverbank.
Becoming one with the spirit of poetry,
I find the secret door opening.
As waves of ecstatic tremors
Gently soothe the fragrance of contemplation,
The excited breaths within the blank spaces
Pour forth a lingering resonance.
Crossing the vastness of silence,
I revise and revise again.
Then the warmth of sunlight
Softly unfastens the bolts,
And the well-ripened verses of solitude
Spread their golden wings.
시인의 노래
짜여진 저 공식들
다 버리고 떠난 오후
절절한 외침으로
변수에 싹을 틔워
세월을 등에 업고서
강둑 따라 걷는다
시혼과 한 몸 되니
열리는 비밀의 문
황홀한 전율들이
사색 향 다독이자
숨소리 달뜬 여백들
긴 여운을 토한다
막막한 침묵 건너
퇴고를 거듭하면
햇살의 따스함이
은은히 빗장 풀어
잘 익은 고독의 시편들
금빛 날개 펼친다.
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