Have you ever heard of Maneosa Temple—?
the little temple where the whole sea climbed ashore
to offer prayers for three thousand six hundred years?
Ms. Im Sol Nae
Poet Im Sol Nae has continued her active literary career since making her debut through the monthly literary magazine JayuMunhak in 1999. She has published six collections of poetry, including The QR Code of a Leaf, Amazon, That Transit Station, The Cry of an Awakened Amazon, Hong Nyeo, and many others. In addition to her literary achievements, she has gained wide recognition as a professional poetry reciter at numerous national events organized by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. Her major appearances include Memorial Day commemorations, Righteous Army Day (June 1), the opening poetry recital for the Seoul City Hall Stream Project at the Grand Theater of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, the annual commemorative ceremony at Injeongjeon Hall of Changdeokgung Palace hosted by the Korean Imperial Household Culture Foundation, and the 120th memorial ceremony for Empress Myeongseong held at her birthplace. She also founded the Korean Federation of Poetry Recitation Associations to broaden the cultural foundation of poetry recitation in Korea. In 2011, she traveled for twenty-five days along the Tea Horse Road with avant-garde artists from around the world, drawing profound artistic inspiration from the journey. Poems inspired by this experience were later transformed into various musical genres, including jazz, traditional Korean vocal music, classical singing, and Korean art songs, and were presented through the Tea Horse Road Concert. Her literary and artistic accomplishments have been recognized through numerous honors, including the Yeongnang Literary Award, the Korean Literary Critics Association Award, the Lyric Poetry Literary Award, the 22nd Poet’s Poet Award, selection as a Sejong Excellent Book in 2014, and the 8th Buddhist Literary Writers’ Award. Poet Im Sol Nae is regarded as one of the leading artistic poets in contemporary Korea, expanding the boundaries of modern Korean poetry through her innovative fusion of poetry, recitation, music, and performance art. She currently serves as a World Ambassador of the International Academy of Ethics. Her representative works, including “Metamorphosis (羽化),” “Blue Butterfly,” “Becoming Godmother of Victoria,” “The Fireflies’ Shawshank Redemption,” “Three Souls,” “The Scarlet Light Universe” and “Sumbi Sori (Breath of the woman Diver)” have been translated and introduced in many countries around the world, including the United States, Spain, Italy, Greece, Russia, India, Nepal, Albania, Vietnam, Kyrgyzstan, and Jordan.
The Fish Turned to Stone
Have you ever heard of Maneosa Temple—
the little temple where the whole sea climbed ashore
to offer prayers for three thousand six hundred years?
How profound must its Dharma have been
to enchant an entire ocean into following its call?
Perhaps, too,
you know the wondrous sight beneath Maneosa—
a valley of fish clothed in monks’ robes,
their fins forever trembling,
silver scales surging toward the sermon.
As though an entire fishing boat, laden with fish, had been emptied in one sweeping pour,
over the talus, the music of water and the clear tones of stone chimes echo through the mountain slopes.
Bearing the countless lives of all beings,
the Man-eo Stones raise themselves from the earth.
When dusk gently settles upon the unhurried path that gathers tears, I enter the stones, and I too begin to flow.
O Maneosa—
an ocean without water, ink-dark waves without a voice.
Day after day, the boundless radiance of the infinite heavens.
The blue-backed worship of ten thousand fish—
the place where my wandering footsteps have longed to arrive.
돌이 된 물고기
만어사라 들어 보셨는가
바다가 통째로 올라와 삼천 육백년 치성하는
고 쬐그만 절집
얼마나 명법문이었기에
바다째 홀려 왔을까
혹,
만어사 턱밑 그 장관을 아시는지
승복 입은 물고기들의 계곡
끊임없이 지느러미 흔들며
법문에 달려 넘실거리는 은빛 비늘들
만선의 배를 통째 쏟아 부은 듯
너덜지대 물소리 석경石磬소리 산자락을 울리고
만가지 생生을 이고 지고
제 몸 일으키는 만어석萬魚石
눈물 거두듯 재촉없는 길에 어스름 저녁이 들면
돌 속에 들어 나도 흐르네
오, 만어사
물 없는 바다 말 없는 먹빛 파도여
날마다 찬연한 천공의 무량함이여
만어의 등푸른 예배
내 떠돌던 발길 가 닿을 곳
_________________________
Read: The Egret Orchid – Korean Poetry
