In the blue light of dawn,
The king of beasts awakens in the wilderness.
Knowing that it will die of hunger if it cannot outrun the gazelle,
The lion, with all its strength,
Awakens its wild instinct
Upon the sunlit plains to overtake its prey.
Um, Chang-Sup
Poet Dr. Um, Chang-Sup was born in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, South Korea. He made his literary debut through the literary magazine Hwahong Sidan (華虹詩壇), founded and published in 1965, and later through the literary journal Poetry Literature (Simunhak). He graduated from the Department of Korean Language and Literature at the Graduate School of Sungkyunkwan University, where he earned a Ph.D. in Literature. He served as a professor at Kwandong University, where he also served as Dean of the Graduate School and Acting President. He has served as President of the Korean Society of Poetry and Literature, President of the Kim Dong-myeong Society, and Chairman of the Association for the Promotion of the Legacy of National Poet Shim Yeon-su. He currently serves as Professor Emeritus at Catholic Kwandong University. He is also a member of the Korean National Committee of PEN International, the Korean Society of Contemporary Literary Criticism, and the Korean Christian Writers Association, as well as the Asia-Pacific Writers Association. He serves as an advisor to Culture & People, the editorial director of the monthly magazine Modern Poem, and Chairman of the Board of K-Jeongnanum.
THE LESSON OF LIFE
At dawn upon the Serengeti plains of Africa,
A Thomson’s gazelle opens its eyes from sleep.
Sensing that it will be devoured
If it cannot run faster than the lion of the jungle,
It instinctively races forward, cutting through the headwind.
In the blue light of dawn,
The king of beasts awakens in the wilderness.
Knowing that it will die of hunger if it cannot outrun the gazelle,
The lion, with all its strength,
Awakens its wild instinct
Upon the sunlit plains to overtake its prey.
You, too, whether you are gazelle or lion,
In the place where life has set you, before the morning sun appears,
Must commit yourself to one purpose and run with all your strength.
Even against the fiercest headwind, you must press forward without breaking stride.
This is the burden of life and the destiny that comes with it.
삶의 교시(敎示)
아프리카 세렝게티 초원의 여명에
톰슨가젤이 잠에서 눈을 뜬다
정글의 사자보다 더 빠르게
못 달리면 먹힌다는 것 예감하여
역풍 가르며 본능적으로 질주한다.
새벽 푸른빛 일어서는 밀림에서
맹수의 제왕 사자가 깨어난다
가젤보다 힘차게 역주하지 않으면
허기로 죽는 까닭 알고 있기에
온몸으로 해 뜨는 초원에서
가젤 앞지르는 야성 발동한다.
그대 또한 가젤이든, 사자이든
아침 해가 뜨기 전 삶의 처소에서
열중의 일념으로 목숨을 걸고
역풍 속에서도 질주의 끈 팽팽히
삶의 업보라 늦출 수 없다.
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