Only after passing through silence
can I finally be embraced by stillness.
When the cries and whispers that once pierced my ears
have faded into the distance,
stillness, at last, becomes a mirror that reflects me.
Ms. Kwak Hyeran
Hailing from South Korea, the Land of Morning Calm, Poet Ms. Kwak Hyeran is also active as an essayist and literary critic, and serves as the publisher of MUNHAKVATANG, a monthly literary magazine. She earned a master’s degree in Korean Language and Literature from the Graduate School of Konkuk University and completed the doctoral program at the same university.
Throughout her career, she has served in a number of important positions in the Korean literary and publishing communities, including as a member of the First Advisory Committee for Periodicals of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, an editorial board member of the 26th term of the Korean Writers’ Association, Director of the Magazine Museum, and Senior Vice President of the Korea Magazine Association.
As a poet, she has published five poetry collections, including Family Is a Miracle, as well as an essay collection, People Are Flowers, Relationships Are Flowers. Her accomplishments have been recognized with several distinguished awards and commendations, including a Ministerial Commendation from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2008, the Hallyu Cultural Contribution Grand Award presented by the National Assembly’s Committee on Education, Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2017, a Ministerial Commendation from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups in 2022, and a Presidential Commendation in 2022.
THE PATH TO SILENCE
Only after passing through silence
can I finally be embraced by stillness.
When the cries and whispers that once pierced my ears
have faded into the distance,
stillness, at last, becomes a mirror that reflects me.
Through immeasurable, countless ages, without a trace of restlessness,
it flows like water.
Silence is quiet, but it is not emptiness
it is the birthplace of sound,
the pulse of the sea.
There are things that can be known only in stillness.
Just as a river must come to a halt to measure the depth within itself,
there are things, like stars in the darkness,
that can only be seen when we seek them.
고요에 이르는 길
적막을 통과해야만
비로소 고요의 품에 안길 수 있다
귀에 박히던 외침과 속삭임
아득히 사라진 자리에서 고요는
비로소 나를 비추는 거울이 된다
무량무수 세월에 산란함 없이
흐르는 물처럼,
침묵은 조용하나 공허가 아니다
소리의 본향
바다의 맥동이다
적막 속에서만 알게 되는 것
강물도 멈추어야
자신의 깊이를 헤아릴 수 있듯
어둠 속의 별처럼
찾아야만 비로소 보이는 것
그 품에 안기는 순간,
작은 나는 사라지고
우주의 한 점으로 깊이 깊이 새겨진다
_______
STARTING UP AGAIN
Sometimes the car starts, and sometimes it doesn’t.
Today, it would not start at all.
I replaced the battery,
and the car ran smoothly again, as if nothing had ever happened.
The car had come back to life.
If only people, when they can no longer start,
had a battery that could be replaced,
the sorrow in this world would be cut in half, and so would the tears.
Though I have known the sorrow of losing someone dear to me forever
I often lose sight of the quiet wonder of everyday life.
But each morning, when a new day dawns and life begins anew,
I turn the key and set my life in motion again.
다시 시동이 걸리다
자동차 시동이 걸렸다 안 걸렸다
오늘은 아예 걸리지 않는다
배터리를 교환했더니
언제 그랬냐는 듯 세상 잘 나간다
차가 다시 살아난 것이다
사람도 더 이상 시동이 걸리지 않을 때
교환할 수 있는 배터리가 있다면
세상의 슬픔도 반, 눈물도 반으로 줄 텐데
나는 혈육과 영영 이별을 해본 사람인데도
일상의 위대함을 자주 잊고 산다
매일 새날이 시작되고 새 삶을 살아가는
아침의 기적 앞에 지금 막 힘찬 시동을 건다
_______
THREE-COLOR TRAFFIC LIGHT
I wish there were a three-color traffic light in my life,
so I could move forward with confidence when it is time to go,
stop firmly when I should not go,
and wait patiently when it is time to wait.
삼색신호등
내 인생에도 삼색신호등 있으면 좋겠다
가야 할 때 당당하게 갈 수 있게
가지 않아야 할 때 딱 멈출 수 있게
기다려야 할 때 진득이 기다릴 줄 알게
_______
