After days of rain, the house finally speaks.
Beyond the old veranda, the kitchen, the small window…
Kwon young hee, a poet from Korea, the Land of Morning Calm, shares her poetry
Poet Kwon young hee, hailing from Korea, the Land of Morning Calm, made her literary debut in 2007 through the literary magazine Yusim. She has published poetry collections including ‘The Time of Misreading’ and ‘The Snail’s Star’. In 2015, she was awarded a creative grant from the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture. She also received the Newcomer Award from the Garam Sijo Literary Award. She has served as Deputy Secretary General for organizations such as the Korean Sijo Poets Association, Today’s Sijo Poets Society, and the Korean Women Writers Association, and currently holds positions as a standing advisor and director. Additionally, she worked for the Lee Hyo-seok Literary Foundation, served as an arts instructor, and was the president of the Yusim Sijo Academy.
The Words of the House
The Words of the HouseAfter days of rain, the house finally speaks.
Beyond the old veranda, the kitchen, the small window,
Drip,
Drip,
Drip,
It pours out stories from long past—at least a full measure’s worth.
Not to your father, not to your mother,
Whose house is this? —your grandfather once asked his grandchild.
Now, breaking through twenty years of silence, his voice is heard again.
Live with ease rather than in tight restraint,
A gentle pat on my back from the other side of the darkness,
Tap,
Tap,
Tap,
The words of my father cross over to me on this night.
***
집의 말
집의 말연일 비를 맞고 드디어 말문을 연다
낡은 베란다 부엌 작은 창 너머
똑,
똑,
똑,
족히 한 되쯤 지난날을 쏟는다
네 아빠도 아니고 네 엄마도 아니고
이 집은 누구 꺼? 손주에게 묻던 아버지
이십년 봉인을 뚫고 그 목소리 들린다
조이고 사는 일보다 여유도 둘 줄 알라고
어둠 저 편에서 내 등을 다독이듯
톡,
톡,
톡,
아버지 전언이 건너오는 밤이다
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