No matter how lonely you are, don’t cry

If you cry often

Even your heart will melt and disappear.

Sim woo ki, a poet from Korea, the Land of Morning Calm, shares his poem  

Poet Sim woo ki was born on July 4, 1964, in Hamyeol, Jeollabuk-do. He completed his doctoral studies in the English Literature Department, majoring in English Novels, at Gachon University in 2013. His literary debut came in 2011 with the publication of his work in Poetry Literature. In 2012, he received the Creative Fund from the Seoul Cultural Foundation. In 2013, he published his first poetry collection, Thirteen Ways to See Black Flowers, which was later selected as a Sejong Excellent Book in 2014. He expanded his literary reach by publishing a collection of English-translated poems, Read My Love, You, in 2016. Over the years, he has authored several works, including his second poetry collection, The Secret Messenger, as well as Ice Pillar of Fire and The Day the First Snow Falls, the latter of which he co-authored. Sim woo ki has also contributed to academia, lecturing at Kyungwon University, Inha Technical College, and Gachon University.

To the snowman

No matter how lonely you are, don’t cry

If you cry often

Even your heart will melt and disappear.

No matter how cold it is, don’t go to the fire

Since your whole body will turn into tears without a sound

When the wind blows and a snowstorm falls

Be the first to climb the hill outside the eastern gate

And greet the winter traveler who has come with difficulty

There is a person

Walking with a wound

That is the snowman

Even if your hands and feet are cut off by frostbite

And your eyes, nose, and mouth are cut off

You cannot roll your strong heart

The wind blows and it snows

The colder it is, the more it knows warmth

It is your season

***

눈사람에게

아무리 외로워도 울지 마라

자주 울다 보면

심장조차 녹아 사라지게 될 터이니

아무리 추워도 불가에 가지 마라

소리도 없이

온몸이 눈물이 되리니

바람 불고 눈보라 치면

제일 먼저 동구 밖 언덕에 올라서서

힘들게 오는 겨울 나그네를 마중하라

상처를 안고

걸어오는 사람이 있다

바로 눈사람이다

동상으로 손발 다 잘리고

눈코 입 다 베어가도

단단한 마음을 굴릴 수는 없다

바람이 불고 눈이 온다

추우면 추울수록 따뜻함을 아는

당신의 계절이다

__________________

Read: Companion – Poetry from Korea