Chill Hwan Ban
Poet Mr. Chill Hwan Ban, born in Cheongju, South Korea, currently resides in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi-do. His work won the 2002 Seorabeol Literary Award. He published three books of poetry, including ‘Love Saving a Dead Star with a Landing Spoon’, ‘The Power of Laughter’ and ‘Warmonger Sanctuary’. His first poetry collection is based on the theme of childhood family history and reflection on speed, and his second poetry collection contains short poems that pursue the economy of poetry where ‘the words are exhaustive but the meaning is inexhaustible’. The third collection of poems focuses on the themes of empathy and coexistence, including the playful imagination of flowers blooming and birds singing as the war progresses. He is currently preparing ‘The Joy of Extinction’ as his fourth poetry collection. Some of his poems have been published in middle and high school textbooks in Korea. He has been active as a messenger in morning newspapers for over 20 years, starting with ‘Dong-A Ilbo’ in 2003 and currently ‘Seoul Economic Daily.
Yellow violet
For one yellow violet to bloom,
We need a whole forest
We need the whole universe
The earth is entirely a pot of yellow violets.
***
노랑제비꽃
노랑제비꽃 하나가 피기 위해
숲이 통째로 필요하다
우주가 통째로 필요하다
지구는 통째로 노랑제비꽃 화분이다
***
The power of laughter
A vine rose is climbing over a wall
The flower is the culprit caught at the scene.
Smile brightly
Everyone laughs along without thinking about catching it.
Why is it not a sin for a flower to climb over a wall?
***
웃음의 힘
넝쿨장미가 담을 넘고 있다
현행범이다
활짝 웃는다
아무도 잡을 생각 않고 따라 웃는다
왜 꽃의 월담은 죄가 아닌가
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