Επιμέλεια: Εύα Πετροπούλου Λιανού
Mr. Lee, Hee Kuk is a Korean poet. He was born in Seoul, South Korea. He is a pharmacist and Adjunct Professor at the College of Pharmacy, The Catholic University of Korea. He is a member of the Executive Board of PEN Korean Center of PEN International. He is the president of the Ieodo Literature Association and vice president of the Korean Association of World Literature. He has published five poetry books and has won four literature awards.
Scent of Ink
Filled to the inkstone with the dew of night,
rub an ink stick on an inkstone for a long time.
Though I try all night,
I can never finish drawing it all.
At every touch of the brush,
deep yearning seeps in,
and with each stroke, longing
spreads as fragrance.
In the end, remaining as unfilled blossoms,
only the wind, aiming for the light,
I’m drawing again
My countless memories with you,
denser than ink,
yet unable to depict them like this,
because even my waiting
is growing weary.
묵향
밤이슬 연적에 가득 부어
오래도록 먹을 간다
온 밤 그려봐도
끝내 다 그리지 못했다
붓 닿는 자리마다
간절한 염원이 젖어가고
한 촉 한 촉 그리움
향으로 번져나도
결국은 피지 못한 꽃으로 남아
빛을 향한 바람 만
또 그리고 있다
그대와의 숱한 기억
먹물보다 짙은데
이렇게 그려내지 못하는 것은
나의 기다림도
지쳐가고 있기 때문이다.
Searching for the Rainbow Bridge By Lee, Hee Kuk
In the midst of dreaming,
I found the path to dreams.
That arched rainbow,
like a bow drawn in the sky,
promises of dreams reaching towards heaven,
blending seven hues,
laying down one bridge.
Many times, reaching out
to grasp the twinkling stars,
Finding true happiness
in gazing together.
Emptiness, forgiveness, and love,
I realized later,
craft the beautiful Rainbow Bridge.
무지개다리를 찾다
이희국
꿈을 꾸다가
꿈으로 가는 길을 알게 되었습니다
활시위처럼 휘어진 저 무지개는
하늘을 향해 바라보는 꿈의 약속
일곱 가지 색채가 어우러져
하나의 다리를 놓았습니다
반짝이는 별들을
움켜쥐려 했던 많은 시간들
함께 바라보는 것이
진정한 행복이었습니다
비움과 용서 그리고 사랑이
아름다운 무지개다리를 만든다는 것을
뒤늦게 알았습니다..
White Blood By Lee, Hee Kuk
Those whitish crystals are sari thrown up by the sea
Once a tumultuous deep blue sea,
now shattered waves carried by the wind.
Beneath the scorching summer sun, through the toil of salt workers,
born are the white bones of the sea.
Evaporated by sunlight, the sea’s bones are carried in wheelbarrows,
piled white in salt warehouses.
Salt, when melted, returns once more to the sea.
Each grain, imbued with the essence of life,
gives rise to fish and nurtures seaweed.
A handful of briny sea uplifts the human body.
하얀 피
이희국
희디흰 저 결정체는 바다가 토해낸 사리
출렁이는 검푸른 바다였다가
바람에 부서지는 파도였습니다
한 여름 따가운 태양 아래 염부의 노동으로
태어난 바다의 흰 뼈
햇살에 증발한 바다의 뼈가 외발수레에 실려
소금창고에 하얗게 쌓입니다
녹으면 다시 바다로 돌아갈 소금이여
한 톨 한 톨 생명의 피가 깃들어
물고기가 태어나고 해초가 자랍니다
한 줌의 짜디짠 바다가 사람의 몸을 일으킵니다.
