ART TODAY-Poet
Today, I’ll introduce a poem from Korea written by the poet Jun Park.
In fact, Korean poetry is known as one of the most challenging to translate into other languages. However, I’ve made an effort to simplify it for better understanding of the context.It was translated so that one Korean verse corresponds to one English.
장마
-태백에서 보내는 편지
그곳의 아이들은
한번 울기 시작하면
제 몸통보다 더 큰
울음을 낸다고 했습니다
사내들은
아침부터 취해 있고
평상과 학교와
공장과 광장에도
빛이 내려
이어진 길마다
검다고도 했습니다
내가 처음 적은 답장에는
갱도에서 죽은 광부들의
이야기가 적혀 있었습니다
그들은 주로
질식사나 아사가 아니라
터져 나온 수맥에 익사를 합니다
하지만 나는 곧
그 종이를 구겨버리고는
이 글이 당신에게 닿을 때쯤이면
우리가 함께 장마를 볼 수도 있겠습니다,라고
시작하는 편지를 새로 적었습니다
RAINSPELL
– the letter sent from Taebaek
If there are children there
Once they start crying
Often they make a louder sound
Than their bodies
Men are
Soaked since morning,
Low wooden benches and schools and
Factories and squares
Bask in the sunlight
They indicate each path
Leading into the depths of darkness
I have written the story about the miner
Who encountered death in the mine
In the first response
They usually perish
Not from suffocation or starvation
But from drowning due to an explosion in the water vein
But I quickly
Crumple that paper
If this sentence reaches you,
We might watch the Rainspell together,
Just Write a new letter starting like this
About Jun PARK
The poet Jun Park is hailed as an “idol of the contemporary poem realm” in South Korean literature. He penned this poem while residing in Taebaek city, a place nestled in Gangwon province. Taebaek has a rich history, having thrived on coal mining since the 1930s. However, as time progressed, the industry declined, leading to a loss of reputation and population for Taebaek. In an effort to revitalize the city, the government has embarked on a project to establish a large coal mining museum, drawing inspiration from places like Jinguashih in Taiwan.
About poet ‘JUN PARK”’s introduction Clip with English subtitle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hhu_DvOYgQ
About Taebaek
Official website of Taebaek city
https://www.taebaek.go.kr/eng/index.do
Creative commons link
EZsPEDIA © 2024 by YUNMI LEE is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
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