Caveat: Be a Trail

I was in the Gyeongbokgung subway station yesterday and happened to notice this piece of inspirational poetry posted on the "anti-suicide" doors (there are doors in many subway stations now along the platform edges, which prevents people from falling or jumping into the track area before the train comes – so I think of them as anti-suicide doors, though I'm sure they have other justifications as well). I snapped a picture.

Sub 003

The poem is by an American, Douglas Malloch, apparently a Freemason and lumberjack, among other things. The text on the door is in English on the right, translated to Korean on the left.

The tone and message of the poem is so "Korean" I can see why it was selected for inspiriational subway poetry. There is a lot of subway poetry, these days, but most of it is Korean, of course – as is only right.

Oddly, there is no wikipedia entry about Malloch – doesn't anyone who ever wrote a book have a wikipedia entry? But I googled a masonic website with a page dedicated to his work. Here's the poem from the subway door.

Be the Best of Whatever You Are

If you can't be a pine on the top of the hill,
Be a scrub in the valley — but be
The best little scrub by the side of the rill;
Be a bush if you can't be a tree.

If you can't be a bush be a bit of the grass,
And some highway happier make;
If you can't be a muskie then just be a bass —
But the liveliest bass in the lake!

We can't all be captains, we've got to be crew,
There's something for all of us here,
There's big work to do, and there's lesser to do,
And the task you must do is the near.

If you can't be a highway then just be a trail,
If you can't be the sun be a star;
It isn't by size that you win or you fail —
Be the best of whatever you are!

It's preceded by this quote:

"We all dream of great deeds and high positions, away from the pettiness and humdrum of ordinary life. Yet success is not occupying a lofty place or doing conspicuous work; it is being the best that is in you. Rattling around in too big a job is worse than filling a small one to overflowing. Dream, aspire by all means; but do not ruin the life you must lead by dreaming pipe dreams of the one you would like to lead. Make the most of what you have and are. Perhaps your trivial, immediate task is your one sure way of proving your mettle. Do the thing near at hand, and great things will come to your hand to be done."

Caveat: Someday

What I'm listening to right now.

리쌍 [ri-ssang = LeeSsang], "Someday." 가사:

모든 것이 멈춘 채 시간은 또 조용히 흐르네
가라앉던 가슴이 또다시 숨이 꽉 막히네 나 홀로 버려진 채
사라지는 아픔마저도 미치도록 아쉬운데
너 없이 견디는 이 시간도 끝나겠지 언젠가는

someday 다 잊혀져갈 사랑 그리운 내 사랑
언제나 힘들게만 한 그대여
someday 내 가엾은 내 사랑 그리운 내 사랑
언제나 행복해야 해 날 떠나서

언제나 불안했던 사랑의 계단
그 어떤 순간에도 내 손을 놓지 않았던
네가 항상 너무 고맙다
이젠 날 떠나서 행복해라
제발 나와 찍은 사진처럼 웃어라 맨날
슬프고 힘든 시간의 연속 타들어가는 맘속
불안한 두 손 혹독한 이별의 구속
아프고 아물고 또다시 아파오는 고통의 반복
힘들다 정말 미치도록

사라지는 아픔마저도 미치도록 아쉬운데
너 없이 견디는 이 시간도 끝나겠지 언젠가는

someday 다 잊혀져갈 사랑 그리운 내 사랑
언제나 힘들게만 한 그대
someday 내 가엾은 내 사랑 그리운 내 사랑
언제나 행복해야 해 날 떠나서

날 떠나서 날 떠나서 날 떠나서

someday 다 잊혀져갈 사랑 그리운 내 사랑
언제나 힘들게만 한 그대
someday 내 가엾은 내 사랑 그리운 내 사랑
언제나 행복해야 해 날 떠나서

날 떠나서 날 떠나서 날 떠나서 날 떠나서

지금 내가 할 수 있는건 니가 행복하길 바라는것
이대로 시간이 흘러 상처들이 아무는 것
날 부르고 싶어도 그저 입을 다무는 것
끝없는 후회들과 계속 싸우는 것
억지로 써내려가는 이별의 말들
하나씩 지워가는 내 지난 날 들
이렇게 멍하니 이겨내 보는 하루하루
내 전부 내 희망 내 사랑 너 너 너
날 떠나서

[Daily Log: walking, 4 km]

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