눈길
이제 바라보노라.
지난 것이 다 덮여 있는 눈길을.
온 겨울을 떠돌고 와
여기 있는 낯선 지역을 바라보노라.
나의 마음속에 처음으로
눈 내리는 풍경.
세상은 지금 묵념의 가장자리
지나온 어느 나라에도 없었던
설레이는 평화로서 덮이노라.
바라보노라. 온갖 것의
보이지 않는 움직임을.
눈 내리는 하늘은 무엇인가.
내리는 눈 사이로
귀 귀울여 들리나니 대지의 고백.
나는 처음으로 귀를 가졌노라.
나의 마음은 밖에서는 눈길
안에서는 어둠이노라.
온 겨울의 누리를 떠돌다가
이제 와 위대한 적막을 지킴으로써
쌓이는 눈더미 앞에
나의 마음은 어둠이노라.
-고은 [출전: "현대문학"(1958)]
The Snow Path
Now I am gazing
at the snow path that covers up what has passed.
After wandering through the whole winter,
I am gazing at this foreign territory.
The scene of snow
falls in my heart for the first time.
The world is at the edge of meditation,
a world covered with exuberant peace
no country that I have traveled has ever seen.
I am gazing at the invisible movements of all things.
What is the sky where the snow is falling?
Listening closely, through the falling snow,
I hear the grand earth’s confession.
I can hear for the first time.
My heart is the snow path outside,
and darkness within.
After wandering though this world of winter,
I have come now to guard the great quiet,
and, in front of the piling snow,
my heart is darkness.
– Ko Un (Korean poet, 1933- )
The poem and its translation from the excellent website called Korean Poetry in Translation. I have a book of translated poetry by Ko Un, too. Ko Un spent many years as a Buddhist monk. Here is a short one from that book that I liked (note that kalpa is a long period of time, like an eon or an age or an era, or sometimes means a human life-span).
Meditation Room
Try sitting
not just for one kalpa
but for ten kalpas.
No enlightenment will come.
Simply play for a while with agonies, illusions,
then stand up.
– Ko Un
The problem with books of translated poetry is that it is hard to find the originals, sometimes. Hence I have no original Korean of this poem.
Today is seven months since the surgery. I had a fever last night. I think my immune system is still pretty weak from the radiation treatment, and so I fall prey to every virus that ambles along. Or something – my speculations of yestermorning's blog post strike me as naive or ill-informed, at this moment. Still, I have a lot of work.
[daily log (11 pm): walking, 2.5 km]