Translated by Chae-Pyong Song and Anne Rashid

Seomjin River, Korea

The River of Saint Christopher: Part Eleven by Ku Sang

It was just water.
It was clear water.
A large body of water
was flowing endlessly.

Flowing, it was always
in the same place.
Staying in the same place,
it was fresh every moment.

Even though it was fresh,
it still connected to the past.
Tied to the past,
it was still tied to the future.

The past and the future tied,
only the present existed.
The present
has many faces.

With many faces,
it spoke in many voices.
With many voices,
it was indifferent to all things.

While indifferent, it was in agony;
while in agony, it was indifferent.
Dying indifferently;
In dying, it has returned.

그리스도 폴의 강 11/ 구 상

그저 물이었다.
맑은 물이었다.
많은 물이 하염없이
흘러가고 있었다.

흘러가면서 항상
제자리에 있었다.
제자리에 있으면서
순간마다 새로웠다.

새로우면서 과거와
이어져 있었다.
과거와 이어져 있으면서
미래와 이어져 있었다.

과거와 미래가 이어져서
오직 현재 하나였다.
오직 하나인 현재가
여러 가지 얼굴을 하였다.

여러 가지 얼굴을 하고서
여러 가지 소리를 내었다.
여러 가지 소리를 내면서
모든 것에 무심하였다.

무심하면서 괴로워하고
괴로워하면서 무심하고
무심하게 죽어 가고
죽어 가면서 되살아왔다.