Translated by Chae-Pyong Song and Anne Rashid

Photography by Hye Hyon

Chunhyang’s Words: Part Two,
On the Day that Shines Again by Seo Jung-ju

Spirit,
at first, my heart was like a wavering haze
on a day when thousands of skylarks sing;
It was like small clouds flying together
in the verdant river
where the fish with glittering scales swim.

Spirit,
but when you came one day in his shape,
I became a mad whirlwind.
I became a torrential rain,
a cascading waterfall from a cliff.

But Spirit,
like the ocean swallows a small creek,
you took him away again,
and left only an evening glow
burning in my empty heart.

Spirit,
another day shines upon me.
Now, the color of my heart,
blooming like bellflowers on the mountain,
is your love.

다시 밝은 날에—춘향의 말 2/서정주

신령님,
처음 내 마음은 수천만 마리
노고지리 우는 날의 아지랭이 같았습니다.
번쩍이는 비늘을 단 고기들이 헤엄치는
초록의 강 물결
어우러져 날으는 아기구름 같았습니다.

신령님,
그러나 그의 모습으로 어느 날 당신이 내게 오셨을 때
나는 미친 회오리바람이 되었습니다.
쏟아져 내리는 벼랑의 폭포,
쏟아져 내리는 소나기비가 되었습니다.

그러나 신령님,
바닷물이 작은 여울을 마시듯
당신이 다시 그를 데려가시고
그 훠-ㄴ한 내 마음에
마지막 타는 저녁 노을을 두셨습니다.

신령님,
그리하여 또 한번 내 위에 밝는 날
이제
산골에 피어나는 도라지꽃 같은
내 마음의 빛깔은 당신의 사랑입니다.

Seo Jeong-ju (1915 – 2000) was born in Gochang, Jeollabuk-do. He is considered the founding father of modern Korean poetry. Under the pen name Midang, he published at least 15 collections of poetry. He taught Korean literature at Chosun University, among others. He was also nominated five times for the Nobel Prize in literature. His grandmother’s stories and his interest in Buddhism had a strong influence upon his writing. His works have been translated into a number of languages, including English, French, Spanish and German.