Selected Poems by Moon Tae-jun
Translated by Chae-Pyong Song and Anne Rashid
The Morning
by Moon Tae-jun
A flock of birds descended, like thunder,
upon a short tree.
They pecked on the berries and pooped.
As they moved to a tree a few feet away,
the tree, considered nothing more than a boxwood,
rolled once more, once again,
like water someone carries in a bucket.
Even for me who stood over it, my four corners rolled at once.
This rolling, waving water in the bucket
still bodes well.
아침/문태준 (The Morning)
새떼가 우르르 내려앉았다
키가 작은 나무였다
열매를 쪼고 똥을 누기도 했다
새떼가 몇발짝 떨어진 나무에게 옮겨가자
나무상자로밖에 여겨지지 않던 나무가
누군가 들고 가는 양동이의 물처럼
한번 또 한번 출렁했다
서 있던 나도 네 모서리가 한번 출렁했다
출렁출렁하는 한 양동이의 물
아직은 이 좋은 징조를 갖고 있다
The Hill and the Boy
by Moon Tae-jun
There is a boy curious about the hill.
He is running down the slope.
He laughs as if his cheeks may gradually burst.
Just like thunder rolls toward the south,
is there something in his soft chest that compels him to roll?
As the crescent moon waxes every day,
is there a white light that grows in his small chest?
Leaning continuously toward me,
he is running as though emptying himself out.
This overflowing–
how would I receive it?
I, who am trapped like a rock.
비탈과 아이(The Hill and the Boy)
비탈길이 궁금한 아이가 있다
아이가 비탈길을 뛰어 내려오고 있다
점점 뺨이 터질 듯이 웃는다
천둥이 남쪽 하늘로 구르듯이
무른 가슴을 구르는게 있는가
초승달이 매일매일 커지듯이
앙가슴에 자라나는 흰빛이 있는가
계속 기울어져 내 쪽으로
쏟아질 듯 뛰어 내려오고 있다
저 흘러넘침을
나는 어떻게 받아안을 것인가
바위처럼 박히어 있는 나는
Following the Old Tibetan Monk
by Moon Tae-jun
Putting on an old, worn out robe,
taking a few steps and stopping, a few more steps and stopping,
keeping distance, slender, like a bird’s footprints,
counting for a long while as though standing at the end of time,
bending as if standing on a soft red perimeter of peonies,
like when I look into your eyes I have missed,
like a traveler who keeps on traveling,
with an anticipation that I may reach less, as I go.
티베트 노스님의 뒤를 따라 걷다 (Following the Old Tibetan Monk)
티베트 노스님의 뒤를 따라 걷다 / 문태준
낡고 헐거운 옷을 입고서
가다 멎고 가다 멎으며
뒤를 두되 새의 발자국처럼 가느스름하게
시간의 맨 끝에 선 듯 오래 헤아리며
허리를 아주 굽혀서
모란꽃의 보드라운 붉은 둘레에라도 선 듯이
그리던 당신의 눈동자를 바라볼 때처럼
고요하고 사랑의 감정으로
가고 가는 행인으로서
가도 어차피 덜 도달하게 되리라는 예감으로
Moon Tae-jun (1970-) has published five collections of poetry: Chattering Backyard (2000), Bare Foot (2004), Flatfish (2006), Shadow’s Development (2008) and A Faraway Place (2012), as well as other essays and commentaries. One of the most popular poets of the younger Korean generations, Moon uses deceptively simple poetic language with profound lyricism, commenting on the struggle of daily life. Grounded in Buddhist philosophy, his poems speak with reverence for all forms of life and emphasize the necessity of emptying oneself. Moon is a recipient of many prestigious awards, including the Dongseo Literature Award (2004), the Midang Literature Award (2005) and the Sowol Poetry Award (2007).