Yun Dongju and His Poetry
Text and poetry translation by David E. Shaffer Yun Dongju (윤동주) is one of Korea’s best-loved poets, as well as one of its shortest-lived (1917–1945). Born into a Christian family … Read More
Tag: Korean Poetry
This Azure Day
A piece from Seo Jeong who is consider to be the ‘founding father’ of modern Korean poetry.
Seagull/ 갈매기
Seagull By Cheon Sang-byeong Sheer yearning transformed the seagull into a cloud. In the blue sea’s name it dyed its white wings in the sky, evidently joyful; … Read More
Sŏmjin River/섬징강
An ode to a river running through southwest Korea
Pak Mok Wol’s ‘Orchid’
A poetic tribute to orchids.
Road
“Road,” a poem by Jeollanamdo poet Hwang Ji U, touches on themes of suffering while traveling through life.
The Silence of My Beloved
Many Korean Buddhist monks were active in the independence movement during Japanese colonial rule. Han Yong-woon was a monk resistor who also wrote political poetry. Here is a poem from his collection of the same name.
White Flowers have Popped from the Crown
Hong Eun-taek writes a poetic tribute to an Arizona desert flower.