Just Look
Just look!
See this utterly flawless,
transparent crystal.
See my soul
as I sit here before you,
a clear gem
that has passed through thousand-degree flames.
Until it becomes your spouse,
death and regeneration.
Strolling in an Old Palace
As I stroll through an old palace
a pigeon calmly settles
on the back of my hand.
It knows
that I am a woman
who fell in love,
that love values life highly.
The beloved woman’s hands
are broad as the sky
and warm as May sunshine
A living creature has realized this,
so this one pigeon
has settled on my hand,
perhaps suggesting we should enjoy a nap?
Two Poems
Shin Dalja
translated from the Korean by Brother Anthony of Taizé
Shin Dalja is Korea’s most revered senior female poet. Her long career means that she began writing at a time when male Korean critics demanded that women writing poetry should produce delicate, sentimental poems in accordance with contemporary views on feminine psychology. Shin Dalja writes in ways which, while seeming to conform to the stereotype, in fact challenge it through her poems’ toughness, their readiness to evoke sensuality and desire. While the language may seem simple, the essence is challenging.
Shin Dalja (b. 1943) is one of South Korea’s most acclaimed senior poets. She has published over twenty poetry collections since 1973. She has also published a far greater number of essay collections. In 2012 she became the president of the Society of Korean Poets. She is also a member of the National Academy of Arts of the Republic of Korea. She has received many major literary awards.
Brother Anthony of Taizé has lived in Korea since 1980 and has published some sixty volumes of English translations of contemporary Korean poetry as well as both a considerable number of translations of Korean fiction and other books related to Korea. He is an emeritus professor at Sogang University.
