POEM BY CHOI DAE - SEOUNG (SOUTH KOREA)

POEM BY CHOI DAE - SEOUNG (SOUTH KOREA)

Poet Mr. Choi Dae-Seoung debuted with "Munyesajo". He has served in various capacities including as an executive of the Planning Division of the Korean Language Cultivation Committee of the Korean Writers' Association, an executive of the Poetry Division of the Chungnam Literary Association, Vice President of the Buddhist Literary Writers Association, an executive of the Korea Forest Literature Society, and a member of Ieodo Literary Society, the Salt Flower Poetry Society, and the Korean Literary Writers Association.

He has received several accolades, including the Main Prize of the "Munyesajo" Literary Award and the Grand Prize of the Contemporary Literary Movement Writer's Award. He was also selected as the 2021 Gongju Cultural Foundation Literary Person of the Year.

His poetry collections include "Standing by the River Endlessly" and "Memories of Innocence".

RIVER

Where does the river come from?

Pushing through the mist between the mountains,

Where does the majestic river come from?

Its endless silent flow,

Hiding unknown depths, where does it come from?

The red sun climbs the mountains,

The river is now dressed in golden clothes.

The sun and the river become one in a feverish frenzy,

Burning the whole body, the fierce whirlwinds raging without a scream.

Where does the river come from?

The river flows, waking the dawn star,

The red sun sparkles, and I become naked.

The river

Where does it come from?

You, truly, where do you come from?

STANDING BY THE RIVER

The river is gently rippling and my heart is hot.

The light across the river comes across the water

The lights flutter over the water

The sound of a duck being paddled

My hot breath trembles slightly

A sky without stars is dark

If I'm buried in the dark and can't find you

Should I just listen to the sound of water ducks alone?

By loving you

I am the happiest in the world

Standing on the edge of a deep dark river

A stream of water flowing deep into a river

My head is filled with your breath

If you leave behind regrets rather than approach me 

with a passionate kiss, will you remain as a blue bird 

that I will never be able to catch?

Even if you fly to a faraway place that cannot be caught

Like a dream, you can't go after you erase my memory

Even if the marks left remain over time

I won't let you go

The wind sweeps the river and comes to me

standing by the river

I flow to you endlessly.