In the Embrace of That Love

(In Memory of Poet Lee Kuei-shien)

 

A bird once nestled,

In the branches of a magnolia tree,

Singing its song,

 

For the land he had lost,

He wept through the night,

His sorrowful yet beautiful melodies,

And the fervent tears he shed,

For Taiwan’s future,

Gathered, drop by drop,

To form a spring of freedom,

From that sweet water,

Seeds grew and blossomed,

Into a field of words,

Filled with the fragrance of love,

 

The warmth of your gentle gaze,

Softer than spring sunlight,

And your boundless words of love,

Remain in my heart as an eternal light.

 

Now, having fulfilled your calling,

You have become a star.

May you spread your wings?

And soar beyond time and space,

Embracing Taiwan’s freedom,

The beloved waves of Tamsui,

And poets around the world,

 

Lee Kuei-shien,

Your name shines on—

I embrace your noble heart with joy,

And I will sing of you forever.

 

 

그 사랑 품 안에서 (Lee Kuei-shuen시인 영전에)

 

 

목련 가지에 둥지를 틀고

  노래하던 새가 있었습니다

 

  잃어버린 땅을 위해 밤새워 울던 그의

  슬프고도 아름다운 노래와

  Taiwan의 미래를 위해 기도하던 간절한 눈물은

  한 방울씩 모여 자유의 샘물을 이루었고

  다디단 그 물을 먹고 자란 씨앗들이

  사랑 향기 가득한 언어의 꽃밭을 일구었습니다

 

  봄볕보다 따스한 당신의 어진 눈길과

  넘치도록 과분한 사랑의 말씀은

  저의 가슴에도 영원한 빛으로 남았습니다

 

  소명 모두 마치고 별이 되신 당신이여

  보다 넓은 평온의 바다에서

  시공時空을 넘나드는 날개 펼치소서

  Taiwan의 자유와 단수이의 정든 물결과

  세계의 시인들을 품어주실

  Lee Kuei-shien, 그 빛나는 이름이여

  고결한 그 가슴에 기쁘게 안겨

  영원한 당신을 노래하겠습니다.

 

 Biography

Poet Mr. Lee Hee Kuk is a Korean poet, born in Seoul, South Korea. He is a pharmacist and an adjunct professor at the College of Pharmacy, The Catholic University of Korea. He is an executive member of the PEN Korean Center of PEN International and serves as the Senior Vice President of the Korean Association of World Literature. He has published five poetry books and has received four literary awards.