An Aged Tree
Between the times of golden light
at the dusk of an evening,
Have you seen gallant pine trees
standing shoulder to shoulder
Without grief
between poems and dreams
between lights and sleeps.
Husband and Wife
The way we two go
is a mountain path,
a field path, or a sand path.
Sometimes we meet snow or rain,
and a gale prevents our way.
But we wrap
ourselves in the spring sunshine
with our knowing and loving glance.
Once in a While
When I feel melancholy
I stand by a tall tree.
Its numerous branches and leaves
swing and sway hither and thither.
And inward
its annual rings grow.
It’s my love and my way.
Sijo Poems of Kim Min-jung
Viewing stones inspire us in numerous ways. The ability to look at a stone and see something greater than the stone itself is one way we connect and are inspired by nature. This month we featured the poetry about viewing stones as interpreted by Kim Min-jung. Dr. Kim is a scholar of Korean Literature and a in Korea who has won many awards for her Sijo-style poems. She is the president of the Sijo division of the Korean Writers’ Association and director of the Korea Association of Sijo Poets. Kim is also an avid stone collector and member of the Wanseok Viewing Stone Society and the Seokgiwon Viewing stone Society.
Two volumes of her poetry, translated and published in English and Korean, bring a new dimension to viewing stone appreciation. We are pleased to be able to feature a few of her Sijo poems along with the images of the stones than inspired her creative thinking. These poems and photographs are from her book Someone Is Sitting (2017) published by Koyo Achin publishing company in Seoul, Korea.
