삶이 소풍처럼

Today in class, we were taught a poem. Although it dwells on the topic of death, it is a really beautiful poem.

What matters most at the point of death is whether you have lived your life to the fullest. When I leave this world, I wish I can say, "It was beautiful".

귀천(歸天) - 천상병

나 하늘로 돌아가리라
새벽빛 와 닿으면 스러지는
이슬 더불어 손에 손을 잡고,

(I will go back to heaven, fading away hand in hand with the dew when the morning light reaches.)

나 하늘로 돌아가리라.
노을빛 함께 단 둘이서
기슭에서 놀다가 구름 손짓하면은,

(I will go back to heaven, if the cloud gestures when I am playing with the evening glow at the foot of the mountain.)

나 하늘로 돌아가리라,
아름다운 이 세상 소풍 끝내는 날,
가서, 아름다웠더라고 말하리라.......

(I will go back to heaven, till the day when I end my excursion in this beautiful world, I shall go, and I will say it was beautiful.......)


This afternoon, a cherry blossom fell onto the bench I was sitting. I took a picture of it and suddenly felt like writing a simple poem in Korean.