Back to Heaven

by Cheon Sang-Byeong

These poems by "the happiest man in the world" are full of light though written in dark times. Ch'ôn had the art of seeing the beauty of life beyond all the pain, and of putting it into the music of words. Recently, many young Koreans have discovered in these poems and in the poet's life the innocence and honesty they look for in vain in modern society. His poverty and his body broken by torture never made Ch'ôn bitter or angry; his poems are hymns of joy at the marvels of nature and the simple pleasures of life. His greatest poem sees death, not as the end but as a journey "back to heaven" where he plans to tell the angels how beautiful life in this world can be.

Genres: Poetry

122 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Dexter Woolley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like a drink.
Only makkoli though,
and very little of that.

Getting drunk's a sin.
It's wrong to sin.
If I'm drunk I don't know where I am.

Even Jesus Christ made wine.
It's no sin
to drink just a little.

Our life's a vale of tears.
In order to reduce the pain
there's nothing like a drink.

1971: Cheon Sang Byeong's first collection of poetry is titled 새 (Bird). Friends collated the work after the poet's disappearance. Posthumously published, the collection is a memorial to their departed friend.

1971: Cheon Sang Byeong remembers his name. He is interned in Seoul municipal asylum. He had been found unconscious, collapsed in the street. He also remembers he is a poet.

[Elizabeth]

A beautiful collection of brief, heartful poems. I especially liked the afterword as well as the poems "Next" and "Back to Heaven."

[Yasemin Macar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Valide Sultan yerine, ana kraliçe kullansaymış çevirmen daha uygun olurmuş lakin Osmanlı Sarayı'nda değiliz. Kore sarayından bahsediliyor!