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Ten Thousand Lives
Born in 1933 in a small rural village in Korea’s North Cholla Province, Ko Un grew up in a Japanese-controlled land that was soon to experience the horrors of the Korean War. He became a Buddhist Monk in 1952, and began writing in the late 1950s. Ten Thousand Lives is his major, ongoing work, which began during his imprisonment, with a determination to describe every person he had ever met. Maninbo , as it is known in Korea, is now in its 20th volume, and he has plans for five more volumes before its completion. The selection in this volume—from the first 10 volumes—represents one of the major classics of twentieth-century Korean literature, published for the first time in English.
364 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
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About the author
Ko Un
55 books71 followersIn korean: 고 은
Ko was born Ko Untae in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province in 1933. He was at Gunsan Middle School when war broke out.
The Korean War emotionally and physically traumatized Ko and caused the death of many of his relatives and friends. Ko's hearing suffered from acid that he poured into his ears during an acute crisis in this time and it was further harmed by a police beating in 1979. In 1952, before the war had ended, Ko became a Buddhist monk. After a decade of monastic life, he chose to return to the active, secular world in 1962 to become a devoted poet. From 1963 to 1966 he lived on Jejudo, where he set up a charity school, and then moved back to Seoul. His life was not calm in the outer world, and he wound up attempting suicide (a second time) in 1970.
Around the time the South Korean government attempted to curb democracy by putting forward the Yusin Constitution in late 1972, Ko became very active in the democracy movement and led efforts to improve the political situation in South Korea, while still writing prolifically and being sent to prison four times (1974, 1979, 1980 and 1989). In May 1980, during the coup d'etat led by Chun Doo-hwan, Ko was accused of treason and sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment. He was released in August 1982 as part of a general pardon.
After his release, his life became calmer; however, he startled his large following by revising many of his previously published poems. Ko married Sang-Wha Lee on May 5, 1983, and moved to Anseong, Gyeonggi-do, where he still lives. He resumed writing and began to travel, his many visits providing fabric for the tapestry of his poems. Since 2007, he is a visiting scholar in Seoul National University, and teaches poetics and literature.
Ko was born Ko Untae in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province in 1933. He was at Gunsan Middle School when war broke out.
The Korean War emotionally and physically traumatized Ko and caused the death of many of his relatives and friends. Ko's hearing suffered from acid that he poured into his ears during an acute crisis in this time and it was further harmed by a police beating in 1979. In 1952, before the war had ended, Ko became a Buddhist monk. After a decade of monastic life, he chose to return to the active, secular world in 1962 to become a devoted poet. From 1963 to 1966 he lived on Jejudo, where he set up a charity school, and then moved back to Seoul. His life was not calm in the outer world, and he wound up attempting suicide (a second time) in 1970.
Around the time the South Korean government attempted to curb democracy by putting forward the Yusin Constitution in late 1972, Ko became very active in the democracy movement and led efforts to improve the political situation in South Korea, while still writing prolifically and being sent to prison four times (1974, 1979, 1980 and 1989). In May 1980, during the coup d'etat led by Chun Doo-hwan, Ko was accused of treason and sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment. He was released in August 1982 as part of a general pardon.
After his release, his life became calmer; however, he startled his large following by revising many of his previously published poems. Ko married Sang-Wha Lee on May 5, 1983, and moved to Anseong, Gyeonggi-do, where he still lives. He resumed writing and began to travel, his many visits providing fabric for the tapestry of his poems. Since 2007, he is a visiting scholar in Seoul National University, and teaches poetics and literature.
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May 29, 2014Common to all four Korean authors I have read so far is a life deeply scored by war, oppression, hunger and persecution. These travails run from the later Choson era in the middle of the 19th century to the middle of the 1980's, a period which includes the collapse of a regime and civil war; then the Chinese, the Russians and the Japanese struggle over Korea without a by-your-leave from the Koreans; then Japan annexes Korea as a colony in 1910 and doesn't loosen its grip until 1945(*); the division of Korea, the Korean War, and decades of military dictatorship follow... What can one say?
When the poet Ko Un was born in 1933, he drew his first breath in a Japanese colony, a colony in which it was forbidden to teach the Korean language in the schools as part of a campaign to replace the inferior Korean culture by the infinitely superior accomplishments of the Japanese. Too malnourished to be drafted into the army during the Korean War, he nonetheless witnessed much of it (the war swept over essentially the entire peninsula) and lost many family members and friends. In 1952 he entered a Son (Zen) monastery but left dissatisfied ten years later. After a period of inner torment and self-destructive behavior during which he twice attempted suicide, he found a purpose in the pro-Democracy movement in the early 70's. This earned him prison and torture (like Kim Chi-ha
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ).
Though he had started publishing poetry as early as 1958, while in prison he conceived of a project which still occupies him. This project, Maninbo (Family Records of Ten Thousand Lives), consists of writing one poem for each person encountered in his life. This simply stated principle need not be taken literally, but Ko has produced at least 20 volumes in the project already! Thousands of persons have left a sign of their lives in his poems.
The translation I read is a selection from the first ten volumes of Maninbo. Robert Haas writes a nice introduction, and I would like to quote a passage from his discussion of the poems in the earliest volumes of Maninbo.
Most of them are as lean as the village dogs they describe; in hard times people's characters seem to stand out like their bones and the stories in the poems have therefore a bony and synoptic clarity.
And clarity is the keyword, to judge by the poems in this selection. His poems are linguistically and structurally quite straightforward; their art is manifested in the manifold ways he alertly captures at least one significant aspect of each of his subjects. His diction is nearly that of prose; his tone reserved but sympathetic. Unlike Kim Chi-ha, Ko does not emote, though emotion is certainly close beneath the surface.
Man-Sun
Her face was a mass of freckles,
as if she'd been liberally sprinkled with sesame seed,
but her brows were fine, and her eyes so lovely
they made breezes spring up from the hills and plains.
Her shadow falling across the water
was like nothing else in this world.
Near the end of Japanese rule, after she had picked
and handed in the castor beans,
she left, wearing a headband stamped with the Japanese flag,
to become a comfort woman.
A woman from the Mijei Patriotic Wives Union took her away,
saying she was off to earn money at a factory
making airplane tails.
Took her away with the Japanese flag flying.
Then, ho-ho, a bottle of liquor
and a ration ticket for rice arrived at her family's house
from the village captain.
"Ho-ho, what have we done to deserve such favor?"
After Liberation, when everyone came back,
not a word was heard from Man-Sun...
though white campanulas blossomed
and cicadas sang.
Often, Ko exaggerates some trait of the person, using the hyperbole to draw in the reader, and then surprises with some kind of poignancy.
The Wife from Kaesari
Although she brought up three sons
as stout as big fat toads,
the wife from Kaesari never so much as once
coughed out loud after getting married.
No matter what anyone said,
her only reply was a reluctant mmm,
and even that didn't really leave her lips,
a tiny sound, eager to quickly crawl back in again.
Among the neighborhood women
no one had ever been seen with such a tiny voice
as the wife from Kaesari.
Once her eldest son was married,
she never spoke harshly
to her daughter-in-law
but merely stitched away at a torn hemp jacket.
She took care that no one heard the sound
of her blowing out the kerosene lamps.
The wife from Kaesari
went into a decline in her last year of life.
No one knew just what was wrong with her.
When she was dying, her three sons were in her room
waiting for the end to come.
Knowing no eloquence in her lifetime,
she was incapable of any decent last words.
She was more or less heard to say
the lid of the soy-sauce jar up on the terrace
ought to be opened to the daylight
and also, it seems,
that the lining in father's jacket ought to be replaced.
Then in a flash she expired.
Clearly, Ko memorializes even what are apparently the most modest of lives. I find such poems much more absorbing than those he wrote about the famous, where not the person but the role he played seems to come to the fore.
Of course, with so many poems written, not all can be equally gripping; but it is remarkable how Ko is able to maintain freshness and variety, at least in this selection of what the translators considered to be the best in the first 10 volumes of Maninbo. Cumulatively, reading this collection gives one the impression of having lived through 50 years of Korea's stormy history. The numerous poems based on characters from his home village transmit a many sided view of hard lives full of duty, superstition and envy, touched only in moments by beauty and generosity.
One last, little poem:
Hui-ja
With hands still wet from washing dishes, she goes out
to the black alder grove and cries to her heart's
content until
her dead mother's face appears. Star-seed sprinkled in the
sky, stars appear.
(*) The stories of the Korean sex slaves (sometimes called comfort women) for the Japanese army are just a portion of the horrors of that occupation.
Rating
http://leopard.booklikes.com/post/893...
When the poet Ko Un was born in 1933, he drew his first breath in a Japanese colony, a colony in which it was forbidden to teach the Korean language in the schools as part of a campaign to replace the inferior Korean culture by the infinitely superior accomplishments of the Japanese. Too malnourished to be drafted into the army during the Korean War, he nonetheless witnessed much of it (the war swept over essentially the entire peninsula) and lost many family members and friends. In 1952 he entered a Son (Zen) monastery but left dissatisfied ten years later. After a period of inner torment and self-destructive behavior during which he twice attempted suicide, he found a purpose in the pro-Democracy movement in the early 70's. This earned him prison and torture (like Kim Chi-ha
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ).
Though he had started publishing poetry as early as 1958, while in prison he conceived of a project which still occupies him. This project, Maninbo (Family Records of Ten Thousand Lives), consists of writing one poem for each person encountered in his life. This simply stated principle need not be taken literally, but Ko has produced at least 20 volumes in the project already! Thousands of persons have left a sign of their lives in his poems.
The translation I read is a selection from the first ten volumes of Maninbo. Robert Haas writes a nice introduction, and I would like to quote a passage from his discussion of the poems in the earliest volumes of Maninbo.
Most of them are as lean as the village dogs they describe; in hard times people's characters seem to stand out like their bones and the stories in the poems have therefore a bony and synoptic clarity.
And clarity is the keyword, to judge by the poems in this selection. His poems are linguistically and structurally quite straightforward; their art is manifested in the manifold ways he alertly captures at least one significant aspect of each of his subjects. His diction is nearly that of prose; his tone reserved but sympathetic. Unlike Kim Chi-ha, Ko does not emote, though emotion is certainly close beneath the surface.
Man-Sun
Her face was a mass of freckles,
as if she'd been liberally sprinkled with sesame seed,
but her brows were fine, and her eyes so lovely
they made breezes spring up from the hills and plains.
Her shadow falling across the water
was like nothing else in this world.
Near the end of Japanese rule, after she had picked
and handed in the castor beans,
she left, wearing a headband stamped with the Japanese flag,
to become a comfort woman.
A woman from the Mijei Patriotic Wives Union took her away,
saying she was off to earn money at a factory
making airplane tails.
Took her away with the Japanese flag flying.
Then, ho-ho, a bottle of liquor
and a ration ticket for rice arrived at her family's house
from the village captain.
"Ho-ho, what have we done to deserve such favor?"
After Liberation, when everyone came back,
not a word was heard from Man-Sun...
though white campanulas blossomed
and cicadas sang.
Often, Ko exaggerates some trait of the person, using the hyperbole to draw in the reader, and then surprises with some kind of poignancy.
The Wife from Kaesari
Although she brought up three sons
as stout as big fat toads,
the wife from Kaesari never so much as once
coughed out loud after getting married.
No matter what anyone said,
her only reply was a reluctant mmm,
and even that didn't really leave her lips,
a tiny sound, eager to quickly crawl back in again.
Among the neighborhood women
no one had ever been seen with such a tiny voice
as the wife from Kaesari.
Once her eldest son was married,
she never spoke harshly
to her daughter-in-law
but merely stitched away at a torn hemp jacket.
She took care that no one heard the sound
of her blowing out the kerosene lamps.
The wife from Kaesari
went into a decline in her last year of life.
No one knew just what was wrong with her.
When she was dying, her three sons were in her room
waiting for the end to come.
Knowing no eloquence in her lifetime,
she was incapable of any decent last words.
She was more or less heard to say
the lid of the soy-sauce jar up on the terrace
ought to be opened to the daylight
and also, it seems,
that the lining in father's jacket ought to be replaced.
Then in a flash she expired.
Clearly, Ko memorializes even what are apparently the most modest of lives. I find such poems much more absorbing than those he wrote about the famous, where not the person but the role he played seems to come to the fore.
Of course, with so many poems written, not all can be equally gripping; but it is remarkable how Ko is able to maintain freshness and variety, at least in this selection of what the translators considered to be the best in the first 10 volumes of Maninbo. Cumulatively, reading this collection gives one the impression of having lived through 50 years of Korea's stormy history. The numerous poems based on characters from his home village transmit a many sided view of hard lives full of duty, superstition and envy, touched only in moments by beauty and generosity.
One last, little poem:
Hui-ja
With hands still wet from washing dishes, she goes out
to the black alder grove and cries to her heart's
content until
her dead mother's face appears. Star-seed sprinkled in the
sky, stars appear.
(*) The stories of the Korean sex slaves (sometimes called comfort women) for the Japanese army are just a portion of the horrors of that occupation.
Rating
http://leopard.booklikes.com/post/893...
September 30, 2016
حُلم شاعرٍ كوري مُميز
سِر في طريقك
أنت الأول ،والآتي بعد الأول
فامض، وامض
حيث ستبدو في المرآة،
خطواتك السريعة
أنت لسان صغير لنرجس الربيع وسط عاصفة ثلجية.
سِر في طريقك
أنت الأول ،والآتي بعد الأول
فامض، وامض
حيث ستبدو في المرآة،
خطواتك السريعة
أنت لسان صغير لنرجس الربيع وسط عاصفة ثلجية.
September 6, 2012
ترجمة مختارة لبعض أشعار كو أون .. لست من هواة الشعر جداً
و لكن الترجمة متقنة جداً و ليست كترجمات كثيرة تضيع معنى الأبيات في سبيل الترجمة الحرفية
هناك بعض القصائد التي لم أفهمها ربما لأن هناك رمزية ما في أشعار كو اون
لكن باقي الأشعار عن العائلة و المجتمع و الطبيعة .. كانت رائعة فعلاً!
و لكن الترجمة متقنة جداً و ليست كترجمات كثيرة تضيع معنى الأبيات في سبيل الترجمة الحرفية
هناك بعض القصائد التي لم أفهمها ربما لأن هناك رمزية ما في أشعار كو اون
لكن باقي الأشعار عن العائلة و المجتمع و الطبيعة .. كانت رائعة فعلاً!
January 14, 2024
@dnf at 42% (+ skimmed through a some other poems that seemed promising)
Saying that Ko Un has "such interesting life story" comes across as a bit insensitive considering through what he had been, but I'm struggling to find a better way to express myself. He was born in 1933, lived in Korea during the time it was occupied by Japan. Poured acid into his own ear (as a response to trauma) which along with the police brutality he faced later made him partially deaf. After attempting suicide, he became social activist fighting for democracy. Which led to his imprisonment multiple times and torture. This all isn't to say he is perfect human being - multiple women accused him of sexual coercion. (Which actually impacted sales of his books in Korea, imagine if this happened in U.S. or Europe! Kind of amazing, though not great for Ko Un....)
What I wanted to say by this is that he's interesting person who has a lot of life experience and I really wanted to like this book. But sadly, it didn't work for me on the poetry level. While factually interesting, I couldn't really appreciate it aesthetically. That might partially be due to the translation, but... yeah, seems like this collection might not be for me. I might try his Flowers of a Moment in the future, since it seems those might be more to my liking (haiku-esque).
Saying that Ko Un has "such interesting life story" comes across as a bit insensitive considering through what he had been, but I'm struggling to find a better way to express myself. He was born in 1933, lived in Korea during the time it was occupied by Japan. Poured acid into his own ear (as a response to trauma) which along with the police brutality he faced later made him partially deaf. After attempting suicide, he became social activist fighting for democracy. Which led to his imprisonment multiple times and torture. This all isn't to say he is perfect human being - multiple women accused him of sexual coercion. (Which actually impacted sales of his books in Korea, imagine if this happened in U.S. or Europe! Kind of amazing, though not great for Ko Un....)
What I wanted to say by this is that he's interesting person who has a lot of life experience and I really wanted to like this book. But sadly, it didn't work for me on the poetry level. While factually interesting, I couldn't really appreciate it aesthetically. That might partially be due to the translation, but... yeah, seems like this collection might not be for me. I might try his Flowers of a Moment in the future, since it seems those might be more to my liking (haiku-esque).
Read
January 18, 2016في الحافلة المحلية،
كانت هناك حفنة من الركاب الصامتين.
ومثل شمعة ذاب نصفُها،
كانت امرأة شابة
منهكة تمسك بطفلها القلق.
أكان ذلك عند تخوم كومسان
أم كان ذلك في الحدود الشمالية للبلاد؟
كانت تملأ الحافلة صرخاتُ الطفل الباكية،
لم يكن يجدي مسعى الأم لتهدئة الطفل.
أي أمر قد يفيض
بالحزن والمعاناة لطفل صغير كهذا؟
إنها أضواء موتشو الباردة في هذا العالم،
حيث لا يوجد عالم سواها.
كانت هناك حفنة من الركاب الصامتين.
ومثل شمعة ذاب نصفُها،
كانت امرأة شابة
منهكة تمسك بطفلها القلق.
أكان ذلك عند تخوم كومسان
أم كان ذلك في الحدود الشمالية للبلاد؟
كانت تملأ الحافلة صرخاتُ الطفل الباكية،
لم يكن يجدي مسعى الأم لتهدئة الطفل.
أي أمر قد يفيض
بالحزن والمعاناة لطفل صغير كهذا؟
إنها أضواء موتشو الباردة في هذا العالم،
حيث لا يوجد عالم سواها.
May 7, 2017
أرواح الشعراء الموتى
دخلت جسد كل منا،
وهي تطوى أجنحتها، وتتخذ منا سكنًا، فنُصبح أكثر ثقلاً.
أنا أكثر من نفسي،
وأنتم أكبر من ذواتكم.
نحن نًغني بلسان العالم،
باغة جديدة ابتكرها الشعراء الميتون.
بدأنا وحدنا
ثم أصبحنا معًا. فخفَّ متاعُنا.
June 27, 2022
Yine bana hitap etmeyen bir çeviri, zorla okunan bir kitap. Kendi dilinde belki iyidir ama her sene Nobel'e niye aday göstermişler pekte çözemedim. Neyse ki #buaybiz bahanesiyle okumuş oldum 😆😆😆 Uzun bir süre şiir okuyacağımı sanmıyorum!
June 6, 2011
Living and working in Korea, I felt I owed it to myself to learn about Korean poetry. In fact, I carry the little book around with me, so that whenever I have lunch I can read a poem or two and the Korean experience all of the sudden becomes more colourful.
His story is fascinating, he grew up in a rural town, became a buddhist monk and lived a monestary life for 10 years, before becoming a qualified drunk and teacher, and went through the horrible years of Japanese ocupation of Korea. Well into his adult years, he was given life in prison and solitary confinement for his political activities of anti-japanese control and power in Korea in th 1940s.
It is said that his cell was so dark he could hardly see the glint on the coffee can that was given to him to use for lutrine,,,he kept himself alive and gave himself work by waking up every morning in the dark and setting about the day's work by visualizing every person he had ever met. At some point, he said to himself that if he ever got out of there that he would write a poem about every person that he ever knew.
This is Ten Thousand lives.
Living and working in Korea for almost two years now, when I read some of his poetry, I can not only envision the characters but sometimes I see them even in today's technologically advanced Korea. I live in a small city and so its more common to see some of the old folks and see the country side that Ko Un most likely experienced as a child. At times, I can also see the personality traits of his characters in everyday people I come across my path with. Ko Un's poetry is very simple yet very bold and powerful.
The only dissapointment I have in coming across this poetry is that whenever I bring up the subject of Ko Un's poetry with Koreans, most do not seem to know who he is. I know that part of the reason is that poetry is not really seen as important to Korean life. Most people in Korea are preocuppied with family life, careers, and entertaining themselves. It may be that Ko Un is more popular witht the folks of his time.
I hope that more and more young people become interested in his poetry and in general poetry as a whole. On a side note, Ko Un once came to give a talk at the University where I teach,,,unfortunately, I had to work and so could not attend. Oh well, I wouldnt have understood his Korean anyways LOL
I recommend his poetry to anyone that not only is visiting or coming to work in Korea but if you are interested in learning about Korean culture and in particular the characteristics of Koreans, this poetry book will do some good to understand some of the personality traits that Korean people have.
His story is fascinating, he grew up in a rural town, became a buddhist monk and lived a monestary life for 10 years, before becoming a qualified drunk and teacher, and went through the horrible years of Japanese ocupation of Korea. Well into his adult years, he was given life in prison and solitary confinement for his political activities of anti-japanese control and power in Korea in th 1940s.
It is said that his cell was so dark he could hardly see the glint on the coffee can that was given to him to use for lutrine,,,he kept himself alive and gave himself work by waking up every morning in the dark and setting about the day's work by visualizing every person he had ever met. At some point, he said to himself that if he ever got out of there that he would write a poem about every person that he ever knew.
This is Ten Thousand lives.
Living and working in Korea for almost two years now, when I read some of his poetry, I can not only envision the characters but sometimes I see them even in today's technologically advanced Korea. I live in a small city and so its more common to see some of the old folks and see the country side that Ko Un most likely experienced as a child. At times, I can also see the personality traits of his characters in everyday people I come across my path with. Ko Un's poetry is very simple yet very bold and powerful.
The only dissapointment I have in coming across this poetry is that whenever I bring up the subject of Ko Un's poetry with Koreans, most do not seem to know who he is. I know that part of the reason is that poetry is not really seen as important to Korean life. Most people in Korea are preocuppied with family life, careers, and entertaining themselves. It may be that Ko Un is more popular witht the folks of his time.
I hope that more and more young people become interested in his poetry and in general poetry as a whole. On a side note, Ko Un once came to give a talk at the University where I teach,,,unfortunately, I had to work and so could not attend. Oh well, I wouldnt have understood his Korean anyways LOL
I recommend his poetry to anyone that not only is visiting or coming to work in Korea but if you are interested in learning about Korean culture and in particular the characteristics of Koreans, this poetry book will do some good to understand some of the personality traits that Korean people have.
June 25, 2008
In Mexico I read this other book by Korean poet and former Buddhist monk Ko Un. It's a selection of poems from his vast project, Maninbo, or Ten Thousand Lives. After several years as a leader of the resistance movement against the Korean Republic's military dictatorships in the 1970s, Ko Un was imprisoned four times, enduring torture and extreme deprivation. As Robert Hass puts it in his introduction, "[D]uring his third imprisonment in 1980, when he had been sentenced to 20 years in prison, while in solitary confinement in a cell so pitch dark he could not see the glint of the coffee can that served as a latrine, he began to make a mental inventory of the faces of everyone he had ever known and conceived a long poem, or series of poems, that would begin in his childhood village and expand to include everyone he had ever met, including figures vivid to him from history and literature. The project, still ongoing, has reached twenty volumes...."
All the characteristics I mentioned in my earlier post are here, woven through an astonishing variety of narrative modes ranging from folk tale to historical anecdote to gossip. Here's an example:
DAUGHTER
Old Nam-su used to be good at hunting hares.
Two days after he died,
Ok-sun, his married daughter,
followed the road out of the village for a mile,
hair dishevelled, weeping like she was about to die.
She wept blindly, blinded by tears,
then once she arrived back in the village
all the women emerged from one house after another,
clicked their tongues,
then they all began to lament with her
until the whole village was full of grief.
Now the dead man can lie in peace, satisfied.
Yes indeed,
it's good to have fruitful years, even for grief.
Ten Thousand Lives is just one of several books by Ko Un that have found their way into English recently. You can find the best of them listed here.
April 17, 2016
It was Nice to meet you Mr. Ko Un
الكاتب
شاعر يكتب الشعر ويحب الحياة
يعتزل الشعر والحياة ، يتكهن
يصبح كاهن متعبد متبتل من الزن
يترك حياة الكهان ويولد شاعراً من جديد
------------------------------
التناول
في حالة تناسخية بوذية سامية
القضية انسانية
هي حب الجمال والشعر
حيث انهما الطريق الوحيد للعودة للوطن
------------------------------
الأفضل في وجهة نظري
من ثم فان كلا منا
هو شاعر حي
لسنا مجرد شعراء أحياء وحيدين
لكن شعراء ثلاثة ، سبعة شعراء ، أحد عشر شاعراً ،في هذا العلم والعالم الذي يليه
نحن ذوو الحساسية الأشد
في كل زمن مررنا به
الان زمن التذكارات التي نتركها للأرواح الأخرى
تذكارات ينسبها أحد لكل منا
ان لقاءنا هنا سيترك لا محالة مشاهد من رحيل متعدد وموت متجدد
في أماكن شتى ، وليس هنا فحسب
و
يجب أن نحمل على عاتقنا أحيانا بأس ذلك البؤس
لنكتب مرثاة جديدة
انها اسم اخر لأغنية حب ، لزهرة
نعم ! نحن بحاجة للحزن
فلا تزال البحيرة تذكر بحرها القديم
------------------------------
July 15, 2018
"في منتصف الطريق تمامًا
كان هناك كلبان يتواصلان
سلكتُ طريقًا أخرى."
.
"أمام واجهة دكان للتصوير
تقف امرأة عاقر
تحدّق في صورة طفل عمره عام مبتسمة."
.
"لقد جئتُ، يا عزيزتي
وقد انقضى الآن الشتاء ذو البرد القارس
ضحكت مقبرة زوجته في هدوء."
.
"لا تزال البحيرة
حيث كانت
بعد وداع أحدهم."
.
"لو أنّك إنسان، إنسان
أو حيوان، فأنت بالتأكيد مخلوق من طمي
فأصغِ. هل تسمع
خفق النبضات داخل الطمي؟
مرة كل شهر على الأقل، يجب أنْ تتمدد
على الأرض وتنصت
تسمع صوت جدّك يدق مثل جرس
داخل الطمي."
.
"هل كنت يومًا
شخصًا آخر؟."
.
"إنّه أمر حتمي لا شك
فلتأخذ نفسًا عميقًا وحسب
وتقبل تلك المحنة
لكن انظر
يبدو أنّ زائرًا مميزًا يتلطف بالقدوم."
كان هناك كلبان يتواصلان
سلكتُ طريقًا أخرى."
.
"أمام واجهة دكان للتصوير
تقف امرأة عاقر
تحدّق في صورة طفل عمره عام مبتسمة."
.
"لقد جئتُ، يا عزيزتي
وقد انقضى الآن الشتاء ذو البرد القارس
ضحكت مقبرة زوجته في هدوء."
.
"لا تزال البحيرة
حيث كانت
بعد وداع أحدهم."
.
"لو أنّك إنسان، إنسان
أو حيوان، فأنت بالتأكيد مخلوق من طمي
فأصغِ. هل تسمع
خفق النبضات داخل الطمي؟
مرة كل شهر على الأقل، يجب أنْ تتمدد
على الأرض وتنصت
تسمع صوت جدّك يدق مثل جرس
داخل الطمي."
.
"هل كنت يومًا
شخصًا آخر؟."
.
"إنّه أمر حتمي لا شك
فلتأخذ نفسًا عميقًا وحسب
وتقبل تلك المحنة
لكن انظر
يبدو أنّ زائرًا مميزًا يتلطف بالقدوم."
April 23, 2016
يعتبر كو أون من أشهر شعراء العالم والملقب بأمير الشعر الكوري المعاصر ، حيث تُرجمت بعض أعماله إلى 14 لغة ، فقصائده قصيرة وشبيهة بشعر الهايكو ، كما تتناول مواضيع شتّى عن الطبيعة و بوذا والهوية والحرب ، إذ أنه عان الكثير من المآسي أثناء الحرب والإنفصال بين كوريا الجنوبية والشمالية.
September 21, 2025
بعد كل ما قيل ، وتم
لا تزال البحيرة حيث كانت
بعد وداع احدهم
...........
ماذا تظنين أنك فاعلة بهبوطك هكذا
على ظهر يدي، وأنا أكتب رسالة لابنتي؟
أنت أول زائرة في ربيع هذا العام أيتها الفراشة الصفراء...
..........
أمام واجهة دكان التصوير
تقف امرأة عاقر
تحدق في صورة طفل عمره عام مبتسمة
............
يقول البعض انهم يستطيعون ان يستدعوا للذاكرة الف عام
و آخرون يقولون إنهم قد زاروا الالف سنة القادمة
و في يوم كثير الرياح
لا أزال انتظر الحافلة
💚💚💚
لا تزال البحيرة حيث كانت
بعد وداع احدهم
...........
ماذا تظنين أنك فاعلة بهبوطك هكذا
على ظهر يدي، وأنا أكتب رسالة لابنتي؟
أنت أول زائرة في ربيع هذا العام أيتها الفراشة الصفراء...
..........
أمام واجهة دكان التصوير
تقف امرأة عاقر
تحدق في صورة طفل عمره عام مبتسمة
............
يقول البعض انهم يستطيعون ان يستدعوا للذاكرة الف عام
و آخرون يقولون إنهم قد زاروا الالف سنة القادمة
و في يوم كثير الرياح
لا أزال انتظر الحافلة
💚💚💚
December 2, 2021
::انطباع عام::
ترجمة ممتازة وسلسلة. تمنيت لو طال الديوان أكثر من ذلك. القصائد تدور حول الطبيعة والحياة العائلية الكورية. هناك رمزية مستخدمة بعضها مفهوم والبعض الآخر غير مفهوم.
***
::اقتباس::
"أمام واجهة دكان للتصوير
تقف امرأة عاقر
تحدّق في صورة طفل عمره عام مبتسمة."
***
ترجمة ممتازة وسلسلة. تمنيت لو طال الديوان أكثر من ذلك. القصائد تدور حول الطبيعة والحياة العائلية الكورية. هناك رمزية مستخدمة بعضها مفهوم والبعض الآخر غير مفهوم.
***
::اقتباس::
"أمام واجهة دكان للتصوير
تقف امرأة عاقر
تحدّق في صورة طفل عمره عام مبتسمة."
***
Read
May 21, 2018الديوان لا بأس به، من وجهة نظري الدواوين المترجمة تفقد جماليتها ، و روح القصيدة . لذلك تظهر بعدة صور مختلفة عن التي أرادها الشاعر !.
July 29, 2025
#2025
December 11, 2025
-مرّة كلّ شهر على الأقل، يجب ان تتمدد على الأرض وتنصت..
-عائد للوطن؛
عدتُ
حيث تزدهر القمامة
كما تنبت الأزهار.
_ هذا هو العالم الذي اتوّق إليه..
-عائد للوطن؛
عدتُ
حيث تزدهر القمامة
كما تنبت الأزهار.
_ هذا هو العالم الذي اتوّق إليه..
September 8, 2012
هذا الكو اون كان أبسط من اللازم ويصل لدرجة السرد .. أيا كان غرضة الشرعي البوذي هذه ليست مشكلتي .. بالنسبة لي ينقصه أن تركز المعاني .. المقدمة كانت لطيفة جدا بقلم الشاعر والقصيدة 57 كانت الوحيدة التي استوقفتي فعلا .. على العموم تعتبر تجربة شعرية هامة لكاتب ألف مايربو عن ال150 كتاب في شتى مجالات الأدب .. وتبا لأشرف أبو اليزيد الذي أحسن الترجمة وأساء الاختيار
December 20, 2013
لا أعلم إن كان بإمكاني التعديل على وصف الكتاب رغم كوني لم أنشئ وصفه لكني حاولت ولم أستطع. هناك معلومة خاطئة. مترجم الكتاب هو الكوري: د.تشوي جين يونج حامل شهادة الدكتوراة في اللسانيات العربية من جامعة تونس بينما اقتصر دور أ.أشرف أبواليزيد على الإشراف والمراجعة وهو عربي -كما هو واضح من اسمه-حامل للبكالوريوس في الأدب الإنجليزي.
أتمنى تعديل هذه المعلومة في الوصف لأن فيها نسب عمل شخص لشخص آخر
أتمنى تعديل هذه المعلومة في الوصف لأن فيها نسب عمل شخص لشخص آخر
July 28, 2014
This book is a selection from a longer work by Korean poet Ko Un called (in English) Ten Thousand Lives. Several years ago, while living in a Zen monastery, he adopted the wonderfully impossible idea of writing a poem about every person he has ever met. I love the audacity of the goal and I love his poetry, even though I have to read it in translation.
June 2, 2016
أؤيد من أشار إلى أن الأشعار بلغتها الأم تكون أقرب للنفس وأوضح المعاني،
لاسيما وأن المترجم قد يكون أغفل ��وضيح بعض الكلمات أو الإشارة بهامش إلى الأسماء المتعددة للمناطق والأشياء غير المألوفة لدينا في لغتنا/تاريخنا العربي.
60 مقطعاً خفيفاً
جميل
=)
لاسيما وأن المترجم قد يكون أغفل ��وضيح بعض الكلمات أو الإشارة بهامش إلى الأسماء المتعددة للمناطق والأشياء غير المألوفة لدينا في لغتنا/تاريخنا العربي.
60 مقطعاً خفيفاً
جميل
=)
March 28, 2008
Deserves a Nobel on the strength of this book alone, which is still being written (in theory anyway)
October 13, 2012
Excelente muestra de poesía donde lo cotidiano sobresale sobre lo formal.
June 8, 2013
"Ein Tag voll Wind" ist ein netter Einblick in die koreanische Poesie.
January 18, 2015
In each poem there are a couple insightful stories told about diverse fates. However, it is very prosaic and hard to read as poetry.
March 8, 2015
مختلف تماما عن الشعر العربي .. بس حلو انه من الطبيعة ومن الحياة ، عشان كده يمكن الكوريين مرتبطين بالطبيعة
بس بجد مختلف تماما عن الشعر العربي !
ولا يمكن عشان بقراه مترجم !
بس بجد مختلف تماما عن الشعر العربي !
ولا يمكن عشان بقراه مترجم !
August 20, 2016
بعض الرموز تجاوزتني لكن قصائد خفيفة وجميلة.. شعر أشبه بالسرد
June 12, 2020
أعتقدت بأن الترجمة ستقتل روح تلك الأشعار... إلا أنها زادتها جمالًا -في معضمها-.
Read
August 16, 2013مجموعةْ شعرية جميلة جدًا .. تناسبُ صَباحْ يومِ في الحافلةْ ....
October 11, 2020
مختارات من دواوين الشاعر الكوري (كو-أون) ، شعرتُ بأنه أقرب للشعر الهايكو، تأملي، يصفُ الكثير من رموز الثقافة الكورية ومعتقداتهم الدينية، الكلمات ذات اتصال أصيل بالطبيعة: الجبال، الريف، الزهور وأنواعها..
علىٰ عكس ما توقعت، الترجمة لم تفسد العمل الأدبي، بالعكس شعرت بأن الجمل مترابطة و الترجمة جميلة وأعطتني نفس الهدوء الذي من المفترض أن تخلفته كلمات الكاتب الأصلية ..
ـــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــ
" الأغنية التي أنشدتُها
والأغنية التي لم أستطع غناءها
التَقَتا فتصادمَتا فوقِي.
هل هذا أنا ؟
أهرول حاملا ضوء مصباح
هل هذا أنا ؟
أم أن هذا هو الأسف المضيء ؟ "
"وأنا أمرُّ
كانت هناك قريةٌ جبلية
تمنيتُ لو أنني ولدتُ بها
عشبُ ومروج تلك القرية
لصمتِها العميقِ سحر
لكنني دخلت إلى نفق، فقفزت من بين يدي.
نعم، نذرت أن أشغل نفسي مرة أخرىٰ
حتىٰ باقتفاء السحاب في السما. "
"الجميع ينسون شيئا ما.
تتكوم من الماضي
الأشياء المنسية
لتملأ القلب
مثل غبار
يهبّ من سلسلةٍ جبال. "
"شعاعٌ غير مرئي
من ضوء فوق بنفسجي
خلاله
أرى أوهامك الكبرىٰ تضيء
لتصبح زهرة تدعو فراشة.
الأوهام. رحم الإزهار. "
" يضع بكاءه في منتصف الفضاء الفارغ
کسهم مخترق
أُطلق من جانب
نحو الجانبِ الآخر.
ماذا يعنى الفرح
عند قدميّ؟
يسقط البكاء
وألف ميل معا. "
" لا أريد خمرًا
أريد كتبًا ! "
" كان شاعرا لأمد طويل.
الأطفال ينادونه باسم الشاعر
وكذلك تناديه النساء.
بالتأكيد كان شاعرًا
أكثر من أي شخصٍ عرفتهُ
لكنه مات في طريق عودته من أرض بعيدة.
ولم يجدوا في کوخه كلمة شعرٍ واحدة.
أيكون شاعرًا من لم يكتب؟ "
"نحن في بقعة واحدة من الكون ،
أحيانا ما تكون برية مجردة من الرحمة ،
وأحيانا تكونُ رحم الرحمة .
هنا ، كلّ منا
ليس مجرد شاعر، حي، وحيد .
هنا ، نحن الشعراء الأحياء ، تبدل حالنا.
أصبحنا شيئا آخر ، تحولنا إلى وطن غريب.
لا صوت يمر وراء تخوم الانقراض.
تئن أجسادنا حينا تحت الثقل ،
وأحيانا تكون أخف من قلوبنا. "
أرواح الشعراء الموتىٰ
دخلت جسد كلّ منا ،
وهي تطوى أجنحتها ، وتتخذ منا سكنًا ، فنصبح أكثر ثقلا.
أنا أكثر من نفسي
وأنتم أكبر من ذواتكم .
نحن نغنى بلسان العالم ،
بلغة جديدة ابتكرها الشعراء الميتون .
بدأنا وحدنا
ثم أصبحنا معا . فخف متاعنا .
مثل موجات تنفجر عاليا على هيئة كأعمدة ، عملاقة
كدوامة مجنونة
ثم ، في الصباح التالي ، نهدأ مرة أخرى ،
کنوارس خرجت من مخابنها وقد انقضى الفزع ،
فلم تعد ترتعش ،
ومضت تحلق عاليا ، ترسم أجمل الدوائر وأكملها .
مات واحد .
مات شاعر ، همس أحدهم . "
" لسنا مجرد شعراء أحياء وحيدين
وإنما شعراء ثلاثة ، سبعة شعراء ، أحد عشر شاعرا ، في
هذا العالم ، والعالم الذي يليه .
نحن ذوو الحساسية الأرهف ،
في كل زمن عبرناه . "
" سيترك لقاؤنا هنا لا محالة مشاهد من رحيل متعدد وموت متجدد
في أماكن شتى ، وليس هنا فحسب .
هاهنا ! "
" ما أبأس شاعر لم يكتب مرئية !
يجب أن نحمل على عاتقنا أحيانا بأس ذلك الأسى
النكتب مرئية جديدة ،
إنها اسم آخر لأغنية حب . لزهرة .
نعم ! نحن بحاجة إلى الحزن .
فلا تزال البحيرة تذكر بحرها القديم . "
علىٰ عكس ما توقعت، الترجمة لم تفسد العمل الأدبي، بالعكس شعرت بأن الجمل مترابطة و الترجمة جميلة وأعطتني نفس الهدوء الذي من المفترض أن تخلفته كلمات الكاتب الأصلية ..
ـــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــ
" الأغنية التي أنشدتُها
والأغنية التي لم أستطع غناءها
التَقَتا فتصادمَتا فوقِي.
هل هذا أنا ؟
أهرول حاملا ضوء مصباح
هل هذا أنا ؟
أم أن هذا هو الأسف المضيء ؟ "
"وأنا أمرُّ
كانت هناك قريةٌ جبلية
تمنيتُ لو أنني ولدتُ بها
عشبُ ومروج تلك القرية
لصمتِها العميقِ سحر
لكنني دخلت إلى نفق، فقفزت من بين يدي.
نعم، نذرت أن أشغل نفسي مرة أخرىٰ
حتىٰ باقتفاء السحاب في السما. "
"الجميع ينسون شيئا ما.
تتكوم من الماضي
الأشياء المنسية
لتملأ القلب
مثل غبار
يهبّ من سلسلةٍ جبال. "
"شعاعٌ غير مرئي
من ضوء فوق بنفسجي
خلاله
أرى أوهامك الكبرىٰ تضيء
لتصبح زهرة تدعو فراشة.
الأوهام. رحم الإزهار. "
" يضع بكاءه في منتصف الفضاء الفارغ
کسهم مخترق
أُطلق من جانب
نحو الجانبِ الآخر.
ماذا يعنى الفرح
عند قدميّ؟
يسقط البكاء
وألف ميل معا. "
" لا أريد خمرًا
أريد كتبًا ! "
" كان شاعرا لأمد طويل.
الأطفال ينادونه باسم الشاعر
وكذلك تناديه النساء.
بالتأكيد كان شاعرًا
أكثر من أي شخصٍ عرفتهُ
لكنه مات في طريق عودته من أرض بعيدة.
ولم يجدوا في کوخه كلمة شعرٍ واحدة.
أيكون شاعرًا من لم يكتب؟ "
"نحن في بقعة واحدة من الكون ،
أحيانا ما تكون برية مجردة من الرحمة ،
وأحيانا تكونُ رحم الرحمة .
هنا ، كلّ منا
ليس مجرد شاعر، حي، وحيد .
هنا ، نحن الشعراء الأحياء ، تبدل حالنا.
أصبحنا شيئا آخر ، تحولنا إلى وطن غريب.
لا صوت يمر وراء تخوم الانقراض.
تئن أجسادنا حينا تحت الثقل ،
وأحيانا تكون أخف من قلوبنا. "
أرواح الشعراء الموتىٰ
دخلت جسد كلّ منا ،
وهي تطوى أجنحتها ، وتتخذ منا سكنًا ، فنصبح أكثر ثقلا.
أنا أكثر من نفسي
وأنتم أكبر من ذواتكم .
نحن نغنى بلسان العالم ،
بلغة جديدة ابتكرها الشعراء الميتون .
بدأنا وحدنا
ثم أصبحنا معا . فخف متاعنا .
مثل موجات تنفجر عاليا على هيئة كأعمدة ، عملاقة
كدوامة مجنونة
ثم ، في الصباح التالي ، نهدأ مرة أخرى ،
کنوارس خرجت من مخابنها وقد انقضى الفزع ،
فلم تعد ترتعش ،
ومضت تحلق عاليا ، ترسم أجمل الدوائر وأكملها .
مات واحد .
مات شاعر ، همس أحدهم . "
" لسنا مجرد شعراء أحياء وحيدين
وإنما شعراء ثلاثة ، سبعة شعراء ، أحد عشر شاعرا ، في
هذا العالم ، والعالم الذي يليه .
نحن ذوو الحساسية الأرهف ،
في كل زمن عبرناه . "
" سيترك لقاؤنا هنا لا محالة مشاهد من رحيل متعدد وموت متجدد
في أماكن شتى ، وليس هنا فحسب .
هاهنا ! "
" ما أبأس شاعر لم يكتب مرئية !
يجب أن نحمل على عاتقنا أحيانا بأس ذلك الأسى
النكتب مرئية جديدة ،
إنها اسم آخر لأغنية حب . لزهرة .
نعم ! نحن بحاجة إلى الحزن .
فلا تزال البحيرة تذكر بحرها القديم . "
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