Heo Hyung-man (poem)
Moderator 
Poet Heo Hyung-man
Poet Dr. Heo Hyung-man was born in 1945 in Suncheon, Jeollanam-do, South Korea. He made his literary debut in 1973 through the literary magazine Wolgan Munhak (Monthly Literature). He has published 20 poetry collections, including Eyes of the Soul, Ecstasy, Wind Sword, and Encounter. His works have also been published abroad, including the Chinese poetry collection 許炯万詩賞析 and the Japanese poetry collection 耳な葬る.
He has received numerous literary honors, such as the Korean Poets Association Award, the Yeongrang Poetry Literature Award, the Pyeonun Literature Award, and the Gongcho Literature Award.
He is currently an Emeritus Professor at Mokpo National University.
Walking Through a Winter Field
Before drawing near,
it seems to have nothing,
as though it could grow nothing at all-
walking through a winter field
When I endured the biting edge of the wind
long enough to face it fully,
I came instead to feel a deeper warmth.
Scattered flakes of snow, not yet fully melted,
toss and turn, dreaming of sinking into the embrace of the earth.
Between the ridges of rice paddies and fields,
short, fresh green grasses gather close together,
waiting for the sunlight that slowly approaches.
Beneath my shoes, the clinging, muddy soil
felt as heavy as the burden of life,
yet here I sensed that every pain we know
was resting in quiet ease.
Walking through a winter field,
whether it is the field or a human life,
without ever truly drawing near,
I will no longer carelessly say
that it has nothing,
that it can grow nothing.
(Selected as a “Best Gwanghwamun Message Board Post” by citizens; included in the National Academic Achievement Test for first-year high school students.)
겨울 들판을 거닐며
가까이 다가서기 전에는
아무것도 가진 것 없어 보이는
아무것도 피울 수 없을 것처럼 보이는
겨울 들판을 거닐며
매운바람 끝자락도 맞을 만치 맞으면
오히려 더욱 따사로움을 알았다
듬성듬성 아직은 덜 녹은 눈발이
땅의 품 안으로 녹아들기를 꿈꾸며 뒤척이고
논두렁 밭두렁 사이사이
초록빛 싱싱한 키 작은 들풀 또한 고만고만 모여 앉아
저만치 밀려오는 햇살을 기다리고 있었다
신발 아래 질척거리며 달라붙는
흙의 무게가 삶의 무게만큼 힘겨웠지만
여기서만은 우리가 알고 있는
아픔이란 아픔은 모두 편히 쉬고 있음도 알았다
겨울 들판을 거닐며
겨울 들판이나 사람이나
가까이 다가서지도 않으면서
아무것도 가진 것 없을 거라고
아무것도 키울 수 없을 거라고
함부로 말하지 않기로 했다
(*시민이 뽑은 BEST 광화문 글판 선정, 전국 고등학교 1학년 학력평가고사 출제)
