Poem By Kang Byeong - Cheol (Prepared Angela Kosta)
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KANG BYEONG - CHEOL (SOUTH KOREA)
Kang Byeong-Cheol is a Korean writer, poet, translator, PhD in Political Science.
Born in Jeju city of South Korea in 1964. He started writing in 1993, publishing his first short story, “Song of Shuba,” at the age of twenty-nine.
He published a collection of short stories in 2005. He won 4 Literature awards and published more than 8 books.
He was a member of The Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC) of PEN International (2009-2014).
He was an editorial writer of JeminIlbo Which is a News Paper in Jeju City, Korea.
He is Vice President of The Korean Institute for Peace and Cooperation.
CASABLANCA SEA NEVER SLEEPS
A Korean tourist stands, lost in thought.
When the sea in Casablanca is calm,
What happens when it sleeps?
Seagulls must leave for the sea of life,
Creatures cannot survive in a sea without wave.
The flock of pigeons in Plaza Casablanca takes to the sky,
While the shadow of death over the sea lies.
All things whisper in fear,
They say it is dangerous to move and force you to remain near.
Everyone craves a break, unable to hide their weary minds,
Living as a Korean is like walking against the winds.
A country does not grow without the sacrifice of one generation,
When a grain of wheat sprouts, it signifies pain’s duration.
Koreans always endure today for tomorrow's salvation.
To sprout is to embrace pain,
If you avoid pain, you gain nothing but a stain.
By overcoming difficulties, we rise,
Politicians whisper sweet nothings, telling lies,
Tempting you to eat the marshmallow before your eyes.
But we always remember:
The sea moves ceaselessly, a relentless ember.
To live means to endure and strive,
In the beginning, the sea first came alive.
In the waves, life was conceived,
The sacrifice of one generation creates the prosperity of the next, believed.
In this way, the back wave of the sea pushes the front wave,
And the waves will carry the hope of a new generation, brave.
Prepared Angela Kosta Academic, journalist, writer, poet, essayist, literary critic, editor, translator
