Tony's Web
Lake, Lake Surface
(호수, 호면)
| poem by | Jeong Ji-yong (정지용) | |
|---|---|---|
| year of publication | 1935 | |
| poetry collection | Jeong Ji-yong Poetry Book (정지용 시집), 1935 |
| 호수 1 | Lake 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| 얼굴 하나야 | The face may be | |
| 손바닥 둘로 | easily covered | |
| 폭 가리지만, | by the two hands, | |
| 보고 싶은 마음 | but with a yearning | |
| 호수만 하니 | as big as a lake, | |
| 눈 감을 밖에. | I must close eyes. |
| 호수 1 |
|---|
| 얼굴 하나야 |
| 손바닥 둘로 |
| 폭 가리지만, |
| 보고 싶은 마음 |
| 호수만 하니 |
| 눈 감을 밖에. |
| Lake 1 |
|---|
| The face may be |
| easily covered |
| by the two hands, |
| but with a yearning |
| as big as a lake, |
| I must close eyes. |
Jeong Ji-yong also wrote poems for children, although these works are not exactly intended for children except Ttaleh (딸레) perhaps. Here we have four of lighthearted his more lighthearted yet sparkling gems he included in his first poetry collection.
Lake 1 (호수 1) is one of his best known works in this class. Written in curt lines, with no more than two or three words bristling with the cute and innocent ways a little girl might have, it is such an effective work which seems to make every word come alive. A young mind is so overwhelmed with her seemingly boundless longing that she just have to close her eyes.
Lake 2 (호수 2) is similarly minimalistic, one difference being that it tries to be humorous too, giving free rein to wild imagination on seeing the slender, curvy necks of the ducks floating on a lake.
Lake Surface follows in line, with the same sensuous use of words in depicting the ever so subtle perturbance of a serene lake. Little things like a hand clap and a goose moving on the surace are amplified into a vivid world of their own.
