“River” by Hwang In-Sook

Hwang In-Sook
Hwang In-Sook

Don’t open up to me about
how lonely you are, how burdened you are,
how much you want to go crazy, how sane you are,

about the bugs in your heart, the moths in your wardrobe,
the cobwebs in your dresser, the unraveling of clothing.
Don’t splash me with saliva or with blood
about being dragged about unwillingly by life, about deep pain,
about a head near splitting, about shame,
about a shabby figure that has made, makes, and will make you laugh.
Instead, go to the river bank and speak.
You, go straight to the river
and speak.

And on its banks,
let’s not look into each other’s eyes.



당신이 얼마나 외로운지, 얼마나 괴로운지,
미쳐버리고 싶은지 미쳐지지 않는지
나한테 토로하지 말라
심장의 벌레에 대해 옷장의 나방에 대해
찬장의 거미줄에 대해 터지는 복장에 대해
나한테 침도 피도 튀기지 말라
인생의 어깃장에 대해 저미는 애간장에 대해
빠개질 것 같은 머리에 대해 치사함에 대해
웃겼고, 웃기고, 웃길 몰골에 대해
차라리 강에 가서 말하라
당신이 직접
강에 가서 말하란 말이다

강가에서는 우리
눈도 마주치지 말자.


The second and third lines of the poem are a direct quote from the serialized story “Wanting to Go Insane, Being Sane” (미쳐버리고 싶은, 미치지 않는) by Yi In-Seong which was published in the journal Literature and Society (문학과사회).

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