죽은 이는 죽었으나 산 이는 또 살았으므로
불을 피운다 동짓달 한복판
잔가지는 빨리 붙어 잠깐 불타고
굵은 것은 오래 타지만 늦게 붙는다
마른 잎들은 여럿이 모여 화르르 타오르고
큰 나무는 외로이 혼자서 탄다
묵묵히 솟아오른 봉분
가슴에 박힌 못만 같아서
서성거리고 서성거리고 그러나
다만 서성거릴 뿐
불 꺼진 뒤의 새삼스런 허전함이여
용서하라
빈 호주머니만 자꾸 뒤지는 것을
차가운 땅에 그대를 혼자 묻고
그 곁에서 불을 피우고
그 곁에서 바람에 옷깃 여미고
용서하라
우리만 산을 내려가는 것을
우리만 돌아가는 것을
Kim Sa-in (b. 1955) was born in Boeun, North Chungcheong Province and studied Korean Literature in Seoul National University. He has published two volumes of poetry, Letter Written at Night (1987) and Quietly Liking (2006). His early poems were marked by the yearning for democracy and justice in the face of social injustice, and his recent poems strive for lyrical depth through compassion and sympathy with the world. He is the recipient of Hyundae Literary Award (2005) and Daesan Literary Award (2006) and now teaches creative writing at Dongduk Women’s University. As for him, writing poetry is to question things tirelessly and the poet is not just a questioner but also the person who tries to answer the questions and put the answers into practice.
