While Listening to Louise Glück Read Her Poetry
Borrowing the voices of flowers and birds
to convey the pain, the rapture,
and the unfamiliar gaze contained in poetry—
from what depth of human being
does such a gift arise?For the human voice and tears
to descend into those roots
and turn into fossils—
at what point within human existence
does such a thing become possible?Amid the suffocating concrete of midwinter,
your artistic spirit, which brings forth
the radiant blossoms of poetry,
is both admirable and astonishing.With your calm and measured voice,
you summon flowers and birds,
the Milky Way and figures from myth,
into the enchanted courtyard of the village.And I can only marvel
at your extraordinary poetic craft,
unfolding the history of pain, ecstasy, and mystery
through your unadorned voice.
꽃이나 새의 입을 빌려
시에 담긴 고통과 희열과 낯선 응시를
전달하는 일은
사람의 존재 어디쯤에서
가능한 일일까?
사람의 목청과 눈물이
그 뿌리로 내려가
화석이 되는 일은
사람의 존재 어디쯤에서 가능한 일일까?
한겨울 콘크리트 질식 속에서
빛나는 시의 꽃을 피워내는
당신의 예술혼이 장하고 놀랍다.
당신의 담담한 목소리로
꽃과 새와 은하수, 신화의 인물들을
마을의 신들린 마당에 불러오기도 하고,
고통과 희열과 신비의 역사를
꾸밈없는 당신의 목소리로
풀어내는 놀라운 시적 기술에 감탄할 뿐이다.<문학의 창> 26년 여름호에 수록
Included in the Summer 2026 issue of Window of Literature
Chang Soo Ko
Poet Chang Soo Ko was born in Korea in 1934 and earned a Doctorate in Literature from Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul. He made his literary debut in 1966 when his poetry was published in the magazine Poetry Monthly. A career diplomat, he served his country as Consul General in Seattle, Washington, USA, and later as Ambassador to Ethiopia and Pakistan.
His poems, both in Korean and in English translation, have appeared in numerous Korean and international literary magazines and anthologies, including World Poetry (W. W. Norton), ViewPoint 11 (Pearson Education Canada), and Curious Cats (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York).
Throughout his distinguished literary career, Ko has received many prestigious honors, including the Poetry Prize and the PEN Korea Translation Prize in South Korea, as well as the Grand Prize at the Lucian Blaga International Poetry Festival.
In addition to his diplomatic service, he has devoted himself to introducing Korean literature to a wider international audience. He has published original poems in English and translated Korean poetry for publication in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, thereby making a significant contribution to the global appreciation of Korean literature.
