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Poetry

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  2. Poetry

"Ha… No Shadows" by Kim Soo-young

by Kim Soo-young June 2, 2015

Kim Su-Young

Kim Su-Young (1921–1968) is one of the most exceptional poets of modern Korea. He mainly wrote participatory poetry that emphasized the criticism of reality and the spirit of resistance. He died from an accident when he was forty-seven, after which the Kim Su-Young Literary Award was instated in his honor. Mischief of Moon Country is his only collection published during his lifetime, although he left behind over 300 poems. Collections of his poems have been translated into French, Spanish, and German.

Our enemies are nothing to look at.

Our enemies do not look fierce like Kirk Douglas

or Richard Widmark.

They are not in the least fierce villains,

they are even virtuous.

They disguise themselves as democrats,

they term themselves good citizens,

they term themselves the people’s choice,

they term themselves company employees,

they ride in trams, they ride in cars,

they go into restaurants,

they drink, they laugh, they gossip,

their faces express sympathy, sincerity,

they do their work quickly, say they’re busy,

write texts, keep accounts,

they’re in the countryside, by the seaside,

in Seoul, they take walks,

go to movies,

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