밥알
갓 지어낼 적엔
서로에게 끈적이던
사랑이더니 평등이더니
찬밥되어 물에 말리니
서로 흩어져서
끈기도 잃고
제 몸만 불리는구나
Grains of Rice
Immediately after being cooked,
They stick to each other.
They are love and equality.
As they steep in water after being cooled,
They separate,
Lose their stickiness,
And grow fat individually.
이재무 1958년생 시인, 대학 교수, [슬픔에게 무릎을 꿇다] 외 다수
Translator : 전승희 Seung-Hee Jeon
(literary critic and translator, editor of Asia: A Magazine of Asian Literature)