Vietnam Veteran Who Deserves Thunderous Applause I have been on good terms with Mr. Koh, Jae-mok, a Vietnam veteran for last 20 years. He served in the cavalry regiment under the ROK’s Tiger infantry division in early 1970s. He participated in various operations as an English interpreter during his Vietnam tour. What is more, he has worked as a co-webmaster together with me for the website of www.rokfv.com since 2008. Today (January 11, 2022) a parcel post was delivered to me, which was confirmed to have been shipped by Mr. Koh. The parcel contained a monthly magazine namely ‘Sim Sang’, one of the most prestigious poetry publications in South Korea. I was, hands down, extremely delighted to discover that Mr. Koh has received the Rookie of the year (2021) award from the notable magazine Mr. Koh majored in architectural engineering at a prestigious university and contributed himself to the construction industry at home and abroad for decades. Nonetheless, he is known to have been lost in the poetry literature by writing hundreds of poems. The magazine’ Sim Sang’ has introduced five poems Mr. Koh wrote in the issue of December, 2021. I am pleased to introduce one of his masterpieces here with a translated version done in an effort to help our foreign veterans for the brief understanding of the poem.
아배따라
아배, 낙동강 은어가 남천에 올랐니더 초망 들고 쫄망태 들고 아배 따라 나선다
맑은 물살에 금줄 친 은어 떼가 휘번득인다
아배는 초망을 사려 양팔에 걸고 은어떼 한 복판을 힘차게 관통 한다
초망 한 가득 수박냄새 나는 은어가 걸리고 아배는 크게 웃는다
‘야야 목아! 세상에 이런 횡재가 어디있노! 한 번 투망에 고기가 이래 마이 걸리 보기는 생전 처음이데이‘
아배의 웃음이 어찌나 컸던지!
웃음은 그게 처음이고 또 마지막 이었다
주말인 일요일마다 봄부터 가을까지 10여년간을 공무원인 아배는 맏아들을 앞세우고 천렵을 하셨다
아배 가신 후 어디 천변을 보면 노상 아배의 그 웃음이 그립다
알음풀린 강물에 고기떼를 볼 때마다 나는 아배가 그립다.
Catching fish with daddy (translated by Jae-sung Chung) Daddy, Sweet fishes have returned to the Namcheon brook from the Nakdong river Lifting a fishing net and a mesh bag I followed my dad A large school of sweet fish having gold stripes is flashing in the clear current Daddy approaches the brook putting the fishing net on his shoulder And powerfully cast the net into the center of the school of the sweet fish Soon the fish net is filled with full of the sweet fishes smelling like watermelon And my daddy laughs aloud 'Hey my son, Mok! what a bonanza this is! I've never had this kind of luck ever in my life even by a single casting' My daddy's laughing was so big and loud! It was his first and last laughing I could hear My daddy was a public servant He, however, had taken me, his first kid, to the brook every Sunday for more than 10 years Looking at the brook, I've always dearly missed my daddy's laughing since he left
Every time I see the school of fish in the ice free river, I've always missed my daddy so badly
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