Kim Ch'un-Su is one of the most original poets in modern Korean poetry. He was influenced by Rilke for a while, but embarked on a series of his own poetic experiments culminating in what he calls "the poetry of meaning." An avowed purist, he would not believe in ideas, ideologies, or even history. His poems, in consequence, tend to present only moments of vivid sensations and fantasies refracted through his consciousness. The translator, Kim Jong-Gil, has won the Modern Korean Literature Translation Award and the Poetry Prize in Korea.

Translated by: Jong-Gil Kim