A Midsummer Dream Returned

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A Midsummer Dream Returned

I
keep the coals of July within my palms,
their hush of heat reminding me
that embers can glow again
after ash has named them dead.

II
Ten summers slipped like silver minnows—
I reached and missed, reached and missed,
until the river taught me stillness,
taught me to kneel and let the water deliver
what haste could never hold.

III
Tonight I walk the quiet length of moonlit air,
no drum of urgency in my chest—
only the patient swing of constellations
and the low hum of my own pulse
threading time back through its loom.

IV
So I dream without clenching my fists,
for dreams are seeds that dislike tight soil;
I plant them lightly, breathe once, step away—
knowing dawn will test them,
knowing some will live,
and that is enough.

English 

I wrote the poem in four short movements to mirror the passage of a decade (“Ten summers”) and to capture a shift from restless striving to composed acceptance.

  • Imagery: “coals of July” and “silver minnows” contrast enduring warmth with fleeting time.

  • Tone: The first-person voice begins reflective, edges toward regret, then settles into calm resolve—echoing the prompt’s call for urgency without desperation.

  • Form: Free verse allows the rhythm to slow gradually; longer lines in stanza III imitate measured breathing on a night walk.

  • Symbols: Embers, river, and seeds each mark a stage—rekindling, surrender, quiet cultivation—guiding the reader from loss to renewed opportunity.

되돌아온 한여름의 꿈

I
나는 손바닥에 칠월의 숯불을 담아 둡니다.
재가 죽음이라 속삭인 후에도
숯은 다시 빛날 수 있음을
작은 열기로 기억합니다.

II
열 해의 여름이 은빛 피라미처럼 흘러가고—
잡으려다 놓치고, 또 놓치다 보니
강은 내게 ‘고요’를 가르쳤습니다.
물을 붙들지 않고 무릎 꿇을 때만
허둥대던 손에 선물이 쌓인다는 것을.

III
오늘 밤 달빛 흐르는 공기를 천천히 걷습니다.
가슴에 긴급의 북소리는 없고,
별자리의 느긋한 흔들림과
나직이 울리는 맥박만이
시간을 베틀로 천천히 되잇습니다.

IV
그래서 나는 주먹을 쥐지 않은 채 꿈을 꿉니다.
꿈은 단단한 흙을 싫어하니까요.
가볍게 심고, 한 번 숨을 고르고, 물러섭니다—
새벽이 그것을 시험해 보겠지만,
어떤 것은 살아남겠지요.
그것이면 충분합니다.

해설

시의 네 부분을 그대로 살려 흐름을 유지했습니다.

  • 어휘 선택: “coals”의 잔열을 “숯불”로, “silver minnows”의 민첩함을 “은빛 피라미”로 옮겨 계절감과 속도감을 지켰습니다.

  • 운율: 원문의 긴 호흡을 반영하려고 2-3행씩 끊어 읽는 리듬을 넣었습니다.

  • 뉘앙스: “I keep”의 능동적 지속성을 “담아 둡니다”로, “no drum of urgency”의 평정을 “긴급의 북소리는 없고”로 번역해 절박하지 않으되 평정한 태도를 강조했습니다.

  • 상징 해석: 숯불-강-별-꿈의 순서가 ‘다시 피움-수용-관조-경작’이라는 변화를 드러내므로, 번역에서도 같은 상징 구조를 유지해 여운을 살렸습니다.

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