Poet Jeong Ho-seung: "Loneliness is Human Nature... Don't Question 'Why'"

Announcement of the Poetry and Prose Collection 'Oerowodo Oeropji Anhta' Featuring Poems and Background Stories... Aimed to Help Those Who Find Poetry Difficult

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] Poet Jeong Ho-seung embarked on a pilgrimage trip to the four major Buddhist sacred sites in northern India with nearly 2,000 friends around the year 2000. Expecting grand architecture, he visited Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha. He was disappointed. Lumbini was in the middle of a barren field, and the Maya Devi Temple, surrounded by barbed wire, was small and shabby. An old woman was selling palm-sized Buddha pilgrimage souvenirs made of clay in front of the temple gate. The poet bought a souvenir as a consolation and placed it on his desk. He wanted to find comfort by looking at it. However, he worried that if he accidentally dropped the Buddha on the floor, it might shatter into pieces.

One restless day, the Buddha appeared in the poet’s poetic imagination and gave him a playful knock on the head. With the enlightenment he gained then, the poet wrote the poem "Shattered." "If it shatters into pieces / You can gain pieces / If it shatters into pieces / You can live with pieces."

Poet Jeong Ho-seung introduces "Shattered" as the first poem in his poetry and prose collection Lonely but Not Alone (Bichae). Lonely but Not Alone is a book that contains both poetry and prose. Recently, a press conference was held at the Francisco Education Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, to commemorate the publication of Lonely but Not Alone.

The poet debuted in 1972 and has published over 1,000 poems and 13 poetry collections to date. He carefully selected 60 poems for this book and explained the stories behind writing those poems in prose. Having published many prose collections, this is the first time the poet has released a book containing both poetry and prose. He said, "It is a prose collection with poetry and a poetry collection with prose."

"Until now, poems were compiled as poetry collections, and the reasons or stories behind writing the poems were separately compiled as prose collections. At some point, I felt that poetry and prose, though separate genres, are like soul and body?one entity. They are united under the name of literature. I thought it would be good to combine the reasons for writing poems with the poems themselves, so I published this book."

Poet Jeong Ho-seung is answering reporters' questions at a press conference commemorating the publication of 'Lonely but Not Alone' held at the Francisco Education Center on the 10th.
Photo by Kim Young-sa

This is also a consideration for those who find poetry difficult. "These days, many people think poetry is difficult and hard to understand, viewing it negatively. I thought that serving the background of the poems and the poems together on one table might help with understanding."

The title Lonely but Not Alone comes from the poet’s representative poem "To the Narcissus," which sings "Because I am lonely, I am human." The poet introduces "To the Narcissus" as the second poem in the book. The prose explaining the reason for writing "To the Narcissus" ends with the sentence, "I am always lonely but not alone."

"Whether young or old, people experience difficulty enduring loneliness. I am no different. In fact, humans are essentially lonely beings. Loneliness is human essence, and I thought it was problematic to question the 'why' of that essence. Just as hunger exists if you don’t eat, death and loneliness exist because we are human. We must accept and understand loneliness as an essence. Thinking of it as essence allows us to endure pain and loneliness. Though lonely, by understanding it, we become not lonely. That is what I wanted to say. I wanted to share through this book the affirmation of loneliness through understanding."

Lonely but Not Alone is also a book commemorating the poet’s 불유구 (不有懼, 70th birthday).

"Without realizing it, I have already turned seventy this year. I published a poetry collection at the beginning of the year, and now near the end of the year, I am publishing a prose collection commemorating my seventieth birthday. Celebrating one’s physical age is precious. Since humans do not live forever, I thought it is good to organize and settle things positively."

The poet put his life into the book. He included about 20 cherished photographs. He also looked back on the 1970s when he debuted.

"The 1970s was a socially and politically dark and painful era. In my twenties, I thought I was writing poetry to wipe away the tears of that era. Now, I believe society and this era are constantly changing, developing, and moving in a more desirable direction. Ultimately, even after I die, people who will wipe away the tears of this era will continuously be born. Now, I think I write poetry to wipe away my own tears. If the poems I write to wipe away my existence’s tears can also wipe away others’ tears, I could ask for nothing more."

The poet said that he was able to exist as a poet because "poetry loved me," and he hopes the word "poet" will definitely be included on his epitaph.

The poet said that only half of the prose work was included in this book and that the remaining manuscript, equivalent to another volume, will be published through Bichae at an appropriate opportunity.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.