[One Sip of a Book] A 74-Year-Old Senior Who Learned Hangul 6 Years Ago's Poem

Some sentences encapsulate the entire content of a book, while others instantly reach the reader's heart, creating a connection with the book. We introduce such meaningful sentences excerpted from books. - Editor's note

This year, a seventy-four-year-old elder published a poetry collection. The protagonist is Mrs. Jo Nam-ye, who lives in Cheonan. Having learned Hangul only six years ago, she expressed the poetic inspirations gathered throughout her life since her youth. Beyond the sorrow of illiteracy, the insight that a loved person becomes beautiful, and the love for family as a mother are all blended evenly, making this poetry collection bring a smile to the lips and tears to the eyes as you read.

Writing my name

I cried with joy

When going to school

I laughed with happiness

I can now write all

the names of my children and grandchildren

It was my wish

From "On the Way to School"

Playing with neighborhood friends

Yeonsun didn't go to school either

Yeonsun bit my arm

I bit back harder

Yeonsun and my older sister chased me

I had no one to back me up

I didn't go to school

but I was living from eight to nine years old

From "Only the Village Chief's Daughter Went to School"

I remember when I lived in Ganggyeong as a child

staying at my aunt's house

I had to fetch water

It was one of my tasks

I was small and young

carrying a water jar, walking ten ri there

and ten ri back

Even though it was hard, it was my task

I had to do it because I had to live

Because my mother was not by my side

From "My Hard Life"

People Keep Becoming More Beautiful | Jo Nam-ye & Kim Seung-il | Bookcroo | 82 pages | 11,000 KRW

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