My favorite Korean poem!, '서시'

I am so glad to introduce my favorite poem to you. First, let me explain about Korean history a little. Korea has a five-thousand-year history and culture. But Korea was once a colony of Japan from 1910 to 1945. So we lost everything. Even worse, was that Korean people weren't allowed to write in Korean alphabets, 한글 and we were forced to speak Japanese, too. For this reason, most writers secretly wrote writings that contained their desire of Korea's independence. Aside from this, they also couldn't express their wishes directly during the dark literary ages. So their poems were written by various figurative locutions. Have you ever heard about a poet, Yun Dong Joo? His poems are very popular and some of them are introduced in Korean textbooks even now. He was born on December 30, 1917. He wrote a poem, 서시 on November 20, 1941 when he was 25 years old. Later he was imprisoned for being involved in the anti-Japanese movement in July of 1943. He died as a result of the deterioration of his health because of a medical experiment performed on his living body on February 16, 1945. 윤동주 showed his own thoughts in this poem. In reality he was caught between his practical ego and his ideal ego. His practical ego wanted to escape from reality but his ideal ego wanted to fight with reality. He was also ashamed of his appearance, which allowed him to write poems easily. At last, from 서시, he expressed his resolution that he would live affirmatively against reality. May I look up into the heavens until the day I die Without a bit of shame From even the wind rustling the leaves I have suffered. With the heart singing the stars I shall love all that is to die And the path given me I shall walk Tonight also, the stars are touched by the wind ***** 죽는 날까지 하늘을 우러러 / 한 점 부끄럼이 없기를 / 잎새에 이는 바람 에도 / 나는 괴로워했다. / 별을 노래하는 마음 으로​ / ​모든 죽어 가는 것을 사랑해야지. / 그리고 나한테 주어진 길 을 / 걸어가야겠다. / 오늘 밤에도 별이 바람에 스치운다. [출처] 서시|작성자 전설