FŪDO 076 · 1983 · Middle Jeju · poem

The Departing Boat

떠나가는 배

Basic information

Identifier	FŪDO 076
Title	The Departing Boat떠나가는 배
Date	1983

Short commentary

Consolation does not erase sorrow; it remains quietly beside it.

Artwork text · poem

Text by Byun Joung Hoon

The horse has been left alone,
yet beneath its feet
a black shadow stays with it.
The sun does not return
the one it could not hold.
It only lays a shadow
in that empty place.
On days when longing is too deep
to bear alone,
the sun, without a word,
sets beside the horse a shape
that moves with it.
And so the horse,
even after the boat has vanished,
is not entirely alone.
Consolation
is not the erasing of sorrow,
but quietly remaining
beside that sorrow.
The sky knows this, too.
So it does not take the shadow away.