LOVE SONG OF A BUTTERFLY
나비의 연가
이해인
가르쳐 주시지 않아도
처음부터 알았습니다
나는 당신을 향해 날으는
한 마리 순한 나비인 것을
가볍게 춤추는 나에게도
슬픔의 노란 가루가
남몰래 묻어 있음을 알았습니다
눈멀 듯 부신 햇살에
차라리 날개를 접고 싶은
황홀한 은총으로 살아온 나날
빛나는 하늘이
훨훨 날으는
나의 것임을 알았습니다
행복은 가난한 마음임을 가르치는
풀잎들의 합창
수없는 들꽃에게 웃음 가르치며
나는 조용히 타버릴
당신의 나비입니다
부디 꿈꾸며 살게 해 주십시오
버려진 꽃들을 잊지 않게 하십시오
들릴 듯 말 듯한 나의 숨결은
당신께 바쳐지는
무언의 기도
당신을 향한
맨 처음의 사랑
不忘의 나비입니다, 나는
Love Song of a Butterfly
(translated by Jesse Lee, my good friend, with minor adaptations from me)
Hae-In Lee
Even if you don't teach me,
I knew it from the beginning
that I'm a gentle butterfly
flying towards you.
Even as I dance lightly,
I found out that yellow powder of sorrow
was on me.
In the blinding sunlight,
the days I have lived with the enchanting grace
of even wanting to fold my wings,
I knew that
the shining sky was mine,
flying freely.
Blades of grass sing in the chorus teach
happiness is poor in heart.
While teaching countless wildflowers to laugh,
I am your butterfly that will quietly burn.
Please let me live with a dream,
and don't let me forget the abandoned flowers.
My barely audible breath
is a silent prayer
dedicated to you
The first love towards you,
an unforgettable butterfly,
I am.
Lee Hae-in, a beloved Catholic nun, is a prolific poet and essayist in Korea. As I write before Christmas this year, I can’t help but ponder the meaning of Christmas and why and how Jesus came and walked among us. The first few times I read the poem, I equated myself to the butterfly. Today, in my reflection, I imagined Jesus as the butterfly. And I was once the abandoned wildflower Jesus came to restore laughter and meaning to my existence.
Jesus’ last barely audible breath on the cross was a silent prayer for all creation. While on earth, Jesus embodied the sweet sorrow, lived his life in the blinding sunlight and under the enchanting grace, and learned and taught to fly in freedom. He spoke about the poor in heart would belong in the kingdom of heaven. He taught countless wildflowers to laugh and I am one of them.
I in turn am called to fly in freedom and grace, teach other wildflowers to laugh, and not forget the abandoned and overlooked flowers within my reach. All the while being reminded of the first love and I as the unforgettable and unforgotten one. . .