Another Home
(또 다른 고향)

poem by
Yun Dong-ju (윤동주)
year written
1941
poetry collection
Sky, Wind, Stars, and Poetry
(하늘과 바람과 별과 시)
, 1948
또 다른 고향
Another Home

고향에 돌아온 날 밤에
The night of the day I returned home
내 백골이 따라와 한 방에 누웠다.
my white skeleton followed and lay in the same room.

어둔 방은 우주로 통하고
The dark room is connected to the universe
하늘에선가 소리처럼 바람이 불어온다
and the wind blows like a chant from somewhere in the sky.

어둠 속에서 곱게 풍화작용하는
Looking closely at the skeleton
백골을 들여다 보며
being silently eroded by the wind in the dark,
눈물 짓는 것이 내가 우는 것이냐
I wonder if it is me or the skeleton
백골이 우는 것이냐
or my beautiful soul
아름다운 혼이 우는 것이냐.
that is shedding tears there.

지조 높은 개는
The dog of a noble spirit
밤을 새워 어둠을 짖는다.
barks at the darkness through the night.

어둠을 짖는 개는
The dog barking at the darkness
나를 쫓는 것일 게다.
must be chasing after me.

가자 가자
Let's go now.
쫓기우는 사람처럼 가자.
Let's go like a fugitive being chased
백골 몰래 아름다운 또 다른 고향에 가자.
to another beautiful home while the skeleton is not looking.
또 다른 고향

고향에 돌아온 날 밤에
내 백골이 따라와 한 방에 누웠다.

어둔 방은 우주로 통하고
하늘에선가 소리처럼 바람이 불어온다

어둠 속에서 곱게 풍화작용하는
백골을 들여다 보며
눈물 짓는 것이 내가 우는 것이냐
백골이 우는 것이냐
아름다운 혼이 우는 것이냐.

지조 높은 개는
밤을 새워 어둠을 짖는다.

어둠을 짖는 개는
나를 쫓는 것일 게다.

가자 가자
쫓기우는 사람처럼 가자.
백골 몰래 아름다운 또 다른 고향에 가자.

Another Home

The night of the day I returned home
my white skeleton followed and lay in the same room.

The dark room is connected to the universe
and the wind blows like a chant from somewhere in the sky.

Looking closely at the skeleton
being silently eroded by the wind in the dark,
I wonder if it is me or the skeleton
or my beautiful soul
that is shedding tears there.

The dog of a noble spirit
barks at the darkness through the night.

The dog barking at the darkness
must be chasing after me.

Let's go now.
Let's go like a fugitive being chased
to another beautiful home while the skeleton is not looking.

Another Home (또 다른 고향) metaphorically shows us how the young poet searched and agonized in the inescapable quandary imposed on him by formidable external forces. He wanted to be good above all else, but he was also a human being with the same basic needs and frailty as any other, and the temptation to take the easy way out must have been hard to resist. The white skeleton symbolizes this base instincts telling him to succumb to the temptation ("being eroded by the wind"), as most ordinary folks do. But the lofty ideal in his beautiful soul wouldn't allow it, making him a conflicted being. In the end, he listens to the barking dog that chases him onto the right path, albeit one laid with thorns, and decides to head for a new place to continue his quest - i.e. another home where he doesn't have to yield to the evil forces.

It was the overarching theme that defined the young man's life. He was tormented between the choices of good and evil, and died at such a young age because he couldn't accept what he saw as evil.

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Yun Dong-ju (윤동주)

Young idealist poet who fought against the injustices of his day until the very end of his short life

aritist
Yun Dong-ju (윤동주, 尹東柱), poet
nationality
Korea
born
Dec 30, 1917, in Yongjeong (Longjing), Gando
(present day Jilin Province, China)
died
Feb 16, 1945 (27), in Fukuoka, Japan
genre
lyric poetry (with political undertones)
major works
Foreword (서시)
A Night of Counting the Stars (별 헤는 밤)
Another Home (또 다른 고향)
The Cross (십자가)
Confession (참회록)
New Road (새로운 길)
A Poem Written Easily (쉽게 씌어진 시)
White Shadows (흰 그림자)
The Liver (간)