송욱 시에 나타난 자연과 생명 － 道의 의미와 작용을 중심으로 －

Abstract

This paper is written under the premises that Song Wuk’s four collections of poetry embody the idea of ‘principle of Tao’ and ‘body of Tao,’ and that their metonymy, which include nature, body, life and universe, are regarded as the focal point of comprehending and solving problems. Song Wuk is a poet who approached the process of writing as a highly intellectual attitude. However, it was this attitude that made him realize the limitations of the intellect, especially that of the Western culture. He then discovered that beyond the realm of intellect exist the fundamental principle that governs the world, which exists in the vital forms of life, nature, body and universe. Based on such discovery, his poems carry certain significance in the history of Korean poetry. First, far from merely being one of many contemporary poets, Song Wuk is one of those who follow the tradition of Korean poets such as Han Yong-Un, Seo Jeong- Ju, Jo Ji-Hun, Kim Gwan-Sik, whose works are based on the Asian idea of Tao. Second, the idea of Tao that he portrays in his works successfully integrates the worlds of Taoism, Buddhism and Yin and Yang, and focuses on the world of leaving nature rather than that of artificiality. This is the point where the idea of Tao embodied in his works diverts from that of Confucianism and Wang Yangming. Third, Song Wuk’s exploration of the nature, body, universe, and life based on the idea of Tao coincides with the extensive discussions about our body and ecology that has taken place in Korea since 1990s. His poems are in effect their precedents that pioneered the movement. By uncovering such characteristics of Song Wuk’s poetry, this paper will contribute to expanding the understanding of his works, which has mostly been confined to acknowledging his use of intellectual satires, ironies and experimental languages. Furthermore, by acknowledging such nature of Song Wuk’s poems, we can comprehend the complexity of his poems, and appreciate and assess them with a better structural understanding.