무상과 공감 - 고은과 개리 스나이더의 시적 변주

Abstract

The buddhist sentiment of impermanence interpenetrates Ko Un’s nihilism and Gary Snyder’s counter-cultural resistance, which characterize their early poetics. As they reach the middle period of their poetic career, however, the nothingness evolves into interdependent compassion by way of their self-realization that there is no nothingness(sunyata) either. Significantly enough, one poet’s compassion differs from the other’s; Ko Un’s poetic language goes toward humanism and sympathizes with Korean people and their historical predicament whereas Snyder, advocating ecological egalitarianism, problematizes anthropocentric language and culture. Although the two poets’ key words toward cultural transformation and social reform are different, interestingly enough, they seek the ultimate direction and methodology of change from the way nature works in common. Apart from Snyder’s respect for nature, Ko Un, in his recent poems, talks and essays, demands to follow the way of non-action even when we desire to promote humanistic freedom, equality and justice. There is no way of knowing the inherent meaning of ‘nature,’ ‘natural world,’ or ‘the nature of things as Snyder says. Nevertheless, the way of nature works as surely as humans believe that the ‘mountain is indeed a mountain and the river is indeed a river.’ At least, Ko Un and Gary Snyder share the poetics of livingness.