Discover the poetry, myth, and spiritual imagination within the consonant and vowel sounds of Korean.
Through twenty-six poems, Nah Haecherl explores Korean consonants as expressions of phenomena humans experience in nature, and vowels as expressions of the invisible energies at work within them. Drawing on Korean creation myths, accounts of the ancient past, and spiritual traditions, he offers a personal poetic vision of the deep connections between language and life. His poems contemplate the possibility that Korean reaches back to humanity's earliest speech and that each consonant and vowel carries a meaning of its own.
Featuring Korean originals alongside English translations, detailed annotations, and pronunciation guidance, this volume invites readers to explore the fundamental meanings of words through the meanings the poet discovers in their consonants and vowels.
For readers drawn to Korean poetry, mythology, and the relationship between language and culture, this book offers an invitation to listen more deeply to the sounds of Korean.