Ku Sang*

Ku Sang (1919—2004) is a Korean poet whose name, several times, was put forward by The Korean International Pen Centre to receive a Nobel Prize. As a journalist, shortly after WWII, he was forced to flee from northern Communist authorities. His mother remained in the north, and he never saw her again. His older brother, a Catholic priest, was martyred by the Communists at the outbreak of the Korean War.

During this war, Ku Sang served the south in military intelligence, and after the war he wrote articles attacking president Syngman Rhee’s abuse of power. He was immediately imprisoned. He later lectured on literature in a number of universities.

The following poem was translated by Brother Anthony of Taizé.

This Year

As this country rocked like a boat in Galilee’s storms,
I spent the whole year not losing my belief in God alone,
just doing as I could what had to be done.
Laid up, sick, I suffered for more than a month,
there were many hard things in the family and the world,
but having endured it all meekly, it proved more valuable
than any good fortune could have been.
These days, as I dream bright dreams of the world beyond,
entrusting all things to His divine Will,
even if storms are forecast for the coming New Year
there is nothing I fear.

*This is the second Kingdom Poets post about Ku Sang: first post.

Entry written by D.S. Martin. He is the author of six poetry collections including, The Role of the Moon, from Paraclete Press — which received a Gold Medal (Poetry) at the Illumination Book Awards (USA) and also won the 2026 Word Award for Poetry (Canada). His earlier books — including Angelicus (2021, Poiema/Cascade), and his new anthology, Unto Us A Child Is Born: The Kingdom Poets Book of Christmas — are available through Wipf & Stock.