The Grass

The grass lies down
Waving in the east wind that drives the rain
The grass lay down
And finally cried.
After crying the more because the day was gray
It lay down again.

The grass lies down
Lies down faster than the wind
Cries faster than the wind and
Rises before the wind does.

The day is gray and the grass lies down.
To the ankles
To the soles of the feet it lies down.
Though it lies down later than the wind
It rises before the wind
Though it cries later than the wind
It laughs before the wind does.
The day is gray and the grassroots lie down.

The Grass is the last poem Kim Soo-young wrote before he met his death in 1968. It is included in the posthumous collection of poetry The Great Root, published in 1974.

As one of his famous political engagement poems, it reveals Kim’s groundbreaking poetic vision of minjung, which empowers ordinary working-class people. Most people view wild grass as ugly and worthless and feel no guilt in removing it from their property. But Kim notices that grass is so persistent that it not only sustains its life by growing even in rocky soil but also generates and spreads its life even after efforts are made to uproot it and cast it out.

Thus, he presents the grass as a perfect symbol of the true resistant spirit of ordinary working-class people who are seemingly powerless and ignorant but always carry on their strong will to live. In this poem, Kim suggests his main theme by remarking that the grass “stays low” in the strong wind instead of being pushed down.

In other words, the grass is always taking initiative in the struggle with the wind: it lowers itself when the wind blows; it straightens up fast when the wind loses its power; it even laughs when the wind weeps. The constant confrontation between the grass and the wind, then, becomes a symbol of the historical struggles between the powerful “haves” and the seemingly powerless “have-nots.”

On the surface, the former seem to have controlled the latter with their political and economic supremacy. But their wealth and power would not have been possible without those working-class people who have always formed the great root of society. Kim thus praises the persistent spirit of grasslike people who have spread their roots despite the hardship and endured the oppression of dictatorial regimes.

Kim applauds their courage and willpower to go on with their lives and at the same time empowers them by announcing that they have always been the true owners of Korea.

Categories: British Literature, Korean Literature, Literature

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