This is Korea
LOS ANGELES—The following poem is a free translation of a Korean poem in the form of a "Sah" written by the
Rev. Soon Hyun, retired Methodist minister of Korea,
It was read at a recent meeting of the Korean-American
Deportees Defense  Committee in Los Angeles,
Rev. Hyun has long been a leading figure in the Korean
independence movement and was a leader in the peaceful
demonstrations of 1919 which resulted in the slaying of thousands of Koreans by Japanese imperialist troops.
The "Sah" is a form which, in Korean, involves seven
verses of two lines each. Each line contains four characters.
The translation of Korean symbols into literal language brings
the translated form to three lines and brings also a loss in
the projection of the rich poetic images of the original,
A nation of high mountains and beautiful waters
Is abundant in scenery—
This is Korea
The history extends over four thousand years,
But—it is still refreshing its destiny
This'is Korea
Thirty million homogenous people
Are inseparably united as one family
This is Korea
The creation and development of culture
Have influenced all Eastern Asia
This is Korea
Forward, but not backward
To consider death as coming home
These are Koreans
Struggling for national existence with all their might
Driving out every foreign invasion with their undying
resistance
These are Koreans
Thus they have preserved the national independence
Through centuries of adversity
These are Koreans
(LA)