ⓒ Getty Images Bank

A person’s fortune is left up to his destiny. How could such young pricks be jealous of the rich without even trying to make a living with hard work? Didn’t the landowner give them land and homes? But when the fields became parched due to a drought, they went to Mr. Heo’s house and clamored for a reduction in farm rent.

It’s pity that we weren’t born with a good fate and have to live in poverty all our lives even if we work down to our bones. But that’s no reason to blame the rich people for our hard lives.

사람의 운수복력이 다 팔자에 타고 난 것인데

새파란 어린 놈들이 손 발 떨어지도록 벌어먹을 생각은 않고

그저 잘 사는 사람 시기할 줄만 안만 말이여,

저번 한 창 가물 때 논이 갈라지니께 허부자네 집에 가서

소작료를 감해 달라고 떠들어 댔담서야?

죽게 일하고도 평생을 이리 가난하게 사는 것이 이것이 한탄이지

남들 잘 사는 것 보고 욕할 것이 무엇이란 말이냐?

Interview by literary critic Jeon So-yeong

Park Hwa-seong extended his personal experiences to a social arena to boldly and vividly describe the impoverished lives and hardships of farmers and women under the Japanese colonial regime. Around 1935 he had published many stories about natural disasters. “Before and After the Flood” was written after Park Hwa-seong went to the Yeongsangang River in Naju one summer to witness the flood damage himself. He described in detail how natural disasters like heavy flooding or severe drought left terrible consequences on the lives of farmers. 

  

                       

Mr. Song firmly believed in fate determining human lives. He even accepted his poverty as a given lot in life, nothing more. He didn’t evacuate and stayed in his home despite the pouring rain. 

“Where could our Ssal-lye be floating? Where could she be floating in the big, blue sea? She must be blaming her mother and father?” 

Mr. Song wiped the tears away with his fist and Yun-seong held his mother in his arms to comfort her. But then she pounded the floor with her fist and suddenly lunged at Mr. Song.

“You go through this year after year and yet you refused to budge even when people came by twice to tell you to get out. To what end? To kill your child? I blame heaven. Heaven is heartless.” 

She screamed and thrashed around like a mad woman.

“우리 쌀례는 지금 어디로 떠 댕기는고?

만경창파 바다 중에 어디로 떠댕김서 

애비, 에미 원망을 하고 있으끄나! 아이고”

송서방은 주먹으로 눈물을 씻고 윤성이는 어머니를 붙들고 위로하였다.

그는 주먹으로 방바닥을 치며 송서방에게로 달려들었다.

“해마다, 해마다 그 꼴을 당하면서도 무엇이 못 미더워서 그렇게들 두 번이나 와서

나오라고 해도 안 나가고 뭉게드니마는 기어코 자식을 죽일랴고 고랬지라우?

아따, 아따 하늘은 야속하네 하누님도 무정하네”

그는 미친 사람처럼 부르짖으며 몸부림을 쳤다.

---

Park Hwa-seong (Born in Mokpo, Jeollanam-do Prov., Apr. 16, 1903~Jan. 30, 1988)

: Debuted in 1925 with “The Eve of Chuseok” 

Won the Korea Literary Award in 1966, etc.