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Lee Tae-jun’s “The Crow” was published in magazine Jogwang조광, meaning “morning light,” in 1836. The story is about human loneliness and death seen through the eyes of a man and a sickly woman who met at a winter vacation home. 

“Out here crows are my friends.” 

He tried to cover up her ominous remark with a quip.

“How can you call the crows your friends? I like everything about this neighborhood except those birds. They seem to constantly remind me not to forget about death. They give me shivers, because they look like some evil, masked men chasing after me. I’m afraid those birds would swoop down and take me to the netherworld after I’m dead.” 

 

“여기 나와선 까마귀가 내 친굽니다” 

그는 억지로 그 불길스러운 소리를 웃음으로 덮어버리려 했다.

“선생님은 친구라구꺼정!

 전 이 동네가 모두 좋은데 저게 싫어요.

 죽음을 잊어버리면 안되다구 자꾸 깨우쳐주는 것 같아요“ 

 무슨 음모를 가지구 복면하구 내 뒤를 쫒아다니는

 무슨 음흉한 사내같이 소름이 끼쳐요.

 아마 내가 죽으면 저 새가 덥석 날아와 앞을 설 것만 같이...”

Interview by literature critic Jeon So-yeong

The ending scene leaves a long impression in us with the white snow, a black hearse, and the sound of the crows’ particular sound. Lee Tae-jun wanted to overcome the hopeless tragedy of Korea in the 1930s by pursuing beauty. Lee painted a beautiful picture of the leading character’s poverty, the woman’s illness, and his unrequited love, but such beauty ironically highlights the extreme tragedy cast over their lives. 

He felt his heart sink. When he looked over to his place, he saw three or four crows looking down at the scene from the top of a fir tree. 

“The girl who used to visit our place passed away.” 

He then took off his hat quietly in the direction of the hearse. 

The crows made no other sounds that evening except for some cawing and crowing that sounded like “garrrr.”

그는 가슴이 섬뜩하였다.

별장 쪽을 올려다보니 전나무 꼭대기에서는

진작부터 서너 마리의 까마귀가

이 광경을 내려다보며 쭈그리고 앉아 있었다.

“우리 정자로 늘 오던 색시가 갔답니다” 

정자지기가 나타나더니 가까이 와 일러주었다.

그는 고요히 영구차를 향하여 모자를 벗었다.

까마귀들은 이날 저녁에도 별다른 소리는 없이

그저 까악까악거리가다

이따금씩 까르르하고 ‘가’(GA) 아래 R이 한없이 붙은 발음을 내곤 하였다.

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Lee Tae-jun (Born in Cheorwon, Gangwon-do Prov., 1904~Unknown)

: Debuted with “Omongnyeo” in 1925

Was a member of Guinhoi and the Korean Writers Alliance