평론 전영순 / 공간에 따른 자아 인식의 변모양상 - 『헤이, 막걸리』를 중심으로

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공간에 따른 자아 인식의 변모양상

- 『헤이, 막걸리』를 중심으로

전영순

들어가며

시에 드러나는 공간은 시의 정황이나 사건이 성립되는 장소로서 시인을 이해하는 중요한 단서가 된다. 그것이 어떤 의미로든 인간과 관련을 맺고 있기 때문이다. 시에 나타나는 공간은 시인의 시 세계와 인식의 정도와 체험 공간과 밀접하다. ‘백제’ 660년이란 역사적 공간을 時空을 넘나들며 ‘백제시’로 승화시킨 문효치 시인의 제15집 『헤이, 막걸리』를 중심으로 공간에 따른 자아의식의 변모양상을 살펴보려고 한다.

문효치 시인은 1943년 전라북도 옥구 출생으로 1966년 『서울신문』과 『한국일보』 신춘문예에 당선되면서 문단 활동을 시작한다. 시력 57년간 15권의 시집과 1권의 시조집, 2권의 산문집을 출간했다. 그는 서정주 시인의 시세계의 영향을 받아 한국 전통 서정성을 바탕으로 참신한 시선으로 우주와 조응한다. 서정주의 시세계관을 높이 평가하며 시가 갖추어야 할 요소부터 사물이 가지고 있는 본질을 언어로 이미지화하는 것을 중요하게 여긴다. 특히 백제라는 상징적인 공간을 획득해 자신만의 상상력으로 고유한 시세계를 구축한다. “문효치 시인은 백제로서 부활했고, 그의 스승인 미당의 ‘신라’에 버금가는 영토를 확보했다.”

그는 작품활동뿐만 아니라 한국문인협회•국제펜클럽한국본부 이사장, 한국현대시인협회 상임이사 등을 역임했으며 다수의 문학상이 한국문학과 한국 문단 발전에 지대한 영향을 주었음을 말한다. 자신만의 시세계를 구축한 그는 고령에도 인간의 삶을 자연의 순리로 받아들이며 후학 양성에 힘쓰고 있다.

자연을 순리를 거스르지 않고 “먹은 술, 내 육신으로 넘쳐 들어와/그 맑음으로/어둠을 닦아 내고”「백제시-석조石槽」 일부, “바람개비가 돌아갈 때/아, 나도 어지럽게/새 세상 만나러/돌아 돌아”간다 -「헤이, 막걸리」일부 천 오백년 물보다 더 맑은 술(묵은 술)을 곰삭혀 제15권 『에이, 막걸리』(2024)를 출간했다. 본고는 최근에 출간한 『에이, 막걸리』(2024)에 나타난 특징과 양상을 짧게 비평하려고 한다.

2. 펼치며

『에이, 막걸리』는 문효치 시인이 82세에 출간한 시집이다. 『에이, 막걸리』는 백제란 역사적 공간과 초월적 공간에서 유량을 마치고 작금의 백제인으로서의 귀향이다. 기존의 이미지에서 벗어나 생물이 종착역으로 향하는 모천, 본향, 회귀본능이란 양상이 작품에 나타난다. 그간에 연구를 살펴보고 『에이, 막걸리』에 나타난 장소성과 시인의 자아의식이 어떻게 변모하고 있는지를 살펴보자.

연구 자료에 따르면 1976년(제1시집)부터 2011년(제10시집)까지 백제시에 대한 작품세계를 조명한 것이 대부분이다. 근래 연구 또한 ‘백제 시의 이미지 연구’, ‘백제 시에 나타난 표상’ 도 백제란 역사적 공간을 중심으로 연구되었다. 그만큼 문효치는 백제란 역사적 공간이, 그를 백제란 시세계로 인도하여 함몰시킨 후 부활시킨다, 백제는, 백제 시는, 문효치의 브랜드로 자리할 만큼 거대한 창작의 공간이자 치유의 공간이자 역사의 공간이다.

부끄럼 많고 내성적인 시인은 몰락한 지주의 후손이자 월북자의 아들이라고 또래 아이들에게 외면당해 슬프고 쓸쓸하게 초등학교를 보냈다. 교편을 잡고 있던 아버지가 6.25 때 인민군에 입대한 후 돌아오지 않았다. 대학 때 ROTC 2년간 군사교육을 받고 임관식 무렵 신원조회로 장교로 임관을 못 하고 하사로 입대해 동기생 소대장을 비롯해 수사기관 방첩대에서 감시와 조사를 받았다. 일거수일투족을 감시받으며 군생활했다. 제대 후에도 10여 년간 불면증 소화불량 부정맥 등으로 30여 킬로 피폐한 상태 지내고 있을 때 1971년 공주 무령왕릉 발굴 소식은 하나의 빛으로 다가왔다. 뉴스를 접한 시인은 단걸음에 무령왕릉 유물전시회에 간다. 1500년 전 유물로 시인은 백제시를 대표하는 시인이 된다.

패망한 백제와 약자인 자신과 공감의 선상에서 출발하는 백제시, 힘 있는 자에 대한 저항 의식과 삶에 대한 희망을 찾기 시작하는 준비단계의 백제시, 죽음 극복과 자아 성찰의 실행단계라 할 수 있는 백제시, 마지막으로 정서적 깨달음을 얻게 되면서 백제의 영원성을 확보하고자 하는 완성 단계의 백제시를 구축한다. 문효치 시인에게 백제는 “양도할 수 없는 상징이고, 그만의 사유와 감각의 기원이고, 독자적인 시사적 브랜드”이자 표상이다. 시인은 가장 고통스러운 시기에 백제시를 쓰면서 정신적 상처를 극복하고 정서적 안정을 얻은 만큼 백제는 시인에게 있어 공시적으로 거대한 시공간이다.

먼저 상재한 15권의 시집을 잠깐 언급한 후 『에이, 막걸리』를 살펴보자.

백제시를 소재로 한 시집별 분류를 보면 1시집~7시집은 백제의 혼, 8시집~13시집은 한국을 벗어나 일본에서 백제의 흔적을 발견한다. 1시집에서 13시집의 그 주제가 대부분 백제의 영원성을 추구하고 있다. 그러나 제13권, 제14권은 백제란 시공에서 벗어나는 양상을 보인다. “내 앞에 끊임없이 출몰하는 것들, 때로는 반짝이고 때로는 어둠 속에 숨기도 하는 것들, 보이다가도 보이지 않는 것, 그것들을 찾아 여기까지 왔다. 손에 잡힐 듯하다가 빠져나가는 것들을 위하여”-『어이할까』에서 시인의 말과 바람 불 때마다/내 가슴 속에 날아와 쌓인/꽃잎들 어이할까//몸서리치는 저 향과 빛깔//그립다가 아픔이 되는/꽃잎들 어이할까// 「어이할까」 전문-, 제14시집 『바위 가라사대』 저 가슴/얼마나 날카로운 정으로/쪼아대기에//얼마나 센 칼로/썰어내기에//달그늘 짙어지는/밤이면 밤마다//어흐흥 어흐흥/울어대는가//어루만지던 산도/돌아서서 눈물 훔친다//-「바위1」 전문-은 백제의 역사와 시인의 시세계가 맞닿는다. 백제란 공간과 현실 세계에서 맞닥뜨려 고뇌하기 시작한다.

제15시집 『에이, 막걸리』는 백제란 역사적 공간에서 벗어나 현세의 공간, 옛 백제 땅으로 귀화이다. 상상력이 동반된 초월적 세계, 유랑 의식에서 현실계로 돌아와 변화무쌍과 인생 허무에서 한 잔의 막걸리로 인생 3막, ‘비치는 햇빛이나 흘러가는 시간이 쓸쓸하다. 센 아픔도 못 견딜 고독도 아닌 이 허전함의 함정, 그러나 잘 보면 이것의 저 안쪽에서 연푸른 싹이 온건한 반가움으로 움터 올라온다. 한 잔의 막걸리 같은 내 시여, 내 자위여. 『헤이, 막걸리』, 시인의 말처럼.

2-1. 헤테로토피아의 세계 인식

장소에 대한 인식은 시인과 어떤 관계를 맺고 있는가를 생각게 하는 중요한 단초가 된다. 인간의 삶은 유토피아가 아니다. 인간은 현실을 배제하고 살 수 없다. 작품을 통해 작가의 사고나 내면 의식이 드러난다. 작가가 표현한 작품 속 의식의 흐름에 따라 독자는 상상한다. 내용은 어떻게 표현하고 있는지에 작품에 나타난 작가의 의식 흐름에 따라 독자는 해독한다. 『헤이, 막걸리』를 통해 문효치 시인이 어떻게 세계를 의식하고 있는지? 미셀 푸고의 헤테로토피아 세계를 들여다보자.

바람개비가 돌아간다

술병이 돌아간다

술이 돌아간다

바람개비가 돌 때

한 사내가 돌아간다

술은 돌아 돌아

어디로 흘러가는가

계곡물이 흘러간다

술이 흘러간다

한 사내가 흘러간다

세상의 심층

내장의 어느 계류

바람개비가 돌아갈 때

아, 나도 어지럽게

새 세상 만나러

돌아 돌아 간다

- 「헤이, 막걸리」 전문-

미셀 푸고에 따르면 사람들은 오랫동안 망각 속에 있다가 시공이 완전히 합일된 공간의 담장 속에 있을 때 세계 인식이 제대로 가능하다고 한다. 문효치의 현실계의 유량은 바람개비처럼, 술병처럼 돌다가 물처럼 흘러간다. 장자의 화접몽을 연상케한다. 내가 돌고 있는지? 술병이 돌고 있는지? 바람개비가 돌고 있는지? 모르는 일이다. 나도, 바람개비도, 술병도, 그저 돌고 있을 뿐이다. ‘평생을 바쳐/해보란 말/하다 보면 세상을 밝히는/해가 된다는 말’이다 -「해」 전문-

길이 없다고 말하지 말라

다만 찾지 못했을 뿐이다

나비는 허공을 방황하면서 꽃을 찾고

곰은 숲을 헤매면서 집으로 간다

길은 숨어서

네가 찾아오기를 기다리고 있다

-「길」 전문-

인생사 별거 아니니 길이 없다고 말하지 말라고 한다. 다만 우리가 찾지 못했을 뿐이다. 인생을 통탈했거나 오래 살아본 사람만이 인생을 논하고 이해할 수 있다. 길은 숨어서 네가 찾아오기를 기다리고 있다고 시인은 고백한다. 시인이 말하는 길은 지혜로 갈고닦은 진리의 길이다.

2-2. 자연물과의 와해, 탄생

윤회사상에 있어 죽음은 곧 탄생이다. 생물은 자연의 법칙에 따라 본래의 자리로 돌아가려는 회귀본능이 있다. 문효치 또한 자연에 순응하며 살다가 태어난 곳, 백제의 땅으로 물로 귀화한다. 『헤이, 막걸리』는 치열한 삶을 살다가 죽음이란 세계와 와해하는 양상이 나타난다. 격동의 세월이 폭포로 솟구쳤다가 유순히 물을 따라간다.

물은 죽음을 향해 달린다/삶이란 무색 무미의 맹물인 것을// 태어나자마자 도움닫기를 한다/급기야 벼랑 앞에 다다를 때/ 혼신을 다해 두 발을 박차고/허공에 몸을 날린다// 감은 눈에서 번쩍하는 순간/아찔한 통증과 함께/ 잠시 스치는 통쾌함//그리고 모든 기억이 사라진다/맹물일 뿐이므로///-「또 폭포」전문

죽음을 향해 달리는 삶, 물은 무색 무미의 맹물, H2O. 순수 그 자체다. 어디서 와서 어디로 흐를지 모르는 물, 인생은 늘 어떤 대상(물상)과 조우한다. 대상에 따라 순탄한 항해를 할 수도 있고 절벽이나 급류에 휩쓸려 아찔한 순간을 맞기도 한다. 어떤 순간이든 잘 견뎌내면 아찔한 통증은 사라지고 통쾌한 맹물처럼 유순해진다. 바다 위에 붉은색 뱃길을 낸다. 인천에서 희망으로, 군산에서 사랑으로, 포항에서 극락으로, 마음으로 붉은 선을 그으며 바다 위에 꿈을 그렸다. 「지도를 보며」일부. 희로애락이 함께하는 삶이 죽음 앞에서 기억에 장치는 사라진다. 맹물처럼.

저 내던져진 돌멩이에/별빛이 들어와 살고 있다//돌에 박혀 웃고 있다//돌이 구르는 대로 함께 구른다/돌이 발길에 차이면/함께 차여 여울에 빠진다//그 아픔이 오죽하랴/상처에서 금빛이 난다//우주를 떠나온 별빛/이리저리 방황하다가/저 돌멩이 속에 들어왔다//돌맹이 싱글벙글 또 구른다-「돌맹이」전문

소싯적 세계지도를 보다가 바다가 육지보다 넓다는 것을 터득한 시인은 내던져진 돌멩이에 별빛이 박혀 웃다가 돌, 우주를 떠나온 별빛이 방황하다가 들어온 돌과 함께 구른다.

누구를 위해/이 가지 끝에 매달려 있어야만 하는가//누구를 향해/이 한자리에서 웃고 있어야만 하는가//하늘이 저렇게 넓고 푸르러/날고 싶은데, 어딘가로 떠나고 싶은데//처마 밑에 매달려 있는 풍경은/ 마음대로 울기나 하지/나도 울고 싶어도 요렇게 웃어야만 하는가//마침내 웃을 힘마저 사그러지면/함묵으로 그냥 떨어져야 할 뿐/떨어져서 웃는 척하고 있어야 할 뿐///-「동백꽃」전문

자연물과 함께한 시인은 어느 날 문득 처마에 매달려 있는 풍경에 자신을 대입시킨다. 풍경은 하늘을 향해 마음대로 날고 울고 싶으면 마음껏 울기라도 하지, 시인은 지금껏 누구를 위해 가지 끝에 매달려 떠나고 싶어도, 울고 싶어도 웃어야만 했던 자유롭지 못한 자신을 발견한다. 사회가 만들어놓은 규범과 질서 앞에 자유로운 영혼을 억눌려야만 하는 사회인의 내면의 세계를 고백한다.

‘아름다운 날엔/꽃도 날아오른다/팔랑팔랑/노랑 날개를 저어/참 매력 있는 세상으로/저 지평선을 향해/꿈을 싣고 날아가는/꽃들이 물들고 있는’ 날도 있고, ‘이제는 한 달에 열 번 화내던 것/한 번쯤으로 줄이고//일 년에 스무 번 욕하던 일/두 번쯤으로 끝내고// 나도 누군가에게 그렇게 했을 터/ 밟으면 밟히는 대로’ 살아야할 때가 왔다는 것을 감지한다. 지나가는 바람이 고와 사진을 찍었는데, 허리 굽은 노파가 찍혔다. 대숲 아래/ 동그랗게 놓여 있는 집/ 막, 문을 열고 어정쩡 서 있는 ... 것이 마치 시인의 자화상은 아닌지? 반추한다. 앞에서 자연물과 대비한 장자의 胡蝶夢中家萬里 杜鵑枝上月三更(호접몽중가만리 두견지상월삼경)을 연상케 한다. 사진 속에 찍힌 허리 굽은 노파와 시인이 동일선상에 있다.

2-3. 여정으로부터 귀향

백제의 시인 문효치가 백제의 영원성을 안고 백제로 귀향한다.

길이 없다고 말하지 말라/다만 찾지 못했을 뿐이다//나비는 허공을 방황하면서 꽃을 찾고/곰은 숲을 헤매면서 집으로 간다//길은 숨어서/네가 찾아오기를 기다리고 있다///-「길」 전문

긴 여정에서 시인은 시인을 기다리고 있는 집을 향해 길을 향한다. 길은 여정이요, 집은 심신이 편히 쉴 수 있는 안식처이다. 안식처는 바로 미셀 푸고가 말하는 헤테로토피아의 장소성이다. 시인은 시인의 생가로 돌아와 자연과 동거한다.

나는 서월정 대숲의 모기/목발을 짚고 다닌다//가물과 더운 어느 날/하도 배가 고파//김 씨 아저씨 왼쪽 종아리/그 포동한 살에 내려/막 피 한 모금 마시려다가// 솥뚜껑 같은 손바닥/ 내리치는 바람에/간신히 피해 목숨을 건졌지만/그 서슬에 뒷다리 얻어맞고/그만 골절상이라//잘 먹고 잘살아/비만의 몸에/넘쳐나는 혈액/조금만 나눠 먹으려 했지만//나에게 돌아온 건/뼈가 으스러지는 아픔/생명의 위협뿐//우왕좌왕 쩔룩쩔룩/지리멸렬 허둥지둥/세상 참 더럽다/// -「모기」 전문

시인은 일순(一瞬) 모기로 형상화한다. 시인-모기, 형상화한 모기로 세상을 간파하려고 하나 돌파하지 못하고 인근 서월정에 머문다. 여기서 공간은 시인-화자, 인간-인생, 삶과 죽음의 공간이다. 수십 년 도회지에서 생활하다가 시인이 태어난 곳으로 돌아가 생활하는 것처럼 생명의 존재들이 본성으로 돌아가려는 습성처럼 회귀성, 시인의 삶의 현장이 잘 나타난 시다. 귀화의 현장이다. 살기 위해 먹는가? 먹기 위해 사는가? 인간의 욕망은 저녁에 느꼈던 포만감이 아침이면 허기로 변한다.

기왕 허기를 채울 바에야 맛있고 손쉽게 쟁취할 수 있는 먹잇감을 찾는다. 배가 고픈 화자는 배회하다가 포동하게 살찐 김 씨 왼쪽 종아리에 자리 잡는다. 겨우 한 모금 마시려 하는데 내리치는 솥뚜껑만 한 손바닥에 걸려 뒷다리를 얻어맞고 골절상을 당한다. 타인의 떡이 커 보이는, 잘 먹고 잘살아 비만의 몸에 넘쳐나는 혈액을 나눠 가지려다가 화자에게 돌아온 것은 뼈가 으스러지는 아픔이다. 자본주의의 부와 실, 노동의 양과 질이 비례할 수 없는 현실을 고발한다. 한탕주의의 비애이다.

나의 감나무가 저기에 있다네/땅에 추락한 햇빛이/줄기를 타고 오른다네/나도 햇빛의 발길을 따라/나무에 오른다네/나무 잎새는 내 사랑이라네/저마다 반짝이는 눈으로/나를 바라본다네//나의 나무는 감나무라네/햇빛을 잡아당겨 자르고 뭉쳐서/붉은 감을 만들고 있다네/그 감속에 내 유년이 익어가고 있다네/감나무가 서 있는 곳이/내 살과 같은 나의 땅이라네/감나무는 땅을 먹고 산다네-「저 감나무」전문-

얼마나 그리워하던 터전인가? 어린 시절 뛰어놀던 그때 그 감나무가 쉘 실버스타인의 ‘아낌없이 주는 나무’처럼 그 자리에서 시인을 기다리고 있다. 녹록지 않은 현실에서 꿋꿋하게 살아온 시인과 빛이 물아일체 되어 줄기를 뻗어 감나무에 오르고 있다. 추락하지 않고 희망의 빛이 줄기를 뻗어 상승한다. 감나무와 시인이 하나 되어 인내와 사랑으로 나의 땅, 백제에서 익어가고 있다. 불을 밝히며 향기로운 새해 아침을 맞는다.

아침은 향기롭다//태양이 솟아오른다/언제나 곱고 그리운 얼굴/우리의 이름을 부른다//하늘로부터 오는 전기/온누리를 밝힌다/우리의 마음도 밝힌다//사라지는 그늘/자취를 감추는 어둠//여기저기 탄생의 몸짓/새로운 생명의 웃음소리//모든 길은 열려 있고/모두의 발걸음은 분주하다//진리와 진실/또는 이해와 용서//세상은 다시 따뜻한 손/우리를 잡아 주고 있다///

-「새해 아침」 전문-

문효치 시인의 본향으로의 귀향은 향기로운 새해 아침이다. 문효치 시인의 시세계는 아픔이 곰삭아 빛이 된다. 빛은 진리와 진실, 이해와 용서로 온누리를 따뜻하게 한다.

3. 나오며

앞에서 살펴본 바와 같이 『헤이, 막걸리』는 백제란 역사적 공간에서 장소적 공간, 자아 인식에서 세계 인식으로의 이동이다. 『헤이, 막걸리』 또한 백제란 장소적 공간을 확보한다. 백제로서의 귀향, 공간적 특성에 주목할 필요가 있다, 미셀 푸고의 인간은 현실을 배제할 수 없다. 공간적 특성에 따른 시인의 자아 인식이 세계 인식으로 나아가는 과정이다. 백제란 언어의 집에서 본향으로 향한 자아 인식이 잘 드러낸 작품이다.

장소에 대한 인식이 시인과 어떤 관계를 맺고 있는가를 생각게 하는 중요한 단초가되는 만큼 백제는 문효치 시인에 있어 떼려야 뗄 수 없는 공간이다. 인간의 삶은 유토피아가 아니다. 인간은 현실을 배제하고 살 수 없다. 작품을 통해 작가의 사고나 내면 의식이 드러난다. 작가가 표현한 작품 속 의식의 흐름에 따라 독자는 상상한다.

미셀 푸고의 헤테로토피아 세계를 문효치의 백제란 공간표상과 자아의식의 변모양상을 『헤이, 막걸리』를 통해 살펴봤다. 역사적 공간과 장소, 시적 세계의 자아 인식과 세계 인식의 변모는 장소와 시인의 자아가 작품에 투영되고 있음을 알 수 있다. 앞으로 연구자들이 연구할 시인 중 한 사람이다.

전영순

등단: 『미네르바』(2016 시), 『에세이문예』(2010 평론), 『한국문인』(2006 수필)

저서: 시집:『가을은 입술에서 온다』외, 평론집:『한국근현대 문제작가 평론집』, 에세이집: 『들길』·『영산홍 꽃불이 아프다』·『아메리칸 드림』

수상: 시예술아카데미상·충북예총우수예술인상, 설총문학상·한국에세이평론상 등문학활동: 한국문인협회·한국시인협회 회원, 계간지 미네르바 편집위원 겸 부회장 등

Transformations 0f Self-Awareness Through Space

-Focusing on Poetry Collection『Hey, Makgeolli』

By Jeon Young-soon

1. Introduction

Space as it appears in poetry serves as the setting in which a poem's circumstances and events unfold, and thus provides an important clue to understanding the poet. This is because space is inevitably connected to human existence in one way or another. The spaces represented in poetry are closely related to the poet's poetic world, level of perception, and lived experiences.(1)

This paper examines the changing aspects of self-awareness in relation to space, focusing on 『Hey, Makgeolli』, the fifteenth poetry collection of poet Moon Hyo-chi, who transformed the historical space of Baekje—spanning the 660 years of its history—into what may be called "Baekje poetry" that transcends time and space.

Born in Okgu, Jeollabuk-do, in 1943, Moon Hyo-chi began his literary career after winning the New Year's Literary Contest awards sponsored by The Seoul Shinmun and The Hankook Ilbo in 1966. Over a poetic career spanning fifty-seven years, he has published fifteen volumes of poetry, one collection of sijo, and two collections of essays.(2)

Influenced by the poetic world of Seo Jeong-ju, Moon responds to the universe through a fresh perspective grounded in the traditional lyricism of Korean poetry. He highly values Seo's poetic vision and emphasizes not only the essential qualities that poetry should possess but also the transformation of the intrinsic nature of things into linguistic imagery. In particular, by appropriating the symbolic space of Baekje, he has constructed a distinctive poetic world through his own imagination. "Poet Moon Hyo-chi was reborn through Baekje and secured a poetic territory comparable to the 'Silla' of his mentor Midang."(3)

In addition to his creative work, Moon has served as Chairman of the Korean Writers' Association, Chairman of PEN Korea, and Executive Director of the Association of Modern Korean Poets. His receipt of numerous literary awards(4) attests to his profound influence on Korean literature and the Korean literary community. Having established a poetic world uniquely his own, Moon continues, even in old age, to accept human life according to the natural order of things while dedicating himself to nurturing younger generations of writers.

Without resisting the course of nature, he writes:

The wine I drank overflowed into my body,

and with its clarity

wiped away the darkness.

-『Baekje Poem – Stone Trough』

When the pinwheel turns,

ah, I too, in dizzy circles,

turn and turn

to meet a new world.

-『Hey, Makgeolli』

Fermenting a liquor clearer than the waters of fifteen hundred years, he published his fifteenth poetry collection, 『Hey, Makgeolli』(2024). This paper offers a brief critical analysis of the characteristics and thematic tendencies revealed in this recent collection.

2. Critical Examination of Moon’s poetry collection,『Hey, Makgeolli』

『Hey, Makgeolli』 is a poetry collection published when Moon Hyo-chi was eighty-two years old. It may be read as a homecoming: after completing his long poetic journey through the historical and transcendent spaces of Baekje, the poet returns to the present as a contemporary inheritor of Baekje. Departing from his earlier imagery, the collection reveals themes of return, homeland, and the instinctive desire of living beings to find their way back to their source. Examining previous scholarship, this study explores how place-consciousness and the poet's sense of self are transformed in 『Hey, Makgeolli』.

Previous studies have focused primarily on Moon's "Baekje poetry" from his first collection (1976) through his tenth collection (2011)(5). More recent scholarship, including studies of imagery(6) and representation(7) in his Baekje poems, has likewise centered on Baekje as a historical space. This demonstrates the extent to which Baekje functions as the defining realm of Moon's poetic imagination. It is the historical space “Baekje” that led him into the world of Baekje poetry, engulfed him, and ultimately enabled his rebirth. Baekje became not only a historical space but also a creative and therapeutic one, so much so that it evolved into Moon Hyo-chi's distinctive literary identity.

A shy and introverted child, Moon grew up in loneliness. As the descendant of a fallen landlord family and the son of a man who had gone to North Korea, he was often ostracized by his peers. His father, a schoolteacher, joined the North Korean People's Army during the Korean War and never returned. Later, while participating in ROTC training at university, Moon was denied an officer's commission following a background investigation and instead entered military service as a sergeant. During his service, he was subjected to surveillance and repeated investigations because of his family history. Even after his discharge, he suffered for years from insomnia, indigestion, arrhythmia, and severe physical decline, his weight dropping to barely 30 kilograms. In 1971, however, news of the excavation of King Muryeong's Tomb in Gongju came to him like a ray of light. He immediately visited the exhibition of artifacts from the tomb. Through these relics from fifteen centuries earlier, Moon discovered the inspiration that would make him one of the foremost poets of Baekje.

His Baekje poetry evolved through several stages. It began with an identification between the fallen kingdom of Baekje and his own sense of marginalization. It developed into a poetry of resistance against power and a search for hope. It then became a means of overcoming death and deepening self-reflection. Finally, it reached a stage of emotional enlightenment that sought to secure the permanence and eternity of Baekje. For Moon, Baekje became an inalienable symbol, the source of his thought and sensibility, and a distinctive poetic identity.(8)

Because Baekje poetry helped him overcome profound psychological wounds and attain emotional stability during the most difficult periods of his life, Baekje occupies a vast, temporal and spatial dimension in his imagination.

Before we come back to 『Hey, Makgeolli』for further discussion, let me briefly review his fifteen poetry collections. We find that the first seven focus on the spirit of Baekje, while collections eight through thirteen extend beyond Korea and seek traces of Baekje in Japan. The dominant theme throughout these works is the pursuit of Baekje's permanence. Yet the thirteenth and fourteenth collections reveal signs of departure from the Baekje-centered poetic universe.

In search of those things that ceaselessly appear before me,

things that sometimes sparkle and sometimes hide in darkness,

things that are visible one moment and invisible the next.

I have come this far for those things

that seem within reach, only to slip away.

-『What Shall I Do?』

Petals that fly into my heart

and gather there whenever the wind blows—

what shall I do with them?

Their trembling fragrance and colors—

petals that begin in longing

and become pain—

what shall I do with them?

-『What Shall I Do?』

That heart—

with what sharp chisel

has it been carved?

With what powerful blade

has it been cut?

Night after night,

as the moonlit shadows deepen,

why does it cry out,

"Oh-heung, oh-heung"?

Even the mountain that once caressed it

turns away to wipe its tears.

-『Rock 1』

These poems reveal a point at which the history of Baekje and the poet's own poetic world converge. The poet begins to confront the tensions between that historical space and lived reality, engaging in deeper reflection and existential anguish.

His fifteenth collection, 『Hey, Makgeolli』marks a decisive shift. The poet moves away from the historical space of Baekje and returns to the present world—the former lands of Baekje as they exist today. The transcendent wanderings of imagination give way to a return to reality. Against the backdrop of life's mutability and transience, a cup of makgeolli becomes a symbol of acceptance and reconciliation leading to the third chapter of his life as he cited;

The shining sunlight or the flowing time carries a certain loneliness. This trap of hollow feeling is neither acute pain nor intolerable solitude. Yet, upon closer reflection, pale green shoots are found quietly sprouting from its depths, bringing a gentle and reassuring joy. O my poetry, like a cup of makgeolli—my comfort, my solace.

-『Hey, Makgeolli』

2.1. Perceiving the World Through Heterotopia

Awareness of place provides an important clue to understanding the relationship between the poet and the world he inhabits. Human life is not a utopia; one cannot escape reality. Literary works reveal the writer's thought and inner consciousness, and readers interpret them by following the flow of that consciousness. To understand how Moon Hyo-chi perceives the world in 『Hey, Makgeolli』, it is useful to consider Michel Foucault's concept of heterotopia.

The pinwheel turns.

The bottle turns.

The liquor turns.

When the pinwheel turns,

a man turns with it.

Round and round the liquor goes—

where does it flow?

The valley stream flows.

The liquor flows.

A man flows away,

into the depths of the world,

into some current within the entrails.

As the pinwheel spins,

ah, I too, dizzy with motion,

turn and turn,

going to meet a new world.

-『Hey, Makgeolli』

According to Michel Foucault, people can truly perceive the world only when, after a long period of oblivion, they find themselves within the confines of a spatiotemporal order in which space and time are fully unified. In Moon Hyo-chi's poetry, life in the real world turns like a pinwheel or a bottle of liquor before ultimately flowing away like water. The imagery recalls Zhuangzi's famous "Butterfly Dream." Is it I who am turning? Is it the bottle? Is it the pinwheel? There is no way of knowing. The self, the pinwheel, and the bottle simply continue to revolve. As the poet writes:

They say,

devote your whole life to it;

if you keep at it long enough,

you will become the sun

that brightens the world.

- 『The Sun』

Do not say there is no path.

You simply have not found it yet.

The butterfly wanders through the air seeking flowers,

while the bear roams the forest on its way home.

The path lies hidden,

waiting for you to discover it.

-『The Path』

The poet advises us not to claim that there is no path in life; rather, we have simply failed to find it. Only those who have lived long and deeply can truly speak of life and understand its meaning. The hidden path awaiting discovery symbolizes the path of truth, cultivated through wisdom and experience.

2.2. Dissolution and Rebirth Through Nature

Within the philosophy of reincarnation, death is itself a form of birth. Living beings possess an instinctive desire to return to their place of origin in accordance with the laws of nature. Likewise, Moon Hyo-chi, having lived in harmony with nature, ultimately returns to the land and waters of Baekje, the place of his birth. In 『Hey, Makgeolli』, life is depicted as an intense journey that gradually dissolves into the realm of death. The turbulent years rise like a waterfall before quietly yielding themselves to the flow of water.

Water runs toward death.

Life is nothing more than colorless, tasteless water.

From the moment it is born,

it begins its running start.

At last, reaching the edge of a cliff,

it thrusts itself forward with all its strength

and hurls its body into the void.

In the flash behind closed eyes,

there is a dizzying pain

and a brief exhilaration.

Then all memory disappears,

for it is only water.

- 『Another Waterfall』

Life rushes toward death, while water—pure H₂O—remains colorless and tasteless, purity itself. Water comes from unknown places and flows toward unknown destinations. Human life similarly encounters countless objects and circumstances along its course. Depending upon those encounters, one's journey may be smooth or may be swept into cliffs and rapids. Yet if one endures such moments, the pain eventually subsides, and life becomes as calm and gentle as pure water. In another poem, 『Looking at a Map』, the poet imagines drawing red sea routes: from Incheon toward hope, from Gunsan toward love, from Pohang toward paradise. Such routes become dreams traced upon the sea. Yet before death, all the mechanisms of memory vanish, dissolving like plain water itself.

In that discarded pebble

starlight has come to dwell.

Embedded in the stone,

it smiles.

Wherever the stone rolls,

it rolls along with it.

When the stone is kicked,

it too is struck and swept into the stream.

Such pain is profound;

golden light emerges from the wound.

The starlight that departed the universe,

wandering here and there,

entered that small stone.

The pebble smiles

and rolls on again.

-『Pebble』

As a young man studying maps of the world, the poet realized that the oceans were larger than the land. In this poem, starlight inhabits a discarded stone and travels wherever the stone travels. The wandering starlight and the wandering poet become one.

For whom

must I remain hanging from this branch?

For whom

must I keep smiling from this one place?

The sky is so vast and blue—

I want to fly,

I want to leave for somewhere else.

The wind chime beneath the eaves

may at least cry whenever it wishes.

Must I keep smiling like this

even when I want to weep?

And when even the strength to smile is gone,

I can only fall in silence,

pretending to smile as I fall.

- 『Camellia』

At this point, the poet projects himself onto the wind chime hanging beneath the eaves. The wind chime can cry out freely whenever the wind moves it, but the poet realizes that throughout his life he has been constrained by social expectations. Even when he wished to leave, to cry, or to express himself freely, he felt compelled to continue smiling. The poem reveals the inner world of an individual whose free spirit has been suppressed by the norms and structures imposed by society. Elsewhere, Moon reflects that there are days,

when even flowers take flight,

fluttering their yellow wings toward the horizon,

carrying dreams into an attractive world.

Yet he also senses that old age has brought a different wisdom:

What once made me angry ten times a month,

I should reduce to once.

What once drew twenty curses a year,

I should bring to an end with only two.

I, too, must have done the same to others;

now I should simply accept being stepped on when stepped on.

Enchanted by the beauty of the passing wind, the poet takes a photograph, only to find that it has captured a stooped old woman.

Beneath a bamboo grove stands a round little house,

and in its doorway a figure lingers awkwardly,

as if having just opened the door.

The poet wonders whether the image is, in fact, a portrait of his own inner self. The scene evokes the oneiric world of Zhuangzi's philosophy—蝶夢中家萬里，杜鵑枝上月三更 ("In the butterfly's dream, home lies ten thousand miles away; on the cuckoo's branch, the midnight moon shines")—where the distinction between self and other dissolves. In this moment of identification, the stooped old woman in the photograph becomes a reflection of the poet's own aging self.

2.3. Homecoming from the Journey

As the poet of Baekje, Moon Hyo-chi returns to Baekje carrying with him the dream of its eternity.

Do not say there is no path;

you simply have not found it yet.

The butterfly wanders through empty space seeking flowers,

while the bear roams the forest on its way home.

The path lies hidden,

waiting for you to find it.

—『The Path』

After a long journey, the poet turns toward the home that awaits him. The path signifies the journey itself, while home represents a refuge where body and mind may find rest. This refuge corresponds to what Michel Foucault describes as a heterotopic space. Returning to his birthplace, the poet comes once more to dwell in harmony with nature.

I am a mosquito in the bamboo grove of Seowoljeong,

hobbling along on crutches.

One hot, drought-stricken day,

terribly hungry,

I landed on the plump flesh

of Mr. Kim's left calf,

just as I was about to take a sip of blood,

when a hand as large as a pot lid

came crashing down.

I barely escaped with my life,

but in the process my hind leg was struck

and fractured.

I merely wished to share

a little of the abundant blood

flowing through that well-fed, prosperous body.

Yet what returned to me

was only the pain of shattered bones

and the threat of death.

Limping this way and that,

stumbling in confusion and misery—

what a cruel world it is!

- 『Mosquito』

For a moment, the poet transforms himself into a mosquito. Through this poetic embodiment he seeks to penetrate and understand the world, yet remains confined to the vicinity of Seowoljeong. Here, space becomes the realm of the poet-speaker, of human existence, and of life and death themselves. Just as the poet, after decades of urban life, returns to the place of his birth, all living beings possess an instinctive tendency to return to their origins. The poem vividly captures this principle of return and reveals the poet's own lived experience of homecoming.

Do we live in order to eat, or eat in order to live? Human desire is insatiable: the fullness of evening becomes hunger by morning. Seeking to satisfy that hunger, one naturally looks for the most accessible and desirable source of sustenance. The hungry mosquito settles upon the fleshy calf of Mr. Kim, only to be struck down. In attempting to partake of another's abundance, it receives only suffering in return.

The poem may also be read as a critique of contemporary capitalist society, where wealth and labor are often disconnected and where the dream of easy gain frequently results in disappointment. It exposes the tragedy of opportunism and the illusion of effortless prosperity.

My persimmon tree stands over there.

Sunlight fallen to the earth

climbs upward along its trunk.

I too follow the footsteps of the sunlight

and climb the tree.

Its leaves are my beloved companions,

each gazing at me

with shining eyes.

My tree is a persimmon tree.

Gathering sunlight, shaping and compressing it,

it creates crimson fruit.

Within those persimmons

my childhood ripens.

The ground on which the tree stands

is my own land, as dear as my flesh.

The persimmon tree lives by feeding on the earth.

- 『That Persimmon Tree』

How deeply the poet must have longed for this place! The persimmon tree of his childhood, beneath which he once played, waits faithfully for his return like the tree in Shel Silverstein's 『The Giving Tree』. Having endured life's hardships with steadfast determination, the poet becomes one with light itself, ascending the tree as sunlight ascends its trunk. Rather than falling, the light of hope continues to rise. Poet and persimmon tree become one, ripening together through patience and love upon the land of Baekje. The image culminates in the arrival of a fragrant New Year's morning.

Morning is fragrant.

The sun rises,

that ever-beautiful and beloved face,

calling our names.

Electrical light descending from the heavens

illuminates the whole world

and brightens our hearts.

Shadows disappear;

darkness vanishes.

Everywhere are gestures of birth,

the laughter of new life.

All paths stand open,

and everyone's footsteps are busy.

Truth and sincerity,

understanding and forgiveness—

once again the world extends

its warm hand to hold us.

-『New Year's Morning』

For Moon Hyo-chi, the return to his homeland is like a fragrant New Year's morning. In his poetic universe, pain matures and is transformed into light. That light, embodying truth, sincerity, understanding, and forgiveness, warms the entire world.

3. Conclusion

As this study has shown, 『Hey, Makgeolli』 represents a movement from Baekje as a historical space toward place as lived space, and from self-awareness toward an awareness of the world. A special attention should be paid to the poet’s return to Baekje, and its spatial qualities.

According to Foucault's insight, human beings cannot exclude reality from their lives. Moon's poetry reveals how self-awareness develops into world-awareness through engagement with space. The collection vividly portrays a self returning from the symbolic "house of language" called Baekje to its true homeland.

Because awareness of place provides a crucial clue to understanding the relationship between the poet and his world, Baekje remains inseparable from Moon Hyo-chi's poetic identity. Human life is not a utopia; one cannot escape reality. Literary works inevitably reveal the writer's thoughts and inner consciousness, and readers engage with those works by following the flow of that consciousness.

Through an analysis of 『Hey, Makgeolli』, this study has examined Moon Hyo-chi's representation of Baekje and the transformation of his self-awareness through the lens of Michel Foucault's concept of heterotopia. The transformation of self-awareness and world-awareness in relation to historical spaces and places within his poetic world demonstrates how both place and the poet's sense of self are projected into his works. Moon Hyo-chi is undoubtedly one of the poets who will continue to attract the attention of future scholars.

Footnotes;

(1) Lee, Hwa-young, A Study of Spatial Representation and Self-Recognition in Modern Korean Poetry: Focusing on Yi Yuksa and Yun Dong-ju (Ph.D. Dissertation, August 2022).

(2) Moon Hyo-chi's poetry collections include Standing in the Smoke (1976), The Wooden Bird of King Muryeong (1983), The Moon of Baekje Descends and Ripples upon the River (1988), The Road to Baekje (1991), The Gate of the Sea (1993), Looking toward Seonyudo (2000), Postcards from Namnaeri (2001), Gyebaek's Sword (2008), Wang In's Beard (2010), Seven-Branched Sword (2011), The Starred Owlet Moth (2013), Modemipul (2016), What Shall I Do? (2019), Thus Spake the Rock (2021), and Hey, Makgeolli! (2024). His sijo collection is Pasqueflower (2017), and his prose works include The Road Where Poetry Dwells (1999) and Poet Moon Hyo-chi's Travel Poetry Notebook (2002).

(3) Kang, Hee-geun, “Viewing Poet Moon Hyo-chi,” Quarterly Literary Arts, Autumn 2012, p. 73.

(4) Moon Hyo-chi is the recipient of numerous literary honors, including the Republic of Korea Arts and Culture Grand Prize, the Jeong Ji-yong Literary Award, the Korean Poets Association Award, the Kim Satgat Literary Award, the Cheon Sang-byeong Poetry Award, the PEN Literary Award, the Ikjae Literary Award, the Insan Literary Award, the Seokjeong Poetry Award, and the Gunsan Literary Award.

(5) Scholars and critics who have written on Moon Hyo-chi's poetry include Kang Kyung-hee, Kang Woo-sik, Kang Hee-an, Kim Gwang-gi, Kim Baek-gyeom, Kim Yong-man, Kim Jeong-nam, Kim Jeong-im, Moon Deok-su, Park Ki-su, Park Sun-young, Park Jin-hwan, Byeon Ui-su, Seo Jeong-ju, Shin Dong-wook, Yoo Seong-ho, Un Ae-gyeong, Lee Sae-bom, Lee Sang-hyeok, Lee Chae-min, Lee Hyeon-seo, Jang In-su, Jo Myeong-je, Choi Jin-hwa, Hong Gi-sam, Hong Moon-pyo, Hong Yun-gi, and Hong Si-seon.

(6) Kim Mi-yeon, A Study of Imagery in Moon Hyo-chi's Poetry: Focusing on the “Baekje Poems” (Ph.D. Dissertation, Dongguk University, 2019).

(7) Kim Gi-ok, A Study of Baekje Representation in Moon Hyo-chi's Poetry (M.A. Thesis, Dongguk University, 2023).

(8) Yoo Seong-ho, “A Profound Reflection and Sensibility toward History and Existential Being,” in Reading the Poetry of Moon Hyo-chi (Jihye, 2012), p. 245.

Jeon Young-soon

Literary Debut Poetry in Minerva (2016)

Literary Criticism in Essay Literature (2010)

Essays in Korean Writers (2006)

Publications Four poetry collections, including『Autumn Comes from the Lips』

Three essay collections, including 『The American Dream』

Collection of Literary criticism『Critical Essays on Major Writers

of Modern and Contemporary Korean Literature』

Awards Poetry Arts Academy Award

Chungbuk Arts Association Outstanding Artist Award

Seol Chong Literary Award, Korean Essay Criticism Award

Affiliations Member of the Korean Writers' Association

Member of the Korean Poets' Association

Editorial Board Member and Vice President of Minerva

ions of Self-Awareness Through Space

-Focusing on Poetry Collection『Hey, Makgeolli』

By Jeon Young-soon

1. Introduction

Space as it appears in poetry serves as the setting in which a poem's circumstances and events unfold, and thus provides an important clue to understanding the poet. This is because space is inevitably connected to human existence in one way or another. The spaces represented in poetry are closely related to the poet's poetic world, level of perception, and lived experiences.(1)

This paper examines the changing aspects of self-awareness in relation to space, focusing on 『Hey, Makgeolli』, the fifteenth poetry collection of poet Moon Hyo-chi, who transformed the historical space of Baekje—spanning the 660 years of its history—into what may be called "Baekje poetry" that transcends time and space.

Born in Okgu, Jeollabuk-do, in 1943, Moon Hyo-chi began his literary career after winning the New Year's Literary Contest awards sponsored by The Seoul Shinmun and The Hankook Ilbo in 1966. Over a poetic career spanning fifty-seven years, he has published fifteen volumes of poetry, one collection of sijo, and two collections of essays.(2)

Influenced by the poetic world of Seo Jeong-ju, Moon responds to the universe through a fresh perspective grounded in the traditional lyricism of Korean poetry. He highly values Seo's poetic vision and emphasizes not only the essential qualities that poetry should possess but also the transformation of the intrinsic nature of things into linguistic imagery. In particular, by appropriating the symbolic space of Baekje, he has constructed a distinctive poetic world through his own imagination. "Poet Moon Hyo-chi was reborn through Baekje and secured a poetic territory comparable to the 'Silla' of his mentor Midang."(3)

In addition to his creative work, Moon has served as Chairman of the Korean Writers' Association, Chairman of PEN Korea, and Executive Director of the Association of Modern Korean Poets. His receipt of numerous literary awards(4) attests to his profound influence on Korean literature and the Korean literary community. Having established a poetic world uniquely his own, Moon continues, even in old age, to accept human life according to the natural order of things while dedicating himself to nurturing younger generations of writers.

Without resisting the course of nature, he writes:

The wine I drank overflowed into my body,

and with its clarity

wiped away the darkness.

-『Baekje Poem – Stone Trough』

When the pinwheel turns,

ah, I too, in dizzy circles,

turn and turn

to meet a new world.

-『Hey, Makgeolli』

Fermenting a liquor clearer than the waters of fifteen hundred years, he published his fifteenth poetry collection, 『Hey, Makgeolli』(2024). This paper offers a brief critical analysis of the characteristics and thematic tendencies revealed in this recent collection.

2. Critical Examination of Moon’s poetry collection,『Hey, Makgeolli』

『Hey, Makgeolli』 is a poetry collection published when Moon Hyo-chi was eighty-two years old. It may be read as a homecoming: after completing his long poetic journey through the historical and transcendent spaces of Baekje, the poet returns to the present as a contemporary inheritor of Baekje. Departing from his earlier imagery, the collection reveals themes of return, homeland, and the instinctive desire of living beings to find their way back to their source. Examining previous scholarship, this study explores how place-consciousness and the poet's sense of self are transformed in 『Hey, Makgeolli』.

Previous studies have focused primarily on Moon's "Baekje poetry" from his first collection (1976) through his tenth collection (2011)(5). More recent scholarship, including studies of imagery(6) and representation(7) in his Baekje poems, has likewise centered on Baekje as a historical space. This demonstrates the extent to which Baekje functions as the defining realm of Moon's poetic imagination. It is the historical space “Baekje” that led him into the world of Baekje poetry, engulfed him, and ultimately enabled his rebirth. Baekje became not only a historical space but also a creative and therapeutic one, so much so that it evolved into Moon Hyo-chi's distinctive literary identity.

A shy and introverted child, Moon grew up in loneliness. As the descendant of a fallen landlord family and the son of a man who had gone to North Korea, he was often ostracized by his peers. His father, a schoolteacher, joined the North Korean People's Army during the Korean War and never returned. Later, while participating in ROTC training at university, Moon was denied an officer's commission following a background investigation and instead entered military service as a sergeant. During his service, he was subjected to surveillance and repeated investigations because of his family history. Even after his discharge, he suffered for years from insomnia, indigestion, arrhythmia, and severe physical decline, his weight dropping to barely 30 kilograms. In 1971, however, news of the excavation of King Muryeong's Tomb in Gongju came to him like a ray of light. He immediately visited the exhibition of artifacts from the tomb. Through these relics from fifteen centuries earlier, Moon discovered the inspiration that would make him one of the foremost poets of Baekje.

His Baekje poetry evolved through several stages. It began with an identification between the fallen kingdom of Baekje and his own sense of marginalization. It developed into a poetry of resistance against power and a search for hope. It then became a means of overcoming death and deepening self-reflection. Finally, it reached a stage of emotional enlightenment that sought to secure the permanence and eternity of Baekje. For Moon, Baekje became an inalienable symbol, the source of his thought and sensibility, and a distinctive poetic identity.(8)

Because Baekje poetry helped him overcome profound psychological wounds and attain emotional stability during the most difficult periods of his life, Baekje occupies a vast, temporal and spatial dimension in his imagination.

Before we come back to 『Hey, Makgeolli』for further discussion, let me briefly review his fifteen poetry collections. We find that the first seven focus on the spirit of Baekje, while collections eight through thirteen extend beyond Korea and seek traces of Baekje in Japan. The dominant theme throughout these works is the pursuit of Baekje's permanence. Yet the thirteenth and fourteenth collections reveal signs of departure from the Baekje-centered poetic universe.

In search of those things that ceaselessly appear before me,

things that sometimes sparkle and sometimes hide in darkness,

things that are visible one moment and invisible the next.

I have come this far for those things

that seem within reach, only to slip away.

-『What Shall I Do?』

Petals that fly into my heart

and gather there whenever the wind blows—

what shall I do with them?

Their trembling fragrance and colors—

petals that begin in longing

and become pain—

what shall I do with them?

-『What Shall I Do?』

That heart—

with what sharp chisel

has it been carved?

With what powerful blade

has it been cut?

Night after night,

as the moonlit shadows deepen,

why does it cry out,

"Oh-heung, oh-heung"?

Even the mountain that once caressed it

turns away to wipe its tears.

-『Rock 1』

These poems reveal a point at which the history of Baekje and the poet's own poetic world converge. The poet begins to confront the tensions between that historical space and lived reality, engaging in deeper reflection and existential anguish.

His fifteenth collection, 『Hey, Makgeolli』marks a decisive shift. The poet moves away from the historical space of Baekje and returns to the present world—the former lands of Baekje as they exist today. The transcendent wanderings of imagination give way to a return to reality. Against the backdrop of life's mutability and transience, a cup of makgeolli becomes a symbol of acceptance and reconciliation leading to the third chapter of his life as he cited;

The shining sunlight or the flowing time carries a certain loneliness. This trap of hollow feeling is neither acute pain nor intolerable solitude. Yet, upon closer reflection, pale green shoots are found quietly sprouting from its depths, bringing a gentle and reassuring joy. O my poetry, like a cup of makgeolli—my comfort, my solace.

-『Hey, Makgeolli』

2.1. Perceiving the World Through Heterotopia

Awareness of place provides an important clue to understanding the relationship between the poet and the world he inhabits. Human life is not a utopia; one cannot escape reality. Literary works reveal the writer's thought and inner consciousness, and readers interpret them by following the flow of that consciousness. To understand how Moon Hyo-chi perceives the world in 『Hey, Makgeolli』, it is useful to consider Michel Foucault's concept of heterotopia.

The pinwheel turns.

The bottle turns.

The liquor turns.

When the pinwheel turns,

a man turns with it.

Round and round the liquor goes—

where does it flow?

The valley stream flows.

The liquor flows.

A man flows away,

into the depths of the world,

into some current within the entrails.

As the pinwheel spins,

ah, I too, dizzy with motion,

turn and turn,

going to meet a new world.

-『Hey, Makgeolli』

According to Michel Foucault, people can truly perceive the world only when, after a long period of oblivion, they find themselves within the confines of a spatiotemporal order in which space and time are fully unified. In Moon Hyo-chi's poetry, life in the real world turns like a pinwheel or a bottle of liquor before ultimately flowing away like water. The imagery recalls Zhuangzi's famous "Butterfly Dream." Is it I who am turning? Is it the bottle? Is it the pinwheel? There is no way of knowing. The self, the pinwheel, and the bottle simply continue to revolve. As the poet writes:

They say,

devote your whole life to it;

if you keep at it long enough,

you will become the sun

that brightens the world.

- 『The Sun』

Do not say there is no path.

You simply have not found it yet.

The butterfly wanders through the air seeking flowers,

while the bear roams the forest on its way home.

The path lies hidden,

waiting for you to discover it.

-『The Path』

The poet advises us not to claim that there is no path in life; rather, we have simply failed to find it. Only those who have lived long and deeply can truly speak of life and understand its meaning. The hidden path awaiting discovery symbolizes the path of truth, cultivated through wisdom and experience.

2.2. Dissolution and Rebirth Through Nature

Within the philosophy of reincarnation, death is itself a form of birth. Living beings possess an instinctive desire to return to their place of origin in accordance with the laws of nature. Likewise, Moon Hyo-chi, having lived in harmony with nature, ultimately returns to the land and waters of Baekje, the place of his birth. In 『Hey, Makgeolli』, life is depicted as an intense journey that gradually dissolves into the realm of death. The turbulent years rise like a waterfall before quietly yielding themselves to the flow of water.

Water runs toward death.

Life is nothing more than colorless, tasteless water.

From the moment it is born,

it begins its running start.

At last, reaching the edge of a cliff,

it thrusts itself forward with all its strength

and hurls its body into the void.

In the flash behind closed eyes,

there is a dizzying pain

and a brief exhilaration.

Then all memory disappears,

for it is only water.

- 『Another Waterfall』

Life rushes toward death, while water—pure H₂O—remains colorless and tasteless, purity itself. Water comes from unknown places and flows toward unknown destinations. Human life similarly encounters countless objects and circumstances along its course. Depending upon those encounters, one's journey may be smooth or may be swept into cliffs and rapids. Yet if one endures such moments, the pain eventually subsides, and life becomes as calm and gentle as pure water. In another poem, 『Looking at a Map』, the poet imagines drawing red sea routes: from Incheon toward hope, from Gunsan toward love, from Pohang toward paradise. Such routes become dreams traced upon the sea. Yet before death, all the mechanisms of memory vanish, dissolving like plain water itself.

In that discarded pebble

starlight has come to dwell.

Embedded in the stone,

it smiles.

Wherever the stone rolls,

it rolls along with it.

When the stone is kicked,

it too is struck and swept into the stream.

Such pain is profound;

golden light emerges from the wound.

The starlight that departed the universe,

wandering here and there,

entered that small stone.

The pebble smiles

and rolls on again.

-『Pebble』

As a young man studying maps of the world, the poet realized that the oceans were larger than the land. In this poem, starlight inhabits a discarded stone and travels wherever the stone travels. The wandering starlight and the wandering poet become one.

For whom

must I remain hanging from this branch?

For whom

must I keep smiling from this one place?

The sky is so vast and blue—

I want to fly,

I want to leave for somewhere else.

The wind chime beneath the eaves

may at least cry whenever it wishes.

Must I keep smiling like this

even when I want to weep?

And when even the strength to smile is gone,

I can only fall in silence,

pretending to smile as I fall.

- 『Camellia』

At this point, the poet projects himself onto the wind chime hanging beneath the eaves. The wind chime can cry out freely whenever the wind moves it, but the poet realizes that throughout his life he has been constrained by social expectations. Even when he wished to leave, to cry, or to express himself freely, he felt compelled to continue smiling. The poem reveals the inner world of an individual whose free spirit has been suppressed by the norms and structures imposed by society. Elsewhere, Moon reflects that there are days,

when even flowers take flight,

fluttering their yellow wings toward the horizon,

carrying dreams into an attractive world.

Yet he also senses that old age has brought a different wisdom:

What once made me angry ten times a month,

I should reduce to once.

What once drew twenty curses a year,

I should bring to an end with only two.

I, too, must have done the same to others;

now I should simply accept being stepped on when stepped on.

Enchanted by the beauty of the passing wind, the poet takes a photograph, only to find that it has captured a stooped old woman.

Beneath a bamboo grove stands a round little house,

and in its doorway a figure lingers awkwardly,

as if having just opened the door.

The poet wonders whether the image is, in fact, a portrait of his own inner self. The scene evokes the oneiric world of Zhuangzi's philosophy—蝶夢中家萬里，杜鵑枝上月三更 ("In the butterfly's dream, home lies ten thousand miles away; on the cuckoo's branch, the midnight moon shines")—where the distinction between self and other dissolves. In this moment of identification, the stooped old woman in the photograph becomes a reflection of the poet's own aging self.

2.3. Homecoming from the Journey

As the poet of Baekje, Moon Hyo-chi returns to Baekje carrying with him the dream of its eternity.

Do not say there is no path;

you simply have not found it yet.

The butterfly wanders through empty space seeking flowers,

while the bear roams the forest on its way home.

The path lies hidden,

waiting for you to find it.

—『The Path』

After a long journey, the poet turns toward the home that awaits him. The path signifies the journey itself, while home represents a refuge where body and mind may find rest. This refuge corresponds to what Michel Foucault describes as a heterotopic space. Returning to his birthplace, the poet comes once more to dwell in harmony with nature.

I am a mosquito in the bamboo grove of Seowoljeong,

hobbling along on crutches.

One hot, drought-stricken day,

terribly hungry,

I landed on the plump flesh

of Mr. Kim's left calf,

just as I was about to take a sip of blood,

when a hand as large as a pot lid

came crashing down.

I barely escaped with my life,

but in the process my hind leg was struck

and fractured.

I merely wished to share

a little of the abundant blood

flowing through that well-fed, prosperous body.

Yet what returned to me

was only the pain of shattered bones

and the threat of death.

Limping this way and that,

stumbling in confusion and misery—

what a cruel world it is!

- 『Mosquito』

For a moment, the poet transforms himself into a mosquito. Through this poetic embodiment he seeks to penetrate and understand the world, yet remains confined to the vicinity of Seowoljeong. Here, space becomes the realm of the poet-speaker, of human existence, and of life and death themselves. Just as the poet, after decades of urban life, returns to the place of his birth, all living beings possess an instinctive tendency to return to their origins. The poem vividly captures this principle of return and reveals the poet's own lived experience of homecoming.

Do we live in order to eat, or eat in order to live? Human desire is insatiable: the fullness of evening becomes hunger by morning. Seeking to satisfy that hunger, one naturally looks for the most accessible and desirable source of sustenance. The hungry mosquito settles upon the fleshy calf of Mr. Kim, only to be struck down. In attempting to partake of another's abundance, it receives only suffering in return.

The poem may also be read as a critique of contemporary capitalist society, where wealth and labor are often disconnected and where the dream of easy gain frequently results in disappointment. It exposes the tragedy of opportunism and the illusion of effortless prosperity.

My persimmon tree stands over there.

Sunlight fallen to the earth

climbs upward along its trunk.

I too follow the footsteps of the sunlight

and climb the tree.

Its leaves are my beloved companions,

each gazing at me

with shining eyes.

My tree is a persimmon tree.

Gathering sunlight, shaping and compressing it,

it creates crimson fruit.

Within those persimmons

my childhood ripens.

The ground on which the tree stands

is my own land, as dear as my flesh.

The persimmon tree lives by feeding on the earth.

- 『That Persimmon Tree』

How deeply the poet must have longed for this place! The persimmon tree of his childhood, beneath which he once played, waits faithfully for his return like the tree in Shel Silverstein's 『The Giving Tree』. Having endured life's hardships with steadfast determination, the poet becomes one with light itself, ascending the tree as sunlight ascends its trunk. Rather than falling, the light of hope continues to rise. Poet and persimmon tree become one, ripening together through patience and love upon the land of Baekje. The image culminates in the arrival of a fragrant New Year's morning.

Morning is fragrant.

The sun rises,

that ever-beautiful and beloved face,

calling our names.

Electrical light descending from the heavens

illuminates the whole world

and brightens our hearts.

Shadows disappear;

darkness vanishes.

Everywhere are gestures of birth,

the laughter of new life.

All paths stand open,

and everyone's footsteps are busy.

Truth and sincerity,

understanding and forgiveness—

once again the world extends

its warm hand to hold us.

-『New Year's Morning』

For Moon Hyo-chi, the return to his homeland is like a fragrant New Year's morning. In his poetic universe, pain matures and is transformed into light. That light, embodying truth, sincerity, understanding, and forgiveness, warms the entire world.

3. Conclusion

As this study has shown, 『Hey, Makgeolli』 represents a movement from Baekje as a historical space toward place as lived space, and from self-awareness toward an awareness of the world. A special attention should be paid to the poet’s return to Baekje, and its spatial qualities.

According to Foucault's insight, human beings cannot exclude reality from their lives. Moon's poetry reveals how self-awareness develops into world-awareness through engagement with space. The collection vividly portrays a self returning from the symbolic "house of language" called Baekje to its true homeland.

Because awareness of place provides a crucial clue to understanding the relationship between the poet and his world, Baekje remains inseparable from Moon Hyo-chi's poetic identity. Human life is not a utopia; one cannot escape reality. Literary works inevitably reveal the writer's thoughts and inner consciousness, and readers engage with those works by following the flow of that consciousness.

Through an analysis of 『Hey, Makgeolli』, this study has examined Moon Hyo-chi's representation of Baekje and the transformation of his self-awareness through the lens of Michel Foucault's concept of heterotopia. The transformation of self-awareness and world-awareness in relation to historical spaces and places within his poetic world demonstrates how both place and the poet's sense of self are projected into his works. Moon Hyo-chi is undoubtedly one of the poets who will continue to attract the attention of future scholars.

Footnotes;

(1) Lee, Hwa-young, A Study of Spatial Representation and Self-Recognition in Modern Korean Poetry: Focusing on Yi Yuksa and Yun Dong-ju (Ph.D. Dissertation, August 2022).

(2) Moon Hyo-chi's poetry collections include Standing in the Smoke (1976), The Wooden Bird of King Muryeong (1983), The Moon of Baekje Descends and Ripples upon the River (1988), The Road to Baekje (1991), The Gate of the Sea (1993), Looking toward Seonyudo (2000), Postcards from Namnaeri (2001), Gyebaek's Sword (2008), Wang In's Beard (2010), Seven-Branched Sword (2011), The Starred Owlet Moth (2013), Modemipul (2016), What Shall I Do? (2019), Thus Spake the Rock (2021), and Hey, Makgeolli! (2024). His sijo collection is Pasqueflower (2017), and his prose works include The Road Where Poetry Dwells (1999) and Poet Moon Hyo-chi's Travel Poetry Notebook (2002).

(3) Kang, Hee-geun, “Viewing Poet Moon Hyo-chi,” Quarterly Literary Arts, Autumn 2012, p. 73.

(4) Moon Hyo-chi is the recipient of numerous literary honors, including the Republic of Korea Arts and Culture Grand Prize, the Jeong Ji-yong Literary Award, the Korean Poets Association Award, the Kim Satgat Literary Award, the Cheon Sang-byeong Poetry Award, the PEN Literary Award, the Ikjae Literary Award, the Insan Literary Award, the Seokjeong Poetry Award, and the Gunsan Literary Award.

(5) Scholars and critics who have written on Moon Hyo-chi's poetry include Kang Kyung-hee, Kang Woo-sik, Kang Hee-an, Kim Gwang-gi, Kim Baek-gyeom, Kim Yong-man, Kim Jeong-nam, Kim Jeong-im, Moon Deok-su, Park Ki-su, Park Sun-young, Park Jin-hwan, Byeon Ui-su, Seo Jeong-ju, Shin Dong-wook, Yoo Seong-ho, Un Ae-gyeong, Lee Sae-bom, Lee Sang-hyeok, Lee Chae-min, Lee Hyeon-seo, Jang In-su, Jo Myeong-je, Choi Jin-hwa, Hong Gi-sam, Hong Moon-pyo, Hong Yun-gi, and Hong Si-seon.

(6) Kim Mi-yeon, A Study of Imagery in Moon Hyo-chi's Poetry: Focusing on the “Baekje Poems” (Ph.D. Dissertation, Dongguk University, 2019).

(7) Kim Gi-ok, A Study of Baekje Representation in Moon Hyo-chi's Poetry (M.A. Thesis, Dongguk University, 2023).

(8) Yoo Seong-ho, “A Profound Reflection and Sensibility toward History and Existential Being,” in Reading the Poetry of Moon Hyo-chi (Jihye, 2012), p. 245.

Jeon Young-soon

Literary Debut Poetry in Minerva (2016)

Literary Criticism in Essay Literature (2010)

Essays in Korean Writers (2006)

Publications Four poetry collections, including『Autumn Comes from the Lips』

Three essay collections, including 『The American Dream』

Collection of Literary criticism『Critical Essays on Major Writers

of Modern and Contemporary Korean Literature』

Awards Poetry Arts Academy Award

Chungbuk Arts Association Outstanding Artist Award

Seol Chong Literary Award, Korean Essay Criticism Award

Affiliations Member of the Korean Writers' Association

Member of the Korean Poets' Association

Editorial Board Member and Vice President of Minerva