Learning a fine language from nature

By Kim Song-rhei

Is speech an exclusive possession of humanity? Does the human race alone have the gift of artistic presentation?

I am sometimes, especially when I take pleasure in looking at lovely flowers, lost in reveries. That is, plants express their thoughts with each other through elegant words which are far more beautiful than the ones that we use today.

The reason I indulge myself in this way is that the delicate leaves and petals of the plants always teach my mind a fine literary language lesson.

In other words, every time I am struck by their exquisite beauty, I feel inclined to compose a poem or an essay in words befitting their beauty.

However, at this very moment, I cannot find suitable words to express it. If I had expressed my feelings in words, I would say no more than a few silly clichés, which I myself feel to be embarrassingly inadequate.

Thus, I have realized that I would be incapable of putting certain thoughts into words, words which I myself would recognize as carrying not more than a fraction of the intended meaning.

Why is that? Didn’t I know many sensitive words, or am I dwelling on the ability to create sensational descriptions?

Of course I myself know that I am short of putting the above two cases into practice. Yet, the more I feel difficulty regarding these cases, the more I feel like expressing them in a lovely way.

That is, I have realized that the more difficult our thoughts and emotions, the less effective language is as a tool of expression.

I think the main reason for this phenomenon is that the real artistic expression of the beauty of something comes from the heart, not from the mind.

Then, what do the words “heart” and “mind” here mean respectively?

I think that “heart” refers to the native capacity of perceiving the beauty of something, and “mind” the learned capability of grasping conceptual knowledge, just like character is largely acquired through experience.

In other words, the former is the one which is capable of depicting a vivid description of the beauty of something without speaking, and the latter one which is able to describe the beauty within the frame work of human language, isn’t it?

In this respect, I believe that we humans have no choice but to further develop the literary arts.

For instance, we can use poetic language such as metaphors or similes rather than plain language when we are moved.

In a practical way, figurative expression is subjective and impressionistic. It is thus able to better handle the ambiguities of the emotions and the imagination.

Accordingly, it goes without saying that poetry conveys more meaning than prose. It can convey subtle yet powerful meanings that fail to be expressed with ordinary words.

In view of these facts, when I take pleasure in looking at flowers, I am in the mood to use literary techniques or the language used in a figurative style. A figurative use of a word, in a practical manner, possesses characteristics of the unlimited power of expression.

I have a mind to write poetry or prose expressive of joy when appreciating the meaning of sweet flowers. In a word, having a good time while looking at lovely flowers stimulates my interest in literary work.

I think there is much to be thankful for that I have taken an interest in living with nature.

For me, making an effort to learn a fine language from nature itself is a pure joy. It is, in a sense, a pledge of love blossoming between nature and me.

The writer lives in Kwanak-gu, Seoul. His email address is kwanak11@hanmail.net.