Poet's words
Prose ◆ Listening to the bells of the monastery

Taste of Joy
A Windy Day / A Diary of the Beginning of Summer / Life is Heavy / The Moment It Becomes a Book / A Praise of Tears / A Letter from a Flower Garden / My Sister, Rosa / From a Tree to Me / To a Baby / Flowers and Prayers / With Camellias / To a Butterfly / To a Friend / A Daily Promise / In the Rain / When My Heart Hurts / A Diary of the Beginning of Spring / At Sunrise / In Autumn / The Taste of Joy / The Joy of Seeing the Sun / A Diary of Sunlight / A Woman Who Reads

Monastery breakfast table
Confession of an Old Nun / Breakfast Table in the Monastery / In the Monastery Corridor / The Road in a Dream / Because I Like It Light / Diary - At Beomil-dong Cathedral / Praise of the Bible / Making a Lover / Moonlight Diary / Silent Love Song / Plum Pillow / Vain Resolutions / Words and Silence / In My Room / Forgiveness Diary / Final Prayer

Sunshine Diary
Spring Diary / In Gwangalli / Vernal Equinox Love Song / When the Apricot Blossoms Bloom / Soap Bubble Girl / To a Reader / To a Tree / The Sea I Dreamed of / Birds' Morning / Strange Hour / Morning Song / Letter to a Bird / Temporary Teeth / Dry Eye Syndrome / Mother's Love / From Me to Myself / Snowflake Letter / March Wind / On My Seventy-Year-Old Birthday

Diary of a Sad Day
Mother in a dream / A certain longing / Burying you in the mountain / Organizing clothes / A small prayer / Heavy snow / Sorrow of parting / Diary of a sad day 1 / Diary of a sad day 2 / To a departed friend / That airplane / Words of a dead person / Farewell - To one preparing for death / Confession of a dying person - The day I watched over a friend's death / Dream diary / A visit from a dead friend / Wounds on the body

Are you sick too?
Are you sick too? / Living must flow / Hospital diary / Diary of a sick day / Patient's letter / Doctor's consolation / In the hospital / After discharge / Poor prayer / Confession of a sick day / Complaints about cancer cells / When I am lonely / Thoughts on pain / Thoughts on a day 1 / Thoughts on a day 2 / Doctor's prayer / Patient's prayer / Caregiver's prayer / Last letter / Writing a will

A letter written in poetry
To the Pope who left his love / A poem in memory of Chiara Lubich - You who are always with me / To Bo-kyung in the maple forest / To the reader Jin who committed suicide / In front of Sister Miriam's spirit

A daily gift that blossoms into poetry

From a tender dandelion to a beautiful camellia flower
100 unpublished poems and 100 diary entries from Sister Lee Hae-in!

"Like a Camellia Flower When Blooming and When Withering" is a book by Sister Hae-in Lee, who is celebrating her 70th birthday and 50th anniversary of entering the convent this year, which contains 100 new prose pieces, 100 new poems, and 100 stories of her life meticulously recorded from 2011 to 2014.
Sister Hae-in Lee, who dreams of a life that is as beautiful when it withers as it is when it blooms, wishes to become a flower herself.
The title of Sister Lee Hae-in's first poetry collection, published in 1976, was 'Territory of Dandelions.'
38 years later, he, who was as small and delicate as a dandelion in spring, was reborn as a camellia flower that shows off its vivid red color even in the snow after battling cancer for several years following surgery in 2008.
Camellia is a flower whose petals do not scatter one by one in the wind, and whose buds fall cleanly without wilting at all.
He has walked a half-century journey through the capital, depicting the life of the elegant camellia, and through this book, he continues to offer comfort and love today.

The title of my first poetry collection, published in 1976, was “Territory of Dandelions,” and I think it is meaningful that the title of this collection, published 38 years later, is “Like a Camellia, When Blooming and When Falling.”
That practitioner, who was as small and delicate as a dandelion in spring, has now, after a long time, become a camellia flower that looks up at the sky after eating the salt of patience.
Even in the winter of life, I am living diligently on this southern seashore as a cheerful and energetic Camellia Sister who knows how to smile brightly and not feel the cold.

―From “The Poet’s Words”

Consisting of seven parts, 『Like a Camellia Flower When Blooming and When Withering』 is filled with the pain and loneliness of those battling illness, the joy and gratitude for life that is not lost despite it all, and the warm affection towards people.
The natural landscapes and human life reflected in Sister Lee Hae-in's eyes are densely packed with the emotions that lead to the creation of a poem.
Additionally, this book includes paintings by artist Jeon Hyo-jin that emphasize warm colors.
The lovely and detailed drawings, combined with Sister Hae-in's unique and refined language, add a unique visual appeal.


Joy/Capital/Hope/Mourning/Struggle/Longing/Daily Life
The life of a monk beyond suffering, shown through a seven-part structure

『Like a Camellia Flower When Blooming or Falling』 is composed of seven parts: ‘The Taste of Joy,’ ‘The Monastery’s Breakfast Table,’ ‘Sunshine Diary,’ ‘Diary of a Sad Day,’ ‘Are You Sick Too?,’ ‘A Letter Written in Poetry,’ and ‘The Gift of Everyday Life That Made Poetry Bloom.’

The first chapter, 'The Taste of Joy,' is a collection of poems that sing of the small and precious joys hidden in everyday life.
We find and name the joy and gratitude that lies dormant in the seemingly common clouds, flower petals, rivers, and every moment of the day from the moment we open our eyes in the morning to the moment we close our eyes in the evening.

The second chapter, 'Breakfast Table in the Monastery', contains psalms dedicated to faith by Sister Hae-in Lee, who has been on a journey of monasticism for half a century.
A confession like “Until I myself collapse in complete silence/I will live loving you more/Please be my salvation/My place to believe/My place to hide/” (“Silent Love”) fully reveals the inner self of a seeker.
The third chapter, 'Sunshine Diary', sings of the power of hope that is not lost even in sadness.
In her book, “Hope is Awake,” published in 2010, Sister Lee Hae-in conveyed the message that hope does not come on its own, and that it must be called out and awakened to become ours.
The sadness that grows within us makes us ask ourselves, “Can I just live like this? / Can I not be ashamed?” (“On My Seventy-Year-Old Birthday”), but the hope that must be called and awakened despite this makes us love and forgive more.

The fourth chapter, 'Diary of a Sad Day', contains longing for people who have left and the time that has passed.
We hear of the death of a friend we used to live with, witness the deaths of countless people in accidents far away, and miss our mothers who passed away long ago. However, longing ultimately reminds us of the preciousness of ordinary happiness and allows us to accept the loss through true mourning.
The fifth chapter, “Are You Sick Too?” poignantly portrays the suffering of Sister Hae-in Lee, who began her battle with cancer after undergoing surgery in 2008.
Although we may feel angry and sad because of the unbearable pain, physical pain awakens the sense of life that we are alive today when we open our eyes in the morning and makes us accept the ordinary things we did without a problem as miracles.
Also included in this chapter is the poem "Writing a Will," written by Sister Hae-in Lee about her thoughts on the day she had her will notarized. It is a piece of writing that evokes a sense of solemnity in the reader.

The sixth chapter, 'Letters Written in Poetry', contains poems dedicated to Pope Francis, who visited Korea last August, poems in memory of Chiara Lubich, who passed away in 2008, and poems addressed to readers who have given up on life.
The last chapter, 'The Gift of Everyday Life That Made Poetry Bloom', is a collection of 100 diary entries from January 1, 2011 to October 30, 2014, arranged in chronological order.
The diary, which neatly describes the daily scenery, contains various thoughts that can be felt as a human being.
The daily resolutions, the joy felt at seeing flowers, the fear of the pain brought on by illness, the longing for the departed, and the reflections on preparing for the end of life come across in a gentle and poignant way.
Among them, the diary entry from October 30, 2014, which records text messages exchanged with the mother of Choi Deok-ha, a student from Danwon High School who died in the Sewol Ferry disaster, contains the story of those who must endure the days that flow mercilessly despite unbearable sorrow.
The words of one who has discovered life beyond suffering will resonate with the hearts of readers.


70th birthday, 50th anniversary of membership, 30 years of eyesight
The power of hope every day

Sister Hae-in Lee has been loved for her clear and emotional poetry for over 30 years.
His clear language teaches readers, weary of life, how to breathe deeply and broadly.
Like opening a window wide to let in some fresh air, Sister Hae-in's words clear up the stale air of life, giving us the generosity to breathe properly, think slowly, and offer comfort to others who are hurting.
That leisure will be a gift of life that blesses those who have endured times of suffering.

『Like a Camellia, When Blooming and When Withering』, which takes readers back to his half-century journey as a poet and monk, will reveal to readers a peak of his life as a poet and monk.


The end of my life/when, where, and in what form will it take/I thought about it all night/and fell asleep//When I opened my eyes in the morning/I was once again/in a world where I was alive!//I opened the door that the morning had opened/and prepared to love/Asking for the courage/to become a victor of love/stronger than death/and never again/to fear death/Asking for wisdom/I laugh out loud/I become light/like a bird singing brightly
―Full text of "A Day's Thoughts 1"