Time and memory in space: the sea as metaphor in Kim Chunsu’s poetry
Abstract
The prevalence of spatial metaphors to refer to temporal experiences suggests the existence of cognitive processes according to which the physical and concrete experience of space structures the human temporal dimension and serves for anchoring memory. Approached as a means to access such subjective interpretations of the world, the poetic text allows an inquiry into the conceptions of the subject concerning time, memory, and space. Based on these considerations, this paper examines the images of the sea in two poems by Korean poet Kim Chunsu (1922-2004), in which it appears as a metaphor for time and memory. A detailed analysis of these poems reveals how the poet uses maritime space metaphorically to represent both the inevitable destiny of human life –death– and its origin, crystallized in childhood memories. Likewise, the study of the conceptual metaphors in the poems also demonstrates a distinct conception of time, characterized by a circularity that affects both the individuals and the communities to which they belong.
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