Scarecrow

When I visited a country said to be
overflowing with the jobless,
a great landowner gave me a tour of his farm....

Scarecrow

Poem by Lee Yongha

When I visited a country said to be
overflowing with the jobless,
a great landowner gave me a tour of his farm.
The wheat fields, stretching to every horizon,
were impressive enough—
but what truly astonished me
were the scarecrows, standing shoulder to shoulder
amid the golden waves.
Dressed in bright uniforms,
they spun their arms like windmills,
shouted like loudspeakers,
and drove the birds away.
Pointing toward them, the landowner said,
“Those are human scarecrows.
They perform better than mechanical ones
and cost far less.
Automation has driven countless people from their jobs.
This is the first case
of humans reclaiming jobs from machines.”
The hem of the landowner’s red jacket
fluttered like a flag.

---

(Original)

허수아비

이용하 

 

  노는 사람들이 넘쳐난다는 어떤 나라를 방문했을 때 대지주가 농장을 구경시켜주었다. 사방으로 지평선까지 펼쳐진 밀밭도 굉장했지만 황금물결 속 줄 맞춰 촘촘히 세워진 허수아비들이 장관이었다. 화려한 유니폼을 입은 허수아비들은 풍차처럼 팔을 돌리고 확성기처럼 소리쳐서 새를 쫓고 있었다. 대지주가 그곳을 가리키며 말했다. 저것들은 인간허수아비예요. 기계허수아비보다 성능이 좋은데 비용은 더 적게 들어요. 온통 자동화로 일터에서 쫓겨난 사람들이 부지기수거든요. 인간이 기계의 일자리를 빼앗은 최초 사례입니다. 대지주가 걸친 붉은 점퍼 자락이 깃발처럼 나부꼈다.

---

© 2026 Lee Yongha. All rights reserved. Original Korean poem:허수아비 (Scarecrow) by Poet Lee Yongha (이용하). AI-assisted translation, reviewed and revised by the author. Digital illustration created in collaboration with Gemini AI.
  
English translation published here is a draft version. Final version may differ in future publications.