Su Dongpo – The Flower that the Butterflies Loved

Su Shi (蘇軾, 소식, Soshik,  1037-1101), or otherwise known as Su Dongpo (蘇東坡, 소동파, So Dongpa), was a famous poet and prose writer from the Song Dynasty period. Below is a poem about those who may have felt lonely yesterday, which was St. Valentine’s Day.

蝶戀花 접련화
The Flower that the Butterflies Loved

花褪殘紅靑杏小
화퇴잔홍청행소

The flower’s color fades, destroying its redness, but a small green apricot has grown.

燕子飛時, 綠水人家繞
연자비시, 녹수인가요

In the season when the swallows fly, blue waters surround the village.

枝上有綿吹又少 天涯何處無芳草
지상유면취우소 천애하처무방초

Above the branch, the cotton diffuses and dwindles away.
Where is there a place along the edges of heaven where there are no fragrant flowers? [1]

墻裏秋韆墻外道 墻外行人, 墻裏佳人笑
장리추천장외도 장외행인, 장리가인소

Within the walls, an autumn swing; Outside the walls, a road.
Outside the walls, pedestrians; Within the walls, beautiful women chuckling.

笑漸不聞聲漸悄 多情却被無情惱
소점불문성점소 다정각피무정뇌

The chuckling gradually becomes soft; the sound  [of the swing] gradually becomes quiet.
Those who have much affection, because there are those with little affection, agonize.

Notes:

1. This is a famous line. In English colloquial speech, it translates to “there is plenty of fish in the sea.”

On another note, I have been fairly busy this semester, and will not be able to update much.

Happy Lunar New Year

I respectfully congratulate the new year.

In the Imjin year (壬辰年, 임진년), receive new year blessings and dream dragons.

Kuiwon bows and presents this message.

Yi Mingu – Snow of Daehan

Yi Min’gu (李敏求, 이민구, 1589-1670) was a literary civil servant. He passed the civil service exams during the reign of Prince Gwanghae (光海君, 광해군, 1574–1641, r. 1608–1623). His courtesy name was Jashi (子時, 자시); his pen names were Dongju (東洲, 동주) and Gwanhae (觀海, 관해). He excelled both as a prose writer and a poet. He became the Assistant to the Inspector of Gangdo (江都檢察副使, 강도검찰부사, Gangdogeomchalbusa, Gangdo is modern day Ganghwa island) during the First Manchu Invasion of Korea in 1627 (丁卯胡亂, 정묘호란). The following poem is about Daehan (大寒, 대한), or “Major Cold”, which was yesterday.

大寒日雪 대한일설

The Snow of Major Cold (Daehan)

風威向曉轉乘凌 풍위향효전승릉
紙帳霜凝布被稜 지장상응포피릉
白屋寒埋連夜雪 백옥한매연야설
窮泉凍合積年氷 궁천동합적년빙
徒看厚地千尋坼 도간후지천심탁
未信幽陽一氣升 미신유양일기승
憑仗濁醪排凜冽 빙장탁료배늠렬
暫時頹枕睡瞢騰 잠시퇴침수몽등

The wind’s strength towards the dawn turns and rides the ice;
My paper curtain’s frost becomes congealed; the hemp cloth becomes harsh.
My plain thatched-roof house is buried by the cold, by the continuous night snow;
The narrow stream freezes over and combines with the ice from various years.
Alone, I gaze at the thick ground and its profound division.
Not yet do I believe that the darkness and light in one breath rise.
Depending like a cane on my one bottle of rice wine, the coldness and frigidity retreats.
Temporarily, leaning on my pillow, I fall asleep faintly.

Characters:

• 凌 (릉, reung) – here, means “to freeze.”
• 稜 (릉, reung) – to be angular (모나다).
• 千尋 (천심, cheonshim) – to be profound.
• 坼 (척, cheok) – to divide or to fork.
• 凜冽 (늠렬, neumryeol) – to be surrounded by chilliness.
• 頹 (퇴, toe) – to collapse or to fall.
• 瞢 (몽, mong) – to have bad eyes.

Four Character Minor Learning – Filial Piety Chapter – Part IV

孝行篇
효행편

Filial Piety Chapter
Part IV – On Going Out

出必告之 反必面之
출필고지 반필면지

When I leave, I will make sure to inform my parents. When I return, I will make sure to greet them.

In some texts, the latter sentence is 返必拜謁 (반필배알), which means “When I return, I will make sure to bow and inform them.”

愼勿遠遊 遊必有方
신물원유 유필유방

Discern, and do not go wonder out into far places. When I go out, I will surely have a place decided.

出入門戶 開閉必恭
출입문호 개폐필공

When I exit and enter my house’s doors, I will surely open and shut it courteously.

Jeong Yakyong – Joyfully Writing Chosun Style Poems

Jeong Yakyong (丁若鏞, 정약용, 1762–1836) was a Chosun late era philosopher, and is known perhaps better by one of his many pen names Dasan (茶 山, 다산, “tea mountain”) . He is of the Naju Jeong clan. Jeong Yakyong passed the civil service examination in 1783. He was a philosopher in the Neo-Confucian movement of Pragmatic Learning (實學, 실학, Silhak), which wanted to reform Neo-Confucianism and return it to its early Confucian roots. As part of that movement, he reacted against what he perceived was the rigidity of Neo-Confucianism. The rigid rules of recent style Classical Chinese poetry (近體詩, 근체시) were a manifestation of that philosophy. Dasan Jeong Yakyong also reacted against those rules too, while envisioning a new style poetry, “Chosun poetry”, in the following poem. This poem is actually one, but I have broken it up into three, because of the different themes in each third.

甘作朝鮮詩 감작조선시

Joyfully Writing Chosun Style Poems

老人一快事 縱筆寫狂詞 로인일쾌사 종필사광사
競病不必拘 推敲不必遲 경병불필구 추고불필지
興到卽運意 意到卽寫之 흥도즉운의 의도즉사지
我是朝鮮人 甘作朝鮮詩 아시조선인 감작조선시

An old man has one pleasant duty: to hold vertically the brush and draw crazy writing;
To fight off diseases [1] and surely not be caught up; to pull and to knock [2] and surely not be delayed.
And if an inspiration arrives, carry its meaning; when the meaning arrives, draw it.
I am a man of Chosun, joyfully writing Chosun style poems.

1. Reference to the eight diseases of Classical Chinese poetry (漢詩八病, 한시팔병) which deal with the rhyming scheme. These were formulated by Shim Yak (沈約, 심약) of the Liang dynasty (梁, 양). The last two diseases listed are not applicable to recent style poetry, such as Jeolgu (絶句, 절구) and Yulshi (律詩, 율시). There are other definitions of these diseases for some of the ones listed here. They are as follows:
   • Pyeongdu (平頭, 평두), when the first character of all the lines in the poem are of the level tone; 
   • Sangmi (上尾, 상미), when the 5th and 10th character in a five character (pentasyllabic) poem are of the same tone; 
   • Bong’yo (蜂腰, 봉요), when the 5th character in a seven character (heptasyllabic) poem or the 3rd character in a five character poem that is supposed to be of level tone has been surrounded entirely by oblique tone characters; 
   • Hakseul (鶴膝, 학슬) is the opposite of Bongyo and is when an oblique tone character in the same position is surrounded entirely by plain tone characters; 
   • Dae’un (大韻, 대운), when a character in a rhyming line is of the same tone as the rhyme but not at the end of the line; 
   • So’un (小韻, 소운), when a character of the same rhyme as the rhyming character is on a non-rhyming line; 
   • Bangnyu (傍紐, 방뉴) when two characters in the same line are of the same consonant; 
   • Jeongnyu (正紐, 정뉴) is when one character is only different from another character in that line by a radical (e.g,. do not use 任 or 妊, if there is 壬 in the same line).
2. That is, to compose and edit a poem.

卿當用卿法 迂哉議者誰 경당용경법 우재의자수
區區格與律 遠人何得知 구구격여률 원인하득지
凌凌李攀龍 嘲我爲東夷 릉릉이반룡 조아위동이
袁尤槌雪樓 海內無異辭 원우퇴설루 해내무이사

You, sir, rightfully use your own methods. Who is he that opines, “O how wrong he is!”
Lame and feeble are those rules and regulations. How is person in a distant land supposed to comprehend and understand it?
Belittling and disdaining [us] is Li Fanlong [1]. Sneering at us, he considers us as eastern barbarians.
Yuan Hongdao [2] and  You Dong [3] hammered Xue Lou [4]. And within this country, there are no different words.

1. Li Fanlong (李攀龍, 이반룡, Yi Banryong, 1514-1570) was a Ming dynasty poet who advocated the position that prose should be modeled off of Han and Qin dynasty prose and that poetry should be modeled off Tang dynasty poetry (文必漢秦, 詩必盛唐; 문필한지, 시필성당).
2. Yuan Hongdao (袁宏道, 원굉도, Weon Goengdo, 1568-1610) was another Ming dynasty poet that criticized Li Fanlong.
3. Yu Dong (尤侗, 우동, U Dong, 1618-1704) was a Qing dynasty poet and historian, who also apparently criticized Li Fanlong.
4. Xue Lou (雪樓, 설루, Seol U) is Li Fanlong’s pen name.

背有挾彈子 奚暇枯蟬窺 배유협탄자 해가고선규
我慕山石句 恐受女郞嗤 아모산석구 공수여랑치
焉能飾悽黯 辛苦斷腸爲 언능식처암 신고단장위
梨橘各殊味 嗜好唯其宜 이귤각수미 기호유기의

In the back, there is a caught bullet. In what leisurely time will the dried up cicadas peep?
I long for the writings on mountain boulders; I dread receiving mocking remarks from a woman and her husband.
How can I describe this sorrowful darkness. Distressed and bitter, do I make cut my intestines?
The pear and clementine each have different tastes. Happily I like only its beauty.

Characters:

• 敲 (고, go) – to knock (두드리다).
• 槌 (퇴, toe) – hammer (망치).
• 挾 (협, hyeop) – to be caught between (끼다).
• 嗜 (기, gi) – Happily or joyfully (즐기다).

Four Character Minor Learning – Filial Piety Chapter – Part III

孝行篇
효행편

Filial Piety Chapter
Part III – On Mundane Chores

父母出入 每必起立
부모출입 매필기립

Whenever my parents exit or enter, without failure rise and stand.

父母衣服 勿踰勿踐
부모의복 물유물천

Do not walk over or step on my parent’s clothes.

父母有疾 憂而謀瘳
부모유질 우이모추

When my parents have an illness, be anxious and attempt to alleviate.

In some texts, 疾 is written as 病 (병) and 瘳 as 療 (료). There is no change in meaning.

對案不食 思得良饌
대안불식 사득량찬

While facing [my parents] on the meal table, I will not eat, and think of preparing good dishes.

晨必先起  必盥必漱
신필선기 필관필수

In the morning, surely I will be the first to wake up. I will without fail wash and I will certainly brush my teeth.

暮須後寢 冬溫夏凊
모수후침 동온하정

After the sun has set, I should sleep: in the winter, warmly; and in the summer, coolly.

Some variants have 昏定晨省 (혼정신성) as the first phrase in this set. The translation of the variant is “In the evening, set [my bed]. In the morning, meditate.”

Characters:

• 瘳 (추, chu) – To recover from illness.
• 盥 (관, gwan) – To wash or make clean.
• 漱 (수,  su) – To brush teeth.
• 凊 (정, jeong) – To be cool. Do not confuse with 淸 (청, cheong), which means to be “clear.” Luckily, 淸 is a much more frequent character in occurrence than 凊.

Kim Buyong – The Song of Longing

Kim Buyong (金芙蓉, 김부용, ?-?) was a famous Gisaeng during the reign of King Sunjo of Chosun (純祖王, 순조왕, 1790-1834, r. 1800-1834). She excelled in dancing and in literature, and left over 30 written poems. As a Gisaeng, she was born into the lowest caste of the Chosun dynasty, the Cheonmin (賤民, 천민), and therefore did not belong to any family clan. She did become concubine of Kim Iyang (金履陽, 김이양, 1755-1845), a civil literary servant from the then powerful Andong Kim Clan (安東金氏, 안동김씨). Her pen name was Uncho (雲楚, 운초). The type of poem below is a “Pagoda Poem” (寶塔詩, 보탑시): the number of characters gradually increases every two lines.

相思曲 상사곡
Song of Longing

別 별
Parting.

思 사
Longing.

路遠 로원
Roads are distant.

信遲 신지
Correspondences are slow.

念在彼 념재피
My thoughts are with that [man].

身留玆 신류자
My body remains here.

紗巾有淚 사건유루
On my silk handkerchief, there are tears.

雁書無期 안서무기
On the seasonal letters, there are no promises.

香閣鍾鳴夜 향각종명야
The night when the Fragrant Tower’s [1] bell rings.

鍊亭月上時 련정월상시
The time when the Covering Pavilion’s [1] moon rises.

依孤枕驚殘夢 의고침경잔몽
Resting on my lonely pillow, I become distressed at a dream that still lingers.

望歸雲悵遠離 망귀운창원리
Gazing at returning clouds, I am but bitter and triste at the distant separation.

日待佳期愁屈指 일대가기추굴지
Everyday, I await for more beautiful times, saddened I bend my fingers.

Four Character Idiom of the Year – 破邪顯正

Every year a group of college professors in Korea decide on what the “Four Character Idiom (四字成語, 사자성어) of the Year” is. Their choice is based on what their hopes are for the year. This year it is “破邪顯正” (파사현정), which literally means “Destroy heterodoxy, reveal orthodoxy.” The idiom has its origins from a Buddhist text called the Samronhyeoneui (三論玄義, 삼론현의) and heterodoxy (邪, 사) referred to teachings that deviated Buddha’s teachings. Also of note is that the idiom sounds very similar to another idiom: the anti-Catholic and later anti-reformist Late Chosun Neo-Confucian slogan “斥邪衛正” (척사위정), “Reject heterodoxy and defend orthodoxy.” However, these days, the idiom has become to mean to stand for what is right and just. This year is an election year and the professors that chose this four character idiom hope for political candidates that are free from corruption that will rectify society. The professors have interpreted the character 邪 as “lies, evil, avarice, injustice, corruption” and 正as “truth, good, love, benevolence, and justice.”

Source: 대학교수들, 올해의 사자성어로 ‘破邪顯正’ 선정

Four Character Minor Learning – Filial Piety Chapter – Part II

孝行篇
효행편

Filial Piety Chapter
Part II – On Parent’s Commands

父母呼我 唯而趨進
부모호아 유이추진

When my parents call me, only quickly proceed over.

父母使我 勿逆勿怠
부모사아 물역물태

When my parents order me, do not make changes and do not tarry.

父母有命 俯首敬聽
부모유명 부수경청

When my parents have a command, bow head and courteously listen.

Variant: some texts have 父母臥命, 俯而聽之 (부모와명, 부이청지), which means “When parents order while reclining, bow and listen to them.”

坐命坐聽 立命立聽
좌명좌청 입명립청

When parents order while sitting, listen while sitting; When parents order while standing, listen while standing.

Characters:

• 趨 (추, chu) – To hurry (달아나다).
• 怠 (태, tae) – To be lazy (나태하다).

Four Character Minor Learning – Filial Piety Chapter – Part I

I was somewhat surprised that I could not find an English translation of the Four Character Minor Learning (四字小學, 사자소학, Sajasohak) online, although there is a print edition. I could only find an online French translation of the work. So, I have decided to translate it and put my own annotations.

The Four Character Minor Learning is a Confucian etiquette manual intended for children. It was created by Korean Confucian scholars sometime during the Chosun dynasty and is based on Chu Hsi’s (朱熹, 주희) Minor Learning (小學, 소학).

孝行篇
효행편

Filial Piety Chapter
Part I – On Gratitude

父生我身 母鞠吾身
부생아신 모국오신

Dear Father, you have begotten my body.
Dear Mother, you have nourished my body.

The Filial Piety chapter (孝行篇, 효행편) starts out with a poem from the Classic of Poetry (詩經, 시경). The poems in the Classic of Poetry date to early as the 10th century BC, making it one of the earliest poetry collections known to mankind.

腹以懷我 乳以哺我
복이회아 유이포아

With your stomach, you have carried me.
With your teat, you have fed me.

以衣溫我 以食飽我
이의온아 이식포아

With clothing, you have made me warm.
With sustenance, you have made me full.

Variant: Instead of 以食飽我 (이식포아), some texts have 以食活我(이식활아), which means “with sustenance, you have kept me alive.”

恩高如天 德厚似地
은고여천 덕후사지

Your grace is as high as the heavens.
Your favor is as thick as the earth.

德(덕) has multiple different meanings. It can mean “virtue” and “power.” Here, it is in apposition with 恩(은) in the previous verse. Therefore, the proper translation is “graces” or “favor.”

爲人子者 曷不爲孝
위인자자 갈불위효

He, who has become a child of man,
How can he not follow filial piety?

爲(위) has a multiple different meanings, two of which are seen in the two verses here. As a verb, 爲 can mean “to do” (하다), “to become” (되다), or “to be” (이다). As a preposition, it can mean “because of” (~때문에) or “on behalf of” (~위하여). When interpreted as ‘to do” (하다), 爲 is read with a plain tone (平聲, 평성); when it is interpreted as “to become” (되다), it is read with a departing tone (去聲, 거성). The first should be thus read with a departing tone and the second one should be read as a plain tone.

欲報深恩 昊天罔極
욕보심은 호천망극

I wish to recompense your profound graces,
But it is as boundless as the heavens.

Variant: Instead of 欲報深恩(욕보심은), some texts have 欲報其德(욕보기덕), which means “I wish to recompense their graces.”

Characters:

• 鞠 (국, guk) – To nourish (기리다).
• 曷 (갈, gal) – How (어찌).