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E083 + (Yi Chip 李集 (1314–1387; sobriquet Tunch’on … Yi Chip 李集 (1314–1387; sobriquet Tunch’on [Secluded Village]) gained renown throughout the world because of his literary achievements. His friends were all outstanding figures of their time. Once he spoke critically of current affairs. When his words touched upon the topic of Sin Ton 辛旽 (d. 1371), Sin tried to secretly assassinate him. Together with his father, Yi fled. Hearing that his co-graduate Ch’oe Wŏndo 崔元道 (14th century) lived at Yŏngch’ŏn, Kyŏngsang province, they went there to seek refuge. Ch’oe treated them with great generosity. For three years, they never left his house. When Yi’s father died, Ch’oe took care of everything for his funeral and burial, as if the deceased had been his own father, and buried him next to Yi’s mother’s grave. Yi then presented the following poem to Ch’oe, 慷慨傷時淚滿襟流離孝懇達幽陰漢山迢遞雲烟阻羅峴盤回草樹深天占後先雙馬鬣誰知君我兩人心願焉世世長如此須使交情利斷金 Overcome with grief, tears drench my collars.Sincere filiality of this refugee has reached the underworld.Mount Han is far away, obstructed by misty clouds.Steep hills of Nahyŏn twist and turn,buried among thickets. Heaven claimed them one after another, and they now rest in twin graves. Who would understand you and me,the hearts of yours and mine? May we, generation after generation,this way remain. Let us keep this friendship that can cut through metal!To this day, people all praise Ch’oe’s faithfulness. Namhyŏn is the place where his mother was buried. is the place where his mother was buried.)
E621 + (Yi Chu’s poetry was most serene (ch’imch’a … Yi Chu’s poetry was most serene (ch’imch’ak) and had the style (p’ungkyŏk) of High Tang poetry. For example, 朝日噴紅跳渤澥晴雲挹白出巫閭 Morning sun, spurting red, leaps from the Parhae Sea.Clear clouds, ladled white, rise from Mt. Yiwulü. shows great strength (yuryŏk). 凍雨斜連千嶂雪飢烏驚叫一林風 Freezing rains beat across a thousand peaks of snow.Hungry crows in alarm caw toward the forest wind. is matured (noch’ang) and outstanding (kigŏl). His poem on Tongzhou, 通州天下勝樓觀出雲霄市積金陵貨江通揚子潮寒鴉秋落渚獨鶴暮歸遼鞍馬身千里登臨故國遙 At Tongzhou, world-renowned for its scenery,viewing towers emerge from clouds.Markets store up goods from Jinling.Rivers connect to the waves of the Yangzi.Hungry crows descend on an autumn islet.A solitary bird returns to Liao at dusk. On horseback, I have traveled a thousand li.The day of arriving at homeland is far away. also comes startlingly close to Wang Wei and Meng Haoran.tlingly close to Wang Wei and Meng Haoran.)
E502 + (Yi Chŏnggwi’s 李廷龜 (1564–1635; sobriquet Wŏ … Yi Chŏnggwi’s 李廷龜 (1564–1635; sobriquet Wŏlchŏng [Moonlit Shore]) poem on a plaque in Hoeyang reads, 天擁重關險江蟠二嶺長雲煙護仙窟日月近扶桑秋膾銀鱗細春醪柏葉香瓜時倘許代吾不薄淮陽 The sky encloses the rugged frontier gate.The river winds the two long mountain ranges. Clouds and mists shield the immortal’s cave.Sun and moon are near the Fusang tree.Sliced raw fish of autumn is tender.Spring wine with cedar leaves is fragrant. When the time comes for the end of my term, I will not go near Hoeyang.In the year of ŭlsa (1605), there was a big flood and the whole area was inundated. The poetry plaque floated down to Kanghwa but a fisherman picked it up and hung it back on the wall. In a matching poem I wrote, 乙已災無古連城水害長蒼茫人化鱉傾刻海成桑天為詩名重神慳寶唾香沉碑彼何者辛苦笑襄陽 The calamity of ŭlsa was unprecedented.The flood in Yŏnsŏng was great.In boundless waters, people turned into turtles.In an instant, the seas became mulberry fields.Heaven treasures poetic fame.Spirits withhold fragrant praises.Where is the other sunken stele?I smile wryly at Xiangyang. Yŏnsŏng was the old name of Hoeyang. The poem was widely recited (chŏnsong) at the time, because people regarded it as a strange event.use people regarded it as a strange event.)
E161 + (Yi Hyŏnson 李賢孫 (b. 1467; sobriquet Myŏngya … Yi Hyŏnson 李賢孫 (b. 1467; sobriquet Myŏngyangjŏng [Worthy One], styled Kukchin), a member of the royal family, was carefree and unworldly. He had a deep love for literary refinement., and his poems reflected his own character.His poem “Expressing My Thoughts” 遣意 reads, 小雨茅齋濕新晴枕席涼水衣緣礎上庭草過牆長露浥苽花淨風含蕙葉香悠然午眠破林杪淡斜陽 A gentle rain drenched my thatched studio.With the fresh and clear sky, my pillow and mat feel cool. Sheets of algae surround the plinths.Plants in the courtyard are taller than the walls.Dewdrops moisten the wild rice blossoms clean.Winds carry the fragrance of orchid leaves.Relaxed, I wake from my afternoon nap.Over the treetops, I see a light glow of setting sun.His poem “An Autumn Day” 秋日 reads, 白露園林淨高風草木衰覆杯疏竹葉汲井煮桑枝落日雁橫塞秋窗蟲吐絲誰憐貧病客長吟楚人詞 On the day of First Autumnal Dew, the garden is tranquil.In the high winds, plants and trees wither.Turning over the cup, I pull away from the Bamboo Leaf Wine.I draw water from the well and boil some mulberry twig tea.Across the setting sun, geese fly.On autumn windows, insects spit out gossamer.Who will pity this poor and sickly traveler?I slowly chant the lyrics of the Chu poet. Also, 空盤堆馬齒荒圃長雞腸 On an empty tray, I put a heap of Horse Teeth herbs.In a desolate garden, Chicken Intestine weeds grow. 水閣靑奴冷岩田腐婢香 At the water pavilion, the Green Servants feel cold.In the rocky fields, soy maids exude fragrance. 莓苔侵礎遍蓬艾繞窗長 Mosses creep all over the plinths.Wormwoods grow around the windows. 紫蘇葉帶回風響紅蓼花含返照明 Purple perilla leaves carrythe echoes of rolling winds.Red persicaria blossoms holdthe glows of reflected sunset. 溪禽帶雨全身濕山柿經霜半臉紅 Bearing the rain, birds at the brook are soaked all over.Covered in frost, persimmons in mountains have blushed faces in part.Yi Hyŏnson suffered from a chronic illness that emaciated and weakened him. He died before he turned thirty. His poem “Deep in my Heart” 感懷 suggests that he could not have lived long. 光陰如電督歲月不貸予成名雖及時畢竟歸空虛形骸非我有一朝無復餘榮華豈足賴天地真蘧廬笑彼窮途人痛哭終何如 Time commands like lightening. Long life has not been given me.Though fame may come in due time,in the end, it all returns to empty void. This body does not belong to me,for in a just day, nothing will remain.How can glory and prosperity be relied on,when the world truly is a temporary lodge? Smile at those at the end of the road,for what is the use of wailing after all?,for what is the use of wailing after all?)
E551 + (Yi Hŭibo read ten thousand books. From chi … Yi Hŭibo read ten thousand books. From childhood to old age, books never left his hands. When he was young, elders gathered family and friends and set up a feast under a tent on a mountain and sent an attendant to invite Yi. At that time Yi was reading a book and had no intention to attend. He was forced to come. At the party site, he pulled a bookworm-eaten book out of his sleeve and focused on reading it. At the time, near the banquet hawk hunters were hunting a pheasant, but Yi did not even give a glance. We can imagine just infatuation with books. As a Diplomatic Administrative Attendant (chongsagwan) to Welcoming Official Yi Saek, Yi Hŭibo was seeing off an imperial envoy at the guest house of Pyŏkche station, the envoy composed the line, 寄語於干諸賢相 At Gan, I send my words to all worthy ministers.Chŏng Saryong and So Seyang and others did not understand the verse, but as soon as Yi Hŭibo saw it, he smiled and said, “The officials have not read much, so they are ignorant of it. The Shijing (Classic of Poetry) says, ‘We drink the cup of farewell at Gan’ 飲餞於干. The envoy is saying that we are hosting a banquet in this place.” The two looked embarrassed. When a concubine that King Yŏnsan’gun cherished died, he made the civil officials in the court to write a poem in her memory. Yi Hŭibo’s poem said, 宮門深鎖月黃昏十二鍾聲到夜分何處靑山埋玉骨秋風落葉不堪聞 The palace gate is firmly locked. The moon shines at dusk.The bell tolls twelve times into the night.Where in the green mountain is your jade-like body buried?The falling leaves in the autumn wind, I cannot bear to hear.When King Yŏnsan’gun read it, his tears rolled down. But from then on, opinions on Yi turned negative and his official career was greatly hampered. When he became old, while drunk he began weeping to the surprise of juniors. When they asked for a reason, he replied, “I have read ten thousand books, but what I write people do not understand. Nowadays, people are not well-read, so they overlook my writings. With the world in turmoil, who will know that my poems are better than those by Chen Yuyi?” He died without an heir. His Anbundang chip 安分堂集 (Collected Works of Anbundang) in twelve volumes were not printed and passed down to descendants. Now, after all unrest, I do not know whether they were not lost and were able to be preserved.re not lost and were able to be preserved.)
E596 + (Yi Kyubo was flamboyant and untrammeled. H … Yi Kyubo was flamboyant and untrammeled. His poem “Rain on the Day of Double Seven Festival” 七夕雨 is a true poetic masterpiece (chŏlch’ang). His poem, 輕衫小簞臥風欞夢覺啼鸎三兩聲密葉翳花春後在薄雲漏日雨中明 In a light jacket, on a small reed mat, I reclined by the breezy lattice.Awaking from a dream, I hear a cuckoo’s two, three calls.Dense leaves conceal the flowers staying on after spring.Thin clouds leak sunbeams, shining brightly through the rain. makes one feel refreshed (sangyŏn) when reading it. Also, the poem, 官人閑捻笛橫吹蒲席凌風去似飛天上月輪天下共自疑私載一船歸 An official idly holds up a bamboo flute and plays.Reed sail, riding the wind, presses on as if flying.The disc of moon in the sky is shared by all under Heaven.I wonder if I can carry it in a boat and return home. is exceedingly elegant and carefree (koil).s exceedingly elegant and carefree (koil).)
E833 + (Yi Kyŏngjŏn’s poems were bold and untramme … Yi Kyŏngjŏn’s poems were bold and untrammeled (hobang). At times he did not follow the rules, but he was most excellent (ch’oega) in writing quatrains to given rhymes. For example, in “Painted Falcon” 題畫鷹, he wrote, 欲向畫中容一借世間狐兔太紛挐 I want to borrow the handsome one in the paintingto frighten into great confusionthe foxes and hares in the world. In “Snow” 題雪, he wrote, 三等土階編白玉帝堯曾是簡中奢 Three-tiered earthen steps transformed into white jade. Emperor Yao once enjoyed luxury in simplicity. Also, when the Prefect of Chongsŏng visited in the evening and was leaving, he asked Yi for a parting poem. Just then the beacon fires were lit, and Yi called out, 門對終南管燧祠北來消息最先知知吾卷箔思君處正是譙樓擊柝時 The gate faces South Mountain,where lies the Beacon Fire Office.When the news comes from the north,you must be the first to know.Please know that I roll up the bamboo blind,and think about where you are.Just when at the drum tower they beat the patrol drums. The meaning (ŭi) is truly original and unique (sin’gi).ŭi) is truly original and unique (sin’gi).)
E599 + (Yi Kyŏn’gan’s 李堅幹 (d. 1330) poem, 旅館挑殘一盞燈使 … Yi Kyŏn’gan’s 李堅幹 (d. 1330) poem, 旅館挑殘一盞燈使華風味淡於僧隔窓杜宇終宵聽啼在山花第幾層 At an inn, I pick the flickering wick of a lamp.The envoy’s qualityis blander than that of a monk’s. Through the window, a cuckoo he listens to all night. Where amid mountain flowers are you crying?On which row?was regarded as a poetic masterpiece of the time. I used to visit Kangwŏn province, and what they call cuckoo is in fact a type of a bird called Chŏngso. When Wang Zijue 王子爵 (16th century), native to Zhejiang, and Shang Bangqi 商邦奇 (16th century), native to Sichuan, once visited Kangnŭng together, I asked the two about it, and they both said, “That is not a cuckoo.” Perhaps because poets express their feelings in words, although the object is not there, they still write about it in their poems.For example, we have, 隔林空聽白猿啼 From a nearby empty forest, I hear the cries of white gibbons. although there are no gibbons in our country. For example, there is, 脩竹家家翡翠啼 On tall bamboos in every house, kingfishers sing. Seeing some blue birds, the poet called them kingfishers from hot regions. In, 鷓鴣驚簸海棠花 Surprised partridges shake sweet brier blossoms. the poet saw magpies crowing “ch’aek ch’aek” and called them partridges. They are all of the same kind.partridges. They are all of the same kind.)
E817 + (Yi Minho came to be known throughout the w … Yi Minho came to be known throughout the world for his genius (ch’ŏnjae), but his talent ran out in his late years. When he was receiving the imperial envoys, he experienced much embarrassment. But the poems composed in the prime of his life, such as, 東南間氣金臺盡宇宙淸風易水長 The air from east and south wears out at the Golden Terrace.The clear breeze of Heaven and Earth stretches to the Yi River. 天心錯莫臨江水廟算凄涼對夕暉 Heaven’s will is aloof as I draw near the river.Divine foresight is sorrowful as I face the sunset glow. were expressions that none of his friends at the time dared to contest. his friends at the time dared to contest.)
E111 + (Yi Saek believed he possessed extraordinar … Yi Saek believed he possessed extraordinary talent, but he frequently used colloquialisms (iŏ) in his poems. For example, 雀晝傳言鼠夜傳 Sparrows pass on the words during the day,rats pass them on at night. 添不曾知減却知 What one gains, one doesn’t notice, What one gives, one surely notices. 前若貧居後富居 Those who were poor at first become prosperous later. 田字窓臨口字庭 The window shaped like the character “field” 田overlooks the courtyard shaped like the character “mouth” 口. and 雀飛東海上 A sparrow flies over the “East Sea.” 1. In colloquialism (sok), the bronze basin is called the “East Sea.” That’s why he used this particular colloquialism. He also wrote, 平桂眞如板 A “Flat Cassia” was really like a wooden board. Flat Cassia refers to honeyed cake. Mix flour and honey, mold it into a thin pancake—a half inch wide and two to three inches long—panfry it with sesame oil, then you will have what people call p’yŏnggye or kwaja. Nowadays, it is commonly served at funerals, ancestral rites, weddings, and parties. It is piled up on a plate as high as one foot. When preparing a banquet, if the pile does not reach one foot, this is considered plain. This custom has likely existed since the Koryŏ dynasty.Yi also wrote, 削竹串穿蕎麥餻仍塗醬汁火邊燒 Use bamboo sticks to skewer the buckwheat cakes. Coat them with soy sauce and roast them over the fire. He was probably referring to Roasted Vegetable Cakes (myŏnch’aejŏk). According to the custom, people mix buckwheat flour with various vegetables and panfry them into cakes. The cakes are then sliced, coated with sauce, and roasted. Since they are used in vegetarian feasts, they are called Roasted Vegetable Cakes. It is our custom to celebrate the winter solstice by exchanging Red Bean Porridge. One of Yi’s poems reads, 天淨閭閻曉色濃小娥梳洗淡粧紅家家相送成風俗白髮衰翁樂在中 In the clear sky above the village, the dawn lights up in vibrant color.Young ladies wash and dress, applying light makeup and rouge.When families gave bean porridge to each other, it became our custom.White-haired and old men find their delight in it. On the day of the Full Moon Festival, people make sticky rice cake mixed with fruit and honey and give them as gifts to each other. His poem reads, 粘米如膠結作團調來崖蜜色爛斑更敎棗栗幷松子助發甜甘齒舌間 Take the gooey sticky rice and shape it into balls.Mix in some wild honey to make them shine and glow. Then add some dates and chestnuts, together with some pine nuts,to add sweetness between your teeth and tongue.d sweetness between your teeth and tongue.)
E549 + (Yi Saek went to China and participated in … Yi Saek went to China and participated in the civil service examination. He won the place of the primus, and his fame shook China. When he went to a monastery, a monk there received him with courtesy and said, “I have heard much that you are a scholar-writer from the east who became a primus in China. It is my great fortune to meet you today.” Soon a person brought in cakes and offered them to him. The monk then wrote the following poetic line, 僧笑少來僧笑少 When there is less Monk’s Smile, the monk smiles less. and asked Yi to match it. Monk’s Smile is another name for cake. Yi could not compose a matching line right away. He excused himself and left, saying, “Another day, I shall come again and reply to you.” Later, when he was traveling to a remote place a thousand li away, a host entered with a bottle. He asked, “What is it?” The host answered, “It is “Chat with Guests.” Chat with Guests is another name for wine. Greatly delighted, Yi then wrote the following matching line, 客談多至客談多 When there is much Chat with Guests, the guest chats much.A half year later, he returned and told it to the monk. The monk greatly praised it and said, “To find a rare and exquisite (kwijŏng) matching line, it might as well be late!” That Yi took effort (kong) to find the perfect words and even chose to travel a thousand li to return and tell him is beyond astonishing (ki).n and tell him is beyond astonishing (ki).)
E118 + (Yi Saek’s poems were quiet and carefree (h … Yi Saek’s poems were quiet and carefree (hanjŏk). For example, his poem “Morning Elation” 晨興reads, 湯沸風爐雀噪簷老妻盥櫛試梅鹽日高三丈紬衾暖一片乾坤屬黑甜 The water boils on the brazier. The sparrows chirp on the eaves.My old wife, having washed up and combed, prepares a meal. The sun is already three feet up, but I stay warm under the thin silk blanket.A piece of Heaven and Earthbelongs to my sweet dream. The poem, “Spring Overcast” 春陰, reads, 春陰漠漠午風輕綠暗紅殘小院明微雨乍來看不見忽聞黃鳥兩三聲 Spring clouds are faint. A midday breeze is gentle.In the shade of green, red blossoms wither,lighting up the small courtyard.A drizzle came unexpectedly, and I did not see.Suddenly, I hear an oriole’swhistles, two or three. The poem, “Impromptu” 卽事, reads, 風定餘花猶自落雲移少雨未全晴墻頭粉蝶別枝去屋角錦鳩深樹鳴 The wind has stopped, but remaining flowers still continue to fall.The clouds have moved, but little raindrops have not yet cleared.A white butterfly on the wall flutters to tree branches. A pigeon at the tip of the roof calls to the deep forest. His poem, “A Quatrain” 絕句, reads, 松舟向晚繫苔矼落日微風滿一江詩興浩然收不得更呼明月倚蓬窓 Toward evening, a pine boat is moored at a mossy stone bridge.The setting sun and a gentle breeze spread over the whole river.Filled with poetic elation, so intense and unstoppable,I call again to the bright moon, leaning on the grass window. Another poem, “Humming Cicadas” 蟬聲, reads, 細泉流月葉號風欲斷還連乍異同曾記客程搔首立滿山紅樹夕陽中 In the small spring, the moon flows. The leaves howl in the wind.About to stop, then they continue,or the other way around. I remember once on a journey how I rose to my feet, scratching my head,at the sight of a mountain of red trees under the blazing sunset. These poems demonstrate refined (chŏnggyo) descriptions of objects (changmul) and boundless meanings (ŭisa). His poem, “Picking Chestnuts” 拾栗, reads, 坐想山村栗政肥金丸欲落映離離乞身何日飄然去拾得滿籠深夜歸 Sitting down, I imagine how in the mountain villagechestnuts must now be plump.The golden balls ready to fallare shining with glimmer.When will this poor body drift over there,gather a basket full and return home late at night? One can see his desire to return home in this poem.ee his desire to return home in this poem.)
E788 + (Yi Samyŏng 李師命 (1647–1689; styled Paekkil) … Yi Samyŏng 李師命 (1647–1689; styled Paekkil) was Governor (kwanch’alsa) of Ch’ungch’ŏng province. Before his return, he wrote a poem on a kisaeng’s round fan. 榴花初綻日如年蟬翼羅衫擁髻偏歡意已隨衣漸薄好緣那隨扇長圓秋來篋笥渾無賴別後腰肢任可憐留與他人饒樂事且將新曲度新弦 Pomegranate flowers begin to bloom.A day feels like a year.Wearing a silk jacket like cicada’s wings,your chignon is held to the side.Our pleasure has grown thin,gradually like your dress.How can a good matchbe as long and round as a fan?A good-bye letter arriving in autumnwill leave you hopeless.After our separation, how pitifulwill your figure be?I leave you with another manfor plenty of happiness.So take a new songand play it on a new zither.The poem reveals his poetic ability and sentiment (chaejŏng).s poetic ability and sentiment (chaejŏng).)
E719 + (Yi Sugwang and his son Yi Min’gu 李敏求 (1589 … Yi Sugwang and his son Yi Min’gu 李敏求 (1589–1670; sobriquet Tongju [East Islet]) were both literary masters. It has been said that Sugwang was good at poetry and Min’gu at rhapsody. Yi Min’gu stated, “My late father esteemed Wang Wei’s poetry, and I esteem Du Fu’s poetry.” While he probably meant to say that he surpassed his father, critics have remarked “As for their level of poetic accomplishments, the son surely falls short of the father.” Yi Min’gu’s 帆檣影動潮生後島嶼形分水落初 The shadows of sail and mast move when the tides rise.The islands appear divided when the waters begin to recede. has been widely recited (chŏnsong). Yet the parallelization of the ebb and flow of tidal waters in the line is not without flaw (chabyŏng). It is not as good as his father’s, 風捲潮聲喧島嶼日斜帆影上樓臺 As the winds swell, the sounds of breakers holler in the islands.As the sun sets, the shadows of sails rise to the high tower. which is firm (onja) and immaculate (muha).hich is firm (onja) and immaculate (muha).)
E425 + (Yi Sugwang 李睟光 (1563–1628), whose sobrique … Yi Sugwang 李睟光 (1563–1628), whose sobriquet was Chibong (Immortality Mushroom Peak), had lofty integrity that transcended the dusty mundane world. Although he experienced a change of time, he was not at all disheartened. Moreover, when he realized the time was near, he avoided getting trapped. Truly, he was the so-called precious “gentleman of gold and jade.” When sent to Sunch’ŏn in P’yŏngan province as a magistrate, he sent me his collection of poems and in it were the following two recent style poems, 暮年身世宰炎鄉治郡無能坐嘯長春燕不來閑院落晴波欲滿小池塘紅梅影下文書靜綠橘陰邊幾席香衙罷閉門人跡少隔窗啼鳥又斜陽 At old age, I am here governing the countryside south.Inept in managing my prefecture, I sit and let out a long sigh.Spring swallows do not come and visit my empty courtyard.Clear waves fill upmy small pond.Under the shadow of pink plum blossoms, documents sit still.By the shade of a green tangerine tree, my table and mat are fragrant.The workday is done, and the gate is shut. Now the footsteps are few.Through the window, a bird warblesand the sun sets. 檻外池光染綠苔一希微雨欲黃梅衙居寂寞門長掩公退尋常印不開盧橘香邊山鹿睡石榴花下怪禽來軒窗盡日淸如水輸與騷翁晝夢回 Over the balustrade the pond shines, colored by the green mosses.A sparse rain drizzles, and plums are almost ripe. It’s lonely at the government office for the gate is always closed.Coming back from work, usually there is no need to use my seal.By the sweet-smelling tangerines, the mountain deer sleep.Under the pomegranate flowers, rare birds arrive.By the tall window, all day longit is cool like water.To speak to the old poet,I return to my daydream. So clear and beautiful (ch’ŏngnyŏ), they are matchless in style (kyŏk) and rhyme.y are matchless in style (kyŏk) and rhyme.)
E087 + (Yi Talsŏn 李達善 (1457–1505; styled Kyŏmji) o … Yi Talsŏn 李達善 (1457–1505; styled Kyŏmji) once had a dream in which a scholar in a strange form presented him with a poem that read, 世上紅塵滿天樓紫玉寒東皇求八狴終不憶家山 The world is full of red dust.At the celestial mansion, the sounds of purple jades are cold. The Eastern Emperor seeks out the eight beastsbut remembers not his native mountains. Yi believed the dream was a call from the underworld, so he told everyone that he would die soon. The following year, he won the honor of the tertius at the civil service examination. I sent him the following congratulatory poem, 日下五雲爛未收廣寒深殿桂花秋祗隨傅說調金鼎準擬東皇八狴求 Under the sun, five-colored clouds glimmer without an end. Deep inside the Palace of Vast Coldness, autumn osmanthus are in bloom.Follow Fu Yue’s example and stir the golden cauldron.Let’s hope the Sovereign of the East will search for the eight beasts. The poem’s meaning (siŭi) draws an analogy between our king to the Eastern Emperor, and it shows my faith that Yi would someday assist the king. Not long after, Yi entered the Office of Special Advisors (Hongmun’gwan) and received great royal favor and honor. and received great royal favor and honor.)
E136 + (Yu Pangsŏn’s poem “Singing Pink Peach Blos … Yu Pangsŏn’s poem “Singing Pink Peach Blossoms” 吟紅桃花 reads, 肉林淫戲憐商受錦障豪奢想石崇牧野血痕猶滿地關中火焰尚燒空 A forest of meat and wanton plays, the Shang Emperor Zhou loved.Brocade screens and extravagant luxury, Shi Chong desired. The blood stains of Muyestill cover the ground.The flames of Guanzhongburn the sky even to this day. Although he tried to be artful (kyo), comparing pink peach blossoms with a “forest of meat” and “blood stains” seems inelegant (pura).His five-character regulated verse reads, 杜門甘屏跡誰肯許同群松月眠孤鶴溪風起薄雲江山終日見世事隔年聞寂寞齋居靜淸香手自焚 Shutting the gate, you gladly hide your trace. Who would be allowed in your company? A lone crane sleeps on a moonlit pine. Thin clouds rise above the breezy brook.Watching all day rivers and mountains,news from the world reach you after years have passed.Alone in the tranquil house,you burn the incense of delicate fragrance. His poem “Elegant Flow” 演雅 reads, 杜門車馬少獨坐岸烏巾竹屋雞鳴午花村犬吠春籬疏狐試客檐短鳥窺人盡日蝸廬靜唯聞燕語新 The gate is closed, few horses and carriages visit.I sit alone by the shore, wearing a black headscarf.Midday, inside a bamboo hut, chickens cluck.Spring, in the blooming village, dogs bark. Through a sparse bamboo fence, a fox tries to enter. From the low eaves, birds observe people.All day long, the humble abode is quiet.Only the calls of swallows are new. Also, 聯鳥啼深樹靜魚戲小池 A pair of birds calls in the deep woods.The fish quietly play in a small pond. Overall, his poems express ideas of uneventfulness (p’yŏngdam) and tranquility (hanjŏk) in secluded living. The couplet, 竹林人語碧花塢鳥聲紅 Human voices in the bamboo grove are green.Crows’ cries amid the flowers are red. may sound virtuosic yet does not make sense.y sound virtuosic yet does not make sense.)
E089 + (Yu Suk’s柳淑 (sobriquet Saam [Thoughtful Hut … Yu Suk’s柳淑 (sobriquet Saam [Thoughtful Hut]; 1324–1368) poem “Pyŏngnan Ferry” 碧瀾渡 reads, 久負江湖約紅塵二十年白鷗如欲笑故故近樓前 Long ago I pledged for rivers and lakes,but spent twenty years in the dusty realm. White gulls seem to be laughing at me.Ko ko, they squawk near the tower. Ultimately, Yu was unable to escape the misfortunes of the mortal world. In the end, before his loyalty, uprightness, and integrity could be recognized, he was falsely accused by the traitor Sin Ton and secretly assassinated. Ah, what misery! When I was thirty-six, while passing Pyŏngnan Ferry, I wrote the following poem using his rhymes, 未議靑雲路江湖四十年思菴終賊手余在白鷗前 Not having chosen the path of the azure cloud,I have lived in rivers and lakes for forty years. You died at the hands of a traitor,I now stand before white gulls.The poem reverses Yi’s original poem.ulls.The poem reverses Yi’s original poem.)
E753 + (Yu Yŏnggil (sobriquet Wŏlbong [Moonlit Fai … Yu Yŏnggil (sobriquet Wŏlbong [Moonlit Fairyland])’s poem on “A Rice Pounding Woman” 咏春杵女 reads, 玉杵高低弱質輕羅衫時舉雪膚呈蟾宮慣搗長生藥謫下人間手法成 The jade hammer is raised high and low.Your delicate body moves gently.At times, your gauze jacket is lifted,revealing the snowy skin underneath.At the Moon Palace, you repeatedly pounded the elixir of immortality.Banished down to the human world,you mastered your skills. It has been praised as an excellent (ka) poem and was even included in the Ki a (Elegant Poems from the Land of Kija). But the three words “you mastered your skills” have no meaning, and I do not understand why the poem was chosen.do not understand why the poem was chosen.)
E460 + (Yŏngbo Pavilion at the naval camp in Ch’un … Yŏngbo Pavilion at the naval camp in Ch’ungch’ŏn province was a number one scenic spot. Since ancient times many poems have been written on it, but only Pak Ŭn’s couplet, 地如拍拍將飛翼樓似搖搖不系篷 The land, flap, flap, As if birds are about to take flight.The tower, wigwag, Undulates like untied boats. is the most relished (hoeja). I also wrote a couplet, 秋色磨靑銅上下夜光浮白玉東西 Autumn colors, like a polished bronze mirror, reach both high and low.Moonlight, like a floating white jade, shines east and west. This really deserves to be called “an awkward imitation of Xi Shi.”e called “an awkward imitation of Xi Shi.”)
E711 + (Yŏngp’yŏng county’s Uduyŏn (Ox Head Pool) … Yŏngp’yŏng county’s Uduyŏn (Ox Head Pool) is the best scenic site in Kyŏnggi province. In the past, a man named Kim Yunbok lived there. Kim was a good zither player and gave himself a sobriquet, Old Zither Player. There Yang Saŏn engraved his poem on a rock, 綠綺琴伯牙心鐘子是知音一鼓復一吟泠泠虛籟起遙岑江月娟娟江水深 The Green Marquisette Zither.Boya’s heart.Zhongzi is the one who understands your tune.One beat followed by one note. Cold and empty melody rises from a distant hill.The river moon is rolling, the river water deep.The language (ŏ) is pure (ch’ŏng) and the style classic(ko). This is a rare poetic masterpiece (chŏlchak).s is a rare poetic masterpiece (chŏlchak).)
E016 + (Zubo 祖播 (13th century), a Chan monk from S … Zubo 祖播 (13th century), a Chan monk from Song China, sent a poem, five lacquered alms bowls, and a mottled bamboo staff the Korean monk Kyŏngjo 景照 (13th century) when Ouyang Bohu visited the East. Moreover, he bestowed the name “T’ogak (Hare’s Horn)” upon Master Kyŏngjo’s retreat and sent him a hand-written plaque bearing the retreat’s name. I praised the friendship between these two monks, transcending the distance of a thousand li. I had also heard of Ouyang’s reputation as a poet and was deeply impressed by him. Therefore, I wrote the following two poems, harmonizing with the two monks.’ 此去中華隔大瀛兩公相照鏡心淸空師方結蜂窠室播老遙傳兎角名杖古尙餘斑竹暈鉢靈應秀碧蓮莖誰敎一日親交錫共作金毛震地聲 From this place to the Central Efflorescence, a great ocean’s distance lies. Yet the two monks illuminate each other’s clear mirror-like heartsMaster Konggong just built his retreat like a beehive.Old Master Zubo sent from afar the name “Hare’s Horn.” The old bamboo staff still bears mottles that are now fading. The sacred alms bowls must have blossomed from lotus stems of jade. Who would have thought that after a day of friendly meeting, they would together bellow the Golden Lions’earth-quaking roars! 邈從千里渡滄瀛詩韻猶含山水淸可喜醉翁流遠派尙敎吾輩飽香名凌霄玉樹高千丈端世金芝擢九莖早挹英風難覿面何時親聽咳餘聲 You came from a thousand li away, crossing the dark blue sea.The rhymes of your poems still containmountains and waters so clear. How delightful! The Drunken Old Man sent his descendant afar,so this generation can stillhave a fill of his fragrant fame! The Jade Tree soars to the skies,rising a thousand feet tall.The Golden Mushroom upholds the world,upright in nine stalks.Early on, I admired your illustrious name, but it is difficult to behold your face.When will I get to hear the sound of your lingering voice?to hear the sound of your lingering voice?)
E525 + (_Sŏga (Caddis Fly), a house maid of Song I … _Sŏga (Caddis Fly), a house maid of Song In, was famous for her singing. She was what “The Song of Water Moon Pavilion” 水月亭詞 refers to as “an excellent singer and beautiful girl.” A poem by Pak Chihwa: 主家亭子漢濱秋卿月依稀逝水流惟有鳳凰天外曲人間贏得錦纏頭 Your master’s pavilion is on the Han River shore in autumn.The courtly moon dims, and the winding waters flow. Only the phoenixsings the heavenly tunes.In the mortal world we hear it from the lady with a brocade headscarf. Im Che’s poem reads, 秦樓公子風流盡檀板佳人翠黛殘惟有當時歌舞處春江水月映朱欄 At the kisaeng house, the noblemen’s amusement has ended.Fair ladies with sandalwood clappers wear faded eyebrows.Then, there only remainsthe place where they sang and danced. The moonlight on spring river shines by the vermilion balustrade. The name of Song In’s pavilion was “Water Moon,” hence the two poems referenced them.oon,” hence the two poems referenced them.)
E804 + (Ŏrhyŏn 孽玄 (Chosŏn) was a female slave of a … Ŏrhyŏn 孽玄 (Chosŏn) was a female slave of an Andong Kwŏn-ssi family. She was gifted and beautiful and was capable of composing poetry. She gave herself the sobriquet Ch’wijuk 翠竹(Jade Green Bamboo). Her poem “Autumn Thoughts” 秋思 reads, 洞天如水夜蒼蒼樹葉蕭蕭夜有霜十二湘簾人獨宿玉屏還羨畫鴛鴦 In the grotto-heavens like water, the night is dark.Tree leaves rustle, swish, swoosh as the frost falls in the night.Behind the curtain with twelve bead strings, she spends the night aloneand envies the painted mandarin ducks on the screen with jade ornaments.Her poem “Visiting Sŏng No’s Past Residence” 訪石田故居 reads, 十年曾伴石田游揚子江頭醉幾留今日獨尋人去後白蘋紅寥滿汀秋 For ten years, I accompaniedSŏng No on his excursions.By the Yangzi River,how many times have we linger after getting drunk?Today I am here alonesince he has left. White duckweeds, pink clouds, a quiet moon.The waterside is full of autumn. Both poems are found in the Ki a (Elegant Poems from the Land of Kija). But “Autumn Thoughts” is incorrectly attributed to kisaeng Ch’wisŏn, and “Visiting Sŏng No’s Past Residence” was incorrectly attributed to an anonymous poet. What a pity—the world has not passed on Ŏrhyŏn’s name!the world has not passed on Ŏrhyŏn’s name!)
E396 + (Ŭiju’s T’onggun Pavilion in P’yŏngan provi … Ŭiju’s T’onggun Pavilion in P’yŏngan province, situated near the borders of the Three Kingdoms, reveals outstandingly grand mountains and rivers unrivaled in the world. Since long ago, poets who wrote about this scenery are not few, yet none was able to describe (hyŏngyong) the scenery (kisang). When he was still young, Chŏng Ch’ŏl became an assistant to Official Welcoming Foreign Envoys (wŏnjŏpsa) and wrote the following quatrain, 我欲過江去直登松鶻山西招華表鶴相與戲雲間 I wish to go beyond the riverand climb straight up Pine Falcon Mountain. From west, I beckon the cranes on ornate columns to come and play with me in the clouds. Although it is a not a masterpiece (taejak), it is extraordinary (ki) in its own way and deserves to be transmitted. Of the poems on the scenery written since, I am yet to find one that measures up to this. yet to find one that measures up to this.)

C041 + (However, Paek himself admitted that he could never reach the poetic world of Kwŏn.)

E277 + (1. A couplet in Pak Kyehyŏn’s 朴啓賢 (1524–15 … 1. A couplet in Pak Kyehyŏn’s 朴啓賢 (1524–1580; sobriquet Kwanwŏn [Garden Waterer]) poem, presented to Cho Sasu, reads, 詩名不讓一聲笛相業猶存半部書 Your poetic fame does not yield to the tune of a bamboo flute. Now that you are a minister, you still have half of the Analects to go. His use of references (yongsa) was apposite (chŏldang). In my poem “Presented to Educational Official (hakkwan) Yu Ison 柳耳孫 (16th century)” 贈學官柳耳孫, I wrote, 公權翰墨臻三昧子厚文章擅一場 Gongquan’s calligraphy has reached the state of complete concentration.Zihou’s writings shook the literary scene of his time.This is an example of attempting to paint a tiger but failing.f attempting to paint a tiger but failing.)
E176 + (1. Drinking Toso wine on New Year’s Day ha … 1. Drinking Toso wine on New Year’s Day has been an ancient custom. The young drink it first, followed by the old. The current custom is that after getting up on New Year’s Day, when you meet someone, you would call their name. If they respond, you would say, “Buy my follies,” as a way to sell your follies and avoid calamities. I have always loved the following quatrain about New Year’s Day from a poem in our Eastern country, 人多先我飮屠蘇已覺衰遲負壯圖事事賣癡癡不盡猶將古我到今吾 Before my turn, many peopledrink the medicinal wine.I see I am already old with no more aspirations.Each time, I sell my follies, yet my follies are endless.It is still my old self that’s my present self. On this New Year’s Day, I tuned eighty years old. Playfully, I matched the poem and wrote, 微軀多病少醒蘇八十康寧是不圖何用賣癡先飮酒詩場强敵可支吾 Feeling frail and sickly, I sober up from medicinal wine.Health and peace at eighty are not what I seek.What’s the use of selling follies and drinking the wine first?At the poetic arena against a potent opponent, I can still hold my ground. I sent the poem to Second Deputy Director (tongjisa) Song Ch’an 宋贊 (1510–1601; sobriquet Sŏgyo [Western Outskirt]).1601; sobriquet Sŏgyo [Western Outskirt]).)
E281 + (1. Du Fu wrote in his poem, 自天題處濕當夏着來淸 Co … 1. Du Fu wrote in his poem, 自天題處濕當夏着來淸 Coming from the emperor, still wet where the writing is,wearing these in hot weather one is cool.The expressions “from the emperor” and “in hot weather” all derived from the classics. Using such expressions from the classics in poetry has long been a technique (pŏp). In a poem presented to Ŏ Sukkwŏn, I wrote, 詩壇我屈奔而殿酒社君尊酒則先 In the world of poetry, I surrender and stay in the rear of the troop.At the banquet, you receive honorand drink the wine first. This is a case of what is known as “learning the way they walk in Handan.”as “learning the way they walk in Handan.”)
E222 + (1. During the Zhengtong reign, Sŏl Wi 薛緯 ( … 1. During the Zhengtong reign, Sŏl Wi 薛緯 (15th century) served as the Magistrate of Man’gyŏng county and became known for his integrity and prudence. One day, after reeiving a reprimand from a governor, he decided to resign from his position and depart. He left a poem on his desk that read, 數年江郡獨鳴琴志在高山與水深世上難逢鍾子耳絃中誰會伯牙心 For many years, in this river country, I have played the zither alone,though my aspirations have always been in lofty mountains and deep waters.In this world, it is rare to meet someone With the ears of Zhongzi.From the tunes, who can understandthe heart of Boya?unes, who can understandthe heart of Boya?)
E179 + (1. In the fall of sinhae during the reign … 1. In the fall of sinhae during the reign of Jiajing (1551; Myŏngjong 6), I, in the capacity of a representative of the Ministry of Civil Official Affairs (ibu), went to P’yŏngan province on an official mission. It was there that I had a romance with a kisaeng from Kisŏng, known as Tongjŏngch’un 洞庭春 (Spring at Dongting Lake) (16th century). After my return to the court, she sent me a letter that said, “Unable to see you, whom I miss dearly, I cannot bear this pain of separation. I would rather die and be buried with you. Soon, I will return to the Beauties’ Grotto.” The grotto was located outside the Seven Star Gate of Kisŏng, and kisaengs were all buried there. In response, I jokingly wrote a quatrain and sent it to her, 滿紙縱橫摠誓言自期他日共泉原丈夫一死終難免當作嬋娟洞裏魂 Your letter was filled with words of a solemn vow. I promise that someday we shall be together in the underworld.A man’s death, after all, cannot be avoided.I shall be a ghost in the Beauties’ Grotto. Not long after, she died from an illness. Once again, I wrote a regulated verse as a jest. 生別長含惻惻情那知死別忽呑聲乍聞凶訃腸如裂細憶音容淚自傾書札幾曾來浿水夢魂無復到箕城嬋娟戱語還成讖愧我泉原負舊盟 After our parting in life, I always carried feelings of sorrow.How could have I known our parting in death would suddenly render me speechless?Hearing the news of your passing severs my innards. Vividly remembering your voice and your face, tears stream down on their own. Several letters had arrived from you through the P’ae River.But in my dreams, I have yet to return to Kisŏng.The joke of the Beauties’ Grotto has become a reality.I am sorry I cannot keep our old promise to meet in the underworld. All my friends read it and laughed. In the spring of kimi (1559), I went to Ch’ungch’ŏng province on an official mission. Second Minister (ch’amp’an) Kwŏn Ŭngch’ang 權應昌 (1505–1568) was serving as Magistrate (moksa) of Hongju (Sr. 3), and his illegitimate younger brother Kwŏn Ŭngin 權應仁 (16th century; sobriquet Songgye [Pine Creek]) followed him there. On the day of my arrival, Kwŏn Ŭngin presented me with two regulated verses he had written for singing performance at kisaeng schools. The last lines read, 人生適意無南北莫作嬋娟洞裏魂 In human affairs, if two people share their thoughts,it matters not whether they are in the north or south.Just do not become a ghost in the Beauties’ Grotto!These lines are apposite (chŏldang) and savory (yumi) lines. At the time, I had tender feelings for a local kisaeng named Ongnusŏn 玉樓仙 (Jade Tower Fairy) (16th century), so Kwŏn’s poem resonated with me.entury), so Kwŏn’s poem resonated with me.)
E279 + (1. In the pyŏngjin year of the Jiajing rei … 1. In the pyŏngjin year of the Jiajing reign (1536; Chungjong 31), a Ming Chinese named Liu Yingji 劉應基 (16th century) was captured by Japanese invaders and later rescued by the people of the country.Upon arriving in Hanyang, he wrote the following poem, 只怨干戈不怨天離鄉去國路千千愁纏病骨哀衰運淚灑紅顏泣盛年見月思歸西塞外看雲心逐北堂前旄丘見葛何多日瑣尾孤身困此邊 Blame only the weapons of war and do not blame Heaven.Away from my native land and country, the road runs for thousands upon thousands of li.Cloaked in sorrow, this ailing body bemoans the waning fortune.Shedding tears, this ruddy face weeps over the prime of life.Gazing at the moon, I long to return beyond the western frontier.Seeing the clouds, my heart runs to my mother’s room.The dolichos on high and sloping mounds,how many days have I been seeing?A fragment and a remnant, alone I am stranded on this border. When he was young, Minister Yi Sanhae (sobriquet Agye [Goose Brook]) wrote a poem matching Liu’s rhyme, 鯤海鯨波杳接天南荊迢遞幾三千流離異國惟孤影飄泊他鄉是弱年蝶夢有時歸塞外雁書無路到家前知君夜夜思親處秋雨蕭蕭客枕邊 The deep sea and giant waves connect with the distant sky.The southern land of Chu is faraway, O how many three thousand li?Wandering in ta foreign country, I am a lonely shadow.Drifting in an alien land, I am meager in age.Becoming a butterfly in a dream, at times I flutter homeward beyond the frontier.The letters carried by the geese have no way to reach home.Knowing that every night I think of where my parents are,an autumn rain sprinkles gently near the pillow of this wanderer.At the time, Liu was only fifteen or sixteen, and Yi seventeen or eighteen years of age. They were both young, yet their poetry was already mature composition (sŏngjang). From of old, those who manifest their talents early on become successful early on. Today, Yi holds a ministerial position, but I do not know whether Liu also achived success. Some say he passed the examination, but the veracity of that claim is uncertain.t the veracity of that claim is uncertain.)
E218 + (1. In the sinch’uk year of the Jiajing rei … 1. In the sinch’uk year of the Jiajing reign (1541; Chungjong 36), I went to Beijing accompanying the Envoy for the Emperor’s Birthday (hajŏlsa). It just so happened that the empress of Emperor Wuzong had recently passed away, so that the members of our mission also joined the procession of officials and mourned day and night. One day, early in the morning, while I was briefly sitting outside the shrine gate, many Chinese officials also came out to sit. An official standing under the cracked eaves approached Interpreter Hong Kyŏm and asked, “Can you write poetry?” Hong replied, “There was a light rain last night. Feeling homesick and melancholic, I wrote a quatrain in the spur of the moment.” The official insisted on seeing the poem. Hong then wrote down a poem by Ch’oe Ch’iwŏn and showed it to him, which said, 秋風惟苦吟世俗少知音窓外三更雨燈前萬里心 Autumn winds only make me write poems of agony.In this world, there are few who understand my tune.Outside the window, a midnight rain falls.By the lamp, my heart wanders thousands of li.The Chinese official took the poem and showed it to his superior, who promptly sent officials to copy it down. The commotion continued for a while until someone brought refreshments for us. Eventually, someone handed a brush to Hong and asked, “Can you write another poem?” Hong pointed at me and said, “He can also write poetry. Go and ask him for a poem.” The man then requested a poem from me. I wrote on the paper, “Petty literary craft, like engraving a worm and carving a seal, was not originally meant to be a pursuit of gentlemen. Especially during a state funeral, how can this be a time for poeticizing the wind and the moon? But, if I must, I have written a few things on the way to China. I can show you one quatrain from them.” The man replied, “I’d be lucky to have that.” Then I wrote down the poem “Seeing You Off to the East at Tangzhan” 湯站送人東還詩, and it read, 松鶻山前路君東我馬西欲題家信去臨紙意還迷 Standing on the road at the foot of Mt. Songgol,you head east, and I gallop west.I wish to send a letter back home,but facing the paper, my thoughts beocme blurry.Then they all read it and copied it down, just as they had done before. Pointing out my remark, “How can this be a time for poeticizing the wind and the moon?,” they all praised and said, “Yours is a country that truly understands propriety!”country that truly understands propriety!”)
E173 + (1. In the summer of kapsin (1544), I was a … 1. In the summer of kapsin (1544), I was appointed Sixth State Councilor (chwach’amch’an). Chief State Councilor (yŏngŭijŏng) Pak Sun 朴淳 (1523–1589), Second State Councilor No Susin 盧守愼 (1515–1590), Third State Council (uŭijŏng) Chŏng Yugil 鄭惟吉 (1515–1588), Fourth State Councilor (ch’amsŏng) Chŏng Ch’ŏl 鄭澈 (1536–1593), and I were all primuses of civil service examinations. The three seniors had previously served as Directors at the Office of Royal Decrees (taejehak), and Chŏng Ch’ŏl at the time was serving as Deputy Director (chehak), and I had once held that position in the past. It was a wonderful occurence that the five of us could be colleagues for once. In light of this, I composed a poem, 潭潭相府會龍頭盛事人間罕比侔爭道一時奎璧煥只慚庸品廁名流 At the grand office of the State Council, the heads of dragons have convened.Few events in the mortal world are as wonderful as this.Rivals of our time,you are all glowing stars.Yet, a mediocre talent, I can only feel unworthy among the luminaries. Chŏng Ch’ŏl then matched my poem, 五學士爲五壯頭聲名到我不相侔只應好事無分別等謂當時第一流 The five scholars standas the five primuses.As for their fame,I am unable to match. It surely is a wonderful thingthat we have no discord.So let’s proudly proclaim that we are all first-class officials!aim that we are all first-class officials!)
E184 + (1. It has been a state regulation to besto … 1. It has been a state regulation to bestow a leaning chair and a cane to first-ranking officials who are over seventy years old but cannot retire from their positions due to their importance in state affairs. In the sixth month of the kyeyu year during the reign of Wanli (1573; Sŏnjo 6), Hong Sŏm 洪暹 (1504–1585), the First Minister in the Office of Ministers-without-Portfolio (yŏngsa) and former Chief State Councilor, turned seventy and received a leaning chair and a cane. A banquet was held in his honor, and many officials gathered. Royal Spokesman (chungsa) and First Royal Secretary (tosŭngji) Yi Hŭigyŏm 李希儉 (1516–1579) presented the royal wine. Recorder (chusŏ) Yi Chun 李準 (1545–1624) presented the dictum, chair, and cane. Third State Councilor (uŭijŏng) No Susin, Sixth State Councilor (chwach’amch’an) Wŏn Hon 元混 (1505–1597), Prince of Yŏsŏng Song In 宋寅 (1516–1584), Chief Magistrate of Hanyang (p’anyun) Kang Sŏm 姜暹 (1516–1594), Second Minister of Punishments (Hyŏngjo ch’amp’an) Pak Taerip 朴大立 (1512–1584), and Third Magistrate of Hanyang (uyun) Kim Kye 金啓 (1528–1573) attended. As the Second Minister of Taxation (Hojo ch’amp’an), I took the last seat.At that time, Hong’s mother, the daughter of former Chief State Councilor (yŏngŭijŏng) Song Chil 宋軼 (1454–1520), was eighty-seven years old. Hong’s late father, Hong Ŏnp’il 洪彦弼 (1476–1549), had also received a chair and cane while serving as Chief State Councilor. This made Hong’s mother a daughter, wife, and mother of Chief State Councilors. Receiving such honor multiple times was an extraordinary and unprecedented event. During the banquet, No Susin wrote the following poem, 三從不出相門闈此事如今始有之更拄省中靈壽杖却被堂上老萊衣恩霑雨露眞千載歡接冠紳盡一時何處得來叨席次愧無佳句賁黃扉 Fulfilling the Three Obediences, your mother did not leavethe Chief Ministers’ gates.It is only today that an honor such as this has come into conception.At the court, you hold the cane of longevity.And at home, you put on the clothes of Old Master Lai!May rich favors rain and dew upon you for a thousand years!Let us joyfully celebrate this occasion through and through. Who am I to comeand occupy a seat? What a shame to have no beautiful poem to adorn a Yellow-Painted Gate!I also wrote the following poem, 几杖鴻恩罕此邦相公家慶更無雙傳三議政官槐棘奉大夫人福海江滿座榮光花映席騰空喜氣酒盈缸一時盛事應須記安得鋪張筆似杠 The royal gifting of a chair and cane is a rare occasion in our kingdom.The celebration of your family is indeed without equal.Continuing for three generationsthe highest office of Chief State Councilor,you serve your mother with blessings like oceans and rivers.Honored guests fill the seats decorated with beaming flowers. Joyful air rises to the sky, and wine jars are filled to the brim.A wonderful event such as this deserves recording.Where might I find a brush as thick as a rafter? Prince of Yŏsŏng, Song In was Hong Sŏm’s cousin. He followed and composed a narrative record as well as a long regulated verse. The rest of us also followed his lead and composed some narratives and some regulated verses. Hong ordered a painter to create a depiction of the event, and Song wrote down all our compositions on the back of the painting. The painting is kept as their family treasure. Hong Sŏm’s mother passed away at the age of ninety-four, and Hong himself at the age of eighty-two this year. Their good fortunes are truly unmatched in this world. Original annotation: At the banquet, there were two pots of artificial flower arrangements and ten jars of royal wine.r arrangements and ten jars of royal wine.)
E124 + (1. Kim Chongjik (sobriquet Mun’gan [Bamboo … 1. Kim Chongjik (sobriquet Mun’gan [Bamboo Slip Writing]) composed a poem while visiting Son Kŭkkyŏm’s 孫克謙 (15th century) forest garden. It reads, 十室卑湫地閑園數畒荒松爲一柱觀菊作百和香小砌蘭承露踈籬杮得霜主人年八十燕坐惜頹光 Ten rooms in the low-lying waterland,this peaceful garden has just a few barren ridges and furrows. A pine stands tall as the One Pillar Watchtower.Chrysanthemums diffuse the Hundred Harmonious Fragrance. At the small brick house, orchids are drenched in dews.Along the sparse bamboo hedge, persimmons are covered in frost. The master, now eighty years old, sits in peace and cherishes the remaining years. This is a poem about an old man in a country garden. His poem “Staying Overnight at Tapkye station” 宿踏溪驛 reads, 古樹獰飆攪荒林片月孤官胥來督傳郵婦泣供廚鼠竄殘殘戶星馳急急符誰知燈影下危坐恨非夫 Ancient trees tremble at fierce winds.Over the barren forest, a lone crescent moon gleams.A minor officer arrives with an urgent message.The post officer’s wife sobs in the kitchen.A rat scurries off out of the house,as quickly a shooting star sent a sudden notice.Who can understand under the flickering lampsitting up straight and loathing for not being a man? This is a poem about feeling abandoned at the post station. The poem “Quick Clearing of a Rain at Cheun Tower” 齊雲樓快晴 reads, 雨脚看看取次收輕雷猶自殷高樓雲歸洞穴簾旌暮風颭池塘枕簟秋菡萏香中蛙閣閣鷺 1. 影外稻油油憑欄更向頭流望千丈峯巒湧玉虯 The pouring rain is slowing down. A light thunder still echoes at the high tower.Clouds return to the caves, and dusk falls on the curtain.Winds brush over the pond, and autumn comes to the bamboo mat. Amid the fragrance of lotus, frogs croak “kak kak.”Far from the shadows of egrets,the rice grows with luster. Leaning on the railing, I gaze at the Turyu Mountain.Mountain peaks, a thousand feet tall, protrude like an emerging dragon. This poem depicts the scenery observed from a city tower after a rain shower. His poem “After a Snow, Leaving Kobu for Hŭngdŏk” 雪後發古阜向興德 reads, 一夜湖山銀界遙瀛州郭外馬蕭蕭村家竹盡頭搶地野樹禽多翅綴條沙浦烟痕蒼海岸笠岩霞氣赤城標臘前已是饒三白想聽明年擊壤謠 Overnight, Mt. Ho turned into a distant silvery world.Outside Yŏngju’s city wall, horses snort and neigh.In village homes, bent bamboo tips touch the ground.In trees in the fields, a flock of birds huddle together on branches.Sandy Riverbank is cloaked in mist that stretches out into the blue sea.Bamboo Hat Rock shrouded in rosy fog is the border of the Red City.Before the year’s end, we already had three snowfalls. Next year, I want to hear people singing, striking the earth. This poem describes taking a stroll after a snowfall. Reading the scenery here is like viewing a painting (yŏhwa).y here is like viewing a painting (yŏhwa).)
E208 + (1. Kim Chŏng (sobriquet Ch’ungam [Humble H … 1. Kim Chŏng (sobriquet Ch’ungam [Humble Hut]) had a reputation for his poetic skills during his lifetime. However, most of his works were lost, and only a few have survived. One of his poems, “An Evening Gaze” 晩望, reads, 秋陰起將暝迢遞倚荊扉虛莽夔魖悄冥烟島嶼微眼穿孤鳥盡思逐片雲依一葦豈云遠人遐自未歸 Autumn clouds rise as the sun goes down.Lost in thought, I lean on the bramble gate.In the wild thickets, mountain goblins are quiet.Shrouded in mists, islands appear hazy.My eyes are fixed on a lone bird.My thoughts drift with a wisp of cloud.A barge—how can you call it far away?Yet people are distant and have not returned. His poem “River South” 江南 reads, 江南殘夢晝厭厭愁逐年芳日日添雙燕來時春欲暮1. 杏花微雨下重簾 In a fleeting dream of river south, the day goes on and on.My sadness, chasing vernal fragrances, grows day by day.When a pair of swallows arrive, spring deepens.Apricot blossoms fall in a light rain outside the double screen. His poem “Feeling the Mood” 感興 reads, 落月臨荒野寒鴉下晩村空林烟火冷白屋掩荊門 Sinking moon closes in on the wilderness.Jackdaws descend on an evening village.In the empty forest, smoke and fire are rare.The bramble gate of the thatched house is shut.ramble gate of the thatched house is shut.)
E209 + (1. Kim Chŏng once visited Ch’ongsŏk Pavili … 1. Kim Chŏng once visited Ch’ongsŏk Pavilion in T’ongch’ŏn and composed six poems. A prefect later destroyed Kim’s poetry plaque, causing us to lose two of the six poems. I once read in the Tongin sihwa (Easterners’ Remarks on Poetry) by Sŏ Kŏjŏng that a poem by Kim Chidae (sobriquet Yŏnghŏn [Heroic Decree]), written at Ŭisŏng’s official lodge, became a most relished (hoeja) work during that time. Later, the building was burnt down during a war, and the plaque destroyed along with it. Several decades later, the daughter of prefect O Chŏkchang 吳迪莊, who lost her sanity and spoke incoherently, suddenly recited Kim Chidae’s poem. The ghosts, too, loved the poem and allowed it to be known again throughout the world. Unfortunately, it is a pity that no ghost in T’ongch’ŏn loves poetry in the same way. Therefore, I now record the four remaining poems. 絶嶠丹崖滄海陬孤標夐邈卽蓬丘硬根直揷幽波險削面疑經巧斧修鼇柱天高殘四片羊碑峴占杳千秋鶴飛人去已寥廓目斷碧雲空自愁 On the cut-off hill, vermillion cliffs meet the blue sea.A lone summit stands in the distance near Penglai Island.Your firm roots reach straight down to the deep and perilous waters.Your carved surfaces resemble the workof a skillful axe. The pillar on the giant sea turtle, reaching to the sky, left behind four pieces.Yang’s Stele on the steep hill has remained silent for a thousand years. Cranes have flown away and people have departedinto the silent vastness. I gaze at the azure clouds. This emptiness brings sadness on its own. 千古高皐叢石勝登臨寥落九秋懷斗魁鏟彩墮滄海月宮借斧削丹崖巨溟欲泛危巒去頑骨長衝激浪排蓬島笙簫空淡佇夕陽搔首寄天涯 On the thousand-year-old highland stands the magnificent Ch’ongsŏk Pavilion.Ascending it at times,with a heart full of late autumn. The Big Dipper, like a shining spade, fell into the blue sea,and with an axe borrowed from the Moon Palace carved the vermilion cliffs. I yearn to sail across the deep sea towards perilous mountains.Firm and resolute, I push forward against the charging breakers.Penglai Island’s music of pipes, empty and bland, I await.In the sunset, I scratch my head, leaning on the horizon. 八月十五叢石夜碧空星漢淡悠悠飛騰桂影昇天滿搖漾銀光溢海浮六合孤生身一粒四仙遺躅鶴千秋白雲迢遞萬山外獨立高邱杳遠愁 On the fifteenth day of the eighth month,a night at the Ch’ongsŏk Pavilion.In the azure sky, the River of Stars shines faint and serene.The soaring reflection of the cassia-tree moon rises and fills the sky.The rippling silvery lights float on the brimming sea.Alone in the six directions, I am but a single grain.The four immortals left behindthe cranes that live for a thousand years.White clouds in the distance drift beyond ten thousand mountains.The lofty hill standing alone is immersed in remote melancholy. 雲沒秋晴淡碧層淸晨起望太陽昇光涵海宇初呑吐彩射天衢忽湧騰幽窟老龍驚火焰深林陰鬼失依憑人間昏黑從今廓欲向崦嵫爲繫繩 Cloudless clear autumn sky, a faint layer of blue.In the clear morning, I gaze as the sun rise.The light-soaked expanse of the ocean begins to spew out the sun.Colors shoot across the sky, suddenly surging and billowing.Startled, ancient dragons in hidden caves belch out flames.The ghosts of thick forestslose their places of rest.The darkness in the human worldwill now fade away. I wish to ascend Yanzi Mountainand tie you there with a rope.nzi Mountainand tie you there with a rope.)
E211 + (1. Kim Chŏng’s two quatrains “Presented to … 1. Kim Chŏng’s two quatrains “Presented to the Recluse in the Market Pak Kyegang 朴繼姜 (16th century)” 贈市隱朴繼姜 are, 看渠詩思入湖山剛壓紅塵十丈頑大隱從來非曲徑市中壼日亦仙班 I see his poetic thoughtsentering Lake Mountain,treading down on the red dustrising ten feet tall.Great hermits never take the winding paths.In the market, living inside a magic gourd,you, too, are a kind of immortal. 懶倚紗窓春日遲紅顏空老落花時世間萬事皆如此叩角狂歌誰得知 Idly, you lean on the veiled window as the spring day passes slowly.Youthful faces age in vain, and now it’s time for the flowers to fall.Myriad affairs of this world all end in this way.Strike your horn and sing madly,but who would pay attention?However, it is recorded in the Ch’ugang naenghwa (Satirical Remarks of Ch’ugang) that the second quatrain was a poem presented to a scholar named Han by a blue-robed old man during the Hongzhi reign. It must have been when Pak Kyegang visited Kim with a scroll asking for poems, and Kim wrote this poem down for fun since its meaning happened to suit Pak.un since its meaning happened to suit Pak.)
E246 + (1. Kim Ilson 金馹孫 (1464–1498; sobriquet T’a … 1. Kim Ilson 金馹孫 (1464–1498; sobriquet T’agyŏng [Washing the Hat Strings]) made a name for himself with his writings. Nam Kon often said, “The poetry of Pak Ŭn’s 朴誾 (1479–1504; sobriquet Ŭpch’wihŏn [Attracting Kingfisher Terrace]) and the prose of Kim Ilson deserve to be called a superb class.” Kim’s collection of prose is popular in the world, but his poems are rarely discussed. A regulated verse by him at Kwansu Tower in Samga prefecture, Kyŏngsang province, reads, 一縷溪村生白烟羔羊下佸謾爭先高樓樽酒東西客十里桑麻南北阡句乏有聲遊子拙杯斟無事使君賢倚欄更待黃昏後觀水仍看月到天 From a village with a threadlike stream rises white smoke.Young goats descend the hill in a flock, vying to be the first.At a tall tower, around flasks of wine, gather the guests from east and west.Along ten li, mulberry and hemp fields stretch out to north and south. Words are few, and this traveler only makes clumsy remarks.I raise my cup with a carefree heart to the prefect who is a worthy man.Leaning on the railing, I wait longer until the sun setsand gaze at the water until the moon reaches the sky. Readers can clearly see, between his poetry and prose which is better.ween his poetry and prose which is better.)
E264 + (1. Matching the Imperial envoy Wang He’s p … 1. Matching the Imperial envoy Wang He’s poem “Paeksang Tower” 百祥樓, Chŏng Saryong wrote, 江天物像媚晴曦嵐重煙沉頓失奇半壁劍峰渾滅沒四圍風幔只低垂酒因陶寫寧辭累筆為牢籠欲放退強和陽春才告盡捻須終日費吟思 In the sky and over the river, all things gleam under the bright sunlight.Heavy mountain mists and thick smoke suddenly shroud all traces.Precipitous cliffs and pointy peaks blend and vanish.The wind screens all around could only hang low.Since the wine makes us cheerful, we’d better continue.But the brushes are stuck and want to be dismissed.Trying to match “spring season,” I reach my limit.Stroking my beard all day, I struggle for poetic ideas. Chŏng asked me to present it to Wang, who read it three times and said, “Truly his learning is as boundless as the ocean.”is learning is as boundless as the ocean.”)
E188 + (1. On New Year’s Day of the kapsin year (1 … 1. On New Year’s Day of the kapsin year (1584), as Minister No Susin (sobriquet Sojae [Revival Studio]) turned seventy, he wrote the following poem, 寄也歸而免居然到者稀誰從聖人欲久昧大夫非一理君臣契深衷老病違只應梅柳色依舊入霑衣 Resigning, I returned and was set free. Surely, now visitors are few. Who has the desire to follow the sages?Long have I been ignorant of faults of officials.In one principle, the king and I were united.Now old and sickly, I am grieved by our separation. Only the colors of plum blossoms and willowsdrench my clothes just as before. On New Year’s Day of the ŭlyu year (1585) as I turned seventy, I wrote a poem matching No’s rhymes. 斗覺新年至誰言七十稀飽經榮與落多耐是兼非修短天應定行休理敢違思量乞身事準擬解朝衣 Little did I know a new year has arrived.Who said only a few live to be seventy?Honor and shame I’ve experienced in full.Right or wrong, I’ve endured much.One’s length of life must have been set by Heaven.Who’d dare go against the truth of advancing and retreating? I consider asking for my resignationand prepare to take off my official robe. In the poem, I expressed my wish for future resignation. On New Year’s Day of the ŭlmi year (1595), when I turned eighty, I wrote another matching poem. 人生稀七十八十更應稀欲學武公戒曾知蘧瑗非貪恩身局束乞退事乖違志願何時遂嗟哉食與衣 Only a few people reach age seventy,people reaching eighty must be fewer.I wished to learn from Duke Wu’s admonitionsbut realized, like Qu Yuan, that I’d been wrong.Desires for royal favors confine my body.Requests for resignation were declined.When will I pursue my heart’s wish?Alas, it’s all because of food and clothes! I repeatedly begged to resign, but my requests were not approved. I showed this poem to Song Ch’an, who harmonized with my poem. One couplet of his reads, 城內仍留是林間欲去非 Right for you to remain in the city.Wrong for you to wish to leave for the forest. Song’s poem said so because the battles had not yet ceased, and it seemed difficult to retreat to the countryside. I composed another poem and presented it to him. 爵祿人皆享期頤世固稀仍留果爲是欲去未應非晩節尤宜退初心詎肯違妖氛何日定唯望一戎衣 All enjoy salaries,but a hundred-year life is rare in this world.Staying in the court surely is right,but wishing for a leave might not be wrong. At old age, it is fitting to retire.But how can I go against my original intent?When will this evil aura dissipate?I only wish to put on an armored suit once. In the late winter of pyŏngsin (1596), my request for resignation was finally granted. My remaining years are few. How long will my retirement be! Still, I was given my heart’s wish. At death, I shall close my eyes in peace. At death, I shall close my eyes in peace.)
E175 + (1. Presently, Im Ŏngnyŏng 林億齡 (1496–1568; … 1. Presently, Im Ŏngnyŏng 林億齡 (1496–1568; sobriquet Sŏkch’ŏn [Rock River]) is renowned for his poetry. When someone requested a poem on wine and chose the rhyme word “sweet” 甘, Im immediately responded, 老去方知此味甘 Now that I am old I realize that this wine tastes sweet.The person again chose “three” 三 as a rhyme word, and Im replied, 一盃通道不須三 With a single cup, I reach the Way, so why do I need three? Once again, the person called out “man” 男 as a rhyme word, and Im replied, 君看嵇阮陶劉李不羨公侯伯子男 Please take a look at Ji, Ruan, Tao, Liu, and Li. They did not envy dukes, marquis, earls, viscounts, or barons. These are truly amazing (ki) works. After admiring these verses, I wrote a poem using the same rhymes as a way to caution posterities. 曾聞大禹飮而甘嗜酒全身十二三勿把一盃宜戒愼須知遠色是貞男 I once heard the Great King Yu thought the wine was sweet.Lovers of wine, preserve their lives,only two or three out of ten.Don’t even take a single cup without exercising caution. Know that distancing oneself from the love of sexmakes you a true man. I have reversed the meaning of Im’s poem, but my own verse is far inferior to his., but my own verse is far inferior to his.)
E126 + (1. Prince of Talsŏng, Sŏ Kŏjŏng’s sobrique … 1. Prince of Talsŏng, Sŏ Kŏjŏng’s sobriquet was Saga (Four Excellences). His quatrain “Reading Collected Works of Wang Anshi” 讀王荊公集 reads, 杜鵑當日哭天津天下蒼生萬事新相業早知能誤世半山端合作詩人 On that day, the cuckoo cried at the Tianjin Bridge,and for the failed candidates under Heaven, all was made new.Had he known his ministerial work could ruin the world,Half Mountain would have been a perfect fit to be a poet. The poem contains much critical views (ŭiron). The last couplet of another quatrain reads, 白石細沙幽澗裏亂蟬喬木淺山中 White rocks and fine sand are in the secluded valleys.Booming cicadas and tall trees are in the low mountains.He also wrote, 一塲春夢無關鍵歸及故園山水春 I dreamed a dream of spring, and nothing was holding me back.I returned to my old garden, to the mountains and waters of spring.He also wrote, 曲欄西畔鉤簾看躑躅半開山雨來 On the west edge of the curved railing, through the curtain I gaze. Azaleas are half in bloom. A rain falls on the hills. Also, 燕子日長無客到黃薔薇下戱兒孫 The swallows grow daily, but no visitors come.Under the yellow rosebush, grandchildren are at play. His techniques (sudan) are still considered formidable (ch’ŏnjang). Even in short poems like these, his carefree and charming (hanch’wi) style is exceptional.Also, he wrote “Snow” 雪, 禪家初喜皎然至詩壘還逢白也來羞作顚狂春後絮相從淡薄臘前梅 The monks were first delighted that “Brightness” arrived.The poets then discovered that “Whiteness” had also come. Ashamed of becoming the wild catkins of late spring,you befriend the elegant plum blossoms before the year’s end.egant plum blossoms before the year’s end.)
E181 + (1. Recluse Sŏng Un 成運 (1497–1579) was a na … 1. Recluse Sŏng Un 成運 (1497–1579) was a native to Chonggok town in Poun county, Ch’ungch’ŏng province. He was lofty in demeanor and morality, and his writings were also wonderful (myo). One of his poems reads, 一入鍾山裏松筠臥草廬天高頭肯俯地窄膝猶舒名下何人在林間此老餘柴門客自絶無日罷琴書 Alone I enter Bell Mountain,into pines and bamboo, I lie in a thatched hut.The sky is high, yet I willingly keep my head low.The earth is cramped, and yet is comfortable for my knees.Who are the famed people?In the woods, this old man remains.Visits to my bramble gate have stopped.Not a day goes by without zither and books. In the ŭlsa year (1545), upon learning that the officials with Merits of Protecting the State (Wisahun) had been eliminated, he wrote the following poem, 事往嗟何及懷賢淚滿衣波乾龍爛死松倒鶴驚飛地下無恩怨人間有是非仰瞻黃道日誰復掩光輝 It’s all past now, so what’s the use of lament!Missing the worthies, tears drench my clothes.When the waters dry, dragons are scorched to death.When the pines collapse, startled cranes fly away.In the underworld, there exists no recompense or grudge.In the human world, right and wrong prevail.I look to the Sun on the Yellow Way. Who could again block its radiant light!Both poems are outstanding (kŭkka). Sŏng Un had no desire for this world and did not seek recognition from others. He was a true recluse.nition from others. He was a true recluse.)
E207 + (1. Since ancient times, it has been the ca … 1. Since ancient times, it has been the case that women’s duties in our Eastern Kingdom are limited to cooking and weaving, and literary pursuits have been considered improper. Therefore, eventhough there have been women with outstanding literary talents, they concealed them and did not fully exert themselves. How deplorable! We do not hear of any such woman writers from the Three Kingdoms period. During the five hundred years of the Koryŏ dynasty, there were only Udol 于咄 (13th century), a kisaeng from Yongsŏng, and Tonginhong 動人紅 (13th century), a kisaeng from P’aengwŏn, who knew poetry. In our dynasty, we have Lady Chŏng, Lady Sŏng, and Lady Kim. Their poems have become widely known but are soft (wiyak) and lack sufficient vigor (ki). However, Lady Chŏng’s poem, 昨夜春風入洞房一張雲錦爛紅芳此花開處聞啼鳥一詠幽姿一斷腸 Last night a spring breeze entered my nuptial chamber,bringing to my sheet of cloud brocadethe fragrances of shining pink petals.Where the flowers bloom,I hear a weeping bird,singing each tune with sequestered charms,for each broken heart. Lady’s Sŏng’s poetic lines are as follow, 眼帶雙行淚胸藏萬里心 From my eyes run two streams of tears.My bosom hides a heart that wanders a thousand li. 門外紅桃一時盡愁中白髮十分新 Outside the gate, pink peach blossoms Have withered all at once. In sorrow my gray hairs grow always anew. And Lady Kim’s poem goes as follows, 境僻人來少山深俗士稀家貧無斗酒宿客夜還歸 In this secluded place, few visitors come.In the deep mountains, worldly scholars are scarce.In my destitute home, there is no wine to offer,An overnight guest returns at night.These poems are more or less well-crafted.These poems are more or less well-crafted.)
E247 + (1. Statute Law Clerk (kŏmnyul) Ham Chaye’s … 1. Statute Law Clerk (kŏmnyul) Ham Chaye’s 咸子乂 (c. 1419) poem “On Ch’oksŏk Tower” 題矗石樓 reads, 山自盤環水自流幾年興廢此江頭彷徨更惜曾遊處昨是春風今是秋 The mountains surround. The waters flow.For how long have fortunes changed at this river beach?Strolling leisurely, I cherish even more this place I visited before.Last time there was a spring breeze. This time it is autumn. The poem is nailed to the wall and is relished (hoeja) by people. Still, the third line particularly lacks vigor (kiryŏk). Why is it that people call it a poetic masterpiece (chŏlch’ang)? Is it because for a humble person like him to write such a poem is a great achievement? write such a poem is a great achievement?)
E261 + (1. Sŏ Kŏjŏng wrote a poem to match a poem … 1. Sŏ Kŏjŏng wrote a poem to match a poem by the imperial envoy Qi Shun. The poem reads, 金岩日暖初楊柳劍水春寒未杜鵑 At Golden Rock, the sun is warm,and willows begin to bud.At Sword River, the spring is cold, and cuckoos have not yet returned.Hwang Yŏhŏn 黃汝獻 (b. 1486; sobriquet Yuch’on [Willow Village]) could not stop praising the beauty of the couplet.When I told about this to Chŏng Saryong, he said, “There’s something sickly about these words. I don’t understand why it is beautiful (mi). One line is boastful and the other suppressed. The messages of the two are uneven.” After returning home, I pondered over Chŏng’s criticism. Then I realized that the parallelism (tae) in this couplet is entirely borrowed from a poetic expression (siŏ) by a Yuan dynasty poet. However, the two lines in Sŏ Kŏjŏng’s poem are entirely different from the original one. In the original one, the expressions “begin” 初 and “not yet” 未 are appropriate. But from Golden Rock to Sword River, one can leave in the morning and arrive in the evening, so how can there be a difference of “warm sun” 日暖and “cold spring” 春寒? This discrepancy can indeed be described as sickly (pyŏng) words (ŏ). Chŏng’s words should be deemed correct.). Chŏng’s words should be deemed correct.)
E183 + (1. The Tongin sihwa (Easterners’ Remarks o … 1. The Tongin sihwa (Easterners’ Remarks on Poetry), compiled by Sŏ Kŏjŏng, reads, “During the reign of King Kongmin of Koryŏ, Chief Minister Yu Suk 柳淑 (1324–1368; sobriquet Saam [Thoughtful Hut]) wrote a farewell poem to a friend who was returning to his hometown after resignation. The poem goes as follows, 人間膏火自相煎明哲如公史可傳已向危時安社稷更從平地作神仙五湖夢斷烟波綠三逕秋深野菊鮮顧我未能投紱去邇來雙鬢雪飄然 In the world, with greased torches people burn each other.A wise man like you deserves to be remembered in history. Already, in this dangerous time, you brought stability to the Gods of the Land and Grain.Now you return to a peaceful land to become an immortal. At the Five Lakes, you awake from your dreams, where misty waters are green.In the Three Trails, autumn is deep, where wild chrysanthemums are fresh.I look at myself, who still cannot leave the office behind.Lately, the hair on my temples has become sprays of snow.Sin Ton slandered Yu before the king, citing his use of terms like “wise man,” “Five Lakes,” which led to Yu’s execution.” The Ch’ŏnggu p’unga 靑丘風雅 (Airs and Odes from the Blue Hills), compiled by Kim Chongjik, also records this poem. But there, it states the poem was written by Yi Inbok 李仁復 (1308–1374) on the occasion of bidding farewell to Yu Suk. In the annotation by Kim at the end of the poem, Kim writes, “Initially, the last line of the poem was 西風塵土意茫然 Westerly wind blows over the dusty realmwith endless desires.” Out of fear that Sin Ton might see it, Yi later changed it to “Lately, the hair on my temples has become sprays of snow.”” Sŏ Kŏjŏng and Kim Chongjik were both well-read individuals, and their chronologies are not far apart. How is it not strange that their accounts differ in this way? But, if Sin Ton did indeed use the poem to speak ill of its author before the king, then it is evident that the poem was indeed written by Yu Suk.hat the poem was indeed written by Yu Suk.)
E220 + (1. There were many lowly women in the past … 1. There were many lowly women in the past who encountered poets and whose names were thus immortalized. For Du Fu, it was Fourth Lady Huang; for Li Shangyin, Lady Willow Branch; for Bai Juyi, a merchant’s wife; and for Huang Tingjian, Guoxiang. These were truly rare poetic events and brought great fortune to those women. In recent times, there was a kisaeng named Sangnimch’un 上林春 (mid-15th century) from Hanyang who was a renowned zither player at that time. She once caught the attention of Sin Chongho 申從濩 (1456–1497), the Second Minister of Personnel (ch’amp’an), who presented the following poem to her, 第五橋頭楊柳斜晩來風日轉淸和緗簾十二人如玉靑鎖詞臣信馬過 At the Fifth Bridge, poplars and willows sway.In the evening, the wind and sunturn everything clear and calm.Playing the twelve silk stringsis a jade-like fair lady. The poetry official from the palace of green windows lets his horse take him to her place. Reaching the era of the Jiajing emperor (1507–1567; Chungjong 2–Myŏngjong 22), she had surpassed seventy years of age. She asked Yi Sangjwa 李上佐 (mid-16th century) to paint a picture of that event and wrote Sin Chongho’s poem on it. She also requested poems from scholar-officials, and Chŏng Saryong (sobriquet Hoŭm [Lake Shade]) wrote a regulated verse for her. His introductory note reads, “The zither player kisaeng Sangnimch’un is seventy-two this year, and her skills have not waned. When her heart is saddened by past events, she immediately sets aside the plectrum and sheds tears. There is much melancholy in her tune. Every time she comes and asks for a poem, wishing to leave her name behind. Moved by her earnest request, I write a regulated verse.” The poems reads, 十三學得猗蘭操法部叢中見藝成遍接貴遊連密席又通宮籍奏新聲嬌鶯過雨花間滑細溜侵宵澗底鳴才調終慚白司馬豈能商婦壽佳名 At thirteen, you learned to play the Tune of Elegant Orchid.Among the crowd at the music academy,your talent stood out.Befriending the nobles, you joined seats with them.Advancing to the royal registry, you played new tunes.Like a charming oriole after rain,singing smoothly among the flowers,like a rapid in the depth of nightechoing at the bottom of a brook,your talent and style ultimately surpassed even the poet Bai Juyi.For how could a merchant’s wife attain lasting fame? Kim An’guk wrote the following quatrain for her, 容謝尙存傾國手哀絃彈出夜深詞聲聲似怨年華暮奈爾浮生與老期 Your beauty has faded, yet your hands retain the talent that captivates the nation.Sorrowing strings play the Late-Night Song.Note after note, you seem to mournthe passing of youthful years.What to do when a drifting life meets with old age?Many wrote poems matching his rhyme, and she put them together into a long poetry scroll. Ah! The fortune of her encounter certainly is not less than that of other women, such as Du Fu’s Fourth Lady Huang. women, such as Du Fu’s Fourth Lady Huang.)
E268 + (1. When Cho Sasu went to Cheju Island as m … 1. When Cho Sasu went to Cheju Island as magistrate, Im Ŏngnyŏng presented him with the following poem, 嘗登南岳望孤島海中央舟楫西通浙驊騮上應房爲官何異謫此別最堪傷 Once I climbed South Mountain and gazed at a lone island in the middle of the sea.From there, boats can sail westward to reach the Zhe River. Fine horses soar and respond to the Star of Room.How does serving as an official there differ from exile? This parting is truly heart-rending. I cannot recall the final couplet, so I am unable to record it. Scholar-officials all agreed that the poem had an air (kisang) of the ancients. poem had an air (kisang) of the ancients.)