Attempting to write 시조( Sijo): Korean Poetry
Korea has a fascinating literary history. Because of Japanese Imperialism attempting to wipe out Korea’s history and culture, many great works of literature have been lost. But Korea has regained its freedom, many of its cultural attributes have become globally respected, and its literature is thriving more than ever.
Korean contemporary works seem to be making quite a splash in the Western world. I’m sure you’ve seen Han Kang or Cho Nam-ju’s works in your local bookstores. But Korean poetry is less known and in general, poetry is rarely translated. Han Kang’s White book is the only exception to the lack of translated Korean poetry that I’m aware of.
The Sejong Cultural Society is trying to change that. They are currently hosting a poetry competition, please check out their site for details! Where they are calling upon American and Canadian residents to take a chance on Korean Sijo poetry.
On their website, they describe Sijo poetry: There are three lines in a Sijo Stanza and each line should fall between 14 to 16 syllables. The strict structure and clearly defined syllabic breaks are the defining traits of Sijo.
Here’s one of my favorite examples from their site:
I will break the back of this long, midwinter night, Folding it double, cold beneath my spring quilt, That I may draw out the night, should my love return.
동지달 기나긴 밤을 한 허리를 버혀 내여 춘풍 이불 아래 서리허리 넣었다가 어른 님 오신 날 밤이여드란 구비구비 펴리라
Hwang Chin-I (1506–1544)
(Please note that this is a translation, the Korean text follows the syllabic structure but it’s muddled in the English version.)
The poem above caught my eye and I knew I wanted to give this poetry style a shot. Not only did it give me a burst of creative energy, but it reminded me how lucky I am to be able to read Hangul. It also made me excited to keep studying Korean so I can enjoy the poems in their original forms.
I submitted my entry yesterday, wish me luck!
Below are some of my practices in Sijo:
1)
I wasn’t the phoenix, I was the ashes from which you choked on (16)
As you fell from grace and decided I was far too heavy (15)
I knew I’d have to stay curled and burning with my smoldering love (16)
2)
Papa used to make us walk on the gravel down the road (14)
He’d be in his truck watching as we fought our way back home (14)
And we’d laugh through the pain as the sharp rocks pierced our baby skin (15)
3)
I watched in horror at the coffee dripping off the counter (15)
The mug you bought and left behind teeters off the corner edge (15)
And with its shattered parts, the memory of us evaporates. (16)
Please tell me what you think about Sijo. And if you choose to give Sijo a try, please tag me if you’ve uploaded them to Medium!
Fighting!
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