Editor
Lee Young-gul
The Classical Poetry of Korea offers historical surveys of poetic genres and translations of some representative works to the readers in the English-speaking world.
hyangga Sijo, Gasa and pansori constitute the classical poetry of Korea in contrast to modern Korean poetry which has evolved with the influence of the poetry of the West. Hyangga is the oldest tradition; it is the poetry of the Silla and Koryeo dynasties written in Korean by means of the idu script. It’s length varies from four to eight or ten lines. Reflecting strong Buddhist sentiments, hyangga often deals with the mysteries of life and death. Twenty-five hyanggahave survived, and fourteen hyangga from the Samgukyusa are offered here by translations of Adrian F. Buzo.
Sijo, which had developed from the earlier hyangga, is a dominant literary form of the Yi dynasty. It consists of mere three lines, the last one emphasizing a sentiment or mood. A Confucianist outlook is often reflected in contrast to the Buddhist philosophy in hyangga. Twenty Sijo are offered by Kevin O’Rourke’s translations.
While hyangga and Sijo seek concentration of thought or emotion, Gasa is a more leisurely form, in which various subjects receive lyrical development. Enjoyment of natural beauty, Confucianist morality and other didactic purposes are frequent motifs among diverse subjects. Three Gasa works are represented here by translations of the present editor.
If hyangga Sijo and Gasa are essentially lyric forms, pansori is a form of oral narrative poetry. It began in the Yi dynasty around the 17th century. It’s performance requires along with the audience a singer and his drummer accompanist. Hence, pansori has a dramatic character.
Historical accounts of hyangga Sijo, Gasa and pansori have been prepared in Korean respectively by Kim Yeol-gyu, Pak Chol-hui, Lee Sang-bo and Kim Heung-gyu, who all teach Korean literature at universities in Seoul. The present anthology is the common enterprise of many hands.
This enterprise is part of a larger translation project initiated by the Korean Culture and Arts Foundation. The contributors to The Classical Poetry of Korea look forward to encouragement and criticism from readers of this anthology.