The further north Kim Sakkat went, the greener he found the light of spring, and the more inhospitable he found the people. Eventually he reached a village in Hamgyŏng Province called Kilju, which means lucky village in hanmun. Refused hospitality once again, he spent the night in an outhouse. He left Kilchu and went to Myŏngch’ŏn, bright stream in hanmun. The tail of a dried pollack was all the hospitality he got there. The two couplets are satires on the poet’s experience. Hŏga in hanmun literally means permit, but in Korean it is permit+house or family (ka). In Yi Ŭngsu’s text while hŏ means permit, the hŏ +ka combination means Hŏ sshi (family name). Many of the Hŏ family lived in Kilju.
Kilchu—lucky village—nothing lucky here.
Hŏga—permit house—nothing permitted here.
Myŏngch'ŏn—bright stream—nothing bright about the people here.
Ŏjŏn—fishing hole—no fish to eat here.