The following songs were all written by, or else for the use of, ki-sang (dancing girls). As such they are all anonymous. They reveal so well the meekness and pathetic charm of old-time Korean womanhood that I have thought it well to include them in this collection though, strictly speaking, they have no place beside the writings of the poetic masters.
The ki-sang, or “Peony Girl,” as she is often called, is sometimes pointed out as one of Korea’s great evils, leading men astray with her perfumed beauty, her coiled black hair, her black eyes which sparkle below heavy lids. However this may be, she has provided, and still provides, one of the few forms of lighter entertainment. Many of her songs are delicately charming. Many others are poignantly sad. That there exists a less pleasant aspect to the matter is so obvious that it need not be stressed.