One of the best-known works of South Korean poetry, Kim So-wol's Azaleas presents an emotive vocalization of the uniquely Korean notion of han.
South Korean Azaleas (image from https://rove.me/to/south-korea/azaleas)
Azaleas, Kim So-wol
When seeing me sickens you,
and you go;
gently, without a word, I shall send you on your way.
From Mount Yak in Yŏngbyŏn,
azaleas,
I will gather by the armful to scatter along your path. Step by step, on the strewn flowers of dedication, tread lightly, softly as you go. When seeing me sickens you, and you go; though I die, I’ll never shed one tear.
(translated by McKenzie Johns)
진달래꽃, 김소월:
나 보기가 역겨워
가실 때에는
말없이 고이 보내 드리오리다
영변에 약산
진달래꽃
아름 따다 가실 길에 뿌리오리다
가시는 걸음 걸음
놓인 그 꽃을
사뿐히 즈려 밟고 가시옵소서
나 보기가 역겨워
가실 때에는
죽어도 아니 눈물 흘리오리다
So-wol's Azaleas was one of the first works of Korean poetry I ever read, and continues to be among my favorites, regardless of how cliché that may be. There's just something so timeless, poignant, and universal in that last stanza: "When seeing me sickens you, and you go; though I die, I'll never shed one tear."
While scholars are still breathlessly debating over whether this work of poetry was a bitter cry at Korean leadership for abandoning its people to Japanese occupation, or a modernized iteration of South Korea's unofficial national anthem Arirang (of which I will provide a translation at some point), the dispute over this poem's meaning seem to get lost in resonance of the work itself.
However, one of the most striking things about this poem--and one thing that most all scholars will agree on--is that it captures and illustrates the uniquely Korean notion of han (한). The word, ‘han’ is quite difficult to translate to English. One scholar considers it the “[embodiment] of the indigenous ethos of Korean culture.”[1] Another asserts, “within han we can see a world permeated by a silence within which exists desire or will.” While a comprehensive English definition for han has yet to be agreed upon, many have translated it as “resentment, lamentation, sentiment, hatred, and regret.”[2] Yet, it seems to me that han falls somewhere in between the previous definitions.
Azaleas is heralded as a near-perfect expression of han because, although the poem's narrator expresses their extreme resentment, hatred, suffering, and remorse, they refuse to be defeated by it. Rather, as we see in that gut-wrenching final line, they stand in unwavering silent strength by refusing to give their flighty lover the pleasure of watching them shed a tear. Thus, the work truly does represnt han, which has also been described as “overcoming difficulties and not giving in when faced with an unhappy situation.”[3]
I really could go on for days about han because it's one of my favorite Korean words and something I've conducted extensive research on as both an undergrad and master's student. However, I'll save that for another post or two. If you're interested in learning a bit more about han, I would very highly recommend Dr. Michael D. Shin's lecture for the Korea Society on han, which can be accessed on Spotify via this link: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5I9PKD5g2nN4oEcFNrybg4?si=mdKPe6HpRW2PebqBhbVgqA
References and Further Reading:
[1] Sang-Chin Choi and Uichol Kim, “Cultural and Empirical Analyses of Han: An Indigenous Form of Lamentation.” Presented at the Center for Korean Studies, University of Hawaii, April 1992, 9-10.
[2] Younghee Lee, Ideology, culture, and han: traditional and early modern Korean women's literature (Edison: Jimoondang International, 2002), 17.
[3] Ibid.
Jieun Kiaer and Anna Yates-Lu. 2019.Korean literature through the Korean wave. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=2141032
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