Hwang Jini

Hwang Jini
Hangul 황진이
Hanja 黃眞伊
Revised Romanization Hwang Jini
McCune–Reischauer Hwang Chini
Gisaeng name
Hangul 명월
Hanja 明月
Revised Romanization Myeong-wol
McCune–Reischauer Myŏngwŏl

Hwang Jini or Hwang Jin-Yi (Hangul: 황진이; c. 1506 – c. 1560), also known by her gisaeng name Myeongwol ("bright moon", 명월), was one of the most famous gisaeng of the Joseon Dynasty. She lived during the reign of King Jungjong. She was noted for her exceptional beauty, charming quick wit, extraordinary intellect, and her assertive and independent nature.[1][2][3] She has become an almost myth-like figure in modern Korea, inspiring novels, operas, films, and television series.

Works

Only a handful of sijo (Korean verse form) and geomungo pieces exist today. They show skilled craftsmanship of words and of musical arrangement. Hwang's sijo often describe the beauty and sites of Gaeseong (such as the palace of Manwoldae and the Pakyon Falls in the Ahobiryong Mountains), the personal tragedy of her lost loves and responses to famous classic Chinese poems and literature (the majority of them reflecting on lost love).

Hwang appears to have been of noble birth. Her sijo are considered the most beautiful ever written. In the following poem, the term Hwang uses for her beloved (어론님) has two meanings, alluding to both her sweetheart and a person who has been frozen by the winter cold. The English phrase “frozen love” may help to illustrate this double entendre in translation.

冬至 섯달 기나긴 밤을 한 허리를 잘라 내어
春風 이불 아래 서리서리 넣었다가
어론님 오신 날 밤이여든 구뷔구뷔 펴리라.

I will divide this long November night
  and coil by coil
  lay it under a warm spring blanket
  and roll by roll
when my frozen love returns
  I will unfold it to the night.[4]

In this next poem, “Full Moon” is a play on Hwang’s pen name, Myeongwol (literally, “Bright Moon”; 명월 ). The poem was written to a man famed for his virtue, Byok Kye Su, whom Hwang infamously seduced. “Green water” is a pun on Byok’s name (벽계수 碧溪水).

청산리 벽계수(靑山裏 碧溪水)야 수이 감을 자랑 마라.
일도창해(一到滄海)하면 다시 오기 어려워라.
명월(明月)이 만공산(滿空山)할 제 쉬어간들 어떠리.

Green water, do not boast
  of your rapid flow from the blue mountains.
  It is hard to return
  when you’ve reached the blue sea.
A full moon graces these peaceful hills:
  Won’t you rest a while?[5]

Literature

In the late 20th century, Hwang Jini's story began to attract attention from both sides of the Korean divide and feature in a variety of novels, operas, films and television series. Novelizations of her life include a 2002 treatment by North Korean writer Hong Sok-jung (which became the first North Korean novel to win a literary award, the Manhae Prize, in the South) and a 2004 bestseller by South Korean writer Jeon Gyeong-rin.[6]

Film and television

See also

References

  1. ↑ Osváth Gábor. "Hvang Dzsini sidzso versei (eredeti szövegek, nyers- és műfordítások)" (pdf) (in Hungarian). Konfuciusz Intézet. Retrieved 2012-11-14.
  2. ↑ Lee, Hai-soon; Yi, Hye-Sun (2005). Spirit of Korean Cultural Roots 9 : Poetic World of Classic Korean Women Writers. Ewha Womans University Press. pp. 13–18. ISBN 8973006029.
  3. ↑ "Best Female Poet in Korean Literature, Hwang Jini". KBS World. 2010-12-24. Retrieved 2012-11-14.
  4. ↑ David Bannon, “Sijo Poetry of Korean Kisaeng,” Hangul Herald, Fall 2008: 10-13. Excerpted and used with permission.
  5. ↑ David Bannon, “Sijo Poetry of Korean Kisaeng,” Hangul Herald, Fall 2008: 10-13. Excerpted and used with permission.
  6. ↑ "A Literary Thaw in Korea". Time. 2004-06-21. Retrieved 2012-11-15.
  7. ↑ "Korean drama about Hwang Jin-yi to air in Japan". Korea.net. 2008-08-21. Retrieved 2012-11-15.
  8. ↑ "Hwang Jin Yi". Koreanfilm.org. Retrieved 2012-11-15.
  9. ↑ "Filming Locations". Korea Tourism Organisation. Retrieved 2012-11-15.
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