The Book of Korean Poetry: Songs of Shilla and Koryo

by Kevin O'Rourke

Korea’s history is divided into four the Three Kingdoms of Koguryo (37 bc–ad 668), Shilla (57 bc–ad 668), and Paekche (18 bc–ad 660); Unified Shilla (668–935); Koryo (935–1392); and Choson (1392–1910). Kevin O’Rourke’s The Book of Korean Poetry traces Korean poetry from the pre-Shilla era to the end of Korea’s golden poetry period in the Koryo dynasty.There are two poetry traditions in hanshi (poems by Korean poets in Chinese characters) and vernacular poems, which are invariably songs. Hanshi is a poetry to be read and contemplated; the vernacular is a poetry to be sung and heard. Hanshi was aimed at personal cultivation, vernacular poetry primarily at entertainment. Hanshi was a much more private discipline; vernacular poetry was composed for the most part against a convivial background of wine, music, and dance. In this comprehensive treatment of the poetry of Shilla and Koryo, O’Rourke divides one hundred fifty poems into five Early Songs, Shilla hanshi, Shilla hyangga, Koryo kayo, and Koryo hanshi and shijo. Only a few pre-Shilla poems are extant; O’Rourke features all five. All fourteen extant Shilla hyangga are included. Seventeen major Koryo kayo are featured; only a few short, incantatory pieces that defied translation were excluded. Fourteen of the fewer than twenty Koryo shijo with claims to authenticity are presented. From the vast number of extant hanshi, O’Rourke selected poems with the most intrinsic merit and universal appeal. In addition to introductory essays on the genres of hanshi, hyangga, Koryo kayo, and shijo, O’Rourke interleaves his graceful translations with commentary on the historical backgrounds, poetic forms, and biographical notes on the poets’ lives as well as guides to the original texts, bibliographical materials, and even anecdotes on how the poems came to be written. Along with the translations themselves, O’Rourke’s annotations of the poems make this volume a particularly interesting and important introduction to the scholarship of East Asian literature.

Genres: Poetry

120 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the goodreads data base.

O’Rourke immigrated to South Korea as a priest from Ireland in the 1960s, but remained in the country and became the first foreigner to receive a Ph.D. in Korean literature from a Korean institution. The impact of O’Rourke on the world of translation is immense; he is most famous for his work on Silla and Goryeo era couplets, as well as for translating the text of classical, ethereal writers like 12th-century poet Yi Kyo-bo.

Reviews

[Hilda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book of beautiful poems. I've been a bit addicted to Kdramas on Netflix lately. Some of them use the beautiful poems and writings of Korean authors in the drama. That's how I became interested in this book and a few others. Such a beautiful culture and the poetry and writings resonate with me. ❤️

[Marc Sebastian Head · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite the book of pretty verse I was hoping for. In fact it skews almost scholarly. I appreciate that it tries to cover a vast history, with some entries going back several thousand years, but in some cases that leaves only fragments to read. The explanatory notes are extensive, sometimes explicating a verse only a dozen words long. The topics do become repetitive, with multiple fairly interchangeable reflections on mountains, the sea, the stars.

Although it feels a bit overwrought, I do like the effort that's gone into trying to bring out the deeper meaning of these ancient poems. And it's lovely that these extracts of human expression have survived this long.

As we moved on from the old Shilla writings into the Koryŏ period, i found myself liking the poems more and more, especially some of the longer hanshi. I particularly appreciated the poems of Yi Kyubo. Between the interesting if overlong explanations, and the inherent worth of the poems themselves, this lands at about three stars for me.

Incidentally, the book Romanizes the Korean language using the McCune-Reischauer system, which takes some getting used to if one is more familiar with the Revised Romanization system, as I am!

[Ella Sarip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Da brava appassionata del mondo asiatico, e della cultura coreana in generale, non ho potuto esimermi dal regalarmi questo libro non appena ne sono venuta a conoscenza. Antiche poesie in quello stile un pò passivo, ma senz'altro toccante e che rievoca atmosfere fiabesche.
Super consigliato ma per ora disponibile solo in inglese!

[Librarian Jessie (BibliophileRoses) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable book that features poems and their backgrounds. The poems are intricate and beautiful in their own ways. Although some probably sounded better in korean over English.