相 逢 行
相 逢 長 安 陌
相 向 花 間 語
遺 却 黃 金 鞭
回 鞍 走 馬 去
又
相 逢 靑 樓 下
繫 馬 垂 楊 柳
笑 脫 錦 貂 裘
留 當 新 豊 酒
次 仲 氏 見 星 庵 韻
雲 生 高 嶂 濕 芙 蓉 棋 樹 丹 崖 露 氣 濃
板 閣 梵 殘 僧 入 定 講 堂 齋 罷 鶴 歸 松
蘿 懸 古 壁 啼 山 鬼 霧 鎖 秋 潭 臥 燭 龍
向 夜 香 燈 明 石 榻 東 林 月 黑 有 踈 鐘
又
淨 掃 瑤 壇 禮 上 仙 曉 星 微 隔 絳 河 邊
香 生 岳 女 春 遊 襪 水 落 湘 娥 夜 雨 絃
松 韻 冷 侵 虛 殿 夢 天 花 晴 濕 石 樓 煙
玄 心 己 悟 三 三 境 盡 日 交 床 坐 入 禪
夢 遊 廣 桑 山 詩 序
乙酉春, 余丁憂, 寓居于外舅家. 夜夢登海上山, 山皆瑤琳珉玉, 衆峰俱疊, 白璧靑熒明滅, 眩不可定視, 霱雲籠其上, 五彩姸鮮, 瓊泉數派, 瀉於崖石間, 激激作環玦聲. 有二女, 年俱可二十許, 顔皆絶代, 一披紫霞襦, 一服翠霓衣, 手俱持金色葫蘆, 步屣輕躡, 揖余. 從澗曲而上, 奇卉異花, 羅生不可名, 鸞鶴孔翠, 翶舞 左右, 衆香馩馥於林端, 遂躋絶頂, 東南大海, 接天一碧, 紅日 初昇, 波濤浴暈, 峰頂有大池湛泓, 蓮花色碧, 葉大, 被霜半褪. 二女曰,
"此廣桑山也, 在十洲中第一. 君有仙緣, 故敢到此境. 盍爲詩紀之?"
余辭不獲己, 卽吟一絶, 二女拍掌軒渠曰,
"星星仙語也."
俄有一朶紅雲, 從天中下墜, 罩於峰頂, 擂鼓一響, 醒然而悟. 枕席猶有煙霞氣, 未知太白天姥之遊, 能逮此否. 聊記之云,
詩曰
碧 海 侵 瑤 海
靑 鸞 倚 彩 鸞
芙 蓉 三 九 朶
紅 墮 月 霜 寒
蘭 雪 軒 詩
蘭 雪 軒
Editor's note: The poems were originally written in and have been translated from hansi, the traditional Korean use of Chinese characters in poetry.
Nansŏrhŏn Hŏ (1563-1589) is regarded by Korean scholars as among the greatest female poets Korea has produced, respected for her feminism, sympathy for the lower classes, and a superb poetic craft. A genius and likely child prodigy, Nansŏrhŏn was raised in a liberal family that allowed her a progressive education as well as freedoms other noble children did not normally enjoy.
Despite her intellectual gifts, Nansŏrhŏn was a youth of poor health. A soothsayer predicted she would die unless she married a "simple" man. A family friend had a son who seemed a prospective match, and the two married when Nansŏrhŏn was 14.
The marriage brought difficult changes to Nansŏrhŏn's life. As was the prevailing custom for noblewomen of the time, Nansŏrhŏn assumed a life sequestered from the world. Importantly, there was also the prevailing cultural idea that, with very few exceptions, the only women who should be literate were courtesans, because literacy was helpful to courtesans when they were entertaining noblemen.
Deeper tragedies soon followed. In eight years' time, Nansŏrhŏn suffered the death of her father and father-in-law, exiles and the death of her brother, the deaths of her two children, and a miscarriage. These traumas undoubtedly impacted her poetry's emotional tenor. Nansŏrhŏn died at the age of 27, and there has been speculation she committed suicide. "The Poem" portion of "In a Dream, Strolling Mulberry Mountain" seems to anticipate the death of Nansŏrhŏn.
Nansŏrhŏn wrote poetry utilizing the frankly expressive style of T'ang Dynasty China's poetry, often assuming a persona to explore themes and ideas that would have otherwise been inappropriate for a woman. In what are apparently her later poems, Nansŏrhŏn turns away from the reality she was living and evokes the imagery and tone of a Taoist Immortal's world. Longing for freedom and happiness, Nansŏrhŏn projected her desires for the life she could not have into her privately imagined Taoist writing. The poems in this selection suggest some of the range of issues found in the poetry of Hŏ, Nansŏrhŏn.
—Ian Haight
Despite her intellectual gifts, Nansŏrhŏn was a youth of poor health. A soothsayer predicted she would die unless she married a "simple" man. A family friend had a son who seemed a prospective match, and the two married when Nansŏrhŏn was 14.
The marriage brought difficult changes to Nansŏrhŏn's life. As was the prevailing custom for noblewomen of the time, Nansŏrhŏn assumed a life sequestered from the world. Importantly, there was also the prevailing cultural idea that, with very few exceptions, the only women who should be literate were courtesans, because literacy was helpful to courtesans when they were entertaining noblemen.
Deeper tragedies soon followed. In eight years' time, Nansŏrhŏn suffered the death of her father and father-in-law, exiles and the death of her brother, the deaths of her two children, and a miscarriage. These traumas undoubtedly impacted her poetry's emotional tenor. Nansŏrhŏn died at the age of 27, and there has been speculation she committed suicide. "The Poem" portion of "In a Dream, Strolling Mulberry Mountain" seems to anticipate the death of Nansŏrhŏn.
Nansŏrhŏn wrote poetry utilizing the frankly expressive style of T'ang Dynasty China's poetry, often assuming a persona to explore themes and ideas that would have otherwise been inappropriate for a woman. In what are apparently her later poems, Nansŏrhŏn turns away from the reality she was living and evokes the imagery and tone of a Taoist Immortal's world. Longing for freedom and happiness, Nansŏrhŏn projected her desires for the life she could not have into her privately imagined Taoist writing. The poems in this selection suggest some of the range of issues found in the poetry of Hŏ, Nansŏrhŏn.
—Ian Haight
Nansŏrhŏn Hŏ ("White Orchid") was a sequestered noblewoman who lived during the sixteenth century in Korea. Considered by many Korean scholars to be Korea's greatest female poet, she died at the age of twenty-seven.
Ian Haight has been awarded translation grants from the Daesan Foundation, Korea Literary Translation Institute, and the Baroboin Buddhist Foundation. He is the co-translator of Borderland Roads: Selected Poems of Kyun Hŏ, Magnolia and Lotus: Selected Poems of Hyesim, and editor of Zen Questions and Answers from Korea, all from White Pine Press. Poems, essays, and translations appear in Barrow Street, Writer's Chronicle, and Prairie Schooner. For more information please visit his website.
T'ae-yong Hŏ has been awarded translation grants from the Daesan Foundation and Korea Literature Translation Institute. With Ian Haight, he is the co-translator of Borderland Roads: Selected Poems of Kyun Hŏ and Magnolia and Lotus: Selected Poems of Hyesim. Working from the original classical Chinese, T'ae-yong's translations of Korean poetry have appeared in Runes, New Orleans Review, and Atlanta Review.
