6/12/2023 0 Comments Azaleas by Kim SowolA Flower is On A Mountain (산유화), another famous poem, enscapulates the solitary life and the cyclical nature of existence. The poem is written to a departing lover, and its potent mixture of sorrow, gentle spitefulness, and beauty are key qualities in Kim Sowol’s poetry. Jindallae Flower (진달래꽃) is perhaps the most well-known poem in Korea, and it would not be an exaggeration to claim that almost every Korean knows this poem by heart. The three poems that have been selected and translated here are insightful samples of Sowol’s deep songs. The musicality and deceptive simplicity of Sowol’s lines are astounding in the original text to read them in Korean is to experience deeper awareness of the connection between language and the innate music in one’s body and mind. His lines have been turned into popular songs, and his poems are ubiquitous in Korean literary textbooks and anthologies.īringing together traditional and modern forms in a unique blend of Korean lyricism, longing and lamentation harmonize with imagination and soul in Sowol’s poetry. Though he was mostly unknown by his contemporaries and died in extreme poverty, appreciation and love for his work grew after his untimely death. Kim Sowol (1902-1934) is often regarded as the Poet of Korean people.
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