Yun Seondo (尹善道, 1587-1671)

1. Introduction

Yun Seon-do was a mid-Joseon period bureaucrat and literary man. He was a sijo (Korean traditional three-lined fixed poem) writer who wrote works such as Eobusasisa (漁父四時詞 Fisherman’s Calendar) and Ouga (五友歌 Song of the Five Friends). His career as an official was not easy, but he is said to have achieved the pinnacle of sijo aesthetics with a natural and sophisticated use of the Korean language.

2. Life

Yun Sun-do was born on June 22, 1587, in Yeonhwabang (蓮花坊), now referred to as Yeonji-dong (蓮池洞) Jongno-gu (鍾路區), Seoul. His pen name was Gosan (孤山). At the age of 8 (1594), he was adopted by his uncle’s family who lived in Myeongnyebang (明禮坊), referred to as Myeong-dong (明洞) today, and became the family’s eldest male descendant, inheriting its immense wealth. The family’s wealth was such that it was called the “gukbu” (國富 national wealth); but they were a family of Namin (南人 the Southerners; a political faction of the followers of Yi Hwang’s teachings) who were disconnected from the political mainstream. Due to his uncompromising personality, he regularly confronted his political rivals and was repeatedly frustrated by the opposing ruling faction of his time. However, he was praised as the most skilled poet, who conveyed natural beauty with unmatched literary prowess during times of political upheaval. When he first participated in politics at the age of 30 (1616), he was exiled to Hamgyong Province after incurring a political loss reproaching statesmen behaviors with a written appeal to the throne in opposition to Bugin (北人 the Northerners political factions) who were leading the political situation at that time. He wrote Gyeonhoeyo (遣懷謠 Song of Dispelling Gloom) during his harsh life in exile. Gyeonhoeyo is a yeonsijo (聯詩調 long narrative sijo made up of a series of pyeongsijo), which is composed of five stanzas, and it shows his longing for the king.

At the age of 42 (1628), Yun passed the civil service examination with top marks and gained the trust of the king by serving as royal teacher to Prince Bongnim (鳳林大君, 1619-1659) and Prince Inpyeong (麟坪大君, 1622-1658). However, due to criminal accusations, he was demoted at the age of 48 (1634), and his family moved to Haenam (海南) County, Jeolla Province. During his retirement in Haenam, the Second Manchu Invasion occurred in 1636. Yun gathered his servants and children and took a boat to the king. However, when he arrived at Ganghwa Island, he heard that it had already been taken by the enemy. In despair, he turned the direction of his boat to Jeju Island without getting off. On the way to Jeju Island, he anchored the boat at Bogil Island close to his home in Haenam County to take a break and decided to stay on the island after seeing its beautiful scenery. He named that place on the island Buyong-dong (芙蓉洞) because it had the shape of a flower bud about to bloom. In Buyong-dong, he created artificial ponds, built a pavilion, named various places on the island, and ultimately decided to settle in Bogil Island. However, he was again exiled because he had not paid proper respect to the king during the Second Manchu Invasion. After the exile, he returned to Haenam County and stayed in Geumswae-dong (金鎖洞), where he wrote Sanjungsingok (山中新曲 New Songs from My Mountain Fastness) at 56 years of age (1642) and Song Sanjungsingok (續山中新曲 Sequel to New Songs from My Mountain Fastness) at 59 (1645). Eighteen sijo works, including Manheung and Ouga, are contained in the Sanjungsingok.

While Yun Seondo was in Geumswae-dong at Haenam County in 1649, his former royal student, Prince Bongnim ascended to the throne (King Hyojong, r.1649-1659). Then Yun again made an appeal to the King reproaching statesmen to be exiled to Buyong-dong again. There, he created Eobusasisa at the age of 65 (1651). In the following year, he returned to politics at King Hyojong’s request. However, due to the opposing faction’s persisting petitions, he resigned and moved to Yangju (楊州), Gyeonggi Province. In Yangju, he wrote the three-stanza poem, Mongcheonyo (夢天謠 Song of the Dream Visit to Heaven). From there, he moved back to Bogil Island from Yangju County from yet another lost political conflict. After King Hyojong's death, he debated other bureaucrats over the so-called mourning rite controversy (禮訟論爭 yesong nonjaeng) and was exiled again. After this exile, he went back to Bogil Island and died in 1671 at the age of 85 years old.

3. Works

Yun Seondo left 17 poems (75 stanzas) of sijo, which are 8 yeonsijo (聯詩調 long narrative sijo made up of multiple sijo put together) and 9 dansijo (短時調 three-line sijo; pyeongsijo). [1] All of his works depict nature where the speaker aims to either become one with nature or achieve harmony with society. Some of his sijo also express those two characteristics in combination.

3.1. Manheung (漫興 A Rush of Excitement)

Manheung is a yeonsijo, which is composed of six sijo, presented in the front part of Sanjungsingok. In Sanjungsingok, he conveys his impressions of living in the mountains. In Manheung, he eloquently reveals the satisfaction of living a simple life. In particular, the excerpt below shows that the sentiments one feels while holding a drink and looking at a distant mountain are more joyful than meeting a loved one. Using purely the Korean alphabet, it is a work that begins to describe the profound joy of being one with nature, which cannot be fully expressed in language or laughter.

(Translation into Contemporary Korean)

잔 들고 혼자 앉아 먼 산을 바라보니

그리던 님이 온다고 한들 반가움이 이러할까

말씀도 없고 웃지 않아도 못내 좋아하노라

(Original Text)

잔 들고 혼자 안자 먼 뫼흘 ᄇᆞ라보니

그리던 님이 오다 반가옴이 이리ᄒᆞ랴

말ᄉᆞ도 우움도 아녀도 몯내 됴하 ᄒᆞ노라.         

Manheung stanza 3 in Samjungsingok, of Gosanyugo

(孤山遺稿 Literary Remains of Gosan, Yun Seondo)

3.2. Ouga (五友歌 Song of the Five Friends)

Ouga is also a yeonsijo of six sijo in Sanjungsingok. In it, Yun Seondo conveys the five natural elements - water, rock, pine tree, bamboo tree, and moon - as his true friends. The work emphasizes the attributes of each natural element, that is, as things that do not stop, change, surrender, be greedy, or speak. These attributes are all normative virtues enshrined by members of the Confucian society. Thus, although Yun conveys nature in Ouga, he does not view nature as simply nature but rather as making up a society. [2] The excerpt below, which depicts a bamboo tree, emphasizes those virtues by praising the righteous and selfless character of hollowed bamboo in full use of the beauty of the Korean language.

(Translation into English)

Neither wood, Nor grass;

Who made it straight, why is it hollow?

So green, all the year around; that’s why I like it.

Translated by Kevin O’Rourke (2014)

(Translation into Contemporary Korean)

나무도 아닌 것이 풀도 아닌 것이

곧은 것은 누가 시켰으며, 속은 어찌 비어 있는가?

저렇게 사계절 내내 푸르니 그를 좋아하노라.

(Original Text)

나모도 아닌 거시 플도 아닌 거시

곳기ᄂᆞᆫ 뉘 시기며 속은 어이 뷔연ᄂᆞ다

뎌러코 ᄉᆞ시예 프르니 그ᄅᆞᆯ 됴하 ᄒᆞ노라.

Ouga stanza 5 in Samjungsingok, of Gosanyugo

(孤山遺稿 Literary Remains of Gosan, Yun Seondo)

3.3. Eobusasisa (漁父四時詞 Fisherman’s Calendar)

Eobusasisa is a yeonsijo of forty sijo. There are ten sijo for each season - spring, summer, autumn, and winter. It is the longest among existing yeonsijo and interpretations vary due to its multi-layered expressions of the narrator’s perception of the world and his corresponding sentiments. The following is the first of the forty sijo. The poem depicts a lively nature in the spring as the speaker’s focus moves from the sky to the sea to the ground. Furthermore, the poem illustrates the harmonized cosmic order of the night and the morning, the rising and ebbing tide, extinction and creation, and retreat and advancement.

(Translation into English)

Mist lifts on the stream in front,

Sunlight illumines the mountain behind.

Push away, push away!

The night tide is almost out; soon the morning tide will be coming in.

Chigukch’ong, chigukch’ong, osawa!

Flowers

In profusion adorn the river village; distant hues are best.

Translated by Kevin O’Rourke (2014)

(Translation into Contemporary Korean)

앞 갯벌에 안개 걷히고, 뒷산에 해 비친다.

배떠라 배떠라

밤물은 거의 지고, 낮물이 밀려 온다.

찌그덕 찌그덕 어여차

강촌의 온갖 꽃이 먼 빛이 더욱 좋다.

(Original Text)

압개예 안개 것고 뒫뫼희 ᄒᆡ 비췬다

ᄇᆡ 떠라 ᄇᆡ 떠라

밤믈은 거의 디고 낟믈이 미러 온다

至匊悤 至匊悤 於思臥

江村 온갓 고지 먼 빗치 더옥 됴타.

Eobusasisa Chunsa stanza 1 in Gosanyugo

(孤山遺稿 Literary Remains of Gosan, Yun Seondo)

4. Style and Legacy

Yun Seondo is praised as the poet who conveyed the beauty of nature best. In particular, Eobusasisa is considered to be the representative work that fully captured sijo aesthetics. [3] Yun’s sijo demonstrate his literary skills developed on the literary traditions accumulated from the previous era. Moreover, his works were created from his 30s to 60s, when he served as a politician and was defeated over and over again by the ruling power at that time. Yun Seondo was born from a family of Namin that was politically weak but uncompromisingly opposed against the corrupted powers. Although he had to spend much of his life in exile, he created  masterful Korean poems during those periods of banishment.

5. Others

5.1 Works in Translation

Pai, Inez Kong, The Ever White Mountain, Tokyo: John Weatherhill: 1965.

O’Rourke, Kevin, The Sijo Tradition, Jung Eum Sa, 1987.

O’Rourke, Kevin, The Fisherman's Calendar, Eastward, 2001.

Lee, Peter, H., The Columbia Anthology of Traditional Korean Poetry, New York: Columbia University Press, 2002.

Lee, Sung-il, The Crane in the Clouds, Paramus, NJ: Homa & Sekey Books, 2013.

6. Resources

6.1 Source of Original Text

Image 1 Samjungsingok, of Gosanyugo

7. References and External Links

7.1 References

Go, Misuk, Yun Seondo Pyeongjeon (Critical Biography of Yun Seondo), Hanibook, 2013.

Seong, Giok, Gosansiga e Natanan Jayeoninsik ui Gibon Teul (Basic Frame of Natural Recognition in Classical Siga), Gosan Yeongu (A Study of Gosan) 1, Gosan Yeonguhoe, 1987.

Lee, Hyeongdae, Hanguk Gojeonsiga wa Inmulhyeongsang ui Dongasiajeok Byeonjeon (East Asian Transformation of Korean Classical Siga and Characters), Somyung, 2002.

Jo, Yunje, Joseon Siga Sagang (History of Joseon Siga), Donggwangdang Library, 1937.

7.2 External Links

The Academy of Korean Studies, [Encyclopedia of Korean Culture]

http://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Contents/SearchNavi?keyword=하여가&ridx=0&tot=20432

Bogildo: Yun Seondo Wollim

http://www.k-heritage.tv/brd/board/275/L/CATEGORY/2478/menu/253?brdCodeField=CATEGORY&brdCodeValue=2478&bbIdx=17341&brdType=R

8. Notes

[1] The following is his yeonsijo; Gyeonhoeyo (遣懷謠 Song of Dispelling Gloom) 5 stanzas; Choyeongok (初筵曲 Song At the Beginning of the Feast) 2 stanzas; Payeongok (罷宴曲 Song at the End of the Feast) 2 stanzas; Hauyo (夏雨謠 Song in Summer Rain) 2 stanzas; Manheung (漫興 A Rush of Excitement) 6 stanzas; Eobusasisa (漁父四時詞 Fisherman’s Calendar) 40 stanzas; Mongcheonyo (夢天謠 Song of the Dream Visit to Heaven) 3 stanzas. As his dansijo (短時調), Yasimyo (夜深謠 Song in Late at Night), Ilmoyo (日暮謠 Song at Sunset), Jomuyo (朝霧謠 Song in the Morning Mist), Chuyajo (秋夜操Song at Autumn Night), Uhuyo (雨後謠 Song after Rain), Gisetan (饑歲歎), Chunhyoeum (春曉吟), Gogeum (古琴詠), Jeungbangeum (贈伴琴).

[2] Seong, Giok, Gosansiga e Natanan Jayeoninsik ui Gibon Teul (Basic Frame of Natural Recognition in Classical Siga), Gosan Yeongu 1 (A Study of Gosan), Gosan Yeonguhoe, 1987, 16.

[3] Lee, Hyeongdae, Hanguk Gojeonsiga wa Inmulhyeongsang ui Dongasiajeok Byeonjeon (East Asian Transformation of Korean Classical Siga and Characters), Somyung, 2002, 153-154.