Pak Inro (朴仁老, 1561-1642)

1. Introduction

Pak Inro was a military official of mid-Joseon dynasty and a representative gasa (歌辭 literally “music words” to describe all vernacular songs) writer who created the Nuhangsa (陋巷詞 Song of a Humble Life) and Seonsangtan (船上嘆 Lament on the Waters) through the reign of Joseon dynasty. In particular, his gasa Nuhangsa is noted for its realism by describing specific experiences through the use of vernacular. His gasa are considered important works of poetry in the mid-Joseon period because they serve as a bridge between the early Joseon period which enshrined Confucian literary values of high officials and the late Joseon period which dominated by the realistic sentiments of common people.

2. Life

Pak Inro was born in Yeongcheon (永川), Gyeongsang province in 1561. His pen name is widely known as Nogye (盧溪). He was born as a son of a destitute hereditary elite (兩班 yangban) family. However, considering that his anthology includes the traditional Chinese poem (漢詩 Hansi) Daeseungeum (戴勝吟 Song of the Hoopoe) which he created at the age of 13, one can presume that Pak Inro received a minimum education as yangban. At 32 years old (1592) when his hometown was invaded during the Japanese Invasion of Korea, he served as a minor official under the Commander-in-Chief (節度使 Jeoldosa) Seong Yunmun (成允文, unknown birth and death date). During the period, he wrote the gasa Taepyeongsa (太平詞 Song of Peace) by the order of Seong and it was considered as his first formal creative work. Pak passed the military service examination and started his service at the age of 39 (1599) and later served as a Gatekeeper (守門將 sumunjang) and a royal messenger (宣傳官 seonjeongwan). In 1605, he served as the captain of warship (統舟師 tongjusa) in Tongnae (東萊), Gyeongsang province. At that time, he wrote the gasa Seonsangtan on the boat to Tongnae. At the end of his position as the captain of warship, his career as an official ended. Later, he abandoned his life as a military official and follows the traces of Confucian scholars, spending the rest of his life as a scholar. He died in 1642 at the age of 82. His posthumous anthology Nogyejip (蘆溪集 Collection of Nogye Works) includes 109 Hansi, 67 sijo, and 9 gasa. [1]

Pak’s social relationship is closely related to his literary activities. At the age of 51 (1611), he visited the mid-Joseon distinguished retainer, Yi Deokhyeong (李德馨, 1561-1613) and created the gasa such as Nuhangsa and Sajegok (莎堤曲 Song of Sedge Bank) and sijo Johongsiga (早紅詩歌 Song of Early Ripe Red Persimmons). Later, Yi Deokhyeong became a strong supporter of Pak, sometimes making a recommendation to the royal court. Moreover, studying the Confucian classics, he created his works while seeking the homes of renowned Confucian scholars such as Yi Hwang (李滉, 1501-1570), Jeong Gu (鄭逑, 1543-1620), Yi Eonjeok (李彦迪, 1491-1553), Jang Hyeongwang (張顯光, 1554-1637). Most of these figures were scholarly and politically renowned Confucian scholars at that time. The social interaction between the renowned scholars and Pak was formed by spending time together with them because he was relatively below in terms of career and scholarship. Pak was praised as a good singer (善歌者 seongaja) by them. Through the social interaction, he could create many masterpieces in Korean by the order of the distinguished scholars. [2]

3. Works

Pak Inro contributed greatly to the poetry literature in Korea by leaving a total of 109 Hansi, 67 sijo, and 9 gasa. As mentioned above, he created many sijo and gasa in Korean, while interacting with highly reputed Confucian scholars. And most of them were strongly reflect the narrator’s determination to adamantly follow the Confucian ideology. Some of his works convey the will to follow the Confucian principles as a Confucian scholar and to practice anbinnakdo (安貧樂島 finding contentment and pleasure from living honestly in poverty).

3.1 Gasa

Pak Inro left a total of nine pieces of gasa. Among them, seven works were created in the course of social interaction with the highly reputed Confucian scholars. Nuhangsa and Sajegok were written during his interaction with Yi Deokhyeong; Ipam byeolgok (立巖別曲 Song of Ipam) with Jang Hyeongwang; Soyujeongga (小有亭歌 Song of Soyu Pavilion) with Jeong Gu; Taepyeongsa written by order of Seong Yunmun; Yeongnamga (嶺南歌 Song of Yeongnam County) created in honor of Yi Geunwon who ruled Yeongnam region based on Confucian ethics; Dongnakdang (獨樂堂 Hall of Solitary Bliss) created to admire the thoughts of Yi Eonjeok. Moreover, there are Nogyega to convey the beauty of the haven and his life and Seonsangtan to reflect the patriotism as a military official.

Nuhangsa was created as Pak’s answer in response to Yi Deokhyeong’s question on Pak’s impoverished life in a mountain village after participating in the Japanese Invasion of Korea in 1592 and returning to his hometown. The poem conveys the joy of anbinnakdo: to not resent the poverty but enjoy the life of being friends with nature. Seonsangtan is a song to express his sorrowful indignation towards the enemies [Japanese] and the desire for peace after coming to Tongnae county, where the threat of war hung over after the end of the Japanese war in 1592. The work shows the combination of hostility towards the enemy, concern over the king, and longing for peace and prosperity. This work, along with his other gasa Taepyeongsa, is considered to be a representative literary work of war experience.

3.2 Sijo

Among his 67 sijo (poems), the gyohun sijo (敎訓時調 Sijo of Lesson) emphasize the practice of Confucius ethics such as loyalty and filial piety account for the largest part of his works. [3] The most widely known works of his sijo include 25 verses of Oryunga (五倫歌 Song of the Five Relationships) and 4 verses of Johongsiga. The Johongsiga is a yeonsijo (聯詩調 long narrative sijo which are made up of multiple pyeongsijo) created by Pak Inro in 1601. When Yi Deokhyeong arrived in Yeongcheon County, Gyeongsang Province as a supreme commander (都體察使 Dochechalsa), he sent red persimmon to Pak as a gift. In response, Pak created the poem on the spot. The poem has a theme of filial piety and reminds a Chinese Idiom of Lu Ji (陸績, 188-219)’s huai ju (懷橘) [4] during the Three Kingdoms of China. [5] This work is published in the third chapter of Nogyejip and is also published in anthologies such as Cheongguyeongeon (靑丘永言 Songs of Green Hills) and Haedonggayo (海東歌謠 Songs of Ancient Korea).

(Translation into Contemporary Korean)

쟁반에 놓인 조홍감이 곱게도 보이는구나

유자가 아니라도 품음직도 하다마는

품어가도 반길 사람이 없어 그것을 서러워하노라

(Original Text)

盤中(반중) 早紅(조홍)감이 고아도 보이ᄂᆞ다

柚子(유자) 안이라도 품엄 즉도 ᄒᆞ다마ᄂᆞᆫ

품어 가 반기리 업슬ᄉᆡ 글노 설워 ᄒᆞᄂᆞ이다

4. Style and Legacy

Pak Inro was a pioneering figure as a local scholar and literati (在地士族 Jaejisajok) writer who emerged as a new class in the mid-Joseon poetry literature after the Japanese Invasion of Korea in 1592. He is noted for being distinguished from the contemporary writers such as Songgang (松江) Jeong Cheol (鄭澈, 1536-1593) and Gosan (孤山) Yun Seondo (尹善道, 1587-1671) who were traditional high officials. The traces of anbinnakdo, which appears frequently in Pak Inro’s works, has been understood as the only choice of Confucian life as a local scholar and literati that could not participate in central service. [6] This is a different point compared to the high officials of early Joseon dynasty who chose nature as a place of permanent harmony amid the conflicts with political reality. On the other hand, Pak Inro’s representative work Nuhangsa is a highly regarded because it presented a new direction of gasa in the late Joseon dynasty through a realistic narration of impoverished reality.

5. Others

5.1 Works in Translation

Lee, Peter, H., A History of Korean Literature, New York: Cambridge University Press, 2003. 

O’Rourke, Kevin, The Book of Korean Poetry: Songs of Shilla and Koryo, Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 2006

Lee, Sung-Il, The Brush and The Sword: Kasa, Merrick, N.Y.: Cross-Cultural Communication Press, 2009.

6. Resources

6.1. Source of Original Text

His works are carried with a title, Nogyejip (蘆溪集 Collection of Nogye Works). It was published by Yi Deokhyeong’s great-grandson Yi Yunmun (李允文, 1646-1717) using woodblock printing method in 1690. After the publication, his collection was printed three times more. Pak Inro’s descendants - Pak Cheonju (朴天柱) and Pak Huiju (朴希柱) published it as a woodblock print in 1831. It was reprinted in 1904 and 1959 again with supplements of damaged or missing parts.

7. References and External Links

7.1 References

Kim, Mungi, Gugyeok Nogyejip (Korean Translation of Nogyejip), Youngnak, 1999.

Woo, Eungsun, “Pak Inro ui Anbinnakdo Uisik gwa Jayeon (Consciousness of Pak Inro’s Anbinnakdo and Nature),” Joseon Junggi Siga wa Jayeon (Siga and Nature during mid-Joseon Period), Taehaksa, 2002.

Jeong, Soyeong, “Pak Inro ui Sijo wa Hansi Bigyo Yeongu (A Comparative Study between Pak Inro’s Sijo and Hansi),” Uri Eomun Yeongu 50 (A Study of Korean Language), The Society of Korean Language and Literature, 2014.

Choe, Hyeonjae, Pak Inro Siga ui Hyeonsiljeok Giban gwa Munhakjeok Jihyang Yeongu (A Study on the Realistic Foundation and Literary Direction of Pak Inro’s Siga), Ph. D Thesis of Seoul National University, 2004

Choe, Hyeonjae, Joseon Jeongi Sadaebu Gasa (The literati’s Gasa during Early Joseon Period), Munhak Dongne, 2012.

7.2 External Links

[Hanguk Gasa Munhak gwan]

http://www.gasa.go.kr/

[Encyclopedia of Korean Culture] Seonsangtan

https://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=575043&cid=46642&categoryId=46642

Lee, Eungbaek and 2 others, Gugeo Gukmunhak Jaryo Sajeon (A Dictionary of Korean Literature), Joheung Siga

https://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=693774&cid=60533&categoryId=60533

[National Museum of Korea E-Museum] Nogye Seongsaeng Munjip

http://emuseum.go.kr/detail?relicId=PS0100100101600413000000

8. Notes

[1] Regarding the number of extant works, refer Kim Mungi (1999).

[2] For more information regarding this issue, refer Choe Hyeonjae (2004), 24-39.

[3] Jeong, Soyeon, (A Comparative Study between Pak Inro’s Sijo and Hansi), (A Study of Korean Language) 50, The Society of Korean Language and Literature, 2014.

[4] “Lu Ji (陸績, Kor. Yukjeok, 188-219) conceals the mandarin oranges in his chest” alludes to profound filial piety. Lu Ji was the staff of Emperor of Eastern Wu, Sun Quan (孫權, r.229-252). When he was six years old, Lu Ji met Yuan Shu (袁述) in Pearl River. Yuan Shu gave Lu Ji the mandarin oranges to eat. Lu barely ate them, and while Yuan Shu was away for a while, he quickly picked up mandarin oranges and hid them in his arms. When it was time for his return, Lu Ji made farewell to Yuan Shu; however, in doing so, he dropped the mandarin oranges which he hid. Yuan Shu asked Lu Ji, “you came as a guest and why did you hide them in your arms?” Lu Ji replied, “I want to bring them home for my mother.” It is said that Yuan Shu was very impressed with the filial piety of young Lu Ji. This ancient story is one of the twenty four of filial piety in Er shi si xiao (二十四孝 the Twenty-four Filial Exemplars) that Guo Jujing (郭居敬) wrote about 24 filial sons of China. Derived from this story, “Lu Ji’s mandarin orange” is used as a metaphor for the profound filial piety towards the parents.

[Doosan Encyclopedia] Yukjeokhoegyul (陸績懷橘)

https://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=1236122&cid=40942&categoryId=32972

[5] Lee, Eungbaek and 2 others, Gugeo Gukmunhak Jaryo Sajeon (A Dictionary of Korean Literature), Joheungsiga

https://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=693774&cid=60533&categoryId=60533

[6] Woo, Eungsun, (Consciousness of Pak Inro’s Anbinnakdo and Nature), (Siga and Nature during mid-Joseon Period), Taehaksa, 2002.

[7] Sin, Gyeongsuk and others, Gosijo Munheon Haeje (Bibliographical Annotation on Old sijo), Institute of Korean Studies, Korean University Research, 2012, 486-489.