Korea鈥檚 history is divided into four periods: the Three Kingdoms of Koguryo (37 BC鈥揂D 668), Shilla (57 BC鈥揂D 668), and Paekche (18 BC鈥揂D 660); Unified Shilla (668鈥935); Koryo (935鈥1392); and Choson (1392鈥1910). Kevin O鈥橰ourke鈥檚 The Book of Korean Poetry traces Korean poetry from the pre-Shilla era to the end of Korea鈥檚 golden poetry period in the Koryo dynasty.
There are two poetry traditions in Korea: 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鈥橰ourke divides one hundred fifty poems into five sections: Early Songs, Shilla hanshi, Shilla hyangga, Koryo kayo, and Koryo hanshi and shijo. Only a few pre-Shilla poems are extant; O鈥橰ourke 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鈥橰ourke 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鈥橰ourke interleaves his graceful translations with commentary on the historical backgrounds, poetic forms, and biographical notes on the poets鈥 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鈥橰ourke鈥檚 annotations of the poems make this volume a particularly interesting and important introduction to the scholarship of East Asian literature.
鈥淗ere at last in one English-language volume is the heart and soul of the Korean lyric tradition, brought to sensuous life by a poet who is our finest all-around translator of Korean literature.鈥濃擝ruce Fulton, Young-Bin Min Chair in Korean Literature and Literary Translation, University of British Columbia
