18 Yi was a genius: he never read much but his verses were wonderful. One day when Ch’ong1 there was a leave-taking at the Poje-won and the guests were all singing and dancing, he wrote a verse on my fan: [page 123] In the eight years I have known you, We were rarely together and often apart. Now again a thousand li will part us: I stifle my tears to the sound of bright songs. The others sitting with us gaped and threw down their writing- brushes. When Yi Chongjun3 saw this verse he was amazed and said: ‘It beggars praise.’ Nam Hyo’on 1454-1492 SHML 40 Ch’ugang naenghwa 1 d. 1504. 2 The government hospice outside the East Gate of Seoul. 3 d. 1499 19 The under-secretary Yi Hubaek1 and the supreme Court Justice Pak Sun2 were renowned for poetic skill from their student days. Pak wrote On spending the night in a monk’s quarters: I got drunk in the house, but now my mind clears ; monk’s Is this not a valley of white mists deep in a moonlit night? Alone I walk out beyond the sparse trees And the sound of my stick on the stone path wakes the sleeping birds. poem on the same occasion was: Yi’s The little cell clings high up, close to the sky itself, The shadow in the moonlight flies away over the riven monk’s My friend from spends the night here with me, Ch’ungch’ong And white mists from the eastern mountains soak our ramie clothes. Both compositions have been highly praised. Yi Chesin 1536-1583 sihwa SHML 175 Ch’dnggang 1 1520-1578. 2 1523-1589 20 Here is a quatrain by Yu Ungbu:1 [page 124] The goodness subdues the barbarians, general’s The dust settles beyond the pale, the soldiers sleep ; Five thousand fine chargers whinny under the willows, Three hundred autumn falcons perch before the pavilion. Nam said that the last two verses show the spirit of the poet, but because the whole Hyo’on2 quatrain is rarely seen, I have recorded it entire. Yi Chesin 1536-1583 sihwa SHML 155 Ch’onggang
18 Yi Ch’ong1 was a genius: he never read much but his verses were wonderful. One day when there was a leave-taking at the Poje-won and the guests were all singing and dancing, he wrote a verse on my fan: [page 123] In the eight years I have known you, We were rarely together and often apart. Now again a thousand li will part us: I stifle my tears to the sound of bright songs. The others sitting with us gaped and threw down their writing- brushes. When Yi Chongjun3 saw this verse he was amazed and said: ‘It beggars praise.’ Nam Hyo’on 1454-1492 Ch’ugang naenghwa SHML 40 1 d. 1504. 2 The government hospice outside the East Gate of Seoul. 3 d. 1499 19 The under-secretary Yi Hubaek1 and the supreme Court Justice Pak Sun2 were renowned for poetic skill from their student days. Pak wrote On spending the night in a monk’s quarters: I got drunk in the monk’s house, but now my mind clears ; Is this not a valley of white mists deep in a moonlit night? Alone I walk out beyond the sparse trees And the sound of my stick on the stone path wakes the sleeping birds. Yi’s poem on the same occasion was: The little cell clings high up, close to the sky itself, The monk’s shadow in the moonlight flies away over the riven My friend from Ch’ungch’ong spends the night here with me, And white mists from the eastern mountains soak our ramie clothes. Both compositions have been highly praised. Yi Chesin 1536-1583 Ch’dnggang sihwa SHML 175 1 1520-1578. 2 1523-1589 20 Here is a quatrain by Yu Ungbu:1 [page 124] The general’s goodness subdues the barbarians, The dust settles beyond the pale, the soldiers sleep ; Five thousand fine chargers whinny under the willows, Three hundred autumn falcons perch before the pavilion. Nam Hyo’on2 said that the last two verses show the spirit of the poet, but because the whole quatrain is rarely seen, I have recorded it entire. Yi Chesin 1536-1583 Ch’onggang sihwa SHML 155