Cho Chi-hun
Cho Chi-hun | |
|---|---|
| Born | Cho Dong-tak December 3, 1920 Yeongyang |
| Died | May 17, 1968 (aged 47) |
| Language | Korean |
| Nationality | South Korean |
| Citizenship | South Korean |
| Cho Chi-hun | |
| Hangul | 조지훈 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 趙芝薰 |
| Revised Romanization | Jo Jihun |
| McCune–Reischauer | Cho Chihun |
Template:Korean name Template:Contains Korean text
Cho Chi-hun (December 3, 1920 – May 17, 1968) was a Korean poet, critic, and activist.[1]
Life
Cho was born on December 3, 1920 in Yeongyang, Gyeongsangbuk-do, during the period of Japanese rule.[2] His birthname was Cho Dong-tak. He graduated from Hyehwa College in 1941 with a degree in Liberal Arts. He taught at Odaesan Buddhist College and in 1946, after Korean Liberation, founded the Association of Young Writers (Cheongnyeon munhakga hyeophoe). Cho also served as president of the Korean Poets Association(Hanguk Siin hyeophoe) and from 1947 served as a professor at Korea University. Cho was also the first head of the Korea University National Culture Research Institute. He died on May 17, 1968.[1]
Cho's birthplace is preserved in Irwol-myeon in Yeongyang. A memorial to him stands on Namsan in Seoul.
Work
The Korea Literature Translation Institute sums up Cho's work in the following way:
- Fine classical beauty of Korea expressed in this work evokes within the reader a feeling of peace and tranquility. "The Grief of Phoenix" (Bonghwangsu), while keenly describing several secrets of the architectural beauty of the palace, contrasts those who held sovereign power in the Joseon era with the intellectuals of the colonial period, exposing the pain and tragic feelings of governed classes. These first poems of Cho Jihun, capturing the lyrical expression of Korea's traditional and national consciousness, are contained in 'The Blue Deer' (Cheongnokjip), written by the poet along with two others, Park Dujin and Park Mokwol.[1]
- Directly after Liberation, contemporary Cho Jihun emphasized that only those who guarded a purely poetic aesthetic could be considered poets, and asserted that the protection of individual freedom and the quest for the liberation of human nature was the essence of poetry. This literary purity and nationalistic fervor are proclaimed in the poet’s patriotic voice in his anthology, 'Standing Before History' (Yeoksa apeseo). The work criticizes, with a lucid historical consciousness, the political corruption and social irrationality engendered by the national division and internal strife of the day. In particular, "Dabuwoneseo" is one of the finest examples of war poetry that keenly depicts the tragic state of internal strife based on a personal experience.[1]
The following is a Korean-English presentation of one of his most famous poems:
The Dance of Buddhist Nun. 승무(僧舞)
얇은 사(紗) 하이얀 고깔은 고이 접어서 나빌레라.
A sheer white silk'n hood folded fairly,
I wonder if it were a flying butterfly.
파르라니 깎은 머리 박사(薄紗) 고깔에 감추오고,
With pale blue color of head shaven
Beneath that sheer silk'n hood hidden,
두 볼에 흐르는 빛이 정작으로 고와서 서러워라.
Streaming down from her cheeks, the rosy glows
Reveal her pure beauty, yet airing rather sorrows.
빈 대(臺)에 황촉(黃燭)불이 말없이 녹는 밤에 오동(梧桐)잎 잎새마다 달이 지는데,
A night of sallow wax candle melting on an empty stage in silence,
From each paulownia leaves the moon wanes.
소매는 길어서 하늘은 넓고,
돌아설 듯 날아가며 사뿐히 접어 올린 외씨보선이여.
Her long sleeves 'gainst heaven spread with no bound,
And tiny garment-socks, tenderly folded, fly as if to turn around.
까만 눈동자 살포시 들어 먼 하늘 한 개 별빛에 모두오고,
With her dark pupils gracefully lifted high,
Focusing on light from one star afar in the sky,
복사꽃 고운 뺨에 아롱질 듯 두 방울이야 세사(世事)에 시달려도 번뇌(煩惱)는 별빛이라.
On her cheeks of peach flowers those two drops which seem to blur in gleam,
Though strick'n by mundane life, reflect the tormenting agony as star beam!
휘어져 감기우고 다시 접어 뻗는 손이 깊은 마음 속 거룩한 합장(合掌)인 양하고,
Her hands, wrapping around flexed then extending up-folded 'gain,
Appear as if posing sacred bows with palms together from deep in.
이 밤사 귀또리도 지새우는 삼경(三更)인데, 얇은 사(紗) 하이얀 고깔은 고이 접어서 나빌레라.
On this midnight, as crickets all awake cry,
A sheer white silk'n hood folded fairly, I wonder if it were a flying butterfly.
(English Translation by MHLEE)
— Cho Chi-hun, The Dance of Buddhist Nun
Works in Translation
- Brother Enemy (한국전쟁 시선집)
Works in Korean (partial)
Criticism
- A Theory on History of Korean Culture
Anthologies
- The Blue Deer
- Short Lines over Grasses:풀잎 단장(斷章)
- Selected Poems of Cho jihun
- Stand Before History
- Lingering Resonance
- Stylish Antique Costumes:고풍의상(古風依裳)
Essays
- Leaning against the Window
- Poetry and Life
- Theory of Integrity
- Aesthetics of Rocks.
Awards
- Literature Prize of the Free Writers' Association, 1956
See also
References
- ^ a b c d ”Cho Jihun" LTI Korea Datasheet available at LTI Korea Library or online at: http://klti.or.kr/ke_04_03_011.do#
- ^ "Naver Search". naver.com. Naver. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
- Beongcheon Yu (1992), Han Yong-un & Yi Kwang-su : two pioneers of modern Korean literature, p. 164.
- https://www.facebook.com/pages/English-Translation-of-Cho-JiHoon/998269350186860?ref=hl