My body, in its withering, may become a lovely swallow.
Under the eaves of my loved one's home I'll build my nest of twigs.
After dusk I'll fly aloft and glide gently to his side.
Notes
Poem origin: Korea, about the 16th century; author unknown
Poem form: Sijo
Translation by Dr. Larry C. Gross, PhD
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Comments
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Hi Luke,
A sijo (see-szo ) is a very old, yet still most common poetry in Korea. It is a very distant cousin of the common haiku, but with each line/stich usually being between 14-16 syllables with a slight pause usually about halfway through each line. This should create a song-like quality to it to make a short lyrical piece. The whole poem should consist of 44-46 syllables in total.
The most common format of the sijo is for the first stich to create a situation or problem, the second turns the idea in a new direction with the third bringing it to a climax or resolve. (All done very subtly of course.
Sometime after Christmas the allpoetry school will be introducing a sijo class.
Hope this helps.
Andrew
OldPoetryTeam. -
This is a very beautiful and enlightening poem. I haven't read a great deal of Asian poetry either, but I do remember studying a small amount in school. Thank you for sharing.
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This is my first sijo also...The thoughts are beautiful...Such a wonderful thought that a withering body could be transformed so...Beautiful.
Victoria Lin -
never come across a sijo before, but I like it, for all it's simplicity, it;s a fantastic piece. How do you construct a sijo?
Luke
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This is a wonderful sijo, the tale it tells reminds me of the tale of the willow pattern. The second stich really draws the form together nicely.
Andrew -
Wonderful
Wow. I haven't read alot of Asian poetry (besides Americanized haiku) but this is spectacular. Great wording. Old, artful, mystic, embodying human nature and the past. It rings of so many things.
I wish that more poems could say so much with words so simple.
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