Hwang Jin-i
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Hwang Jin-i | |
|---|---|
 Hwang Jin-i |
|
| Hangul: | 황진이 |
| Hanja: | 黃眞伊 |
| Revised Romanization: | Hwang Jini |
| McCune-Reischauer: | Hwang Chini |
Hwang Jin-i (황진이, 黃眞伊) (1520c.-1560c.), also known by her kisaeng name Myeongwol (명월, 明月), is the most legendary kisaeng of the Joseon Dynasty who lived during the reign of King Jungjong. She was noted for her exceptional beauty, charming quick wit, and extraordinary intellect. Her personal life has become almost myth-like, having inspired movies, a TV series, operas, and numerous novels. Due to her renowned assertive and independent nature, she has become a modern popular cultural icon of Korea.
Although not much is known of her childhood (nor are the precise dates of her birth and death), records indicate that she was the daughter of an aristocrat in Gaeseong; accounts of her mother vary, but many suggest that she was the daughter of the blind kisaeng Hyeon Hak-Geum, who was renown for her talent in playing the gayageum.
As the daughter of a kisaeng, by law Hwang Jin-i also became a kisaeng. She received a typical kisaeng education, studying Chinese classics, law, philosophy, literature, and history along with a heavy concentration in the arts. Records state that she possessed a preternatural talent in playing the geomungo and in composing sijo, while also being a dance prodigy. Along with the aid of her remarkable beauty, she quickly rose to fame, becoming one of the most sought out kisaeng during her era. She was said to have carried on with various notables including Ji Jok-am and the renowned philosopher Seo Gyeong-deok.
Her tragic personal life has become stuff of legend, having been written about in numerous novels and made into movies and a TV series. Records indicate that at the age of sixteen, she and the son of the local magistrate were in love, but due to her cheonmin birth, were unable to marry. As a result, the young man is said to have died of a broken heart. Other stories tell of an adult Hwang Jin-I of having been in a passionate romance with another aristocrat, but once again, due to her inferior social status, she was unable to marry him.
Contents |
[edit] Masterpieces
Although only a handful of sijo and geomungo pieces exist today, they nonetheless show skilled craftsmanship of words and of musical arrangement. Her sijo often describe the natural beauty of Gaeseong and its famous sites such the Palace of Manwoldae and the Bagyeon Pokpo waterfall. Others hint at the tragedy of her lost loves. Some are also responses to numerous famous classic Chinese poems and literature, the majority of them reflecting on lost love. Two of her most famous sijo are:
- "동짓달 기나긴 밤을.."
-
- 동짓달 기나긴 밤을 한 허리를 버혀 내어
- 춘풍 니불 아래 서리서리 넣었다가
- 어론님 오신 날 밤이어든 굽이굽이 펴리라
-
- Oh that I might capture the essence of this deep midwinter night
- And fold it softly into the waft of a spring-moon quilt,
- Then fondly uncoil it the night my beloved returns.
- "청산리 벽계수(靑山裏 碧溪水)야..."
-
- 청산리 벽계수(靑山裏 碧溪水)야 수이 감을 자랑 마라.
- 일도창해(一到滄海)하면 다시 오기 어려워라.
- 명월(明月)이 만공산(滿空山)할 제 쉬어간들 어떠리.
-
- Respectable Byuk Kye-Soo, do not boast of leaving so early.
- When you venture out to the sea, it will be difficult to return.
- The full bright moon above the empty mountain, how about staying here to rest.
[edit] Popular Culture
In the late 20th century, Hwang Jin-I's story began to attract attention from both sides of the Korean divide. Her life has been depicted through media including fiction, film and opera. Novels dealing with her life include a 2002 novel by the North Korean writer Hong Sok-chung, which was the first North Korean novel to win an award in the South. Another novel, by South Korean writer Jeon Gyeong-rin, became a bestseller in 2004. Recently, in late 2006, KBS released a TV series entitled Hwang Jin-i starring Ha Ji Won. A movie version starring Song Hye Gyo is slated to be out in Korea on June 6, 2007.
