Saturday Rest: The Spring breeze melted snow by U T'ak

Sigo is a form of Korean poetry. It has only three lines, though they're quite long lines - the total number of syllables will be forty two to forty eight.

Sigo may be short, but they do stuff, do sigo: there'll be an introduction of a situation or theme in line one; a development in line two; and then a twist and conclusion in line three.

(Although there's a twist, it won't be a humorous one; sigo were first written in the 1200s at a time of great political turmoil in Korea, and the themes are usually more to do with hopeless loyalty or aging or unfruitful love than anything actually cheerful.)

The sigo has been around for a long time, and it has at various times been abandoned and resurrected and evolved. It started off as a work of the aristocracy, and it was centuries before the poems were even written in a language understood by most of the Korean people. Sometimes they are spoken, and sometimes sung.

Here is the oldest example we have, written by U T'ak, 1262 - 1342.

The spring breeze melted snow on the hills then quickly disappeared.
I wish I could borrow it briefly to blow over my hair
And melt away the aging frost forming now about my ears.

I'd say that was very elegant, and rather wonderful.

Word To Use Today: breeze. This word probably comes from the Old Spanish word briza, north-east wind.