ABSTRACT
There is a long tradition of both vernacular and Chinese poetry and song in Korea. This chapter examines poems from the genre known as sijo, as they are the most popular form of poetry in Korea and their charm survives translation quite well. Loyalty was one prominent theme, but poems about the difficulties of love and the beauty of nature are even more numerous. In the eighteenth century, the melody for singing sijo was standardized. Chong Mongju poem is probably the most famous of all sijo. In it, Chong Mongju proclaims his loyalty to the last king of the Koryo dynasty after being asked to join a rebellion against the court. Chong was assassinated after leaving the banquet where he composed the poem. Yun is considered the best sijo poet of all. His "Song of Five Friends" is a set of six sijo.
