"My Sassy Girl (엽기적인 그녀) from Old Seoul" poem

More about "My Sassy Girl (엽기적인 그녀) from Old Seoul" poem

My Sassy Gisaeng from Joseon Era

She swept through the hanok with paint on her lips,
A flick of her fan, a sway of her hips.
Her gayageum notes cut sharp through the night,
While scholars fumed at her bold, wicked wit.

"Know your place!" hissed the yangban so proud,
Yet their eyes trailed her silk like moths to a cloud.
With one sly sijo verse, she'd topple their pride—
A gisaeng's tongue could flay them alive.

She drank soju straight with merchants and thieves,
Told fortunes in tea leaves they swore she'd deceive.
The palace might claim her, but never could tame
The wildfire girl who played her own game.

"Shameless!" they whispered behind paper screens,
While begging her dances at moonlight soirées.
She'd laugh through her painted binyeo pins,
And vanish at dawn where the Han River spins.

Now years may have softened that razor-edged grin,
But watch—when she pours, old flames stir within.
That lift of her chin? Still the same rebel spark—
My dazzling, dangerous seoul-born lark.

(Notes: Gayageum = zither / Sijo = poetic form / Binyeo = hairpin / Hanok = traditional house)

Here’s a quick glossary of the Korean terms used in the poem, along with historical context to deepen your understanding:

**1. Gisaeng (기생)**
- *Meaning*: Highly skilled courtesans of the Joseon era (1392–1910), trained in poetry, music, dance, and conversation.
- *Context*: Unlike common prostitutes, gisaeng were artistocrats’ intellectual equals—some even advised kings. Their defiance of Confucian gender norms made them both admired and stigmatized.

**2. Gayageum (가야금)**
- *Meaning*: A 12-string zither, central to traditional Korean music.
- *Context*: Gisaeng mastered instruments like this to entertain elites. A skilled player could "answer" a scholar’s poem with musical wit.

**3. Sijo (시조)**
- *Meaning*: A strict three-line poetic form with subtle double meanings.
- *Context*: Gisaeng used sijo to mock powerful men covertly. Example:
*"You call me floating weed—*
*Yet cling to my roots in the stream.*
*Who drowns now, my lord?"*

**4. Binyeo (비녀)**
- *Meaning*: Ornamental hairpin holding a woman’s braided updo.
- *Context*: Removing one was considered erotic. In the poem, it hints at her controlled rebellion—decoration as weapon.

**5. Hanok (한옥)**
- *Meaning*: Traditional wooden homes with curved tile roofs.
- *Context*: Paper doors (한지) let light filter through—and gossip slip out. Perfect for a gisaeng’s dramatic entrances.

**6. Yangban (양반)**
- *Meaning*: The aristocratic ruling class.
- *Context*: Their rigid Confucianism clashed with gisaeng culture. The poem’s tension mirrors real history—like *Hwang Jini*, the legendary 16th-century gisaeng who outwitted scholars.