CISAK2015-O-104 Gisaeng Life Portrayed on ‘Blue Stream’ Sijo by Hwang Jini Margareth Theresia and An Younghoon Korean Language and Literature, Kyung Hee University 26 Kyungheedae-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, South Korea * margareth.theresia91@gmail.com yhnahn@khu.ac.kr Abstract. Sijo is one type of Korean classical poems which is very popular in Korea. In the past, many of sijo writers were Gisaeng. Gisaeng is a term for female entertainer during the Joseon dynasty which held similarities with Japanese geisha. Some of them are widely known as the best sijos poets with one of the most famous being Hwang Jini. The purpose of this research is to prove and show that „Blue Stream‟ sijo by Hwang Jini illustrates the life of a gisaeng during Hwang Jini‟s time. Gisaeng‟s life revolved around prostitutions and they were unable to live with only one man in their lives. However, they were able to express themselves through poems, dances, and music which the women from higher class couldn‟t. Their life was a paradox without freedom under the men centered society and they were not allowed to love. They express their love and sorrow through poetry and songs. The quality of their poems and songs is evidence that they were as the best female entertainers at that era. Despite the sad life that they had, they were able to write high quality poems. Hwang Jini, as one of the most famous gisaengs in the Joseon dynasty, also produced hansis and sijos. She was renowned for her beauty and outstanding talents of art and literature. Her preserved poems are still being studied and analyzed by Koreans and foreigners alike until this day. Keywords: gisaeng; Hwang Jini; Joseon; sijo. A. INTRODUCTION Hwang Jini lived around 1520 until around 1560 during Joseon Dynasty. Sixteenth century Joseon Dynasty was highly influenced by Buddhism and Confucianism. The society was divided into several strata classes such as aristocrats, merchant, slaves, etc. The role of women during this period is very different to their male counterpart where they were expected to stay at home while their husbands participated in social activities in the society [1]. The Confucian society restricted women so much that they were unable to express their emotions and thoughts. They were to obey their husbands and refrain from leaving their home. They were not allowed to go to school but they were permitted to possess and studies books. Gisaeng or ginyeo is a term for female entertainer whose history could be traced back to the Silla Dynasty. Gisaeng belonged to cheonmin class which is the lowest class in the Joseon society. Although they belonged to the lowest class, they were able to express their emotions and thoughts with freedom. They were also allowed to learn poetry, dance and music which other women were prohibited to. They expressed their emotions through music instrument performances and songs. Almost all of the poems written by gisaengs consist of love and sorrowful emotions [2]. Life of a gisaeng is very similar to a prostitute‟s. They host different men which could change from once a year to once a day. Gisaeng‟s fate is to become some kind of a toy, only something to play with. They would never be one‟s first wife. They are forced to face the reality that one day they would be abandoned by their lovers for a wife. Despite their miserable life, a gisaeng must not show their true emotions because their purpose of existence is to entertain people. Music and poetry were their only means to express their emotions and thoughts. The gisaengs has four strata classes in their society. The first and second are called the high level gisaengs who could produce the high level poems and songs. The third and the fourth are the low level gisaengs who couldn‟t have the ability to produce the high quality poems and song, so that they just seduce man almost for the rest of their lives. The first class gisaengs served the high class society like the yangbans (aristocrat) and they produced the high quality sijos and hansis that still existed until today. Sijo is a three-line poetry that managed to retain in existence even until now. Sijo had been verbally passed down and is closely connected to music [3]. Hansi is a poetry that is written in Chinese characters. Gisaengs usually wrote sijos and hansis with unique blend of emotional freedom, ironic perspective and technical mastery which enabled them to establish an unchanging tradition of love poetry. Surviving sijos and hansis were either verbally passed down or conserved through private collection before they were complied into anthologies by scholar, often a century or more after the death of the poet [4]. Hwang Jini was known to be one of the best gisaengs poets.