죽창가 Bamboo Spear Song

The original poem is attributed to Kim Nam-ju ( 故 김남주 시인 ) according to an article in the International Newspaper July 16, 2019 shortly after the final episode of the dramatic series Noktu Flower ( 녹두꽃 ). Noktu Flower portrays the Tonghak reform movement in late 19th Century.* The article concerned a post by the former South Korean Justice Minister Cho Guk, who recalled the uprising incident to an evolving Japanese military takeover of late Chosun on facebook while he served as Civil Affairs secretary at the Blue House. The Bamboo Spear Song, which might be interpreted as the Bamboo Spear Hymn, played during the hanging execution scene adminstered by Japanese authorites. "Noktu," General Jeon Bong Jun, and his staff were hanged in this dramatic rendition while the Bamboo Spear Song played in the background. Cho Guk linked the spirit of that reform movement to the current national resistance to Japan's efforts to coerce South Korea economically. As discussed in my prior post, conservative presidential candidate Yoon Seok-yeol is a critic of of the "Bamboo Spear Song." He has thereby revealed himself as a representative of the legacy pro-Japan faction ( 친일파 ). The latter has found itself in an uncomfortable position each time a democratic administration comes to office in South Korea calling for a redress of historical grievances against Japan, legal and otherwise, which have yet to be resolved.

** 조국 게재한 죽창가 가사 내용은? 정치권 의견 분분, 이영실 기자, 7.16.19 국제신문 ; http://www.kookje.co.kr/news2011/asp/newsbody.asp?code=0100&key=20190716.99099007677

(Source- SBS/ondemandkorea.com) This historic image of General Jeon Bong Jun, also known as "Noktu" (mung bean), was interposed with the scene recreated in the current South Korean historical drama "Noktu Flower." The scene depicts Noktu for posterity after he and his military staff were sentenced to death. Nokdu was the leader of the Korean peasants' revolt that arose out of the decadence, corruption. violence and poverty of late Chosun. The peasant revolution in the late 19th Century precipitated a pretext for the Japanese invasion and occupation of Korea which didn't end till August 1945. In the image the condemned General Jeon (center) is being escorted by Japanese police in 1895.

The blog posted this picture of Noktu and discussed the significance of the drama Noktu flower based upon JTBC news reports at the time. (Japan's Weaponization of Trade with South Korea, July 14, 2019)


Below is my English interpretation of the lyrics:


This mountain village, soar together!
Let's become a flower. The flower
nurtured by falling tears and broken feet
let's become noktu flowers

This mountain valley all together take flight!
Lets become a bird. A bird
To north and south it cries,
Let's become the flying blue bird

This field alight together
Let's become a fire. A fire
burning plains lighting the darkness
Let's become the field afire

Let's do that, it's time for that
One more time, this village
Let's become a rebellion
Green pine green bamboo fixed in our heart
Let's become the bamboo spear

( 죽창가 / 김남주 시, 김경주 곡 )

I've taken a liberal rather than literal interpretation in order to convey the aesthetic and emotional appeal of the original in hangul. From watching the Noktu Flower drama series and learning from other sources about the period I tried to capture the spirit of the uprising's Bamboo Spear Hymn. The poem by Kim Nam-ju won a literary award in 1989. At some earlier point it was set to music by Kim Kyeong-ju, and sung by college students during the uprising against the Chun Du-hwan dictatorship. A song with similar imagery actually arose during the Tonghak rebellion period. There is an academic argument about the use of the symbolism of the "blue birds" as compared to the use of the symbol in '새야새야' ( Birds! Birds! )a folk song from the period in which the birds could be interpreted to symbolize invading foreign armies alighting on the mung bean (noktu) fields offending the spirit of the ancestors whose souls reside there to ward off the birds.* The seasonal coming and going of the birds takes a entirely different meaning in The Bamboo Spear Song.

*조국 수석의 '죽창가' 인용, 무엇이 문제란 말인가? 19.07.23 12:01l최종 업데이트 19.07.23 19:05l추준우 ; http://www.ohmynews.com/NWS_Web/View/at_pg.aspx?CNTN_CD=A0002555923

Fair use: my intent is to inform and educate the English speaking public about the nature of Korean national aspirations and its history which the US government and western press seems to studiously and consistently ignore, immersed as it is in its pro-Japanese perspective.*

* See: US senior diplomat says Japan's 20th-century atrocities "are what they are," urges S. Korea, Japan to pursue good relationship, Hankyoreh, by Jul.30,2021 17:37 KST Modified on : Jul.30,2021 17:37 KST; By Hwang Joon-bum, http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_international/1005917.html


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