Poems and Stories for Overcoming Idleness

<p><i>Poems and Stories for Overcoming Idleness </i>is the first complete translation in any Western language of <i>P’ahan</i> <i>chip</i>, the earliest Korean work of <i>sihwa</i> (C. <i>shihua</i>; “remarks on poetry”) and one of the oldest extant Korean sources. The collection was written and compiled by Yi Illo (1152–1220) during the mid-Koryǒ dynasty (918–1392). <i>P’</i><i>ahan chip </i>features poetry composed in Literary Chinese (the <i>scriptura franca</i> of the premodern East Asian “Sinographic Sphere”) by the author and his friends, which included such literary greats as Im Ch’un (dates unknown) and O Sejae (1133–?). <i>P’ahan chip</i> also contains the work of other writers of diverse backgrounds: Chinese master poets, famous Confucian literati, eminent Buddhist masters, erudite Daoist hermits, Koryŏ kings—as well as long-forgotten lower-level officials, unemployed intellectuals, and rural scholars. The verse compositions are embedded in short narratives by Yi that provide context for the poems. In accordance with the guidelines of the <i>sihwa</i>-genre, these narratives focus primarily on matters relating to poetry while touching on a wide array of subjects such as Korean history and customs; the court and government institutions; official procedures and festivals; Koryǒ foreign-policy and diplomacy; books and the circulation of knowledge; calligraphy and painting; Confucian, Daoist, and Buddhist thought; the role of women; and scenic spots and famous buildings. <br><br>The book opens with an extensive introduction by translator Dennis Wuerthner on Yi Illo and <i>P’ahan chip</i> set against the backdrop of literary and historical developments in Korea and sino-centric East Asia and vital issues relating to Koryŏ politics, society, and culture. Wuerthner’s comprehensive, thought-provoking study is followed by a copiously annotated translation of this important Korean classic.</p>