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Ocean Experiences and Chinese Poems of a Tongsinsahaeng(通信使行) Member -With a focus on Nam Yong-ik(南龍翼)-

  • Journal of Korean Classical Chinese Literature
  • Abbr : 한문고전연구
  • 2019, 38(1), pp.27-53
  • DOI : 10.18213/jkccl.2019.38.1.002
  • Publisher : The Classical Chinese Literature Association of Korea
  • Research Area : Humanities > Korean Language and Literature
  • Received : May 17, 2019
  • Accepted : June 18, 2019
  • Published : June 30, 2019

Lee Nam-myon 1

1고려대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to examine Chinese poems about ocean experiences by a Tongsinsahaeng member. For this purpose, the study delved into Chinese poems about ocean experiences by Nam Yong-ik(1628-1692) in forms and expressions. Nam Yong-ik visited Japan as a Jongsagwan for Tongsinsa in 1655, not only writing a number of poems about ocean experiences in Busangrok, but also exhibiting his own distinct trend of poetry writing. He diversified ways of writing a poem in the process of experiencing the ocean. When he was onboard or stayed on an island, he wrote poems in various systems and forms classified as Japche(雜體) poems in addition to those in regular forms and often worked together with his colleagues in joint poems. Although Japche poems are classified as poems written for amusement, one can have a difficult time writing a Japche poem due to the addition of rules or restrictions to regular forms of poetry. Since joint poems require collective creative efforts, poets should be careful not to have unnatural flows and connections of their poetic ideas. Nam would spend his time on a Sahaeng trip to Japan by writing playful poems in various systems and forms that required his concentration, thus unburdening himself and pouring out his dullness, boredom, concerns and worries, and sorrow on the trip. He also manifested his imagination and knowledge in his poems actively in the process of having experiences with the ocean. He would set a connective device in the middle of a poem by mobilizing his imagination to connect two things that seemed irrelevant to each other or express his longing for the world of Taoist hermits with miraculous powers through his imagination in dreams. He also expressed his animosity to Japan, recalling Imjinwaeran and associated and compared various situations to authentic historic precedents. He had these ocean experiences at the age of 28. His works created during the time were such masterpieces to which he devoted his efforts that he said Busangrok was the most outstanding work of his life himself. His creative devotion was embodied in his efforts to exert and expand his imagination and association abilities by making an attempt at creation in various styles including poems in regular and irregular forms, short and long works, and individual and joint creations. As a result, his ocean experiences served as an opportunity for him to improve his abilities of poetry writing to a great degree.

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