Aria “Gogocheonbyeon고고천변” in pansori “Sugungga수궁가” describes the wonderous sight witnessed by the turtle when he comes up to land for the first time to get a rabbit’s liver. A sea creature coming out of the sea must have been just as exciting and frightening as for a human to travel to outer space. When the turtle poked his head above the water, the sun was just rising above the horizon. Since the sea palace was underwater, it must have been the first time the turtle saw the sun. In “Sugungga,” the sun is described as a red wheel located high above the sky, which illuminates a peaceful seaside village. The aria is so beautiful that it is often sung as a danga단가, short song, or with a gayageum가야금. Today we have Kim Il-ryun singing “Gogocheonbyeon” to the gayageum accompaniment of the Sookmyung Gayageum Orchestra. 

Gogocheonbyeon/ Sung by Kim Il-ryun, accompanied by Sookmyung Gayageum Orchestra

Today, December 22nd, is dongji, the winter solstice. It is the day with the longest night of the year. That means that daylight starts to get longer from tomorrow. Ancient people regarded dongji as the beginning of a new year, even calling it a small Seol설, the lunar new year’s day. This was when people start buying calendars for the coming year and just like Koreans eat ddeokguk떡국 on the new year’s day, they eat red bean porridge on dongji to add another year to their age. The color red is believed to have the power to ward off evil spirits, which was why people in the old times used to pour red bean porridge all over the house. It was their way of chasing away everything bad and welcoming in new hope. Coming up next is a song titled “Till the Daybreak Comes,” originally a poem written by Yun Dong-ju. 

Put on black clothes on the dying.

Put on white clothes on the living. 

And put them to sleep side by side on the same bed.

When they cry, nurse them with breast milk. 

When the daybreak comes, you’ll hear the sound of the trumpet.

This poem, written during the darkest time in Korean history, related Yun’s fervent desire to have hope for the future. Today we’ll listen to the song performed by Baneungjeom.

Till the Daybreak Comes/ Sung and performed by Baneungjeom

It is said that it is the darkest right before the dawn. Our lives are very similar. Everyone goes through tough times, but a turning point seems to come just when the hardship reaches its extreme and one cannot take it anymore. In pansori “Heungboga흥보가,” there is a part in which a Tao master picks out a housing site that would supposedly make Heungbo rich. Right before that passage, Heungbo and his wife tried everything to make money, which included getting whipped in someone else’s place. He even went to beg for food from his greedy brother Nolbo놀보, who kicked out Heungbo empty-handed after giving him a good beating. If Heungbo hadn’t experienced all that and lived a fairly comfortable life, he wouldn’t have bothered to move to the auspicious site picked out by the Tao master. Because Heungbo was in the lowest point of his life, he came to appreciate even the smallest of opportunities and followed the advice of a wise man. Many people are suffering because of the volatile economic conditions around the world. But no matter how long a night lasts, morning is bound to come. So don’t give up hope and hang in there for a little while longer. Today’s Sounds of Korea concludes with Kim Su-yeon singing this housing site selection passage from Heungboga.

Passage from Heungboga/ Sung by Kim Su-yeon, drum by Kim Cheong-man