Translated and Introduced by Constantine Contogenis and Wolhee Choe

These Poems are deceptively simple, thwarted love remaining their paradigm. But they also represent what we might, with historical hindsight, call "feminist" views since they depict rare instances in which Korean women were permitted to address their own emotions. Call them courtesan blues from the Chosun Dynasty, and read them for both pleasure and edification. -Sam Hamill