유정천리

[orbiter]

I came across a very beautiful remake of an old song "유정천리". The song was the ending title for a one-episode drama called 누나의 3월, screened last year to commemorate the 50th year anniversary of the March protests in Masan. You can hear the song here.

I have some questions on the title & lyrics which I do not understand, as it seems to be written in "old" language:

유정천리
1.
가련다 떠나련다 어린 아들 손을 잡고
감자 심고 수수 심는 두메산골 내 고향에
못살아도 나는 좋아 외로워도 나는 좋아
눈물어린 보따리에 황혼 빛이 젖어드네
2.
세상을 원망하랴 내 아내를 원망하랴
누이동생 혜숙이야 행복하게 살아다오
가도가도 끝이 없는 인생 길은 몇 구비냐
유정천리 꽃이 피네 무정천리 눈이 오네

1) What is 유정? According to Naver dictionary, it means "oil well"?
2) 1st line - "가련다 떠나련다" <-- What kind of grammar is used here?
3) 4th line - "눈물어린 보따리" <-- tears, child, package? Lost here.
4) 5th line - "~하랴 " <-- what does this ending mean?
5) 6th line - What is "혜숙"
6) 7th line - What is "구비"?

It is a beautiful song, do give it a listen!

[trutherous]

Hi -- I'll take a try at it -- usually my incorrect responses invoke a quicker response from the real experts ㅋㅋ

유정천리
1.
가련다 떠나련다 어린 아들 손을 잡고
감자 심고 수수 심는 두메산골 내 고향에
못살아도 나는 좋아 외로워도 나는 좋아
눈물어린 보따리에 황혼 빛이 젖어드네
2.
세상을 원망하랴 내 아내를 원망하랴
누이동생 혜숙이야 행복하게 살아다오
가도가도 끝이 없는 인생 길은 몇 구비냐
유정천리 꽃이 피네 무정천리 눈이 오네

1) What is 유정? According to Naver dictionary, it means "oil well"?
2) 1st line - "가련다 떠나련다" <-- What kind of grammar is used here?
3) 4th line - "눈물어린 보따리" <-- tears, child, package? Lost here.
4) 5th line - "~하랴 " <-- what does this ending mean?
5) 6th line - What is "혜숙"
6) 7th line - What is "구비"?

1. 유정천리 -- this one's hard!! -- It looks like 있을 "유" (existing) and 애정 "정" (heart/affection) -then 천리 - usually means 'long time/distance i.e. 1000 li ((although it can mean law of nature)) I'm thinking (guessing) something like 'the long long presence of heart"' 유정천리 꽃이 피네 In the long presence of heart the flower blooms, 무정천리 눈이 오네 in the long heartlessness the snow falls ??
2. 가련다 =가려고 한다 --- 떠나련다 = 떠나려고 한다
3. 눈물어린 - having eyes full of tears 눈물이 어려, indicates 'sad 슬픈' tearfully + 보따리 - bundle = indicates someone leaving (황혼 빛 젖어드네) saturated in the yellow (evening) light
4. ~랴 - poetic retrospective question 'should I? can I? dare I? should we? can we? dare we?
5. 혜숙 (ㅋㅋㅋ) - his little sister 혜숙이
6. 구비 -- curves 굽이

Thanks for the song and fun research project! --Great images -- I like the transitions to old B&W photos so often we forget that there was color, heat, and emotion when looking at old black and whites.

I guess you give me a reason to show off my own lovely wife's old B&W (circa 1974) wife on the LEFT, youngest older sister RIGHT --photo extensively restored by yours truly

[orbiter]

Hi George,

Thank you for your enlightening explanations! You instantly made the song much more beautiful and moving for me. I finally grasped the title of the song when you pointed it out in the last line "유정천리 꽃이 피네, 무정천리 눈이 오네"... 너무 아름답다.

Another thing you said struck something in me: "...so often we forget that there was color, heat, and emotion when looking at old black and whites." It never occurred to me to look at these memories in the light of the reality in which they happened so many years ago. These photos are now but muted shadows of the intense reality in which they were taken...

So many precious revelations in one day, 진심으로 고맙습니다!

[trutherous]

I also found this on another site: http://ask.nate.com/qna/view.html?n=9311095

to recap the above link:

Question:

울고넘는 박달재를 부른 박재홍씨가 부른 노래로 유정천리라는 노래가 있다고 기억하는데요...

어떻게보면 참 노래가사내용은 조금은 슬픈 내용인데 유정천리(有情千理)가 무슨뜻이에요?

Answer:

한자 그대로 해석하면

정이 천리를 간다는 말인데요



울고넘는 박달재의 가사 내용을 인용해서 해석하자면

가족에 대한 그리움을 나타내는 듯합니다

한자 그대로 해석하면 (to interpret the Hanja just as it is) 정이 천리를 간다는 말인데요 (it means 'affection goes 1000 Li')

가족에 대한 그리움을 나타내는 듯합니다 (it demonstrates the longing after family)

[julialim]

유정천리
有情千里

Yes George is perfectly right!!

This song is hard for me, too. Hmmm from the title.. You guys are awesome!!

[timandyou]

Hello everyone~~
wow~~~ 정말 많은 글들이 오고 갔네요...
근데...
"유정천리"가 무슨 뜻이에요~? ㅋㅋㅋ

와~~~ 정말 어렵다~!
영훈님 화이팅!
best,
Tim