Haji or the summer solstice is next week. Also called midsummer, the day with the longest period of daylight signals the beginning of the end. Now daytime will grow shorter, and the year will start to wind down. It seems year 2023 just began a short while ago, but now it’s already approaching the end. 

This was the busiest time of the year in the old days when most people were farmers. In the warmer southern region, where two-cropping is regularly done, farmers planted rice after harvesting barley. But if rice is planted after the summer solstice, there isn’t enough time for the rice to grow, rendering the entire work futile. Also, there is an old saying that a rainy season begins after haji. Farmers used to worry about not having enough rain until rice planting but after haji the biggest concern is too much rain and ensuing floods. People in the old days knew that an abundant harvest in the fall can come only after working furiously to keep the crops safe from all the inclement weather, the principle that applies to people’s lives as well. Only after working hard can we expect to reap rich fruits of our efforts. The first piece for this week’s Sounds of Korea is an  instrumental piece “Dance of Time” by piri virtuoso Choi Myung-hwa.

Dance of Time/ Piri by Choi Myung-hwa

Piri is an instrument that plays the main melody in almost all music, from stately court music to merry folksongs or mask dance music. It goes well with western musical instruments like the guitar or the accordion. There is reason why piri has been one of people’s favorite musical instruments of all time. 

Coming up next is a song entitled “Ssareum싸름,” or the sound made by cicadas. Summer won’t be complete without the loud, sometimes irritating, singing of male cicadas. There is a folksong entitled “Ssareum Taryeong싸름타령” from the western region, which has the following refrain.  

Mournful is the sound of cicadas from the lush green forests.

Ssareum, ssareum, ssareum, the sound reminds me of my hometown absent of this singing.

The song you’re about to hear is a love song that quoted the refrain of “Ssareum Taryeong.” Here’s Lee Han-chul singing “Ssareum.”

Ssareum/ Sung by Lee Han-chul

July and August are the peak vacation season in Korea. The biggest issue is where to go for a vacation. Koreans are usually divided between those who prefer the sea or the mountains. Which do you like better as a vacation destination? In the Analects of Confucius, there is a saying that a wise person likes water, and a gentle person likes the mountain. Water in a square container becomes square and water in a round dish becomes round. Being wise means finding a way to compromise, to be together, rather than to fight and confront one another. Also, a mountain stays in one place, welcoming all those who come and never burdening those who leave with guilt. This characteristic of mountains defines virtue. So, which one are you, wise or virtuous?

Coming up next is a suitable song for summer. It’s entitled “Bamboo Forest” and the lyrics encourage people to enjoy life and appreciate good entertainment. The lyrics are based on a poem that goes like the following: 

The forest of youths is filled with thirst and breathes fiercely to find romance.

People who are searching for love, who are tired of love, who are looking for something to depend on, and who want to leave. 

But the most memorable part is the passage that goes “Let’s play, let’s play, let’s play when we’re young on a fine day like today.” This week’s Sounds of Korea will conclude with Jang Myung-seo singing “Bamboo Forest.”

Bamboo Forest/ Sung by Jang Myung-seo