Kim Yong (flourished 1776-1800)

Snowflakes flutter — butterflies chase flowers,
       ants float — my wine is thick.
I pluck the black zither,
       a crane dances to my tune.
A dog barks at the wicker gate —
       boy, see if my friend has come.

Cho Myongni (1697-1756)

Wild geese have all flown away,
       the first frosts have come.
Long, long is the autumn night,
       many, many are the traveler's worries.
When moonlight floods the garden,
       I feel I am back at home.

Yi Chongbo (1693-1766)

If flowers bloom, I think of the moon,
        if the moon shines, I ask for wine.
When I have all these at once,
        still I think of my friends.
When can I drink a night away,
        enjoying moon and flowers with a friend?

Kim Yuk (1580-1658)

Be sure to invite me
      when your wine matures.
I shall invite you
      if flowers bloom in my arbor.
We shall discuss, then, how to live
      a hundred years without worry.

Cho Hon (1544-1592)

Rain sprinkles on the pond,
      smoke trails on the willows.
The boatman is gone,
      an empty boat moored to the bank.
A mateless gull comes and goes
      in the evening sun.

Song Hon (1535-1598)

The mountain is silent,
      the water without form.
A clear breeze has no price,
      the bright moon no lover.
Here, after their fashion,
      I grow old in peace.

So Kyongdok (1489-1546)

My mind is foolish,
      all that I do seems in vain.
Who would come to the deep mountain
      with its thick clouds, fold upon fold?
I look to see whether you come by chance,
      whenever the fallen leaves rustle in the wind.

Song Sammun (1418-1456)

Were you to ask me what I'd wish to be
      after my death,
I would answer, a pine tree, tall and hardy
      on the highest peak of Mount Pongnae,
And to be green, alone, green,
      when snow fills heaven and earth.

Yi Chono (1341-1371)

That clouds have no intent
       is perhaps false and unreliable.
Floating in midair,
       freely moving,
For what reason do they cover
       the bright light of day?

Yi Saek (1328-1396)

Rough clouds gather around the valley
       where the snow still lies.
Where is the welcoming plum,
       at what place does it bloom?
I have lost my way, alone,
       in the setting sun.

Yi Chonyon (1269-1343)

The moon is white on pear blossoms,
      and the Milky Way tells the third watch.
A cuckoo would not know
      the intent of a branch of spring.
Too much awareness is a sickness,
      it keeps me awake all night.

Tugo (flourished 692-702)

Ode to Knight Chukchi

All living beings sorrow and lament
Over the spring that is past;
Your face once fair and bright
Is about to wear deep furrows.

I must glimpse you
Even for an awesome moment.
My fervent mind cannot rest at night
In the mugwort-rank hollow.

Ch'oe Ch'iwon (born 857)

On a Rainy Autumn Night

I only chant painfully in the autumn wind,
For I have few friends in the wide world.
At third watch it rains outside.
By the lamp my heart flies myriad miles away.

Chong Chisang (died 1225)

Parting

After a rain on the long dike, grasses are thick.
With sad song I send you off to the South Bank.
When will the Taedong River cease to flow?
Year after year my tears will swell the waves.

Yi Illo (1152-1220)

Night Rain on the Rivers Hsiao and Hsiang

A stretch of blue water between the shores in autumn.
The wind sweeps light rain over a boat coming back.
As the boat is moored at night near the bamboos,
Each leaf rustles coldly, awakening sorrow.

Yi Chehyon (1287-1367)

After the Snow in the Mountains

The paper quilt grows cold, the temple light dim;
The novice has not rung a bell all through the night.
He will start grumbling if I open the door so early.
But I have to see the garden pine laden with snow.

National Preceptor T'aego (1301-1382)

Nothingness

Still — all things appear.
Moving — there is nothing.
What is nothingness?
Chrysanthemums bursting in the frost.

Song Ikp'il (1534-1599)

Boating at Dusk

Lost among flowers, the boat returns late,
Expecting the moon, it drifts slowly down the shoals.
Though I am drunk, I still drop a line:
The boat moves on, but not my dream.

Yun Sondo (1587-1671)

At my Study

My eyes fixed on the mountains and my ears on the zither,
How could affairs of the world ever disturb my mind?
Though nobody knows I am full of lively spirits,
Wildly I sing out a song and then intone it alone.