The Trace of an Eternal Love 2

in #travel7 years ago (edited)

20170820

When they had built the temple from the restaurant, they made a shrine for Kim Younghan. Her shrine was across the main building of the temple. The Shrine was located on the hill and concealed by the trees.

There was a bridge to get to her shrine. The bridge made me imagine it as a symbol of the connection between this world and the next world. Under the bridge, there was a small valley and stream. Yes, Kim Younghan already had crossed the river of never return.

Walking on the bridge, I could see the small but impressive monument. It was a monument for a poet and her eternal love. There was carved a poem written when the poet left her at the very last night.

The poet’s parents strongly opposed to their love. Any parents hadn’t have permitted marriage with Ghisaeng. His parents forced him quit relation with her and to marry noble lady when he had visited home. At that time, that kinds of thing was not special.

As you know in Confucian society, King, Parents and Teachers had same authority. Nobody could refuse to their parents. So he got married at home town where is North Korea now and ran away to Seoul where is South Korea nowadays. Poet proposed her to run away far way together.

But she refused his request. She was very complicated. She understood his parents position warring about poet’s future. Of course, she had some kinds of a reproach and a complaint to him not to refuse his parents to the end at the same time. Anyway, She refused to leave together, and a poet fell in a desperate breaking heart.

The name of the poem is

“ I and Natasha and white Donkey”

It seemed that this is one of the best Lyric of Korean History of Literature.

It is too sorry that I can’t translate this poem into English. It is far beyond out of my ability.

It seemed that he had wrote this poem at once.
He left her with leaving this poem. They never had met again before they died.

I read the poem once again written in this monument.

She had to live her entire life with breaking heart. At her old age, she published a book on the poem of Baek Seok.

After looking at her shrine, I walked around the Temple. There I found the statue of the Goddess of Mercy.

My cousin told me it looked like the Holy mother of the Catholic Church. It is said that the artist tried to show the harmony of the religion between the Buddhism and the Catholic church.

But the statue seemed to remind me of Kim Younghan.

There is another story in this temple with a great monk. (to be continued)

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Thanks for shared

Nice photo @slowwalker thank you very much for sharing

Looms awesome therr. You always show as a great places. Thank you @slowwalker

thank you for your compliment

There was a bridge to get to her shrine. The bridge made me imagine it as a symbol of the connection between this world and the next world. Under the bridge, there was a small valley and stream. Yes, Kim Younghan already had crossed the river of never return.

Walking on the bridge, I could see the small but impressive monument. It was a monument for a poet and her eternal love. There was carved a poem written when the poet left her at the very last night.

@munawir91

A beautiful, cool, peaceful and fun, One day I will visit to the place you..

This is so beautiful!

Another great story @slowwalker! I love your elements of Buddhist philosophy, Confucian values and historic tale in this post. You illustrate well the historic and cultural value of the structures and monuments you select to photograph.

a beautiful and touching post, @slowwalker, providing more details about the romance between Kim Youghan and Baek Seok.

I call them star-crossed lovers because that's how Shakespeare describes Romeo and Juliet whose love also had a tragic ending.

Romeo and Juliet's parents objected to their relationship the same way Baek Seok's parents objected to his marrying a Geisha.

In the end of Shakespeare's play, the pair tragically die, but in the case of Kim and Baek, Kim Youghan lived on into old age and honoured his memory until the day she passed.

I thought your interpretation of the stream was interesting because the ancient Romans saw death as being ferried in a boat across the river Styx, and it represented forgetfulness.

Those left behind must remember but those who have passed over are given the gift of forgetfulness -- that would be a great mercy.

The statue of the goddess of mercy is a symbol that reminds us that the things that divide us in this life may not always succeed. Baek escaped his marrieage and wanted to run away with Kim Youghan but she decided that would be dishonourable.

They spent the rest of their lives apart, but in love. Perhaps, in the end, that was a great mercy.

A lovely tale, @slowwalker, beautifully illustrated with photos.

Thanks for the nice and rare collection

thanks for the comment, @tulshiupadhyay

thank you for your supplement

What a quiet and serene place with such a sad story. Almost like the story of Romeo and Juliet. I love your description about walking across the bridge as a connection between this world and the next. Very moving!

thank you so much