Tonight, February 7th at 9 PM (Eastern), The Sejong Cultural Society’s YouTube Channel will live broadcast a celebration of World Sijo Poetry Day that will include a brief appearance by yours truly reading a prize winning poem from their 2024 International Poetry Competition.
Tag: Korean Sijo
The Way of the River / David Jibson
The Way of the River: Sijo Poetry in English is a chapbook that features many of my own Sijo poems and resource information on the Sijo form, including classical and contemporary examples. It’s a free download at: https://davidkjibson.com/
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The Way of the River / David Jibson
The Way of the River: Sijo Poetry in English is my latest chapbook. It features many of my own Sijo poems and resource information on the Sijo form, including classical and contemporary examples. You can download a free PDF (Click the cover image).
Sijo is a concise Korean poetic form consisting of three lines, each containing 14-16 syllables, totaling 44-46 syllables. These lines feature a midpoint pause, akin to a caesura, although it need not adhere to a specific meter. The first half of each line encompasses six to nine syllables, while the second half should contain no fewer than five. Originally intended to be sung, Sijo typically explore themes of romance, metaphysics, or spirituality. Regardless of the topic, ideally, the first line introduces an idea or narrative, the second elaborates the theme, and the third offers closure, often with a twist. In modern times, Sijo are often presented in six lines.
David K. Jibson 