Drinking Alone with the Moon and Cheongsan Byeolgok(靑山別曲, 청산별곡)

I would like compare ‘Drinking Alone with the Moon’ by Li Bo with Chungsan-Byulgok, by unknown writer.

Lyrics of Chungsan-Byulgok. (I can not find any English translated version of this song. So i just roughly translate it by myself. Sorry)

살겠노라 살겠노라. 청산에 살겠노라.                                                                                                   ( I will live, I will live at the Blue Mountain)
머루랑 다래를 먹고 청산에 살겠노라.                                                                                                 (I will live at the Blue Mountain, by eating mountain barres)

우는구나 우는구나 새여, 자고 일어나 우는구나 새여.
너보다 시름 많은 나도 자고 일어나 울고 있노라.                                                                              (A bird is crying, right after it waked up, it cry. I have more concerns than birds, so i cry too.

가는 새 가는 새 본다. 물 아래로 날아가는 새 본다.
이끼 묻은 쟁기를 가지고, 물 아래로 날아가는 새 본다.                                                                     (I just see the bird, a bird fly under the water. I hold my plow on my shoulder, i just see the bird fly under the water.)

이럭저럭 하여 낮은 지내 왔건만,
올 사람도 갈 사람도 없는 밤은 또 어찌할 것인가.
(I just barely pass the day, but how can i endure the night that no one will visit me and i have no place to visit.)

어디다 던지는 돌인가, 누구를 맞히려는 돌인가.
미워할 이도 사랑할 이도 없이 맞아서 울고 있노라.                                                                       (Why some one throw the stone, there is no hated one or loved one. Just one person got hit and cry.)

살겠노라 살겠노라. 바다에 살겠노라.
나문재, 굴, 조개를 먹고 바다에 살겠노라.                                                                                         (I will live, I will live at the sea. I will live at the sea, by eating clams and oysters)

가다가 가다가 듣노라. 외딴 부엌을 지나가다가 듣노라.
사슴이 장대에 올라가서 해금을 켜는 것을 듣노라.                                                                      (During i just pass the old kitchen, i just listen the song. He-gum(Korean instruments) Song by a dear, dear on the top of a tall pole)

가더니 불룩한 술독에 진한 술을 빚는구나.
조롱박꽃 모양의 누룩이 매워 (나를) 붙잡으니 나는 어찌하리.                                                      (When i get there, i found a pot of strong wine.                                                                          Just a pot of wine stops me, What should i do)

Chungsan-Byulgok is old Korean poem/song. This song have very similar feeling for me In both song/poem, singer experienced some hardness of life, pain or loneliness. So, in both poem/sing, they talk about what they want to have.

“and soon enough it will be Spring.” in the ‘Drinking Alone with the Moon,’ by Li Bo, This sentence show us how the singer feel. In this sentence he uses Spring, the new start of all nature and live. It may mean by drinking alone with nature, he feels refreshing and revive. However we have to think again, because before Spring(While he is drinking alone), season is winter. Season of end of year, cold and also death. So, before he start drinking, he should be lonely or he have some kind of problem makes him uncomfortable.  By drinking, he feels better, and in the last verse, he talk about what he want, “Let’s pledge-beyond human ties-to be friends, And meet where the Silver River ends.” This part may mean what the writer really want, friends without human ties.

Chungsan-Byulgok is a song about harshness of life, and Utopia. In this song/poem, The Blue mountain and the Sea are Utopia for the writer. By “(I just barely pass the day, but how can i endure the night that no one will visit me and i have no place to visit.)” and “(Why some one throw the stone, there is no hated one or loved one. Just one person got hit and cry.)” verses, we can easily notice the writer is very lonely and have a harsh life. So he/she want to live at the ‘Blue Mountain’ where he/she will not suffered by harsh life and loneliness. “( Just a pot of wine stops me, What should i do?)” this verse may mean he/she is suffered in their life and can not get to the Blue mountain, so they just drink wine and forget about harshness of life for a short time.

Writers from both poem/song have problem with life and may feels lonely. So, they made a song/poem about what they really want to have, Li Bo want to have a Friendship with out ties each other, and Chungsan-Byulgok writer want to live at the Blue Mountain and the Sea where he will not suffered by harshness of life and loneliness. It may not connected in sense of similarity of what they want, but i feel both of them are similar because they are both lonely and  want to have a things they don’t have.  Also wine make them forget about things make them suffer in both poem/song.