Sijo: Korean Poem with a Twist

Barbara Edler currently works part time teaching college composition courses at Iowa Wesleyan University in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. When she’s not teaching, assessing student work, or writing poetry, Barb enjoys watching birds along the Mississippi River, reading mysteries, and playing cards. She’s also a big Iowa Hawkeye fan!

Inspiration

I’ve recently been studying sijo poetry, an ancient verse form from Korean culture. Sijo, pronounced sheejo, is a three to six line poem that follows a syllable formula reminiscent of a haiku, but sijo is far older than the haiku.Each line serves its own purpose: the first introduces the topic, the second line extends the topic, and the third line has a twist or surprise, such as a new sound, image, pun or humor, or play on words. Today imagine something that you think a great deal about as a potential topic, and then surprise your readers with a twist.

Process

The first line is usually written in a 3-4-4-4 grouping pattern and states the theme of the poem, where a situation is generally introduced.

The second line is usually written in a 3-4-4-4 pattern (similar to the first) and is an elaboration of the first line’s theme or situation (development).

The third line is divided into two sections. The first section, the counter-theme, is grouped as 3-5, while the second part, considered the conclusion of the poem, is written as 4-3. The counter-theme is called the ‘twist,’ which is usually a surprise in meaning, sound, or other device. Some writers break the poem into six lines which is acceptable, but the poem should have 44-46 syllables.

Several resources including writing Sijo guidelines, lesson plans, lectures, etc. can be found at the following link:  https://www.sejongculturalsociety.org/writing/current/resources/sijo_guide.php. If you teach young children, you might enjoy Tap Dancing on the Roof, a collection of  sijo poems written by Linda Sue Park. I bought one and thoroughly enjoyed the poems.

Sample Sijos

I will break the back of this long, midwinter night,

Folding it double, cold beneath my spring quilt,

That I may draw out the night, should my love return.

동지달 기나긴 밤을 한 허리를 버혀 내여

춘풍 이불 아래 서리허리 넣었다가

어른 님 오신 날 밤이여드란 구비구비 펴리라

Hwang Chin-I (1506-1544)

Rising early each morning,

     I let her into the warm barn;

I pour oats, clean her stall,

     then fork more hay into the trough;

When she kicks my hand away,

     why do I think of my wife?

Larry Gross

from Sijo West #2, Summer 1996

Barb’s Poem

Mourning Departure
Morning sky flings her gray veil lacy with fog across our land
We huddle, frozen with grief, spreading ashes, wringing our hands
Sun slivers whisper, rise spirits, as we stumble, numb and blind

Your Turn

Now, scroll to the comment section below to write your own poem. (This is a public space, so you may choose to use only your first name or initials depending on your privacy preferences.) Not ready? That’s okay. Read the poems already posted for more inspiration. Ponder your own throughout the day. Return later. And, if the prompt does not work for you, that is fine. All writing is welcome. Just write something. Also, please be sure to respond to at least three writers. Oh, and a note about drafting: Since we are writing in short bursts, we all understand (and even welcome) the typos and partial poems that remind us we are human and that writing is always becoming. If you’d like to invite other teachers to write with us, tell them to subscribe.