“아리랑 아리랑 아리라요
아리랑 고개로 넘어간다.”
This refrain is ingrained into the minds of every Korean, as the unofficial National Anthem of both of the Koreas. It is and has always been a string which tied the Korean identity throughout the pre-modern history. Usually, it is sung and learned by Korean children at a young age.
1. Introduction
Although for the lay Korean culture enthusiast, the K-pop renditions of Arirang are the most prolific, Arirang has a much wider significance in Korean history. It is a folk song which is said to have been composed in the Jeongseon in Gangwon, more than 600 years ago, during the Joseon Dynasty‘s reign in the Korean Peninsula. Some locals of the province have even purported the song tracing back to the Goryeo Dynasty.
The first record of the existence of Arirang, was in a 1756 Joseon manuscript. Whereas, the first recording of Arirang was in 1896 and the recording is currently housed in the United States Library of Congress, Washington DC. Listen here
There are more than 3600 variations across every province in Korea, with the familiar refrain, “Arirang, Arirang, Arirayo,” transcending all the variations.
Although in the modern context, “Arirang” has no clear meaning, and bears no meaning, many theories exist, as to what it means, which are explored in the following paragraphs.
2. Various Origins
According to the Jeongseon Legend, there was a bachelor who had fallen in love with a young maiden, while she was picking Camellias at the Auraji, body of water, across the Gangwon Province, entering Gyeonggi. Some say, the two young couple sang the song in sorrow as they could not cross the waters to unite. Some say, the young bachelor sang the song in sorrow as he drowned trying to unite with his love.
Some literary proponents of the legendary origin say, the word “아리랑,” finds its origin from the amalgam of the words, 아리 meaning “beautiful,” and 랑 being the word for “my beloved one,” or “bridegroom.”
Some believe that during the Joseon period, when workers were conscripted out of their Gangwon homes to work in Seoul to build the Gyeongbokgung, the phrases “아리랑” or “아난리” were said to the officials, as a symbol of their eventual reunification with their families and homes. This proposes that the origin of “아리랑” is a corruption of the Chinese title, 아이랑 meaning, “with my love.”
Some believe that Arirang was composed first in an ancient poem, praising the first queen of the Kingdom of Silla, Alyeong. The word, “Alyeong” is said to have been corrupted to 아리랑, while others say there is a Jurchen origin of the word.
3. As a Symbol of Korean Identity
During the Japanese Occupation of Korea, the song transcended from a song sang for the ups and downs of life, to a song sang for the yearning of a life free from the collective shackles and whips of brutal colonialism. Korean protesters sang “Arirang” during the March 1 Movement, a Korean demonstration against the Japanese Empire in 1919, henceforth it became the Anthem of Resistance against the Japanese.
In Na Woogyu선생님‘s prolific and nationalist portrayal of Korea under Japanese rule, in his film Arirang (1926) became one of the most influential films in Korean cinema history. Although it has been lost to time, multiple remakes of the plot have since sprung up. The song henceforth became a direct attack on Japanese brutality on Korean soil.
Even during the Korean War, the song marked the constant among the separated people of the North and South, forming a hope for their collective nation and an end to war. The United States 7th Infantry Division, a unit which served in Korea from 1950 to 1971, honored the song, by adopting it as it’s official marching tune.
Ever since, the Arirang has become a Korean icon and a symbol of unity. It was declared a UNESCO Intangible World Heritage in 2012 for South Korea and 2014 for the North. It has also been recognized by China in the “List of Representative Items of National Intangible Cultural Heritage of China” in 2011.
4. Literary Significance
Arirang, arirang, arariyo…
You are going over Arirang hill
My love, if you abandon me
Your feet will be sore before you go ten ri
Just as there are many stars in the clear sky
There are also many dreams in our heart
There, over there, that mountain is Baekdu
Where, even in the middle of winter days, flowers bloom
- Ri: a Chinese unit of measurement
- Baekdu: Mount Baekdu, the tallest peak on the Korean Peninsula
These lyrics are the most widely famous version of Arirang, the Seoul Arirang, which was also used in Na Woogyu’s Arirang. The sheer ambiguity of the stanza and the simple nature of the meaning, leaves room for interpretation. This has made the song immortal since it’s inception, as it took various forms to suit the needs of people of Korea across history. It is a song which invokes the feelings of happiness, sadness, anger, resistance, love, with the most perpetuality being hope.
The literary device of scenery is perfectly exemplified in the stanza and invoke a bittersweet feel. The stanza invokes the concepts used by romanticist poets in 18th century Europe, but with a more subtle and laconic twist; wherein brevity prevails of description.
The final lines of the composition paint the poignant picture, of possibility in impossibility, where flowers bloom even in the coldest of winters. Hence we can see, that from the sad tale of a young couple, to the resistance to foreign invaders, and to the modern prosperity of Korea, fraught with its own challenges, Arirang has never failed to capture the psyche of Koreans.
5. Renditions
Some of my favorite renditions of the song, are presented below:
By, Shantanu Dayal Sharan