Im Che

• Hangul — %임제 • Hanja — 林悌 Im Che (1549–1587) was a Confucianist yangban (nobleman) in Joseon.

Im penned the following sijo upon the death of famed gisaeng, Hwang Jini. Below this deep green grave do you sleep? Are you resting? Where are your blushing cheeks? Only white bones remain. This cup breaks my heart: She is not here to sip it. The following two poems were exchanged between Im Che and his lover, gisaeng Hanu. Im was known for his liaisons with Hanu and Hwang Jin Yi. The term in line 3, ch'an bi, literally translates as "freezing rain." It uses the same Chinese characters as the poetess' name (寒雨), but with a different pronunciation, and was intended by both poets as a pun. They called for clear weather. I left without a coat but snow fell on the mountain, freezing rain on the fields. Rain has frozen me today: I shiver on my mat tonight. - Im Che to Hanu Hanu's particular gift is to echo the style of the original that Im wrote to her, while improving on it with a teasing, very human tone. The translation employs a formal tone to match Im's original; and then follows with the simpler and more lyric style used by Hanu. In both cases, the line "rain has frozen" seemed to best communicate the double entendre of the originals. How can you stand that frigid mat? Here is my bed with ducks embroidered on pillows and a soft jade quilt. Rain has frozen you today: Melt with me tonight. - Hanu's response to Im Che When about to die, he grieved and left the words below. 四海諸國, 未有不稱帝者, 獨我邦終古不能, 生於若此陋邦, 其死何足惜. Although all Four Barbarians have joined, Zhongyuan, but only Korea had left behind. There's no use of living long for such a miserable country.