PART I

MORTAL COILS

I wished to sweep away the clouds that blot the sun, to see an age of peace ensue,

but my galloping horse stopped and aged,

my keen sword rusted and tarnished. White hair importunes

as time goes by; I cannot curb my indignation

—Pak Hyogwan (1781–1880), The Book of Korean Shijo, edited by Kevin O’Rourke