P'ahan Chip: Bridging the Gap to the Ancestry

P’ahan Chip, being an ancient work of intertextuality encompassing narration and poetry, was undoubtedly a challenging endeavor. Hence, it came as no surprise to learn that Professor Wuerthner took almost 10 years to complete the translation. This work not only embodies Yi Illo’s original creation but also incorporates quotations from Korean high society, overlooked individuals, Chinese historical stories, and poems from the Song Dynasty. Understanding its intellectual depth is impossible for modern readers without the aid of footnotes, rendering the text extremely dense.


During my conversation with Professor Wuerthner before class, he mentioned a gap in ancient Korean literature that has prevented Western society from acknowledging it, with efforts by the South Korean government underway to rectify this. The absence of Korean classics from our collective consciousness is testament to this fact. Professor Wuerthner elaborated on the translation process, particularly highlighting the challenges of preserving the rhymes of the poems. Attempting to mimic the original rhymes in translation would only result in awkwardness, thus he did not try to preserve most of the rhymes. 


Professor Wuerthner’s concept of a literary mosaic is intriguing. P’ahan Chip, akin to a collection of fragmented tales, forms a cohesive whole when viewed within a broader framework. Each narrative is meticulously arranged according to Yi’s varying beliefs in Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. This profound understanding of the author's artistic choices is achievable only through deep scholarly study. Professor Wuerthner’s ability to establish a connection with Yi across cultural and temporal barriers underscores the magic of literature and translation. Additionally, I was moved by Professor Wuerthner’s practice of checking for existing translations of the poems cited in P’ahan Chip as a gesture of courtesy, shedding light on the translator’s ethical considerations.


The relationship between a translator and an author is undoubtedly touching, but the bond between translators themselves is what I would describe as 惺惺相惜, an idiom in Chinese conveying mutual respect and support between individuals with similar personalities, interests, and circumstances (from "The Story of the Western Wing").


--Kerry Wang

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