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"Arirang" is arguably the most popular and best-known Korean folk song, both inside and outside Korea. Arirang is an ancient native Korean word with no direct modern meaning. 'Ari' means "beautiful" (For example 아리따운 native Korean word means "beautiful", "lovely", "charming") 'Rang' can mean "dear". Because of those words, arirang could be interpreted to mean "beautiful dear"; however, this modern interpretation is unlikely to match the original (ancient) meaning.
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Many variations of the song exist, and they can be grouped into classes based on the lyrics, when the refrain is sung, the nature of the refrain, the overall melody, and so on. Titles of different versions of the song are usually prefixed by their place of origin or some other kind of signifier.
An orchestral reference to the song can be heard in the film Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins, and at one point Chiun, the Korean martial arts master played by Joel Grey, can be heard singing it, upon which Remo sarcastically asks, "Is it painful?" Chiun replies "I was singing old Korean love song".
The most recent cinematic handling of Arirang is in the Korean/American co-produced film called D-War aka Dragon Wars. Sung with a choir of 900 members, the song was made this time by Steve Jablonski of Hans Zimmer Media. The song serves as an end credit song. The song is in the movie upon the request of the director, Shim Hyung Rae.
The original form of Arirang is Jeongseon Arirang, which has been sung in Jeongseon County for more than 600 years. However, the most famous version of Arirang is that of Seoul. It is the so-called Bonjo Arirang, although it is not actually bonjo (본조; 本調; "Standard"). It is usually simply called Arirang, and is of relatively recent origin. It was first made popular by its use as the theme song of the influential early feature film Arirang (1926).[1] This version of the song is sometimes called Bonjo Arirang, Sin (Shin; "New") Arirang, or Gyeonggi Arirang, since its provenance is, properly speaking, Seoul, which was formerly part of Gyeonggi Province. (The titles Bonjo Arirang and Sin Arirang are sometimes applied to other versions of the song.)
Particularly famous folk versions of Arirang—all of which long predate the standard version—include:
Paldo Arirang is sometimes used to collectively denote all the many regional versions of the song, as sung in the far-flung regions of Korea's traditional Eight Provinces (Paldo).
Also, the American composer, John Barnes Chance, based his 1967 concert band composition Variations on a Korean Folk Song on a version of Arirang which he heard in Korea in the late 1950s.
In Korean Cultural Series Vol. V, Korea Sings Folk and Popular Music and Lyrics (민요와 현대가요) published by Tae Hung Ha (하태흥), Yonsei University Press, 1960, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1978, contains Arirang as an example of Korean folk songs. This volume introduces Arirang, Miryang Arirang and Kangwon-do Arirang.
I. Arirang
Refrain:
Arirang, Arirang, Arariyo,
Arirang Pass is the long road you go.
후렴:
아리랑 아리랑 아라리요
아리랑 고개로 넘어간다.
1st Verse:
If you leave and forsake me, my own,
Ere three miles you go, lame you'll have grown.
2nd Verse:
Wonderous time, happy time -- let us delay;
Till night is over, go not away.
3rd Verse:
Arirang Mount is my Tear-Falling Hill,
So seeking my love, I cannot stay still.
4th Verse:
The brightest of stars stud the sky so blue;
Deep in my bosom burns bitterest rue.
5th Verse:
Man's heart is like water streaming downhill;
Woman's heart is well water -- so deep and still.
6th Verse:
Young men's love is like pinecones seeming sound,
But when the wind blows, they fall to the ground.
7th Verse:
Birds in the morning sing simply to eat;
Birdes in the evening sing for love sweet.
8th Verse:
When man has attained to the age of a score,
The mind of a woman should be his love.
9th Verse:
The trees and the flowers will bloom for aye,
But the glories of youth will soon fade away.
II. Miryang Arirang
1st Verse:
Look on me! Look on me! Look on me!
In midwinter, when you see a flower, please think of me!
Chorus: Ari-arirang! Ssuri-Ssurirang! Arariga nanne!
O'er Arirang Pass I long to cross today.
2nd Verse:
Moonkyung Bird Pass has too many curves--
Winding up, winding down, in tears I go.
3rd Verse:
Carry me, carry me, carry me and go!
When flowers bloom in Hanyang, carry me and go.
Note: Bird Pass or "Saejae" is the summit of a high mountain, rising north of Moonkyung in the ancient highway, linking Seoul with Miryang and Tongnae (Pusan). Its sky-kissing heights are so rugged that in their eyes. This is a love song of a dancing girl from Miryang who was left behind by her lover from Seoul (Hanyang. She is calling him to take her with him to Hanyang. She believed that her own beauty was above all flowers in Hanyang. The words in the first line of the chorus are sounds of bitter sorrow at parting. This song was composed by Kim Dong Jin.
III. Kangwon-do Arirang
1st Verse:
Castor and camelia, bear no beans!
Deep mountain fair maidens would go a-flirting.
Chorus: Ari-Ari, Ssuri-Ssuri, Arariyo!
Ari-Ari Pass I cross and go.
2nd Verse:
Though I pray, my soya field yet will bear no beans;
Castor and camelia, why should you bear beans?
3rd Verse:
When I broke the hedge bush stem, you said you'd come away;
At your doorway I stamp my feet, why do you delay?
4th Verse:
Precious in the mountains are darae and moroo;
Honey sweet to you and me would be our love so true.
5th Verse:
Come to me! Come to me! Come and join me!
In a castor and camelia garden we'll meet, my love!
Note: The highland maids would like to make up their hair with castor and camelia oils and go love-making instead of going to work in the soya-bean fields. Moroo is a mountain grape; darae is a banana-shaped fruit with black seeds studded in its flesh. These are precious foods to mountain folk. The song is sarcastic, but emotional to confort the fair solitary reapers who go about gathering the wild fruits in the deep mountains of Kangwon-do.
Many versions of the song open by describing the travails the subject of the song encounters while crossing a mountain pass. "Arirang" is one name for the pass and hence the title of the song. Some versions of Arirang mention Mungyeong Saejae, which is the main mountain pass on the ancient Joseon Dynasty road between Seoul and southeastern Gyeongsang Province.
There are apparently a number of passes in Korea called "Arirang Pass." One such is a pass among some hills in central-northeastern Seoul. That Arirang Pass, however, was originally called Jeongneung Pass and was only renamed in 1926, to commemorate the release of the film Arirang.[2] Older versions of the song long predate the movie.
The Arirang Pass (아리랑 고개) is an imaginary rendezvous of lovers in the dreamland although there is a real mountainpass, calle, "Arirang Gogae," outside the Small East Gate of Seoul. The heroine of the story from which the Arirang Song originated was a fair maid of Miryang. In fact, she was a Miss Touch-me-not, and was killed by her unrequited lover. But as time went on, the tragic story changed to that of an unrequited lady-love who complained of her unfeeling lover. The tune is sweet and appealing. For the story, please refer to "Miss Arirang" in the "Korean Cultural Series, Vol. VI, Folk Tales of Old Korea."
In all versions of the song, the refrain and each verse are of equal length. In some versions—such as the standard version and Jindo Arirang—the first refrain precedes the first verse, while in other versions—including Miryang Arirang—the first refrain follows the first verse. Perhaps the easiest way to classify versions—apart from melody, which can vary widely between different versions—is the lyrics of the refrain. In the standard and some other versions, the first line of the refrain is "Arirang, Arirang, arariyo..." while in both Jindo Arirang and Miryang Arirang (which are otherwise quite different from each other), the first line of the refrain begins with "Ari arirang, seuri seurirang...." ("Arariyo" and "seurirang" are both meaningless words which are simply plays on "Arirang.")
Refrain (후렴)
아리랑 아리랑 아라리요
아리랑 고개로 넘어간다
The table below gives the refrain (first two lines; the refrain precedes the first verse) and first verse (third and fourth lines) of the standard version of the song in Hangul, romanized Korean, and a literal translation into English.
| Hangul | |
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아리랑, 아리랑, 아라리요... |
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| Romanization | |
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Arirang, Arirang, Arariyo... |
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| English | |
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Arirang, Arirang, Arariyo...[3] |
The standard version of Arirang has three verses, although the second and third verses are not as frequently sung as the first verse. They are listed below (excluding the refrain):
Verse 2
청청하늘엔 별도 많고
우리네 가슴엔 꿈도 많다
Cheongcheonghaneuren byeoldo manko
Urine gaseumen kkumdo manta
Just as there are many stars in the clear sky,
There are also many dreams in our heart.
Verse 3
저기 저 산이 백두산이라지
동지 섣달에도 꽃만 핀다
Jeogi jeo sani Baekdusaniraji
Dongji seotdaredo kkonman pinda
There, over there that mountain is Baekdu Mountain,
Where, even in the middle of winter days, flowers bloom.
The South Korean government designated Arirang as the official march of the US Army 7th Infantry Division, after its service in Korea during the Korean War, though the official Division song was the "New Arirang March," Arirang arranged into an American-style march. (The 7th Infantry Division no longer is activated.)
More is available on their site, Fort Carson - 7th ID.
On February 26, 2008, the New York Philharmonic performed Arirang for an encore during its unprecedented trip to North Korea.[8]