Bring your harvests from far and near.
Laugh and sing where His blessings fall,
Wind and waves, lagoons and rills,
Shout his love who is Lord of all.
Sung in English
Arirang – Trad. Korean, arr. Chen Yi
Arirang, which dates back
some 600 years, has held such national pride that it appears twice on UNESCO’s
Intangible Cultural Heritage list: once for South Korea and again for North Korea.
Furthermore, the South Korean Cultural Heritage Administration lists the song as
one of Korea’s most important intangible cultural assets – rather high praise for a
folk song. According to legend, the name “Arirang” derives from the story of a man
and a woman who fall in love while picking Camellia blossoms. One day the two
part, having promised to meet again the following morning, but when the bachelor
is impossible. He sings this song to express his incredible sorrow at being separated
from his sweetheart. In another version, the bachelor drowns while crossing the
water in a raft and sings the song in death. In the early 20th century, “Arirang”
became a resistance anthem against Imperial Japanese occupation in Korea. Many
variations arose during this time, often containing themes of injustice, the struggle
of laborers and guerilla warfare. The words to Chen Yi’s setting are reminiscent of a
Arirang, Arirang, Arariyo...
You are going over Arirang hill
My love is leaving me behind;
Won’t make it ten miles before falling ill.
The blue sky is full of stars
And our lives are full of troubles.
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