I have had a few subscribers asking whether I have written any Classical Chinese poetry (漢詩, 한시). The answer is I have composed a handful of poems, but I consider none of them that good (佳作, 가작). It took me a very long time for me to compose each of them, because I cannot recall most characters’ tones off the top of my head. Further, I do not know many of the minute details of the rules, and thus had to closely follow a book I have on composing Classical Chinese poetry, for which I wrote a review on the book on this blog. (I am aware that there are other Korean blogs whose authors occasionally post their own compositions. A search for “자작 한시” online will bring up plenty of such poems.)
More interestingly, a few of those who have asked have said they write Classical Chinese poems. This gave me an idea. I have been always curious at how back in the day poets would gather to compose poetry together (詩會, 시회). I propose that those that can compose partake in a joint composition, corresponding via email. We can pick a rime (韻, 운), type of poem (詩體, 시체), and theme. Each of us can then write one line, and have the others comment and suggest revisions. Afterward, I could post the finished product here on this blog. It should be an insightful and informative experience into the not too distant past. If you are interested in partaking in the joint Classical Chinese poetry composition, please email me at kuiwonblog@gmail.com or leave a comment. If there is enough interest, perhaps we can make this happen.
