눈물젖은 두만강

1. 본문

"눈물젖은 두만강" (Nunmul Jeojeun Dumangang) is a famous Korean trot song released in 1938. The title translates to "Tear-Soaked Tumen River" or "Tearful Tumen River" in English.

Here's a breakdown of the song's details and significance:

• Composer: Lee Si-woo (이시우)
• Lyricist: Kim Yong-ho (김용호), although some sources say the original first verse was written by Han Myeong-cheon (한명천), with Kim Yong-ho adding the second and third verses.
• Arranger: Park Si-chun (박시춘)
• Singer: Kim Jeong-gu (김정구), it was his most famous song.
• Lyrics: The lyrics, as shown in a 1983 performance by Kim Jeong-gu, describe a boatman rowing on the blue waters of the Tumen River, longing for a lost love who departed on a boat long ago. The river and the singer are both described as weeping with longing and sorrow.

Here's a sample of the lyrics (from a 2018 YouTube video of Kim Jeong-gu's performance):

> 두만강 푸른 물에 노 젓는 뱃사공

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> 흘러간 그 옛날에 내 님을 싣고

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> 떠나간 그 배는 어데로 갔소

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> 그리운 내 님이여 그리운 내 님이여

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> 언제나 오려나

This translates to:

> Boatman rowing on the blue Tumen River

>

> In the old days that flowed by, carrying my love

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> Where did that boat that left go?

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> My dear love, my dear love

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> When will you come?

• Background: The song is based on a tragic story. Composer Lee Si-woo, while staying at an inn near the Tumen River in 1935, heard a woman weeping all night. He learned that her husband, a Korean independence fighter, had been killed by Japanese forces. The woman had come to find him, only to discover he had died on his birthday. After holding a memorial for him, she took her own life in the Tumen River. Lee Si-woo was moved by this story, seeing the river as a symbol of the Korean people's sorrow and tears.
• Themes: The song evokes feelings of loss, separation, and longing, reflecting the historical context of Korea under Japanese rule. The Tumen River forms the border between North Korea, China and Russia. The imagery of the river is significant, as it represented a place of separation and a longing for reunification.
• Musical style Trot music. Before 1940, minor and pentatonic scales were predominant in trot.

• Popularity and censorship: Although released in 1938, the song didn't become a huge hit initially. The Japanese colonial government even banned the sale of the record containing the song in 1943, possibly due to its perceived nationalist sentiments. The song grew in popularity later, and is known as a famous Korean song.