Do you know an eternal love is the saddest thing in the world ?

in #culture7 years ago (edited)

20170817

Eternal loves are existing only in the novels and the poems.
At least, I had thought like that until when I knew about love between a Poet and a Ghisaeng.

Ghisaeng is Geisha in Korean.
I think you’ve already heard of Geisha before.
Korea and Japan is very close country.
Due to the geopolitical reasons, Japan had accepted cultures and scholarships through Korean peninsular. I don’t know the exact origin of the Ghisaeng, but it seemed that the Ghisaeng and Geisha were similar to each other.

In Korea the Ghisaeng was a entertainer. They had learnt all kinds of cultire in the school. They needed to sing a song and dance. Among the Ghisaengs there were so many great poets and artists. So many korean traditional songs and dances could be preserved by Ghisaengs.

After liberation from Japanese imperial rule, the Ghisaeng shool was closed. So It could be said that the Japanese Imperial ruling time was the last generation of the Ghisaeng.

At that time, there were the one of the most famous poor young genius poet and the brilliant Ghisaeng.
They had loved each other until the destiny took them apart.
The Poet was Baek Seok, the Ghisaeng was Kim Youghan.

Baek Seok was born in Northern area of korean peninsula, and Seoul was Kim younghan’s home town. Kim younghan was very smart and intelligent.
1940 th she had studied in the University. But the poverty brought her to the life of Ghisaeng.
At that time they met together.

Photos of Poet Baek Seok


When he was a english teacher


When he was a student

Photo of Kim Younghan


at age of 18 years old, her dancing was taken into picture and seemed to be made as a postcard.

It was said that she was so beautiful. But strage enough, her photos were not so much left behind.

This one is the only photo I could find in the internet and books.

They had lived together for a short time. He went to the Manchuria and she left in Seoul. While they were taken apart, the korea was liberated from the Japanese rule, and Korea was divided. After while korean war broke in 1950.

They could not see again until die.

Under the communist rule, he could not write poems anymore. He had live as farm worker and died in 1995 at the age of 83 years old.
He got married in North Korea. He had a son and a daughter. I found his family photo in internet.

Ghisaeng Kim youghan became a billionaire after Korean war. She had run a famous restaurant. But she had regretted not to follow him to the Manchuria. She died in 1999 at the age of 80years old. They had lived together for 3 years.

But she had never forget him in all her life. She had never eaten anything in his birthday in all her life. Before passing away, she donate her all assets and money worth of 100 million dollars to respectable monk. She wanted to make her restaurant a Buddhist temple.

I visited this temple and took the photos.
I will post when it comes to the temple which has beautiful, sad and eternal love story.

It is strange and mysterious that every eternal love is sad, the saddest thing in the world is an eternal love.

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Wow! That is quite a story. It was very kind of her to donate that money in the end. I do wish she could have had her love.

Thank you for posting this lovely love story @slowwalker, nim.

Appreciate the historical photographs and story.....rich ground for a novel.

It seems so very sad and yet to have a love for another person that endures is a treasure indeed.

Proverbs of the Bible says....Love endures beyond the grave.

All the best to you and yours. Cheers.

thank you for your comment

Thank you friend @slowwalker for wonderful story! I wish you a good Sunday!

Such a sad story and just so silly that governments and wars have so much power to ruin eoples lives.

human civilization is full of such stories this is one of them

that 's so sorry

L'amour est bien plus fort que nous , @slowwalker.

Baek Seok and Kim Youghan were star-crossed lovers whose romance it seems was never fated to be.

They were separated by war and distance, and ultimately, by culture. Even their country was divided.

I found it interesting that in the end, Kim Youghan divested herself of her assets turning her restaurant into a Buddhist temple.

What makes love eternal is not the passion that initially draws two people together, but the commitment to stay together until the end.

Kim's devotion to Baek was demonstrated yearly on his birthday, and now forever, in the memorial temple that Kim Youghan left behind.

A wistful and yet inspiring story of true love, my friend.

Thank you for your comment
I think she had lived meaningful life.
She had a true love.

I like love, because only love and affection make our life colorful

I agree with you

Very sad ☹

This was the best thing I didn't know I wanted to know. Thank you for the beautiful, sad story.

Thank you so much

And maybe if she had followed him she would have regretted not staying where she was! Shoulda woulda coulda. Human beings are funny old creatures.

Nice remembrance history .