Table of Contents

김소월 초혼

Thematic Analysis

Key Takeaways

Grammatical Analysis of the Poem

Introduction to the Poet

title-Calling-the-Spirit-Understanding-Kim-Sowol’s-Poem-of-Unending-Love-and-Loss

 

✒️ 김소월 초혼

 

산산이 부서진 이름이여!

허공중에 헤어진 이름이여!

불러도 주인 없는 이름이여!

부르다가 내가 죽을 이름이여!

 

심중에 남아 있는 말 한마디는

끝끝내 마저 하지 못하였구나.

사랑하던 그 사람이여!

사랑하던 그 사람이여!

 

붉은 해는 서산마루에 걸리었다.

사슴이의 무리도 슬피 운다.

떨어져 나가 앉은 산 위에서

나는 그대의 이름을 부르노라.

 

설움에 겹도록 부르노라.

설움에 겹도록 부르노라.

부르는 소리는 비껴가지만

하늘과 땅 사이가 너무 넓구나.

 

선 채로 이 자리에 돌이 되어도

부르다가 내가 죽을 이름이여!

사랑하던 그 사람이여!

사랑하던 그 사람이여!

 

Kim Sowol’s “Calling the Spirit” is a haunting invocation of the departed's soul. The title, 초혼 (招魂), means to summon the soul of the dead, and the poem is a piercing lament filled with yearning and undying love toward a lost beloved, possibly a lover or wife. Far from being a mournful elegy, the poem questions whether love can transcend even death. The call may be sorrowful and anguished, but it resounds like an eternal declaration of love.

 

🎙️ Recitation

[Source] YouTube, [시낭송]이혜정의해피톡


✒️ Thematic Analysis

In “Calling the Spirit,” the poet utters the beloved's name in longing, unable to let go or accept death. Silence speaks louder than words throughout the poem. His steps toward the realm of the dead are slow yet desperate. This poem is a wail and a song composed in the heart of that grief-stricken path.

 

- Stanza 1

산산이 부서진 이름이여! / 허공중에 헤어진 이름이여! / 불러도 주인 없는 이름이여! / 부르다가 내가 죽을 이름이여!

Oh name, shattered into pieces! / Oh name, lost in the void! / A name without an owner, even if I call it! / A name I will call until I die!

→ The speaker confronts the void left by the beloved's absence. The name is broken, unreachable, and calling it becomes an act of desperation, so much so that the speaker feels he may die calling it.

 

- Stanza 2

심중에 남아 있는 말 한마디는 / 끝끝내 마저 하지 못하였구나. / 사랑하던 그 사람이여! / 사랑하던 그 사람이여!

The one word left deep in my heart / I could never bring myself to say. / O you whom I loved! / O you whom I loved!

→ The poet mourns an unspoken confession. A word of love left unsaid becomes eternal regret. The repeated address to the lost beloved echoes the pain of parting without closure.

 

- Stanza 3

붉은 해는 서산마루에 걸리었다. / 사슴이의 무리도 슬피 운다. / 떨어져 나가 앉은 산 위에서 / 나는 그대의 이름을 부르노라.

The red sun is caught on the western ridge. / Even the herd of deer cries in sorrow. / Sitting apart on the distant mountain / I call your name.

→ Nature mirrors the poet's grief—the setting sun and crying deer symbolize mourning. Isolated on a hill, the poet becomes part of a sorrowful landscape, calling out only the beloved’s name.

 

- Stanza 4

설움에 겹도록 부르노라. / 설움에 겹도록 부르노라. / 부르는 소리는 비껴가지만 / 하늘과 땅 사이가 너무 넓구나.

I call again and again, layered in sorrow. / I call again and again, layered in sorrow. / But my voice slips past in vain / The gap between heaven and earth is too vast.

Layered grief fills each call, but the voice is lost in the vastness between the living and the dead. The poet highlights the unreachable chasm between two worlds, making each cry more tragic.

 

- Stanza 5

선 채로 이 자리에 돌이 되어도 / 부르다가 내가 죽을 이름이여! / 사랑하던 그 사람이여! / 사랑하던 그 사람이여!

Even if I stand here and turn to stone / I’ll call your name until I die! / O you whom I loved! / O you whom I loved!

Even if turned to stone, the poet vows to stay and call the beloved’s name. This unwavering resolve underlines a love so absolute that it persists beyond pain, time, and death.



🎯 Key Takeaways

 

1. 산산이 부서진 / 산산이 부서지다

To be shattered into pieces or fragments; used figuratively to express emotional or psychological devastation.


📌 Example Usage

"그의 꿈은 산산이 부서졌다."

"His dream was shattered into pieces."

"산산이 부서진 마음은 다시는 원래대로 돌아갈 수 없었다."

"A heart shattered into pieces could never return to its original state."


🎨 Additional Expressions

조각조각 나다 (to be broken into pieces) – Often used for both physical and emotional destruction.


📌 Example Usage

"그의 말 한마디에 내 마음이 조각조각 났다."

"My heart broke into pieces because of his one word."


2.
이름이여 / 이름

"이름이여" is a poetic invocation of someone's name, expressing longing or reverence; "이름" refers to a name.


📌 Example Usage

"그대 이름이여, 영원히 기억하리라."

"Your name—I shall remember forever."

"그 사람의 이름을 들을 때마다 가슴이 아팠다."

"Every time I heard their name, it hurt."


🌀 Similar Expressions

존함/성함 (honorific form of ‘name’) – Used in formal or respectful settings.


📌 Example Usage

"어르신의 존함을 여쭤봐도 될까요?"

"May I ask your name, sir?"


3.
허공

Space or void; often used metaphorically to describe something meaningless or ungraspable.


📌 Example Usage

"그의 외침은 허공을 맴돌 뿐이었다."

"His cry merely lingered in the void."


🎨 Additional Expressions

공허 (emptiness) – Emphasizes the emotional or existential hollowness.


📌 Example Usage

"공허한 마음을 채울 수가 없었다."

"I couldn’t fill the emptiness in my heart."


4.
헤어진 / 헤어지다

To part or separate, often used in the context of breakups or farewells.


📌 Example Usage

"우리는 끝내 헤어지고 말았다."

"We ended up parting ways."


🌀 Similar Expressions

이별하다 (to bid farewell, to separate emotionally) – Often used in literary or formal contexts.


📌 Example Usage

"이별하는 순간 눈물이 멈추지 않았다."

"I couldn't stop crying at the moment of farewell."


5.
불러도 / 부르다

To call out or sing; here, "불러도" implies calling in vain or repeatedly without response.


📌 Example Usage

"아무리 불러도 대답이 없었다."

"No matter how much I called, there was no answer."


🎨 Additional Expressions

외치다 (to shout out, cry out) – Often expresses desperation or urgency.


📌 Example Usage

"그녀는 절박하게 그의 이름을 외쳤다."

"She desperately cried out his name."


6.
주인 없는 / 주인이 없다

It is often symbolically used for something abandoned or lifeless without an owner.


📌 Example Usage

"주인 없는 집은 쓸쓸해 보였다."

"The ownerless house looked desolate."


🎨 Additional Expressions

버려진 (abandoned) – More emotionally charged, implying neglect.


📌 Example Usage

"버려진 강아지가 거리를 떠돌았다."

"The abandoned puppy roamed the streets."


7.
부르다가 / 부르다

To be calling or singing emphasizes the continuous or interrupted act.


📌 Example Usage

"그의 이름을 부르다가 목이 메었다."

"My throat choked as I was calling his name."


🌀 Similar Expressions

외치다가 (while shouting) – Suggests urgency and emotional distress.


📌 Example Usage

"도움을 외치다가 지쳐버렸다."

"I got exhausted while crying out for help."


8.
죽을 / 죽다

"죽을" is the attributive form of "to die," often used to describe a future or hypothetical death.


📌 Example Usage

"죽을 각오로 임했다."

"I approached it with the determination to die."


🌀 Similar Expressions

생을 마감하다 (to end one’s life) – Formal or poetic way of expressing death.


📌 Example Usage

"그는 조용히 생을 마감했다."

"He quietly ended his life."


8.
심중

One’s deep inner feelings or heart, often unspoken or private thoughts.


📌 Example Usage

"그녀는 심중의 고백을 꺼내지 못했다."

"She couldn't voice what was in her heart."


🌀 Similar Expressions

가슴속 (inside the heart) – More commonly used in daily speech.


📌 Example Usage

"그 말은 아직 가슴속에 남아 있다."

"Those words still remain in my heart."


9.
남아있는 / 남아있다

To remain or be left behind; often used to describe residual emotion or presence.


📌 Example Usage

"그의 향기는 아직도 방 안에 남아있는 듯했다."

"His scent still seemed to linger in the room."


🎨 Additional Expressions

머무르다 (to stay, to remain) – Emphasizes the state of being held or lingering.


📌 Example Usage

"그 감정은 오랫동안 내 마음에 머물렀다."

"That emotion stayed in my heart for a long time."


10.
말 한마디

A single word or line emphasizes the power or weight a single utterance can carry.


📌 Example Usage

"그의 말 한마디에 모두가 침묵했다."

"Everyone fell silent at his one word."


🎨 Additional Expressions

단어 하나 (just one word) – More literal, less emotionally charged.


📌 Example Usage

"단어 하나가 큰 오해를 불렀다."

"One word caused a huge misunderstanding."


11.
끝끝내

To the very end, ultimately, it emphasizes persistence or inevitability despite circumstances.


📌 Example Usage

"그는 끝끝내 고향으로 돌아오지 못했다."

"He ultimately couldn’t return to his hometown."


🌀 Similar Expressions

결국 (in the end) – More commonly used, less poetic.


📌 Example Usage

"결국 그는 떠나고 말았다."

"In the end, he left."


12.
마저 하지 못하였구나 / 마저 하지 못하다

To be unable to finish something; "마저" implies something was left incomplete.


📌 Example Usage

"그 말마저 하지 못하고 그는 떠났다."

"He left without even being able to finish saying that."


🎨 Additional Expressions

끝맺지 못하다 (fail to conclude) – Often used for emotional or significant actions.


📌 Example Usage

"작별 인사를 끝맺지 못한 게 후회된다."

"I regret not being able to say goodbye."


13.
사랑하던 / 사랑하다

To have loved; the attributive past form of "to love."


📌 Example Usage

"사랑하던 사람을 잊지 못했다."

"I couldn’t forget the one I loved."


🎨 Additional Expressions

그리워하던 (longed for) – Emphasizes emotional yearning.


📌 Example Usage

"그리워하던 날들이 다시 찾아왔다."

"The days I longed for have returned."


14.
붉은 해

The red sun often symbolizes passion, blood, or impending doom in literature.


📌 Example Usage

"붉은 해가 지는 하늘은 불타는 듯했다."

"The sky with the setting red sun looked like it was burning."


🎨 Additional Expressions

저녁노을 (sunset glow) – More neutral and descriptive.


📌 Example Usage

"저녁노을이 하늘을 붉게 물들였다."

"The sunset glow painted the sky red."


15.
서산마루

The ridge of the western mountain is often used poetically to describe the horizon at sunset.


📌 Example Usage

"서산마루 너머로 해가 졌다."

"The sun set beyond the western ridge."


🎨 Additional Expressions

산 너머 (beyond the mountain) – Less specific, more general.


📌 Example Usage

"산 너머로 아침 햇살이 비쳤다."

"The morning light shone beyond the mountain."



16. 걸리었다 / 걸리다

To have caught or hung; used figuratively to mean being trapped or stuck.


📌 Example Usage

"그의 말이 마음에 걸리었다."

"His words got stuck in my heart."


🌀 Similar Expressions

맺히다 (to linger, be stuck emotionally) – Emphasizes emotional weight.


📌 Example Usage

"가슴속에 맺힌 눈물이 흐르지 않았다."

"The tears welled up in my heart, but wouldn’t fall."


17.
사슴이의 무리

A herd of deer suggests purity, nature, and transience in poetic imagery.


📌 Example Usage

"사슴이의 무리가 숲속을 가로질렀다."

"The herd of deer crossed through the forest."


🎨 Additional Expressions

노루떼 (a group of roe deer) – Regional or dialectal nuance.


📌 Example Usage

"노루떼가 산길을 따라 내려왔다."

"A group of roe deer came down the mountain path."


18.
슬피 운다 / 슬피 울다

To cry sorrowfully; deeply emotional and poetic.


📌 Example Usage

"그 여인은 밤새 슬피 울었다."

"The woman wept sorrowfully all night."


🎨 Additional Expressions

눈물을 흘리다 (to shed tears) – Common and neutral expression.


📌 Example Usage

"그는 말없이 눈물을 흘렸다."

"He silently shed tears."


19.
떨어져 나가 / 떨어져 나가다

To break off or separate; can be used physically or emotionally.


📌 Example Usage

"그 조각은 본체에서 떨어져 나갔다."

"That piece broke off from the main body."


🌀 Similar Expressions

분리되다 (to be separated) – Often used in technical or formal contexts.


📌 Example Usage

"그 장치는 본체와 분리되어야 작동한다."

"The device must be separated from the main unit to function."


20.
산 위에서

From the mountain top, a literal phrase with an elevated, poetic connotation.


📌 Example Usage

"산 위에서 내려다보니 세상이 작아 보였다."

"Looking down from the mountain top, the world seemed small."


🎨 Additional Expressions

정상에서 (from the summit) – More common in daily language.


📌 Example Usage

"정상에서의 풍경은 잊을 수 없었다."

"The view from the summit was unforgettable."


21.
그대

Poetic or archaic form of "you"; evokes formality, intimacy, or reverence.


📌 Example Usage

"그대를 위해 이 노래를 부릅니다."

"I sing this song for you."


22.
부르노라 / 부르다

Poetic declarative form of "to call"; emphasizes intent and emotion.


📌 Example Usage

"나는 그대 이름을 부르노라."

"I call your name."


🎨 Additional Expressions

외치노라 (I cry out) – Also poetic but more urgent in tone.


📌 Example Usage

"정의를 외치노라!"

"I cry out for justice!"


23.
설움에 겹도록 / 설움에 겹다

To be overwhelmed with sorrow, often layered with helplessness or deep grief.


📌 Example Usage

"설움에 겹도록 눈물이 흘렀다."

"Tears flowed as I was overwhelmed with sorrow."


🎨 Additional Expressions

슬픔에 잠기다 (to be immersed in sadness) – Describes emotional immersion.


📌 Example Usage

"그녀는 슬픔에 잠겨 아무 말도 하지 않았다."

"She was immersed in sadness and said nothing."


24.
소리

Sound, voice, or noise; contextually nuanced based on tone or origin.


📌 Example Usage

"그 소리는 바람 같았다."

"The sound was like the wind."


🎨 Additional Expressions

울림 (resonance, echo) – Adds depth or emotional impact.


📌 Example Usage

"그의 노래는 마음에 울림을 주었다."

"His song gave a resonance to the heart."


25.
비껴가지만 / 비껴가다

To pass by narrowly, to miss slightly; often used in emotional or symbolic contexts.


📌 Example Usage

"행운이 또다시 내 곁을 비껴갔다."

"Luck passed me by once again."


🌀 Similar Expressions

스쳐 지나가다 (to brush past) – Emphasizes fleeting contact.


📌 Example Usage

"그는 내 옆을 스쳐 지나갔다."

"He brushed past me."


26.
하늘과 땅 사이

Between heaven and earth symbolizes the mortal realm or human experience.


📌 Example Usage

"하늘과 땅 사이에 외로운 존재가 있다."

"There is a lonely being between heaven and earth."


27.
너무 넓구나 / 너무 넓다

So vast; it expresses overwhelming distance or emotional separation.


📌 Example Usage

"세상은 너무 넓구나, 그대는 어디에 있는가."

"The world is so vast—where are you?"


🎨 Additional Expressions

끝이 없다 (endless) – Describes an unmeasurable extent.


📌 Example Usage

"사막은 끝이 없어 보였다."

"The desert seemed endless."


28.
산 채로

While still alive, it emphasizes vitality even in difficult or symbolic situations.


📌 Example Usage

"그는 산 채로 무덤에 묻힌 기분이었다."

"He felt like he was buried alive."


🌀 Similar Expressions

살아 있으면서 (while living) – Plain and less metaphorical.


📌 Example Usage

"살아 있으면서도 죽은 듯이 살았다."

"Though alive, he lived like a dead man."


29.
이 자리에

In this very place, it often conveys presence, memory, or longing.


📌 Example Usage

"나는 여전히 이 자리에 서 있다."

"I’m still standing right here."


🎨 Additional Expressions

여기서 (here) – More neutral, common in speech.


📌 Example Usage

"여기서 기다릴게."

"I’ll wait here."


30.
돌이 되어도 / 돌이 되다

Even if one turns into stone, a poetic metaphor for unwavering love or eternal waiting.


📌 Example Usage

"돌이 되어도 당신을 기다릴게요."

"Even if I turn into stone, I’ll wait for you."

양식의 맨 위



✒️ Grammatical Analysis of the Poem


산산이 부서진 이름이여!

- "산산이": adverb meaning "into pieces," intensifying the verb

- "부서진": from "부서지다 (to break, to shatter)" + past attributive ending "-"

- "이름이여": "이름 (name)" + vocative ending "-이여" (poetic/formal way to call out a name)

→ ‘O name shattered into pieces!’


📝 Meaning

An expression of sorrow and emotional devastation, calling out a name that symbolizes a broken past or love


허공중에 헤어진 이름이여!

- "허공중에": "허공 (space, void)" + locative particle "-중에 (in/among)"

- "헤어진": from "헤어지다 (to part, to separate)" + past attributive "-"

- "이름이여": vocative structure again

→ ‘O name that parted in the void!’


📝 Meaning

A poetic cry to a lost name, emphasizing its disappearance into emptiness, symbolizing forgotten or unreachable love


불러도 주인 없는 이름이여!

- "불러도": "부르다 (to call)" + concessive connective "-아도 (even if)"

- "주인 없는": "주인 (owner, master)" + negation "-없는" → ‘without an owner’

- “이름이여”: vocative

→ ‘O name without a master, even if I call!’


📝 Meaning

Evokes the futility of calling someone who no longer exists or responds; a lament for an unanswerable name


부르다가 내가 죽을 이름이여!

- "부르다가": "부르다 (to call)" + "-다가" (while doing...)

- "내가": " (I)" + subject particle "-"

- "죽을": from "죽다 (to die)" + future attributive "-"

- "이름이여": vocative

→ ‘O name I’ll die calling!’


📝 Meaning

A powerful declaration of eternal longing—the name will be called until death, signifying irreversible grief.


심중에 남아 있는 말 한마디는

- "심중에": "심중 (in the heart, inner thoughts)" + locative particle "-"

- "남아 있는": "남다 (to remain)" + present attributive "-"

- "말 한마디는": " (word)" + "한마디 (a single phrase)" + topic particle "-"

→ ‘The one word remaining in my heart’


📝 Meaning

Refers to the lingering words never spoken, symbolizing emotional repression or regret


끝끝내 마저 하지 못하였구나.

- "끝끝내": emphatic form of "끝내 (in the end, finally)" → ‘after all’

- "마저": 'even that' or 'at least that'

- "하지 못하였구나": "하다 (to do)" + negation "" + past tense formal poetic ending "-하였구나"

 • “하다” → negation “하지 못하다” → “하지 못했다” (past tense, contraction) → “하지 못하였다” (past tense) → “하지 못하였구나” (formal poetic ending)

→ ‘In the end, I couldn’t even say it all’


📝 Meaning

A mournful reflection on the inability to express final thoughts or emotions, representing unresolved love or guilt


사랑하던 그 사람이여!

- "사랑하던": from "사랑하다 (to love)" + past attributive "-" → ‘the one I loved’

- "그 사람이여": "그 사람 (that person)" + vocative "-이여"

→ ‘O the one I loved!’


📝 Meaning

A repeated poetic cry of longing for the loved one who is gone, laden with affection and pain


사랑하던 그 사람이여!

(Identical repetition; adds intensity)


📝 Meaning

The repetition deepens the sense of heartbreak and devotion, showing the speaker cannot relinquish the memory.


붉은 해는 서산마루에 걸리었다.

- "붉은": "붉다 (red)" + attributive "-"

- "해는": " (sun)" + topic particle "-"

- "서산마루에": "서산 (western mountain)" + "마루 (ridge)" + locative "-"

- "걸리었다": archaic past form of "걸리다 (to hang, to be caught)" → poetic usage

→ ‘The red sun hung on the western ridge’


📝 Meaning

A symbolic scene depicting the end of a day, paralleling death or emotional closure


사슴이의 무리도 슬피 운다.

- "사슴이의": "사슴이 (archaic poetic form of deer)" + possessive "-"

 • “사슴이” = “사슴

- "무리도": "무리 (group)" + additive particle "-"

- "슬피": adverb form of "슬프다 (to be sad)" → ‘sadly’

- "운다": from "울다 (to cry)" + present tense

→ ‘Even the herd of deer cries sadly’


📝 Meaning

Nature itself shares in the sorrow; the world empathizes with the speaker’s grief


떨어져 나가 앉은 산 위에서

- "떨어져 나가": "떨어지다 (to fall)" + auxiliary verb "나가다 (to go out, to become detached)"

- "앉은": from "앉다 (to sit)" + attributive "-"

- "산 위에서": " (mountain)" + " (top)" + locative "-에서"

→ ‘From the mountaintop, where I sit, separated’


📝 Meaning

A portrayal of isolation, physically and emotionally removed, meditating in sorrow


나는 그대의 이름을 부르노라.

- "나는": " (I)" + topic particle "-"

- "그대의": "그대 (you)" + possessive "-"

- "이름을": "이름 (name)" + object particle "-"

- "부르노라": poetic/formal present tense of "부르다 (to call)"

→ ‘I call your name’


📝 Meaning

A solemn, ongoing act of remembrance and yearning—a cry into silence


설움에 겹도록 부르노라.

- "설움에": "설움 (sorrow)" + locative "-"

- "겹도록": "겹다 (to be overwhelmed, to be full)" + purposive "-도록"

→ ‘I call (your name) to the point of being overwhelmed by sorrow’


📝 Meaning

The grief has layered and deepened so much that even calling the name is saturated with sorrow.


설움에 겹도록 부르노라.

(Repeated for emphasis)


📝 Meaning

Amplifies the overwhelming and persistent emotional pain, showing the speaker is trapped in their mourning


부르는 소리는 비껴가지만

- "부르는 소리는": "부르다 (to call)" + attributive "-" + "소리 (sound)" + topic particle "-"

- "비껴가지만": "비껴가다 (to deflect, to miss)" + contrastive "-지만 (although)"

→ ‘Though the sound of calling deflects away’


📝 Meaning

Describes the futility of the speaker’s cry—the name echoes without return or response


하늘과 땅 사이가 너무 넓구나.

- "하늘과 땅 사이가": "하늘 (sky)" + " (and)" + " (earth)" + "사이 (between)" + subject particle "-"

- "너무 넓구나": "너무 (too)" + "넓다 (wide)" + poetic ending "-구나"

→ ‘The distance between sky and earth is too vast’


📝 Meaning

Symbolizes the unbridgeable gap between life and death, or between the speaker and the lost one.


선 채로 이 자리에 돌이 되어도

- "선 채로": "서다 (to stand)" + verb noun form + "채로 (while being)"

- "이 자리에": " (this)" + "자리 (place)" + locative particle "-"

- "돌이 되어도": " (stone)" + topic maker “-” + "되다 (to become)" + concessive "-어도 (even if)"

→ ‘Even if I turn to stone standing here’


📝 Meaning

An image of eternal vigil—remaining fixed in longing and pain, unmoved, unchanging


부르다가 내가 죽을 이름이여!

(Repeated line; identical to earlier usage)


📝 Meaning

Restates the fatal yearning—the name that will be called until the speaker’s last breath


사랑하던 그 사람이여!


📝 Meaning

Repetition reinforces the permanence of love and memory, even through anguish.


사랑하던 그 사람이여!

(Final repetition closes with emotional crescendo)


📝 Meaning

Ends with unyielding love and mourning, encapsulating the core of the poem—eternal longing and unresolved sorrow

 

✒️ Introduction to the Poet

Please refer to the link below for an introduction to poet Kim Sowol and his representative works.


🔖 A Korean Poem About Farewell: Deep Dive into Kim Sowol’s ‘Azaleas’ (진달래꽃)