Which Flower ALMOST Became The National Flower of Korea?

Turns out the azalea, another spring flower, lost out to the Rose of Sharon when it came to deciding which flower should have pride of place as the national symbol. Never mind. It has at least claim to be part of the national psyche as one of Korea's most famous and beloved poems, Azaleas, by the poet, Kim So-wol (1902-1934),  For a fascinating article by Brother Anthony  or An Sonjae  on how the poem can be translated and interpreted in different ways, click here.

Meanwhile, here are two versions. The first is by Kim Jai-hiun.

If you go away,

sick of the sight of me,

I'll let you go without a word.
But I'll also gather by the armful
the azaleas flaming in Yaksan, Yongbyon
and scatter them in your path.
Tread gently
and lightly
as you pass.
If you go away,
sick of the sight of me,
I will weep no tears, though I die without you.
 

And here's the second by David McGunn:

When you turn away from seeing me
and go,
gently, without a word, I shall send you away.
From Mount Yak in Yôngbyôn,
Azaleas
I shall gather an armful and scatter them on your way.
Step after step away
on those flowers placed
before you, press deep, step lightly, and go.
When you turn away from seeing me
and go,
though I die, no, not a single tear shall fall.

Click here to hear the lyric set to music.

Probably the best way to enjoy these flowers is to head for the hills but if your ankles don't permit, then stick to the city parks as this plant can be seen in many parts of the country.

Or check out some of the springtime festivals in Korea which are dedicated to this flower.

 

Foreigners who are taught how to make Jindallae hwajeon (진달래 화전) a.k.a. azalea pancakes, should also be taught how to distinguish the edible common azalea ( Chamggot or true flower) from the poisonous royal azaleas which are named Gaeggot or dog flower.

These pretty Korean pancakes are made from kneaded glutinous rice flour and sugar, decorated with Rhododendron mucronulatum and pan-fried. No idea of they taste as good as they look. Hwajeon is usually served on Samjinal, the third day of the third lunar month. There's also a  traditional alcoholic beverage using azalea blossoms, called Tugyonju. Has anyone out there tried the stuff?

  

Sources:

http://www.korea.net/News/issues/NewsView.asp?serial_no=20070429005&part=106&SearchDay=
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azalea
http://www.foreston.go.kr/english/info/43jeam.html
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2010/02/169_12227.html
http://www.korea.net/kois/eng_vns_read.asp?movie_no=246
http://www.rhodyman.net/rarhodytox.html
http://english.seoul.go.kr/gtk/news/reports_view.php?idx=1104&cPage=41
http://english.tour2korea.com/ena/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=530701
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Azalea
http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/culturenlife/culturenlife_tour_detail.htm?No=1311
http://www.koreana.or.kr/months/news_view.asp?b_idx=533&lang=en&page_type=list
http://www.mcst.go.kr/english/issue/issueView.jsp?pSeq=1082
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http://www.korea.net/News/News/NewsView.asp?serial_no=20080408023&part=109&SearchDay=
http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/AK/AK_EN_1_6_6_1.jsp?sel=1&num=10&no=9
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Korean_pancake-Jindallae_hwajeon-02.jpg