One of Yun Sondo's Five Friends

As another farewell nod to Damyang in Jeollanam-do, I'd like to feature an excerpt from a poem by Yun Sŏndo (1587 - 1671). One of the most prominent poets in Korean literature, Yun has been compared to his contemporaries like Shakespeare, Basho and Cervantes. His poem, Song of Five Friends, is often quoted in anthologies of Korean poetry. Here are three versions of verse five from that poem.

The first version is by Larry Gross:

Look at this, it isn’t a tree, and it isn‘t a grass either;
How can it stand so erect when its insides are empty?

Bamboo, I praise you in all seasons, standing green no matter what

The second by Kevin O'Rourke comes from his book, The Book of Korean Shijo:

Neither wood nor grass;

who made it straight, why is it hollow?
So green all the year round; that's why I like it.

The third is my long-winded reworking ( with no regard for the technical rules of sijo composition):

Consider this: too skinny to be a tree, too thick to be grass;
You stand tall and strong, though insubstantial within.
Yet, despite the seasons, you remain steadfast in hue.

source:
http://thewordshop.tripod.com/Sijo/yunsondo.html
http://www.candlemaking.com/store/Bamboo-P2302C31.aspx?UserID=581291&SessionID=JvqIw2qWrguWYkTn4Ryr