동요

So much more than a "nursery rhyme."

In my humble, completely unbiased opinion, Korea has the most beautiful children's songs.

Woke up and got a sudden urge to look up the forgotten lyrics to one of the first songs I ever learned.  My grandma taught me "과수원 길," meaning orchard lane.  Here's a meager translation:

In the orchard lane outside the village
Acacia flowers are in full bloom
White petals blow like snowflakes
Sweet fragrance rides the breeze
We speechlessly smile at each other
In the white acacia-laden orchard lane of long ago

Then, of course, I proceeded to look up a dozen others buried in my memory and sing them.  Most I got to the end, some I cried halfway.  HAHA!  'Tis my spring break...

Anyway, I had to stop after coming to this one.  "My Favorite Word"... I sang that at the school contest in forth grade.  The songwriter's favorite word, apparently, was "mother."

These songs are meant for children, but their meanings get deeper as I grow older.  What did I ever think about these lyrics while learning and singing them for the first time?  Certainly not much...  What did I know about some sentimental flowery memory of "long ago"?  (Heck, I probably still don't.)  I guess adults compose these songs for children because they enjoy listening to these beautiful lyrics sung by pure, innocent voices.

Oh, Korea.  I think of you fondly for sentimental and heritage-y reasons.  But probably not for much other.