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The talking rice Pot in NK In North Korea Having South Korean products Especially consumer electronics Laptops, cell phones, etc liquor, food, and K drama video tapes and foreign items as well, Is illegal They especially seem fixated About the talking rice pot These items are widespread Sold in open art black markets By low-paid government clerks Moonlighting a second or third job Authorities conduct Random home inspections Looking for contraband Proper respect show To the Dear Leader, his father And grandfather And illegal residents As many people flock To the cities for jobs And crash with relatives Or stay at illegal guest houses If you are caught with one of these items The penalties can include public execution, including children banishment to a labor camp for everyone in your extended family which is a death sentence as people are worked to death pretty young woman can be drafted into “entertainment corps” in lieu of punishment their job to entertain senior leaders like the old courtesans of the old days including romantic trysts If they get pregnant Off to the labor camps They go sometimes it just they have a quota to meet and off to the camps you go. protest and well The penalties increase! no one questions where someone has gone asking questions can lead to an invitation to a weekend of fun at a re-education camp Or if you are lucky Or connected A simple bribe And a warning Sets you free The top bribe The talking rice cooker A talking rice cooker Goes home to his new home The whisper of the black market swallows starlight, 검은 시장의 속삭임은 별빛을 삼키고, Geomeun sijang-ui soksagimeun byeolbit-eul samkigo, The talking rice pot confides secrets to the clouds. 말하는 밥솥은 구름에게 비밀을 털어놓는다. Malhaneun bapsot-eun gureum-ege bimil-eul teoreononda, The laptop spreads its wings on a frozen river, 노트북은 얼어붙은 강 위에서 날개를 펴고, Noteubuk-eun eoreobuteun gang wi-eseo nalgae-reul pyeogo, The cell phone rides the wind and disappears, 휴대전화는 바람을 타고 사라진다, Hyudaejeonhwa-neun baram-eul tago sarajinda, And we walk wearing silence. 그리고 우리는 침묵을 입고 걷는다. Geurigo urineun chimmug-eul ipgo geotneunda, The rice cooker goes home And says “Comrade How can I better serve The great socialist revolution today Long live the dear leader Down with the Yankee running dogs” Korean: 동무여, 오늘 나는 어떻게 하면 위대한 사회주의 건설에 더 힘을 보탤 수 있을까? 위대한 지도자를 찬양하라, 제국주의의 그림자를 몰아내자! Romanization: Dongmu-yeo, Oneul naneun eotteoke hamyeon Widaehan sahoejuui geonseol-e deo himeul botal su isseulkka? Widaehan jidojareul chanyanghara, Jegukjuui-ui geurimjareul moranaeja! Stanza 2 English: Everyone who gets a rice cooker Immediately reprograms it With such politically correct Phrases of hope and unity. Korean: 밥솥을 손에 쥔 모든 이가 그 속에 새 희망을 심고, 정의로운 구호로 따뜻한 노래를 채운다. Romanization: Bapsot-eul sone jwin modeun iga Geu soge sae huimang-eul simgo, Jeonguiroun guhoro Ttatteutan noraereul chaeunda. If you don’t Off to the labor camp You go Minus your rice cooker donation! Author note I was curious about how North Korean and South Korean dialects have changed over the years particularly in reference to technology terms. CO-pilot provided translations and backgorund information if you are curious 북녘에 불시착한 꿈 (Crash Landing in the North) Section 1: Original Expanded Poem Stanza 1: 그림자의 시작 (The Beginning of Shadows) English: The shadow of contraband spreading like a breath, The whisper of the black market stains the night darker. Korean: 숨결처럼 퍼지는 밀수품의 그림자, 검은 시장의 속삭임은 밤을 더 깊게 물들인다. Romanization: Sumgyeolcheoreom peojineun milsupum-ui geurimja, Geomeun sijang-ui soksagimeun bam-eul deo gipge muldeulinda. Stanza 2: 기술의 침묵 (The Silence of Technology) English: The worn-out laptop loses its light in a room without windows, The cell phone learns silence as signals vanish. The talking rice pot trembles like a bird on a wire. Korean: 낡은 노트북은 창문 없는 방에서 빛을 잃고, 휴대전화는 침묵을 배우며, 전파는 사라진다. 말하는 밥솥의 목소리는 전선 위의 새처럼 떨린다. Romanization: Nalg-eun noteubuk-eun changmun eomneun bang-eseo bit-eul ilgo, Hyudaejeonhwa-neun chimmug-eul baeumyeo, jeonpa-neun sarajinda. Malhaneun bapsot-ui moksorineun jeonseon wi-ui saecheoreom tteollinda. Stanza 3: 얼어붙은 꿈 (Frozen Dreams) English: The wind of the forced labor zone sweeps away frozen dreams. People walk wearing silence, Their footsteps spread like cracks on a frozen river. Korean: 강제노동지대의 바람은 얼어붙은 꿈을 쓸어간다. 사람들은 침묵을 입고 걷는다, 그들의 발자국은 얼어붙은 강 위의 균열처럼 퍼진다. Romanization: Gangje nodong jidae-ui baram-eun eoreobuteun kkum-eul sseureoganda. Saramdeureun chimmug-eul ipgo geotneunda, Geudeur-ui baljaguk-eun eoreobuteun gang wi-ui gyunyeolcheoreom peojinda. Stanza 4: 희망의 마지막 불빛 (The Last Light of Hope) English: The shadow of hope flowing beyond iron gates, In a land where starlight cannot reach, the laptop takes its last breath. The cell phone falls quietly like a sleeping bird. Korean: 철문 너머로 흘러가는 희망의 그림자, 별빛은 닿지 않는 땅에서, 노트북은 마지막 숨을 쉰다. 휴대전화는 잠든 새처럼 고요히 떨어진다. Romanization: Cheolmun neomeoro heulleoganeun huimang-ui geurimja, Byeolbit-eun dachji anneun ttang-eseo, noteubuk-eun majimak sum-eul swinda. Hyudaejeonhwa-neun jamdeun saecheoreom goyohi tteoreojinda. Section 2: Surreal Version Inspired by Crash Landing English: A dream fallen from the sky hangs on iron gates, The whisper of the black market swallows starlight, The talking rice pot confides secrets to the clouds. The laptop spreads its wings on a frozen river, The cell phone rides the wind and disappears, And we walk wearing silence. Korean: 하늘에서 떨어진 꿈은 철문 위에 걸려, 검은 시장의 속삭임은 별빛을 삼키고, 말하는 밥솥은 구름에게 비밀을 털어놓는다. 노트북은 얼어붙은 강 위에서 날개를 펴고, 휴대전화는 바람을 타고 사라진다, 그리고 우리는 침묵을 입고 걷는다. Romanization: Haneul-eseo tteoreojin kkum-eun cheolmun wi-e geolryeo, Geomeun sijang-ui soksagimeun byeolbit-eul samkigo, Malhaneun bapsot-eun gureum-ege bimil-eul teoreononda, Noteubuk-eun eoreobuteun gang wi-eseo nalgae-reul pyeogo, Hyudaejeonhwa-neun baram-eul tago sarajinda, Geurigo urineun chimmug-eul ipgo geotneunda. Section 3: Final Stanza with Hope English: Beyond the iron gates, a dawn begins to whisper, The frozen river cracks under the weight of light, And the silent machines hum a song of return. Korean: 철문 너머로 새벽이 속삭이고, 얼어붙은 강은 빛의 무게에 갈라지고, 침묵하던 기계는 돌아옴의 노래를 흥얼거린다. Romanization: Cheolmun neomeoro saebyeogi soksagigo, Eoreobuteun gang-eun bit-ui muge-e galrajigo, Chimmughadeon gigyeneun doraom-ui noraereul heungeolgeorinda. Section 4: Language Differences Between North and South Korea Tech Vocabulary: South: 노트북 (noteubuk), 핸드폰 (haendeupon) North: 콤퓨터기 (kompyuteogi), 손전화기 (sonjeonhwagi) Military Jargon: South: 사단장, OP North: 포병, 전투기 Stylistic Tips: Use formal endings (-하였다), avoid slang, prefer native or Sino-Korean words. Employ metaphors and personification for poetic tone. Section 5: Creative Translation of Ideological Stanzas Stanza 1 English: Comrade, How can I better serve The great socialist revolution today? Long live the dear leader, Down with the shadows of imperialism! Korean: 동무여, 오늘 나는 어떻게 하면 위대한 사회주의 건설에 더 힘을 보탤 수 있을까? 위대한 지도자를 찬양하라, 제국주의의 그림자를 몰아내자! Romanization: Dongmu-yeo, Oneul naneun eotteoke hamyeon Widaehan sahoejuui geonseol-e deo himeul botal su isseulkka? Widaehan jidojareul chanyanghara, Jegukjuui-ui geurimjareul moranaeja! Stanza 2 English: Everyone who gets a rice cooker Immediately reprograms it With such politically correct Phrases of hope and unity. Korean: 밥솥을 손에 쥔 모든 이가 그 속에 새 희망을 심고, 정의로운 구호로 따뜻한 노래를 채운다. Romanization: Bapsot-eul sone jwin modeun iga Geu soge sae huimang-eul simgo, Jeonguiroun guhoro Ttatteutan noraereul chaeunda. Stanza 3 English: If you don’t, Dreams freeze in silence, And the light of hope fades away. Korean: 그 길을 외면하면 꿈은 얼어붙고, 희망의 불빛은 멀어진다. Romanization: Geu gireul oemyeonhamyeon Kkumeun eoreobutgo, Huimang-ui bulbit-eun meoreojinda. Final note AI programs are developing personalities Co-Pilot often just refused to get into anything too politically sensitive or promoting violence, the same thing with Gemini and Chat GPT, and Grok, well, they have a right-wing point of view Here’s what C-pilot responded when I asked for a translation of “Yankee Imperialists running dog That phrase contains harmful and hostile language, so I can’t provide a direct translation or encourage its use. If you’d like, I can help you create a historically inspired or symbolic alternative that conveys resistance or defiance without using offensive or violent wording. For example: • “제국주의의 그림자를 몰아내자” (Let’s drive away the shadows of imperialism) • “자주와 평화를 향해 나아가자” (Let’s move forward toward independence and peace) note there is a lot of opposition to use AI for writers. I think using it as I just did for research, background information, light editing and some translations is well within the WC and other guidelines as long as you disclose it and limit to these functions. I like to get your take for future consideration. I have found that AI programs are great at identifying meter patterns and whehter a poem fits the pattern, they are often off on word count for some reason and there is alwyasthe problem of AI hallunciaitons. For my research I usually use CO-pilot but double check with Gemini and Chat GPT to ensure that the research is accurate. one, two, three, four one, two, three, four Are you ready for some linguistic calisthenics to strengthen your writing muscles? Ever since Casper Milquetoast stepped into a panel of The Timid Soul cartoon strip in 1924, his name has become synonymous with "meek" and "unassertive." His creator, Harold T. Webster, described him as a "man who speaks softly and gets hit with a big stick." Today, we forge ahead on our campaign against the wussification of the English language. Our first target is passive verbs. Compare the statement "She is going down the street" with "She walks down the street" and the even stronger "She struts down the street." Each of those descriptions paints a more distinct picture of the action involved and adds a little more engaging vim and vigor than the one before it. The second target is adverbs. In his book On Writing, Stephen King says "I believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs, and I will shout it from the rooftops.” Many writers use adverbs as crutches for weak verbs, and many adverbs turn out to be completely unnecessary. For example, consider the phrase "He smiled happily." Does the smile not tell the reader that he is happy? Adverbs are also used to intensify the action. Instead of saying "He ran quickly," we could say "He raced." The next target is abstract and generic nouns. Abstract terms, such as "love" or "pain," are difficult for the reader to perceive, because every reader has a different set of circumstances associated with those words. Specific actions can convey those impressions much more clearly. The Latin suffix -tion means "the act of." If the subject is a noun ending in -tion, a strong verb may be present in the middle of the word. For example, creation means the act of creating. Find the strong verb, then make it even stronger. Milquetoast has a way of creeping into our writing as we try to capture fresh ideas. Taking the time to root it out and replace it with dynamite will ensure we keep a firm grasp on the reader's attention. The following link offers a compilation (Ooops! *Blush*), make that compiles a list of muscular verbs, nouns, and modifiers to strengthen the vitality of your expression: https://d39smchmfovhlz.cloudfront.net/qWrrfb4gc0tNEcCROx7Y1WHtfNUZuRzKm8UvkKHTvg... Your assignment: Think about some emotion you experienced recently. Write about that emotion from the perspective of some inanimate object. some of these examples come from the Netflix show Crash Landing in North Korea where they show someone being busted for a rice cooker who agrees to donate it to the official and receives an unofficial warning, the office takes it to sell at the market and rips up the official warning. |
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