Without Wax: Blog
2008
Back in November of last year, Neil Shea at National Geographic published an article I haven’t stopped thinking about since. I decided I can’t say it better than he did in his article, so I will post the original piece below followed by some more information I found while doing a bit of research.
Locks of Love
(November Issue of National Geographic, by Neil Shea)
A mournful note and a pair of sandals from the 16th century have captivated South Korea. On June 1, 1586, a pregnant widow in the east wrote to her husband: "You always said you wanted to live with me until our hair turns gray. How could you pass away without me?" She left the letter in his tomb, along with shoes she'd made as a sign of love for her ailing spouse, woven from her hair and hemp bark. There they lay until the city of Andong began moving graves to make way for houses.
Her message was that love transcends time and place. "Come to me secretly," she urged. "Although I have so much to say, I'll stop here." Korea has resurrected the dialogue with two novels and a TV documentary. A statue of the widow stands at the grave site. Koreans and Japanese tourists have bought thousands of copies of the letter. "It is a timeless piece," says Park Chang-gun, a professor directing an opera about the couple, "still making people cry."
Through some online digging, I found the following:
The letter, written on Korean paper, was discovered in April 1998 in Jeongha-dong, Andong-si. It was found in the grave of Eung-Tae Lee alongside his mummified body when officials attempted to move the grave. Over 130 other artifacts such as blankets and clothing were also found. Because of the style of writing and use of titles in the letter, it is believed that the woman author came from aristocratic Goseong Lee family. She addressed the letter “To Won’s Father.”
In the letter, Lee’s wife explains her husband died at the age of 30 despite her trying all the remedies to heal him---including weaving sandals out of her hair and hemp bark. Her heartfelt words: “How can you pass away without me? I cannot live without you in my life” renew sentimentalism in an age of cynics.
Already, two novels based on the letters “Seeing the Light after 450 Years” and “A Trumpet Creeper” have been published in Korea. The Andong National University dance department also gave a performance with the same title of “Seeing the Light after 450 Years” in 2000. Five years later, a musical composition called “To Won’s Father” was released.
The letter and other grave artifacts of Eung-Tae Lee are now at the Andong National University Museum in Korea.
A complete copy of the letter’s translation is found below:
16th Century Love Letters
11/14/08
Over four hundred years later, a love letter of mourning still touches people’s hearts.
