Lyrics & translation

Ghost Fire

도깨비불

The wind blows over the palace walls
He cannot sleep again tonight

Through the paper window I see a shadow
That man on the throne, staring only at the candle
I reach out but cannot touch — the wall of the living world
Letters from the afterlife arrive only as wind
The court ladies dare not speak my name
Not a deposed queen, not quite a ghost
My face reflects on the pond of Gyeonghoeru
Every time he looks at the water, he brushes past me

Your Majesty, I am here
Even unseen, I am here

I drift like a dokkaebi fire
Moonlight hanging from the palace eaves
Only into His Majesty's dreams can I enter
When he wakes, this body vanishes again

No memorial tablet for me at Jongmyo — a woman erased from the records
A love that vanished without one line in the Annals
And yet every night he burns incense before the funerary hall
Incense I cannot receive — but his heart still reaches me
The ghost of Seonjuk Bridge remains a symbol of loyalty
But I couldn't leave a name behind, not even for love
Bound by han, I cannot leave
I count the nights beside the sound of his breathing

I didn't leave first
I was taken
Your Majesty, it was not my fault

I drift like a dokkaebi fire
Moonlight hanging from the palace eaves
Only into His Majesty's dreams can I enter
When he wakes, this body vanishes again

The wind blows
Your Majesty
I am here

기록

Gugak means Korean traditional music. Gayageum, haegeum and janggu meet hip-hop here. The original Korean lyrics and English translations are available throughout the archive.