Reminiscence of Jewel in the Palace

Way before we know of big names in K-pop like SNSD, Super Junior, After School to hit our shores, we were in the Korean drama fever. Half a decade ago, I guess.

Nothing has been more epic than Jewel in the Palace/Dae Jang Geum. Starring Lee Young-ae as Seo Jang-geum.



Or you may be more interested in the ending theme song:



The catchy theme song is written in archaic Korean (I don't know that!). It sends Koreans today perplexed during its debut. Turns out that the theme song belongs to a genre of Korean traditional music which is heavy and sad.

Try using Google translate to make sense of the lyric actually make no sense. It's not intelligible to Koreans nowadays.

Lyric:
오나라 오나라 아주오나
o na la o na la a ju o na
가다라 가다라 아주가나
ka da la ka da la a ju ga na
나나니 다려도 못노나니
na na ni da lyeo do mok no na ni
아니리 아니리 아니노네
a ni li a ni li a ni no ne
헤이야 디이야 헤이야나라 니노
he I ya di i ya he I ya na la ni no
오지도 못하나 다려가마
o ni do mok ha na da lyeo ga ma

English translation:
If you are asked to come, come, would you really come?
If you are asked to leave, leave, would you really leave?
Even if I wait forever, yet we cannot be together.
No. No. Again, it is no.
(Refrain of the song, no meaning)
Since you cannot even come, would you take me then.
(Refrain of the song, no meaning)
Since you cannot even come, would you take me then.

What is the setting (time, social, physical) of the Korean drama Jewel in the Palace? I leave that for you to find out :)