高麗中期의 民族敍事詩 : 東明王篇과 帝王韻紀의 硏究 A Study of old Korean Gests Dong-Myung-Pyun and Je-Wang-Woon-Ki = Folk Epic of Korea, 12th-13th Century
저자
발행기관
학술지명
권호사항
발행연도
1962
작성언어
Korean
KDC
809.000
자료형태
학술저널
수록면
84-117(34쪽)
제공처
Korean literature reaped a precious harvest of two splendid and long epic poems during the one century period from the late 12th to the late 13th century. These are Dong-Myung-Wang-Pyun (東明王篇), the Geste of King Dong-Myung by Yi, Kyu-Bo (1168-1241), and Je-Wang-Woon-Ki (帝王韻紀), the Geste of the Kings by Yi, Sung Hyoo (1224-1300).
The Geste of King Dong-Myung clarifies in the opening chapters the remote genealogy of King Dong-Myung, hero and the founder of Koguryo; and in the main chapters, it depicts the King's history from the birth to his great work of foundation; and finally in the closing chapters, his history up to the coronation of King Luri who succeeded to his heroic works and also the impressing comments expressed by the poet. The Geste is written in Chinese poetry, composed of the main part of a little over two hundred and eighty lines and of the descriptive part of four hundred and thirty some lines. Each being a five-word line, the total Chinese word-characters used in the Geste amount to a length of three thousand six hundred (3,600).
Je-Wang-Woon-Ki, the Geste of the Kings,(hereafter referred to as simply the Kings), consists of two volumes. The first volume carols the history of the ancient Chinese dynasties, from Bango (盤古) to Kum (金) and in the second volume, the history of Korea. The second volume is of two parts. The first part deals with the rise and fall of the Korean dynasties, starting from Dan-Goon (檀君), the remotes founder of Korea, to the dynasties of Wiman (衛滿), Sagoon (四群), Samhan (三韓) (Three-Kingdoms), Silla (新羅), Koguryo (高句麗), Bekje (百濟), later Koguryo, later Bekje and Balhe (渤海). The first part consists of two hundred and ten (210) seven-word lines, total character-words amounting to one thousand four hundred and sixty. The second part deals with the history of the period from the foundation of Koryo (高麗) down to the reign of King Choongyul (忠烈王) under which the poet lived. The second part is of seven hundred character-words in total, in one hundred and twenty (120) lines, each containing five words.
The Geste and The Kings have attracted the attention of the scholar historians, both domestic and foreign, as the historical documents since much earlier days, but it is quite recently that they have come to be considered valuable from the viewpoint of literature. In fatc, they began to be revaluated as "folk epic" when the present author of this thesis published "A Study of the Generation of Yi, Kyu-Bo and Yi, Sung-Hyoo", at Pusan in 1956, and in the following year, Professor Chang, Duk-Soon made his thesis public under the title of "King Dong-Myung, an Epic", which found its place later in his "General Survey of Korean Literature". Quite recently, Professor Yi, Byung-gi presented a new viewpoint, in his "Complete History of Korean Literautre", that the Geste and the Kings are the truthful origin of "Kasa" (歌辭), the ancient folk poetry. About this new theory, however, the author would refrain from mentioning because it has no direct relation with the following thesis of the present author. The present author's interest lies rather in that these two poems in Chinese style should find a position with importance in the system of Korean literature, which has been so far neglected by the Korean literary scholars.
A word about the thesis of Professor Chang, Duk-Soon. The thesis is sufficient enough to give the readers a profound understanding of the "Geste of King Dong-Myung" through his structural analysis of the narrative of King Dong-Myung and its detailed comparison with the western getse, which are done in his fluent, rich style.
To the regret of the present writer, however, Professor Chang's studies on the Geste ended only in the field of said "analysis" and said "comparison", largely destitute of the due historical background of it. As the result, he ventured to ascribe the motive of the creation to a "nostalgic fidelity" of a Koryo-man to the prceeding Dynasty, Koguryo, and also to determine that the epic poem of the Koryo era was entirely an "accidental eruption of the 13th century".
All the literary heritage is the products of the history. We cannot easily be contented by hastily treating our literary heritage. Therefore, the present writer particularly intends to examine the historical background of the Geste to comprehend the position of the poet's subjecthood and furhtermore grasp the true significance of the work from the viewpoint of resuscitated moving history of that age.
A rough survey of the dynastic history of Koryo shows us that the Dynasty, since its foundation in 919 A.D., aimed high at expanding its territory towards the North as its state principle. This enterprising spirit of early Koryo had constantly been checked by the powerful suppression on the part of "Kuran"(契丹), and "Yojin"(女眞), two northern races. And without any chance, the Dynasty had to meet the Mongolian Aggression (1231-1256). In this warfare, the regime of "Choi"(崔氏) family ruled Koryo standing siege in KangWha Island. Choi's regime had resisted against the Aggressors thirty, long years before the Dynasty met its total defeat. And the former, the failure of the expansion policy was caused by the corruption and inability of the then ruling aristocracy; and the latter, the defeat at the hands of Mongolians, was brought about by the decrepitude of Royal House, and also by the reactionary bureaucrats who overthrew the Choi regime through treason.
In the history of Koryo, however, we should not fail to observe the strong flow of the people's movements. During the period, 1128-1135, people urged the government to transfer the capital to Pyungyang, a border city, to face and suppress the enemy nation, "Kum" (金) (Yojin), and also they advocated that Koryo's King should be retitled as "emperor" like in China, setting up Koryo's own new era, which, till then, had been forbidden by Great China, the powerful dominator. Another incident of the people's movement is seen in heroic resistance against the enemy throughout the Mongolian Aggression. People fought at every part of the country in conjunction with the army, refusing to surrender to the Mongolians till the last. The high spirit and energy of the people had led to the formation of "Sam-Byul-Cho" Army which continued, in isolation from the government, its resistance war for four years until 1273.
The 12th and 13th centuries mark the period of great trials suffered by the Korean race. The great spirit of resistance oppressed by the realities inevitably found it way to inwardness, and again was fermented to find its spout in the essence of literature.
Yi, Kyu-Bo and Yi, Sung-Hyoo were the writers representing this troubled age, both of whom reached the greatness under favorable care of the Choiregime. They were "Rising Intellectuals" who heralded" New Officials", that is, the class of "Literary Intellectuals" during the second half period of Koryo. They were entirely different in character, from those old aristocrats who had held power during the first half period of the Dynasty.
Therefore, these two literary men belonged to the transitional, progressive group of people who later prepared the seed-bed for the new culture. The new culture meant the culture for the people, while the old culture meant the culture forthe aristocrats. No wonder that folk epic such as the Geste and the Kings should be written by these "Rising Intellectuals", and not "accidental" at all.
There is no objection in concluding that the Geste and the Kings both are the folk epic. However, we should discern the considerable difference which exists between these two poetical works, either in their subjects or either in their structure.
The Geste carols one and single prototype, King Dong-Myung who was the hero of dynastic foundation; while the Kings deals with various, important historical happenings during the entire period from the earliest mythical foundation of the country by "Dangoon" down to the author's age. Here, just for the convenience's sake, the present writer take the liberty of calling the Geste a heroic poem; and the Kings, a history poem, regardless of the fact that a heroic poem and a history poem are essentially the same.
Firstly, the writer desires to deal with the Geste laying stress on the following two points: (1) the method of the plot development, and (2) the characteristic of the prototype.
In the heroic poem, the development of the plot differs according to the singularity or plurality of the hero prototype. When single, the plot develops towards the direction of the will of the hero; meanwhile, when plural, the plot becomes a succession of human contrasts, and collisions. In the Geste which is a biographic description of a King, the only prototype is King Dong-Myung himself. And the principal actions of the King are narrated in chronological order. However, Yi, Kyu-Bo, the author of the Geste tactfully dealt with the single hero additionally presenting his counterparts to produce a variety in the plot-flow. As the result, contrasts, collision occurs in succession constantly taking a new turn towards a third phase. The plot, therefore, constantly flows breaking the stalmate deadlock. Thus the Geste, which otherwise would have ended by an individuals biography, is heightened up to a realm of heroic poem. In the Geste, the poet succeeded in portraying the character of the hero. The willpower and ambition of the King as a hero are successfully expressed in his escape from Buyo,(扶餘) the capital, and in his founding of a new counrty and a new capital in the South and also in his fight against a neighboring state, "Biru-Kuk"(沸流國). The portrayal of the King's character as hero is vivid and acute in his strategy, violence, cruelty and egotism. The violent hero who exhausts every mean to accomplish his purpose falls easily, like a child, in the arms of his tender mother. Readers of the Geste are struck to find themselves disposed to agree with the hero's strategy, egotism and violence. In this, we are obliged to acknowledge the author's success in sculpturing the fresh, healthy, original humanity of the ancient type.
The Geste is a success as a hero poem, but is still insufficient as a folk epic, that is, an epic of the Korean Race. The present writer is of opinion that King Dong-Myung certainly is a hero of a tribe, but not the common patriarch of the entire Korean Race. He is a heroic chief of the tribe of Koguryo which is the predecessor of Koryo "people" since it is evident, in history, that Koryo is the successor of Koguryo. And the author of the Geste so treated the King. In this strict sence, the Geste is, the present writer concludes, more of "heroic poem" than of "history poem".
The great task of discovering the common patriarch of the entire race of this land was possible at the hand of Yi, Sung-Hyoo, a little later than Yi, Kyu-Bo's time. Yi, Sung-Hyoo described, with his wider range of view, the total historical activities of the entire Korean Race. In this sence, Je-Wang-Woon-Ki, the Kings is the comprehensive compilation of "folk epic", or perhaps, more properly, of "racial epic", and is characteristic of history poem.
The Kings sets in its uttermost beginning Dangoon, as the sole patriarch of the entire Korean race, and clarifies that all the tribal states, which had ever existed in this land covering from northern end to south, are the equal descendants of Dangoon, the Great Patriarch. These tribal states mentioned in the Kings are Shira" (尸羅), "Koye" (高禮), "Ye" (濊), "Mek" (貊), "Buyo" (扶餘) and "Okju" (沃沮). Here, the position of Dangoon far surpasses, in height, that of King Dong-.Myunp. In Sam-Kuk-Sa-Ki (三國史記) (The History of Three-Kingdoms), not a word is mentioned about the racial patriarch. In Sam-Kuk-Yu.-Sa (三國遺事), another old history book, Dangoon is breifly mentioned but his dominion and successors are not intelligibly stated. It is very interesting to find that in the Kings, which was written only ten years later than Sam-Kuk-Yu-Sa, the myth of Dangoon is so surprisingly concrete. The formation of racial consciousness having its base on common Patriarch influenced greatly on the view of history to awaken the various tribes in constant conflict to the sense of homologue. History was no longer regarded by the dynastic unit. A new insight, after the Kings, was given to the view of history that a consistent flow of racial life, regardless of the rises and the falls of dynasties, formed the unending history of the Race. This new consciousness motivated the author of the Kings to begin at the remotest origin of the Race and trace all the way down through to his age, and have a long view towards the future of the race.
Thus, the author viewed the complexity of the racial history, the extensiveness of its crosswise comprehension, the remoteness of its lengthwise survey, but he integrated them all in his Kings and reduced them all to Dangoon, the Racial Patriarch. . The Kings, this history poem, is indeed the greatest and the most valuable among all the works including Sam-Kuk-Sa-Ki and Sam-Kuk-Yu-Sa, that have ever been written by the hands of Korean prose writers.
The 12th and 13th centuries represented by Yi, Kyu-Bo and Yi, Sung-Hyoo were the golden age of epic poetry in Korea. We regret, however, that this literary trend was not succeeded by their posterity. Epic poem died out with the death of those two poets, which results from the historical reality of Koryo Dynasty.
Epic poetry is above all characteristic of collective consciousness rather than individual, for essentially it is a product of collective consciousness. The cosufferings and the co-resistance of the Korean race in the 12th and 13th centuries led the Race to the racial consciousness of common destiny-to the formation of a collective consciousness. Both heroic and history poems were based on this collective consciousness.
Unless comes any split in this homologue, collective consciousness can be maintained. However, the historical reality of Koryo was different. The Mongolian invaders were the common enemy of the people of Koryo. Therefore the entire people rose and fought. But the ruling class of Koryo government forsook the people's volition to resist and shamelessly surrendered to the foreign aggressors. The government, even allied with the Mongolian army to destroy its own resisting army and people. By these means, the ruling class once more enjoyed the wealth and power under the grace of the Mongolian Empire; on the other hand, the detressed people suffered under the duplicated tax privations by both Koryo government and Mongolian colonial government. Here, the interests of the government and people were seriously conflicting. A total collapse came in the collective consciousness of the people as a race with common destiny.
This tragic collapse, it meant the loss of the base on which was to grow the epic poetry. Thereafter, no epics were ever produced in the literature of Koryo, but its literature took two different flows: the one was Kyong-Ki-Che-Ka (景幾體歌), the literature of the ruling class; and the other, Chang-Ka (長歌) (meaning long ballad), which was the literature of the people.
- The End -
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