E107

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Kim Chŏngguk on

Selected Words of Sajae

Compendium of Remarks on Poetry

Written by Kim Chŏngguk, Compiled by Hong Manjong

E099, E100, E101, E102, E103, E104, E105, E106, E107, E108

Basic Info
Contains	C153, C154, C155, M198, M199
Mentions Person	김안국
Mentions Place	일본
Is Part Of	Selected Words of Sajae, Spring

Original Text
伯氏自少好押強韻。應呼無窘。日本國使弸中來聘。號能詩。伯氏以宣慰使。往迎境上。往還及留館時。相與唱和者無數。弸中每思涸不敵。欲以強韻窮之。以讀易爲題。輒呼強韻。伯氏應口曰。大羹元不和梅鹽。至妙難形筆舌尖。靜裏默觀消長理。月圓如鏡又如鎌。弸中擊節却坐。嘆嗟不已。己卯年。坐累退居于利川田舍。有受業生進曰。先生能押強韻。今請試之。因命呼韻。時適月魄半死橫天。請以半月爲題。仍呼魚蛆輿三字。伯氏應口曰。神珠缺碎鬪龍魚。剮殺銀蟾半蝕蛆。顚倒望舒仍失馭。軸亡輪折不成輿。至今傳誦。

Korean Translation

English Translation

From a young age, my elder brother Kim An’guk 金安國 (1478–1543) showed great skill in handling challenging rhymes and matching them effortlessly. When the Japanese envoy Hōchū 弸中 (16th century) came, known for his abilities in poetry, my brother, serving as a Pacification Commissioner (sŏnwisa), went to greet him at the border. During their stay at the embassy, the two interacted and exchanged countless poems. However, Hōchū’s ideas often dried up and could not match my brother’s. Wanting to end their competition, he decided to use difficult rhymes. He chose “Reading the Yijing” 讀易 as the topic and selected difficult rhymes. My brother responded verbally, saying, 大羹元不和梅鹽至妙難形筆舌尖靜裏默觀消長理月圓如鏡又如鎌 The ritual broth, in the beginning, was not seasoned with vinegar and salt. The greatest wonder is difficult to describe even with a skilled brush and tongue. In stillness, I silently observe the principle of decline and growth. The moon is round like a mirror then pointed like a sickle. Hōchū clapped and accepted his defeat, and he could not stop praising my brother. In the kimyo year (1519), because of his political involvement, my brother retired to the farmhouse in Ich’ŏn. One day, one of his students came and asked, “Master, you are adept at handling difficult rhymes. I would like to test you today.” My brother instructed the student to choose the rhymes. There happened to be a half moon in the sky, so the student chose “Half Moon” 半月 as the topic and “fish” 魚, “maggots” 蛆, and “carriage” 輿 as the rhyme words. My brother responded verbally and said, 神珠缺碎鬪龍魚剮殺銀蟾半蝕蛆顚倒望舒仍失馭軸亡輪折不成輿 The magic pearl was broken in half during the battle of the Dragon Fish. The Silver Toad was hacked and killed, and its half was eaten by maggots. The Moon God fell over, losing control of his horse.The axles are gone. The wheels are broken. The carriage is now no more. To this day, the poem is widely recited (chŏnsong).

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