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Sonja Haeussler (Stockholm University)
The Song of the Cuckoo (Chagyusa)
After boy-king Tanjong was forced to abdicate in 1455, a number of scholar-
officials and young intellectuals who had studied to take the state examinations chose
a life in retirement in order to demonstrate their protest and dissatisfaction with the
factual coup d’etat. Among the opponents of usurper Sejo, there were nine persons
who hid for a while on Mount Pokkyesan in Kǔmhwa (present-day Ch’ǒrwǒn-gun)
emulating the ancient model of Bo I and Shu Ji. Not much is known about these
men. They only temporarily formed a group and soon split departing to different
regions in the country, probably to avoid persecution. As they were confronted with
dramatic political events, only a few records have been preserved from which we
may extract certain information about their activities on Mount Pokkyesan. Accord-
ing to the record of Cho Sang-ch’i, the group’s majority was composed of members
of the Yǒnghae Pak family; with their most prominent representative being Pak
Kyeson, former military minister. It is said that Cho Sang-ch’i and the Pak family
were joined by young talented poet Kim Si-sǔp.
Kim Si-sǔp’s friendship with theYǒnghae Pak family and in particular his respect
for Pak Kyeson can be proved by a
haengjang
(report of deeds) which he wrote
after Pak Kyeson’s death. Besides, a few poems composed by the nine dissidents tell
us about their ideas and feelings during their stay on Mount Pokkyesan and at the
moment of paying farewell to each other. Among them, we find a number of poems
in the genre of
ci
titled “Songs of the Cuckoo” (
Chagyusa
). They were composed in
correspondence to the poem which abdicated king Tanjong had recited at the place
of his exile in Yǒngwǒl.
The “Songs of the Cuckoo” may be considered very important for understanding
the reactions of Early Chosǒn intellectuals against throne usurpation and in support
for the overthrown, legitimate king. The present paper will focus on a literary and
cultural-historic analysis of the “Songs of the Cuckoo”, and, through comparison
Секция IX.
корееведение
Korean studies
