by Translated
Up to this time Gildong had not known the joys of the phoenix’s union, but now that he had so suddenly gained a beautiful woman of grace and virtue as his wife, the love he felt for her knew no bounds. He took his entire family-in-law to Jae Island, where all his soldiers met him at a river’s shore and congratulated him on his safe return. The men escorted the traveling party home, where they enjoyed themselves at a great feast.
• • •
Time flowed on, and three years passed since Gildong had first come to Jae Island. One night, as he took a walk to enjoy the moonlight, he gazed up at the stars and was suddenly overcome with such sorrow that he began to weep.
Lady Bek106 questioned him. “My dear husband, in all the time I have been with you, I have never seen you sad. So what has happened on this day that you should grieve so?”
Gildong sighed as he spoke. “I am the most disloyal son in the world. There can be no forgiveness for me. I am not a native of this part of the world. I was, rather, born the son of High Minister Hong and his lowborn concubine in the country of Joseon. I could not bear to be treated as a lowly person in the household, nor could I enter into the service of the royal court. There was no way for me to realize my will and spirit as a true man, so I took leave of my parents and eventually came to live in this place. But I have constantly looked to the stars for signs of my parents’ health. Just now, I saw in the constellations that my father has fallen ill and that he will soon leave this world. I am ten thousand ri away and I will not reach him in time. So I will never see him alive again. That is the reason for my grief.”
Lady Bek also felt sad hearing his words, but she tried her best to console him. “It is hard to evade one’s fate, so please do not be so distraught.”
The next day, he took some men up to Ilbong Mountain and had them begin preparing a gravesite at the place he once marked.
He spoke to them. “Make the grave three ja107 wide, and follow my instructions in erecting the tomb.”
He then summoned his soldiers and addressed them. “On a day of my choosing, take a big ship to Seogang in Joseon and wait for my order.”
He then bade farewell to Lady Bek as well as to his concubines Jeong and Jo and went forth on a small ship. On his way to Joseon, he cut off all his hair and dressed himself up as a monk.
At this time, High Minister Hong was eighty years old. He suddenly fell ill, and his condition grew serious as all medicine proved ineffective. This was in the middle of the ninth lunar month.
The minister summoned his wife and his son, the assistant section chief,108 and addressed the latter. “I am eighty years old and I regret nothing in my life except for one thing. Gildong may have been born of a servant girl, but his talent and courage were those of an extraordinary person. He is also my progeny. Ever since he went away, I have had to live without knowing whether my own son was alive or dead. And now I will pass from this world without seeing him again. So I feel a great sorrow in my heart. After I die, take special care of Gildong’s mother and make sure that she lives out her life in comfort. If Gildong should return, then lay aside the practice of separating legitimate children from the illegitimate, and act without discrimination toward him as if he were born of the same mother as you. I ask you to honor this last command from your father.”
He then summoned Gildong’s mother and took her hand.
He wept as he spoke to her. “The only thing I regret is that I will die without seeing Gildong again. He is not a feckless person so he will not abandon you. But, for me, I will not be able to close my eyes in peace, even after I have entered the Land of Yellow Spring.”109
After he finished speaking, he passed away. His wife and Chunseom both fainted in grief, and the sound of wailing reverberated throughout the household, letting all know that the mourning period had begun.110 After the family members regained their composure, they made certain that all the rites were performed with the utmost care. They put on their funeral clothes and kept watch over the coffin in the house.
At this time, a male servant and a female one came and spoke to them. “A monk has come asking to offer condolences before the monumental tablet111 of the deceased.” The mourning son112 thought it peculiar but allowed the visitor to come.
The monk entered the house in a respectful manner, went up to the minister’s monumental tablet, and began to wail in grief.
The household servants spoke among themselves. “His Lordship was never close to any monk, so who is he that he should mourn so sadly?” They thought the scene peculiar.
Some time passed before Gildong’s cries finally calmed down to sorrowful moans.
He then spoke out. “Older brother, do you not know who I am?”
Only then did the mourning son lift his head and look carefully at the monk to see that it was his younger brother, Gildong.
Filled with both joy and sadness, he cried out as he addressed him. “Heartless brother, where have you been all this time? As our father was dying, his last thoughts were of you. In his final words he said much in your favor, but he also lamented that he could not close his eyes in peace because of you.”
He then took his hand and led him into the inner chamber, where the minister’s wife looked upon them and spoke. “Why have you brought a monk into the inner chamber?”
The mourning son quietly replied, “This is not a stranger but my younger brother, Gildong.”
The minister’s wife was also filled with joy and sadness at the same time.
She addressed him. “We have received no word from you since you left us. When His Lordship’s illness became serious and he began to expire, he repeatedly said that he would not be able to close his eyes in peace even in the Land of Yellow Spring because he could not see you one last time before he bade his final farewell to this world. How tragic this is.”
Gildong let out a sigh and replied, “This disloyal son Gildong lost all desire to live in the world, so I went into a mountain and cut off all my hair to become a monk. I then studied geomancy113 and found a suitable gravesite for my parents to rest in after their passing. At least in that way I sought to repay my parents for the immense gift of life they have given me, and to make up what paltry amount I can for my lack of filial piety.”
The minister’s wife sent a maid to summon Gildong’s mother. When Chunseom heard that Gildong had come, she lost all composure and fainted. The servants eventually managed to revive her so that she was able to regain enough decorum to go see her son. When mother and son came together, they wailed so much that it sounded as if mourning for the deceased had begun all over again.
When Gildong finally managed to stop crying, he consoled her. “Mother, please do not be sad anymore.”
He then addressed his older brother. “I came in disguise because I was afraid that if it became known that your younger brother has come, harm might come to this household.”
The mourning son replied, “You are right.” And so he allowed Gildong to maintain his appearance.
Gildong informed him, “I found a radiant mountain114 for our father’s gravesite. Will you trust me on this matter?”
The mourning son replied, “I will see the place before I decide.”
The next day, Gildong took some of the family members up a rocky cliff, where he sat down and addressed them. “How about this place?”
The mourning son looked around and saw that the terrain was rough and full of sharply protruding peaks.
He criticized Gildong for choosing such an inappropriate site. “How could you be so ignorant as to think that this would make a good location for our parents’ grave?”
Gildong pretended to be disappointed and replied, “Brother, I am saddened that you do not see this place for what it is. Allow me to display my power to you.”
He picked up an iron hammer and shattered the rocks around them until the land became pristine and luminous. He then dug a hole
of several cheok in the ground, which raised a red mist that reflected the starlight of the constellations of the dipper and the ox. A pair of white cranes appeared and flew away.
The mourning son took Gildong’s hand and spoke to him. “How impressive you are, my wise brother. What better place can there be than this?”
Gildong feigned concern. “There is no better land than this in Joseon, but I know of another site that is ten times greater. The only problem is that it is very far away. What do you think, older brother?”
The mourning son replied, “I would follow you without hesitation even if the place you speak of is a thousand ri away.”
Gildong spoke to him. “Indeed, hundreds of ri away, there is a site that is so auspicious that our family will produce kings, lords, generals, and ministers from generation to generation. So I bid you to take charge of our father’s body and follow me to the place.”
The next day, as they were about to depart with the deceased’s body, Gildong went to the minister’s wife and spoke to her. “It has been almost ten years since this lowborn son left his mother. I am loath to strain our relationship further by parting from her again. So I bid you to allow me to take her with me so that we can prepare the feast for Father’s monumental tablet115 and go through the funeral rites together. I believe that is the right thing to do.”
The minister’s wife gave him permission, and he took leave of her the same day. Gildong, his mother, and the mourning son left the house, escorting the deceased’s body to Seogang, where Gildong’s generals were waiting with a ship. They dismissed the household servants and guards who had come with them before they went aboard. The ship then headed out to the endless sea with its mast to the wind and went forth like a tempest toward a faraway destination.
Many days later, they came across tens of ships that had sailed out to meet Gildong, to greet him upon his safe return from his journey and to bring him food to eat. They escorted the ship with the deceased’s body to an island, where countless soldiers took up the coffin and carried it forth. Gildong cast aside his monk’s garb and put on funeral clothes before he led everyone up a mountain, to a place that was the most radiant of lands. The gravesite that was built there was as magnificent as a royal tomb, inspiring the amazed mourning son to praise all of its fine qualities. Gildong commanded his soldiers to finish preparing the site as he and his family went through the funeral rites until it was finally time to lower the coffin into the ground. The mourning son and Gildong wailed together as they offered up sacrifices. The majesty of the ceremony was without equal.
After the rituals were completed, Gildong led his mother and older brother down to his house, where Lady Bek and the concubines Jeong and Jo awaited them in a row at the courtyard. They greeted their mother-in-law and brother-in-law and offered them decorous condolences, commending them for the great care with which they had escorted the deceased’s body to its final resting place. They then served them food and drinks. Chunseom knew not how to feel as she experienced both joy and sadness in the company of three such fair daughters-in-law. Then distinguished visitors arrived at the gate to offer their condolences, so that the grandness of the occasion knew no bounds.
After some time, the mourning son thought he should return to his own country, so he spoke to Gildong. “Since I have buried my father here I do not wish to leave, but it pains me to stay when I know that the great wife116 is waiting for me with an anxious heart.”
As Gildong made arrangements for his brother’s departure, the mourning son spoke again. “The mountains here are grand and the waters vast, but I feel such sadness from not knowing when we will see each other again.” And his tears fell like rain.
Gildong consoled him. “Older brother, do not grieve so. Our father is buried in a radiant place so our family will produce kings, lords, ministers, and generals from one generation to the next, and no harm will come to you from the false charges of others. So I bid you to return safely to the great wife and console her well. I also wish you a long and healthy life. I will make certain that proper rites are performed at our father’s grave with the utmost care, as I look forward to the day when mother, son, and brothers will meet again.”
The mourning son still felt a great sorrow from having to leave. He bade farewell to everyone before he and Gildong took the ceremonial litter117 carrying the monumental tablet of the deceased and returned to the gravesite. There, they wailed together in mourning once more before they went back down and loaded the litter onto a small ship.
The mourning son let out a sigh. “Our brotherhood, which is like the procession of wild geese,118 is sundered north and south, so how sad I am.”
As they bade farewell to each other by the ship, Gildong spoke. “Older brother, I wish you a comfortable journey through the many ri of your way home, and many years of health as you take care of the great wife. Please await my invitation to return here.”
The mourning son replied, “Please find a way for me to visit our father’s grave again.”
They wept as they said their final farewells, the tears that filled their eyes flowing ceaselessly. A great deal of gold, silver, and silk was put on board before the ship was sent on its way.
After many days, the ship arrived at the mourning son’s home country, where he went to the great wife and told her everything that had happened. He then wrote a letter to Gildong and gave it to the sailors before sending them on their way. The minister’s wife praised all that she heard.
• • •
And so, on Jae Island, Gildong made certain that proper rites were performed at his father’s gravesite, while Lady Bek and the concubines waited on their mother-in-law with great care. The land was at peace with no sign of trouble anywhere.
As time flowed on, Gildong slept on a straw mat and an earthen pillow until he completed the three-year mourning period. Upon his return to the world, he put on clothing of auspicious design and oversaw the improvement of agriculture and martial discipline in his realm. Eventually, the island’s military strength became as mighty as a mountain, its weapons were stocked in abundance, and the people were ready to be mobilized.
There was an island country near Jae, and its name was Yul. Its land stretched out for tens of thousands of ri, and its provinces were managed by no less than twelve governors. It did not pay fealty to a greater country119 and its rulers governed with benevolence from one generation to another, so the place was wealthy and its people lived in peace.
And so Gildong conceived a grand plan and worked to perfect it every day. The well-organized army under his command amounted to a hundred thousand cavalrymen and a hundred thousand foot soldiers.
One day, he summoned his generals and addressed them. “If we decide to overrun the world, there is no force that can stop us. We can remain on this small island of Jae, but then we may miss out on a great destiny Heaven has in store for us. I have heard that the country of Yul Island is wealthy and its strength is that of a powerful state. What do you warriors think?”
A general replied in agreement. “What you speak of has been the wish of my lifetime. How can a true man find contentment in growing old while leading a leisurely and mediocre life? I bid you to take command of our troops immediately and lead us to victory.”
When Gildong saw that all were united in this purpose, he immediately set about raising his army. His placed his vice-general Mu Tong in charge of the advance guard, and organized the main body of his men into a formation composed of cavalry at the front and infantry in the rear. Gildong himself commanded the force in the center. On an auspicious day, he mobilized a powerful army of a hundred thousand. In the Year of the Blue Rat,120 in the middle of the ninth lunar month, when the weather was warm and chrysanthemums were in full bloom, swords and spears were raised densely, and flags flew in a solemn manner. All of it resembled the military might of Ju Abu121 of the state of Chu. Gildong led the army to a riverside, where men and supplies we
re loaded onto ships. They then put their masts to the wind and journeyed across the water. When they arrived at their destination, they went forth with immense strength, the grand army sweeping across the land like an immense flood that no force could match.
The country of Yul Island had never experienced such a calamity before, so they could not resist the attack. Within months, Gildong accepted the surrender of about seventy castles, and he sent a letter to the King of Yul. The king’s commander of gatekeepers brought the missive to the monarch, who opened it and read the following.
Hong Gildong, the leader of Hwalbindang from the Kingdom of Joseon, writes to the King of Yul.
It is a general truth that no one man holds an absolute right to rule over a country. As such, Seong Tang brought down Geol, and King Mu brought down Ju.122 From ancient times, the subjugation of one’s enemy has been regarded as a legitimate task for one to engage in, so I raised a righteous army and crossed the waters to find that none can rival our strength. With one beat of our drum, about seventy castles have surrendered in the face of our magnificence. So I bid the King of Yul to take stock of his own skills and come quickly to meet us in battle to decide our final victory or defeat. If you are afraid to do so, then open up your gates promptly and surrender. Willingly abdicate your throne, and I will not only spare your life but also see to it that generations of your ancestors are honored and that your progeny enjoy much wealth and respect. If you decide to go against the will of Heaven and resist my command, you will be defeated in battle and your country will fall with the burning of jade and rock alike.123 You should consider this matter carefully.
The king could hardly contain his rage as he summoned his civil and military officials to consult with them. “An insignificant criminal has dared to act with such impudence. Who among you will swiftly capture this bandit and relieve the country of its worry?”
His officials replied, “If the great king should act out of momentary anger and risk everything by sending his troops out to fight, how embarrassing it would be to posterity if they were defeated. We should firmly close up the castle and not venture outside. Perhaps they will eventually leave on their own accord.”