by Ilyon
Peace will reign in the land.
Song of Kip'arang
When the unveiled moon in the Milky Way sails after silver clouds,
Kirang's face reflects the sapphire waves in the stream;
In the sparkling pebbles in the rills shines his flawless diamond heart,
On a high pine-branch his image in a dew-pearled flower hangs in eternal glory.
King Kyongdok's male organ was eight inches long and his queen was unable to bear him a son. He therefore sent her away, giving her the title Lady Saryang, and took Lady Manwol (Full Moon) in her place. Lady Manwol was given the posthumous title of Dowager Queen Kyongsu. She was the daughter of Uich'ung Kakkan.
One day the king summoned P'yohun-taedok, a famous monk, and said, “I am not blessed with a son. Go and see God and ask him to give me an heir to my throne.” (This passage and what follows should not be interpreted as implying monotheism. It is simply that Ilyon does not specify which god is intended.)
P'yohun was received in audience by God in his heavenly palace above nine clouds. On his return to earth he reported to the King, “The almighty one said, 'I can bless your King with a daughter but not with a son.”
“But I want a son,” the King snapped. “Go again and ask God to change this daughter into a son.”
P'yohun ascended to heaven once again and conveyed the King's request. God answered, “It may be possible, but if the King has a son his kingdom will be upset.” When P'yohun begged leave to return to earth, he called out from his jewelled throne, “You have traveled to and from heaven quite often, and have revealed my secrets; I therefore forbid you to come to me any more.”
P'yohun returned and told the King all the words of God. The King said cooly, “Even though my kingdom is endangered, I cannot be content until I have a son to succeed me.”
Soon Queen Manwol bore a prince, and the King expressed great joy. However, the King died when his son was only eight years old, and the boy ascended the throne with his mother as regent. His posthumous title is King Hyegong (765-780).
The young King had been born with a feminine character and behaved like a girl from his cradle. He loved to wear women's embroidered pouches dangling from his sash, spent all his time with court jesters, and neglected his duties. The court and government became weak, the kingdom fell into utter confusion, and thieves were everywhere. Finally the courtiers conspired to kill him and place one of his relatives on the throne. The leaders of the conspiracy were King Sondok and Kim Yang-sang. It was generally believed that after P'yohun no wiser monk was born in Silla.
(There is some confusion in the text. Kim Yang-sang was the personal name of King Sondok. Perhaps this is a mistake for Kim Kyong-sin, another member of the royal family who aided King Sondok in the conspiracy and ultimately succeeded him as King Wonsong.)
43. King Hyegong (765-780)
Many grotesque events occurred during the reign of King Hyegong. In his second year there was a landslide east of the government office in Kangju which formed a small pond, thirteen feet long and seven feet wide. Five or six golden carp in the pond gradually grew larger as its size increased.
In the next year a fierce dog fell from the sky to the south of the East Pavilion, with thunder that shook heaven and earth. Its head was as large as a water-jar, its tail was three feet long, and it looked like a burning fire.
In January that same year rice sprouted and grew into long ears on five of the dikes in a field in Kumpo-hyon. In July two stars fell into the courtyard of the North Palace, followed by another, and the three stars sank into the ground. Two lotus plants bloomed on the dry ground in this courtyard and more lotus blossoms tossed in the dry field at Pongsong Temple. A big tiger was seen entering the palace and suddenly disappeared as it entered the royal living quarters. Countless sparrows flocked and twittered in a pear tree in the yard of a nobleman named Taegong.
Since the Old Book of Strategy says that these are all portents of war, the King granted a general amnesty to all prisoners, repented his womanish ways and prayed for peace.
In the third year Taegong rose in revolt. Ninety-six commanders contended with each other in Kyongju and the provinces. The civil war lasted three months and cost thousands of lives. Taegong was at length defeated, his house destroyed and his jewels and brocades confiscated. The wealth and supplies accumulated by the rebels were likewise taken by the court. But the courtiers conspired to kill King Hyegong and place Kim Yang-sang on the throne as King Sondok. Thus the prediction of the monk P'yohun came true.
44. King Wonsong (785-789)
Kim Kyong-sin, the noble Kakkan (minister of state and member of the royal family) had a dream one night. He dreamed that he took off his nobleman's cap, put on a commoner's white hat, and entered the well at Ch'on-gwan Temple (named after a beautiful singer whom Kim Yu-sin had loved) holding a twelve-string harp. When he awoke he consulted a fortune-teller about the significance of this strange dream.
The fortune-teller said, “Taking off your nobleman's hat means discharge from government office; holding a harp means wearing a wooden fetter around your neck; and entering a well means going to prison.”
The Kakkan was greatly worried and did not leave his house for many days. One day an Ach'an (third grade senior official) named Yosam came and asked to see him, but the Kakkan pretended illness and refused. But Yosam was persistent and after several visits was at length received.
“I can see by your expression that you are troubled,” Yosam said. “Tell me everything and perhaps I can help you.”
“I had a dream,” the Kakkam said, “in which I changed my nobleman's cap for a commoner's white hat and entered a well with a harp of twelve strings in my hands. A fortune-teller has told me that I am doomed.”
“But this is a lucky dream.” said Yosam. “If you promise not to forget me when you are raised to the jeweled throne I will interpret it for you.”
“I promise,” said the Kakkan. “Tell me the meaning of my dream.”
“You took off your cap,” said Yosam, “to announce that no man is above jour head; you put on the white hat as a sign that you will wear the royal crown; you held a harp of twelve strings because you will sit on the jeweled throne as the twelfth descendant of your royal ancestors; you entered the well of Ch'on-gwan as a sign of your happy entrance into the palace.”
“Kim Chu-won is the direct heir to the throne,” said the Kakkan, “How can I become King?”
“If you offer sacrifices in secret to the water-goddess of the North Stream, you will succeed.”
Kim Kyong-sin the Kakkan prayed to the water-goddess to make the stream overflow at the hour of his own enthronement. When King Sondok died soon after, the Silla court proclaimed Kim Chu-won his successor and set out in a body for his home, which was across the stream from the palace. But suddenly rain fell in torrents, the stream overflowed, and it was impossible for either party to get across. Kim Chu-won stood gazing in vain longing toward the palace.
At this, Kim Kyong-sin put on his court dress and entered the palace amid the cheers of his followers. The court officials thereupon declared that the rain had been an expression of the will of heaven and made Kim Kyong-sin King, reporting their decision to the Queen Dowager. As his friend had predicted, he now sat upon the throne receiving the congratulations of hundreds of officials, civil and military. His posthumous title is Wonsong.
The King's friend Yosam had died by the time of his coronation. However, remembering his promise, he summoned Yosam's children and conferred titles and official positions on them. Kim Chu-won went to Myongju, where he spent the rest of his life in seclusion.
King Wonsong had three sons and two daughters, the Princes Hyech'ung, Honp'yong and Yeyong-Chapkan and the Princesses Taeryong-Puin and Soryong-Puin (the Lady of the Big Dragon and the Lady of the Little Dragon). He is also known to have composed a song about the ups and downs of human life. His royal father (Grand Kakkan Hyoyang) had preserved the Flute to Calm Ten Thousand Waves, the heredi
tary treasure of the royal household. The King was presented with heavenly gifts and was praised far and wide for his noble virtue.
(It is appropriate to point out here that while King Wonsong belonged to a collateral branch of the royal Kim clan, he claimed to represent the twelfth generation in descent from King Naemul (356-402), in whose reign the monarchy became permanently hereditary in the Kim clan.)
In October of that year, Bunkei, the King of Japan, raised a large army to attack Silla, but hearing of the magical flute which Silla possessed, desisted and sent an envoy instead. (Ilyon points out that the ancient Japanese chronicle Nihon-Teiki makes no mention of a Japanese Emperor of this name, but the 55th Emperor Buntoku may be intended. He quotes another source which makes Bunkei Buntoku's eldest son.)
On being received at court the Japanese envoy said, “My King offers you fifty 'yang' of gold for your famous flute.”
King Wonsong answered carefully. He wanted to avoid a Japanese attack, but at the same time he did not wish to part with the flute. “My royal ancestor King Chinp'yong possessed that flute,” he said, “but it is now missing.”
In July of the following year a Japanese envoy again presented himself at the Silla court. This time he said, “My King offers one thousand 'yang' in gold for your sacred flute, which he only wants to examine and return.”
“My answer is the same as before,” King Wonsong replied. “But I give you three thousand 'yang' of silver to take to your king. I also return his gold, which I have only looked at.”
The Japanese envoy left the Silla court in August and the King ordered the flute kept in a vault in the Inner Yellow Palace (Naehwang-jon).
In the eleventh year of the King's reign (795) an envoy from the T'ang court visited Silla and stayed in Kyongju for a month. The day after his departure two women appeared at the palace and told the following strange story.
“We are the wives of two dragons from the East Pond and the Blue Pond. The envoy from China took a man from Haso-guk with him and cast spells over our husbands and the dragon in the well of Pun-hwang Temple, changing them into small fish which he carried off in a bowl. We appeal to Your Majesty to command the two men to free our husbands and let them remain here as guardian dragons of Silla.”
(Ilyon says there was a dragon pool at Tongch'on-sa (East Pond Temple) and quotes this passage from the temple's history: “The dragons of the Eastern Sea frequented this pond and listened to the Buddhist sermons. The temple was built by King Chinp'yong, who set up shrines for five hundred saints, built a five-story pagoda, and made many farmers temple serfs.”)
The King mounted his carriage and set off in pursuit of the T'ang envoy, overtaking him at Hayang-gwan. He invited them to a banquet, at which he commanded the man from Haso-guk to return the three dragons under penalty of death. The man apologized to the King and produced the three fish, which leaped for joy above the water on returning to their homes. The T'ang envoy and his entourage admired the noble spirit of the King in regaining the guardian dragons of his kingdom.
King Wonsong once invited the famous monk Chihae to his palace from Hwangnyong Temple and listened to his recital of Hwaom scriptures for fifty days. (Hwaom is Hua-yen or Avatamsaka, one of the various Buddhist sects.)
During the King's reign a young monk named Myojong lived at the Yellow Dragon Temple. After meals when he went to the well to wash his ricebowl, it was his habit to throw tidbits to a turtle which lived there. One day as he was feeding the turtle as usual, he said in a soft voice, “Dear turtle, I have given you nice food every day for a long time now. What will you give me in return?”
After a few days the turtle coughed up a small sparkling jewel. Joyfully, the monk caught it in his hand and tied it to his girdle, and was never parted from it thereafter.
(This was a sarira, a small round object believed to be a relic of Buddha's body. It was supposed to confer all sorts of magical powers on its possessor. The red bead in the open mouth of the dragon carved on most Chinese and Korean royal thrones represents a sarira.)
From that day forward every man who saw him became deeply attached to Myojong, while women fell passionately in love with him. When King Wonsong heard of this phenomenon he summoned the monk to court. He at once conceived an affection for him as deep as that for his own son, and all the court including the princes and princesses were similarly affected.
Just at this time a diplomatic mission was about to start for China. The ambassador, who was attracted like everyone else, secured royal permission to include Myojong in his party. No sooner had the Chinese Emperor beheld him than he too was charmed, and all the nobles of his court. In this fashion the young Silla monk enjoyed the imperial favor for many days and nights in the company of the Chinese princes and princesses, as if he were a prince of the blood himself.
Now there was among the courtiers a physiognomist who was jealous of all the affection lavished upon Myojong. Presenting himself before the throne and striking his head three times upon the floor in the approved manner, he said, “Your Majesty, I am skilled in reading the faces of men, but I can see no special charm in the face of this monk. It is my opinion that he is loved by all because he is carrying some magic charm on his person.” (The Chinese believed that a man's character and destiny could be read in his face by one skilled in this art.)
The Emperor accordingly had Myojong searched, and the jewel was found sparkling in his girdle. “Here it is!” exclaimed the Emperor. “I had four magic jewels on my rosary but I lost one last year and immediately lost one fourth of my personal charm, both as a monarch and with my court ladies. Now I see, my lad, that your jewel is definitely the one I lost.”
Myojong was fairly caught. He told the Emperor all about the jewel, explaining how it came into his possession. Strange to say, the day on which the Emperor lost the jewel was the very same as that on which the turtle gave it to Myojong in distant Silla. So the jewel was returned to its rightful owner the Emperor, who gave Myjong a good present and sent him home.
Once he was parted from the magic jewel no one took any notice of Myojong any more, and no women fell in love with him. So the lonely monk returned once more to his temple and knelt by the well to talk to his friend, the turtle.
King Wonsong's tomb is at Kok (now Sungpok) Temple to the west of T'oham Mountain, with a monument standing nearby. The epitaph engraved on this monument was written by the famous scholar Ch'oe Ch'i-won. 4
During his lifetime King Wonsong erected Poun Temple and Mangdok Pavilion. He invested his grandfather, great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather with posthumous royal titles—Hung-p'yong-Taewang, Sinyong-Taewang and Hyonsong-Taewang respectively. (This was a common practice for a monarch from a collateral line of the royal clan, whose immediate ancestors had not been kings.)
45. Early Falls of Snow
In August of the last year of King Aejang (809) snow fell; again in March in the tenth year of King Hondok (818) heavy snow came; and in May during the reign of King Munsong (839-857) there was another heavy snow, and at the beginning of August the heavens and the earth became dark.
(All these would seem to be portents but Ilyon does not explain their significance.)
46. King Hungdok and the Parrots
The forty-second sovereign was King Hungdok (826-836). Soon after his coronation the Silla envoy to the T'ang court in China returned, bringing with him as a gift a pair of parrots. The birds lived harmoniously at the court, but after a time the female died and the lonely male cried with a heartrending voice.
The King took pity on the bird and had a mirror hung before it. At first the parrot was deceived into thinking its mate had returned, and pecked at the glass. But when there was no response he again cried mournfully and fell dead.
The King felt sad at this pitiful sight and composed a poem about it, but unfortunately it has been lost.
47. King Sinmu, Yomjang and Kungp'a
(A bit of explanation is necessary here. King Sinmu's predecessor King Minae had murdered Sinm
u's father and also the preceding king, Huigang in order to usurp the throne in 838. Kungp'a was the famous Chang Po-ko, a commoner who had risen to great wealth and power through trade, so much so that he had his own private army and navy, with headquarters on Wando Island off the southwest coast. But, as this story indicates, he cherished dynastic ambitions and this brought about his downfall.)
The forty-fifth sovereign was King Sinmu, whose childhood name was U-ching (839—he reigned for only about a year). Before he became king he summoned Kungp'a, a man of chivalrous spirit, and said to him, “I have an enemy with whom I cannot live under the same heaven. It is the King (who had murdered his father). If you avenge me and if I become king in his place I will make your daughter my queen.”5
“I am your man,” said Kungp'a. “I will lead my elite soldiers into the palace and fulfill the mission you have entrusted to me.”
Kungp'a was as good as his word and Sinmu duly ascended the throne. But when he set about making arrangements to keep his side of the bargain, the court aristocrats objected, memorializing the throne as follows:
“Though a brave general, Kungp'a is a low-ranking commoner, and it is not fitting or proper for you to make his daughter your queen.'”
“I have given Kungp'a a solemn promise,” the King replied, “but if you forbid the marriage then there is no help for it.”
Kungp'a was then commander of a naval base at Ch'onghaejin (Wando). He was very angry at the King for not keeping his promise and began making secret plans for an armed rebellion. General Yom-jang learned of this through his spies and immediately sent a message to the King:
“Your humble subject memorializes the throne: Kungp'a is now planning a disloyal coup, and I wish to go and bring back the traitor's head; only command me.”
“Go, I command you,” the King replied.
Yomjang arrived at Ch'onghaejin all alone and sent a courier to Kungp'a with a message. When Kungp'a received him, he said, “I have offended the King over some minor matter, and so I have come to serve as your subordinate in order to save my life.”