연암의 장편시 「輓趙淑人」에 대하여

Abstract

「Manjosookin(輓趙淑人)」 is the poem composed by Yeonam(燕巖) in October, 1771 to mourn the death of the wife of his friend, Hong Rakim(洪樂任, 1741～1801). She made the money by pawning her Gachue(加髢) and bought necessary things for Banham(飯含) with it and offered them to Yeonam for his father's funeral, and with gratitude for her kindness he planned to pray for her longevity by raising silkworms, weaving silk stuff, making five cardinal colored silk thread, and winding them on an old jade. The theme of this poem is Cho's kindness on his father's funeral. Yeonam wanted to show the woman's deed was "not worthless" especially in the male chauvinism society of Chosun(朝鮮) where the woman was regarded such a "worthless" existence. Therefore, this poem has no less realistic meaning than the poems which contains the same theme consciousness in Bangkyunggakyijun(放璚閣外傳). Yeonam and his family had very strict stands about Sinim申壬 Loyalty. The political faith of his was opposed to that of the royal relatives by marriage who had come into power by participating ardently in a fair personnel management by Youngjo(英祖). The time when 「Manjosookin」 was composed, Poongsan(豊山) Hong(洪) family and Kyoungjoo(慶州) Kim(金) family, two of the most powerful royal families by marriage were willing to entangled the promising literary men in their groups through economic support. Yeonam felt anxiety to be sacrificed by their power struggle, and didn't took the government service examination in spite of many people's persuasion. Although he considered Hong Rakim as the core person of the power he couldn't turn his face away from both Hong Rakim and his wife because of the kindness they showed him when he was in economic difficulties, and composed the lamentation for the death of Hong Rakim's wife in return. Yeonam bound the four long old archaic style poems, 「Jungjoasosanin(贈左蘇山人)」, 「Manjosookin」, 「Chongsukjunggoanilchool(叢石亭觀日出)」, 「Soo- sanhaedoga(搜山海圖歌)」 into a book and entitled it Goonghyangsung(重香城唱酬). However, his son, Park Jongchae朴宗采 excluded 「Manjosookin」 when he edited Yeonamgipchogoboyou 9(燕巖集草稿補遺 九) with his father's works, as an advance preparation to publish Yeonamgip(燕巖集), After Jungjo(正祖)'s death, Hong Rakim became the political victim by the power of Kim family, and even after losing their power because of the death of queen consort Jungsoon(貞純), they reacted very sensibly about Hong Rakim’s disposal. Park Jongchae would except 「Manjosookin」 from Yeonamgip, considering that the poem could cause troubles in his household because it included subjects and contents which jumped over the socially accepted idea in that adverse time.