용비어천가 국문 가사와 한시의 성립 순서에 대하여

Abstract

This article aims to make clear the order of compilation time between Korean song and Chinese poetry in Yongbiŏch'ŏn'ga(龍飛御天歌, Song of the Dragons Flying to Heaven). The popular opinion is that Chinese poetry preceded Korean song, judged by the general circumstance using Chinese character for writing and the heavy workload of authors like Kwŏn Che(權踶) and An Chi(安止). But the increasing views of preceding Chinese poetry seem to be lacking of objective logical basis. First of all, the fact that the authors of Yongbiŏch'ŏn'ga had several office positions cannot be the inevitable obstacle to write Korean song. They were only the chief executive of works and the practical affairs like compiling History of Koryŏ Dynasty were conducted by lower class officers like Nam Su on. Secondly, although new Korean characters was not familiar with the authors, it was not impossible that they wrote Korean song with it. If necessary, they could get help from the lower officers like Choi Hang(崔恒). We must be cautious about the content of Korean song being more important than the media to express the content. The frequent usage of Chinese idiomatic expression can be explained by the general conditions of those days, not by the result of translating Chinese poetry into Korean song. Chinese poetry rhymes regularly, especially at the last character of even rows. We can anticipate that Chinese poetry have the orderly format as refined literary work. But being contrary to our expectation, Chinese poetry of Yongbiŏch'ŏn'ga rhymes irregularly. In two paragraph with four lines verses, it is necessary to rhyme on every other line. But there are only 8th verses with regular rhymes from the 2nd verse to the 109th verse. If permitting the change of rhyme between the first paragraph and the second paragraph, 49th verses among 108th verses do not conform the rule of rhyme. Decisively, the words used in Korean song were occasionally altered in Chinese poetry to square the rhymes. If Chinese poetry were written in advance of Korean song, the words in the former could be used in the latter. The main cause of changing words seems to fit the rhyme in Chinese poetry during translating Korean song. Consequentially, we do not have to doubt the definite utterance in the preface and postface of Yongbiŏch'ŏn'ga. They said repeatedly that Chinese poetry were made from the completed Korean song for translation.