<청산별곡>의 “에졍지”에 대한 새로운 고찰 - ‘御井址’의 변형일 가능성

Abstract

This article reviews the new possibility that “eoijeongji(에졍지)” in the seventh stanza of “Cheongsanbyeolgok(靑山別曲)” may be a variation of “eojeongji(御井址).” “Eojeong(御井),” which means “a well that collects the king’s drinking water,” existed in many places where there were royal islands, from the Three Kingdoms period to the Joseon Dynasty, and still remained in many historical sites throughout the country. In our ancient literature, compound words such as “eojeongdong(御井洞),” “eojeongjik(御井直),” and “eojeongchon(御井村)” appear along with the word “eojeong(御井).” The word “eojeongji(御井址)” is also used in real-world languages. Therefore, it is plausible that the word “eojeongji(御井址)” existed even in the era when “Cheongsanbyeolgok” was enjoyed. The pronunciation of “eojeongji(御井址)” in the early Joseon Dynasty was “eojyeongji(어졍지).” The change of this “eojyeongji(어졍지)” to “eoijyeongji(에졍지),” which is recorded in “Cheongsanbyeolgok(靑山別曲),” might be due to i-vowel regressive assimilation(Umlaut). Due to the influence of the half vowel ‘j’ included in the “jyeong(졍)” of “eojyeongji(어졍지),” the preceding vowel “eo(어)” was changed to “eoi(에).” When reading “Cheongsanbyeolgok(靑山別曲)” from the perspective of a song about a woman who broke up with her lover, the letter “eo(御)” included in “eojyeongji(御井址)” suggests that the narrator’s lover is the king symbolized by the “deer” in the seventh stanza of this work. As in other classics, the meaning of “jeong(井)” as a space of love is suited to the overall emotion and theme of this work, which is interpreted as a song of love. “Ji(址),” which means “the place” where something disappears and merely traces are left, is interpreted as “love left only traces” and corresponds with the appearance of “a bird that has left downstream(믈 아래 가던 새)” in the third stanza of the work. Hence, the seventh stanza, which includes “eoijyeongji(에졍지)” can be interpreted as a song of a servant abandoned by the king, recalling his past love when he lived in the palace, while passing through the “eojyeong(御井)” site. This interpretation of “eoijyeongji(에졍지)” suggests that “Cheongsanbyeolgok(靑山別曲)” may be another example of a male author’s work written in the voice of a female speaker, singing of longing for a king through the love between a man and a woman.