<공무도하가(公無渡河歌)> 전승 일고－설화의 의미와 시가의 결구를 중심으로－

Abstract

There are two important motifs in the Gonghuin(箜篌引) story, which are printed in Chae Ong(蔡邕)’s Guemjo(琴操) and Choi Pyo(崔豹)’s Goguemju(古今注). One is a drowning motif seen in the white haired insane person(白首狂夫)’s death, and the other is a suttee motif seen in his wife’s death. The preceding is the death of a punishment coming from an extraordinary taboo that should not be recklessly crossed the Ha-river(河水), and the latter is voluntary death from the remorse of a wife who failed to prevent her husband's death and marital arrangement. Therefore, analysis of the line-by-line conclusion of Gongmudohaga(公無渡河歌) has taken steps such as ‘a warning of violating the taboo’, ‘violating the taboo’, ‘a punishment of violating the taboo’, and ‘a conflict resolution due to wife’s suttee’. In order to grasp the conclusion of Gongmudohaga this way, it is necessary to clarify what the ‘jeho(提壺)’ in the narrative meant. After an empirical review of the 16 literary works of the later Gongmudoha, the meaning of ‘ho(壺)’ is found to be the ‘ho(瓠, a gourd)’ for assistant floatage of the crossing the river, not the ‘ho(壺, a liquor bottle)’ for getting drunk. This is evident in the context of 'ho(壺)' in Gongmudoha as well as the absence of words related to drinking or bottle in the verses of the insane person’s actions and feelings. In that vein the expression of the third line is very simple ; “Drowned while crossing the Ha river(墮河而死).” But thirty two imitations of classical style of Gongmudoha express in a concrete form. And the monsters in the Ha river are whale, dragon, giant snake, crocodile, etc. ; that is to say they are Chinese conventional monsters. As time goes by, the motif of Gongmudoha is used to shape unexpected ship accidents. This type of work is not only found in East Asian poetry, such as China, Taiwan and Korea, but also one of the most important poetic ideas that can be used anytime in the future.