Book XI 645
one, it should be straight and sincere in everything it does. Where does
the sun rise and where does it set? There is only one sun, and you cannot
look down on it. When you send envoys to China, send the ones who are
proficient in the Chinese language; otherwise, do not send envoys at all. I
have grandsons and the king of Chosŏn has granddaughters. Let’s have
them get married with each other. If you agree, send us one among your
grand councilors who knows how to speak Chinese. I will speak to you
through him.
“Among the four scholars whom you sent to us, only Kwŏn Kŭn looks
experienced and sincere, so I allow him to return home. I want the king of
Chosŏn to convey these words to him. Since none of the three scholars
who recently arrived speak Chinese, I send them back home. The baggage
belonging to the four scholars who are still here will be transported later at
one time.”
The poems composed by the Chinese emperor were as follows:
The old kingdom whose border is the clean water of the Yalu River
Achieved peace, eliminating the wicked.
Refusing to accept runaway people, it preserved peace for many years
And made propriety and fidelity its major legacy.The war with the Han dynasty is clearly in the records, and
The armies of the Khitan also left their traces for the reflection of
p o s t e r i t y.
When my heart stays in the middle of the sky,
The water is calm and the border is quiet.
(The above is about the Yalu River.)The capital moved away and the streets turned desolate.
Passing travelers are saddened to look at the desolation.
Only the flowers are left in the palace gardens crowded with bees,
But the empty palaces became the home of wild rabbits.The peddlers take a roundabout way to get to the new city,
And the merchants newly relocated miss their old marketplace.
This is what happened to the capital of the Wang clan.
How many times has the nation’s capital changed since Tan’gun?
(The above is about the old capital of Koryŏ.)