646 t h e a n n a l s o f k i n g t’a e j o
Upon crossing the border, one finds the fields full of farmers and their
singing.
How many years have passed since soldiers were engaged in farming?
The iron drum hanging on top of the pavilion is rusty,
And the watchtower became a heap of earth covered with shrubs
and weeds.
The people at the post station welcome the traveling envoys,
And they bid them farewell, wishing them a safe trip.
Passing by the fields filled with crops and prosperity,
They finally arrive at the Chinese border where the horizon ends.
(The above is about the Korean envoys traveling through Liaodong.)These three poems were composed by the emperor himself and presented to
Kwŏn Kŭn. Earlier, Kŭn had paid a visit to the Ming court and had an audi-
ence with the emperor. Recognizing that Kŭn was a man of learning, the
emperor told him to compose twenty- four poems. So Kŭn complied and
submitted the poems:On the Old Royal Capital of Koryŏ
Setting up a kingdom on the eastern border,
The Wang clan ruled it over five hundred years until it ended.
Running out of energy and losing the support of the people,
Its rise and decline was the will of Heaven.
The city still remains, looking desolate.
The once- prosperous capital has already vanished.
As I return to survey it, I feel my laments increasing,
And I find a cold smoke hanging onto the tall tree.On Yi’s Separate Housekeeping
The Eastern Kingdom underwent many troubles,
But our king rose up to solve them.
Looking after the people and practicing benevolence,
He has done his utmost in serving the suzerain state.
Changing the country name owing to the grace of His Imperial Majesty,
He moved the nation’s capital and constructed a new city.