Translation:Studies on Korean Shamanism, Volume I/Hymns of Jeju Island/Chyeonji-wang bon-puri
VIII. CHYEONJI-WANG BON-PURI
In the human world lived Sumyeong-jangja,[1] of utter wickedness
Who had nine horses and nine bulls and nine dogs, most ferocious
So that though humanity was disgraced, there was nothing they could do.
One day Sumyeong-jangja faced Cheon-wang[2] and said to him
With swagger, "Could anyone in this world possibly apprehend me?"
Cheonju-wang[3] thought him impudent and descended into the human world.
He sat on a green willow branch outside Sumyeong-jangja's gate
And commanding ten thousand troops, he sent forth ill omens.
The bulls went up the rooftops to do mischief there
The pots and the baskets took walks outside the gate
But Sumyeong-jangja was not in the least afraid.
Cheonju-wang wrapped around Sumyeong-jangja's head
The band that had been wrapped around his own head.
[Sumyeong-jangja's] head hurt terribly, and he called a servant forth
Shouting with bravado, "My head hurts too much,
"So split it open with an ax!"
Astounded, Cheonju-wang said, "The wretch is truly unrelenting."
Taking off the headband [from Sumyeong-jangja] and wearing it again, [Cheonju-wang] took to the road
And entered the house of the old woman Baek Ju.
"I shall lodge here tonight."
The crone's words: "A house like this cannot possibly
"Host Cheonju-wang." "That is of no consequence." He entered
And the crone worried, as there was no rice to cook.
"If you go to Sumyeong-jangja's house and ask for rice
"He will give you some, so go and do so."[4]
She received the rice and cooked and offered it to Cheonju-wang
And served the ten thousand troops. In the night when Cheonju-wang slumbered
He heard hair being brushed with a wide tooth comb of jade.
"How strange!" And he asked the old woman Baek Ju.
"That is my little daughter."
He called for her; she was a maiden like the fairy of the moon.[5]
From that night they became man and wife and lived together.
Three days later, [Cheonju-wang] was about to ascend to Jade Heaven.[6]
"If my Cheonju-wang is ascending now, how am I supposed to live?
"If I have children, what am I supposed to do?"
"You, my wife, shall rule the human world as Bagi-wang[7]
"When you have children, name them Daebyeol-wang and Sobyeol-wang
"If they would meet me, I shall give you some tokens.
"Plant these two gourd seeds on the first month's Ox day
"The vines will stretch to Jade Heaven on the fourth month's Ox day[8]
"Send them to Jade Heaven on those vines." The two bid each other farewell.
One year after, she gave birth to sons. When they were seven years old
They went to their queenly mother and asked, "Where is our kingly father?"
"He is Cheonju-wang in Jade Heaven." "Then how can we go and see him?"
"Plant these two gourd seeds, when the vines stretch to Jade Heaven
"Take these tokens and climb up."
They planted the gourd seeds on the first month's Ox day
The vines stretched to Jade Heaven on the fourth month's Ox day
Climbing up to Jade Heaven, they met their kingly father
Who asked them their surnames and given names: "What are your names?
"Who is your queenly mother, and what are your tokens?"
"Our names are Daebyeol-wang and Sobyeol-wang. Our queenly mother is Ba'e-wang[9]
"And here are our tokens."
[The twins] took them out and showed them to him. "You are certainly my sons.
"You brothers must take charge of the fortunes and misfortunes of the human world
"And the long lives and swift deaths of the Underworld.[10]
"Plant a flower each in a silver basin
"The one whose flower flourishes will take charge of the human world
"The one whose flower does not do well will take charge of the Underworld."
When they planted a flower each in a silver basin
Sobyeol-wang's flower did not do well
And Daebyeol-wang's flower did well.
"Go to your allotted realms."
They went into the human world, but Sobyeol-wang was troubled;
If only he could take charge of the human world, and his brother the Underworld
He would bring retribution to Sumyeong-jangja and teach proper conduct [to humanity]
But his brother could not do so, he thought.
"Come, older brother, let's sleep a while." Pretending to lie down and sleep
He placed his brother's flower in front of himself
And placed his own flower in front of his brother. He roused his brother and said,
"For some reason your flower has withered and my flower is in full bloom,
"I wonder how that is." The older brother divined the trickery.
"If you do something like this, you'll die if our kingly father knows."
Sobyeol-wang apologized to his brother [then said,]
"Come, older brother, let us play at riddles."
"Let's do so." "Why do the leaves of the camellia
"Not fall, even when winter comes?"
"They do not fall because they are not hollow inside."
"Then why do [the leaves of] the suri bamboo, which is hollow inside,[11]
"Also not fall?"
[Sobyeol-wang] asked again, "Why does grain not do well in the hills
While it does well in the fields below?"
"The earth and water that are above flow downwards
"So grain does well below." "Then why is it that
"What is above does not do well, while what is below does well?"
Unable to respond, [Daebyeol-wang] said, "I've lost to you."
The younger brother said, "Older brother, even if you do not do well,
"Isn't it fine if your younger brother does well?"
"Then you may take charge of the human world,
"I will take charge of the Underworld.
"If you do wrong, things will not be amusing then."
[Daebyeol-wang] let the flowers be switched. The younger brother took charge of the human world
And the older brother, the Underworld.
Having taken charge of the human world, the younger brother called Sumyeong-jangja forth.
"As you have committed much lawless evil in the human world
"I shall not forgive you." In the front field he put up the executioner's rack
In the back field he sharpened the executioner's ax. After the decapitation
He pulverized [Sumyeong-jangja's] bones and flesh and scattered them to the winds.
They flew away as mosquitoes and flies and bedbugs and gnats.
Once Sumyeong-jangja and his lineage were ruined, [Sobyeol-wang] taught right conduct to men
Arranged luck and fortune, distinguished right from wrong
And took charge of the human world.
Footnotes[edit]
- ↑ Jangja is an epithet for a very rich man.
- ↑ "Heavenly king," another name of the sky god Cheonji-wang/Cheonju-wang. Presumably Sumyeong-jangja is looking up at the heavens here, as there is no mention in any version of him having any power to enter the realm of the gods.
- ↑ The name of the sky god is given as Cheonji-wang in all other versions, as well as the title of this version.
- ↑ In most other versions, Sumyeong-jangja gives poor-quality rice mixed with sand despite his fabulous wealth.
- ↑ Chang'e, the Chinese fairy of the moon, is renowned in East Asian literature for her beauty.
- ↑ The realm of the Chinese Jade Emperor, who is identified with the Jeju Cheonji-wang
- ↑ "Queen Bagi." The Korean word wang is gender-neutral. The meaning of "Bagi" is unclear and given in transliterated form in the Japanese translation.
- ↑ The months are given in the lunisolar East Asian calendar. The first and fourth months are roughly equivalent to the Western months of February and May respectively. The Ox is one of the earthly branches.
- ↑ Presumably a variant of "Bagi-wang"
- ↑ Another aberration. Jiok "underworld; prison in the earth" is a Buddhist term for the realm of the dead which is not used in most Cheonji-wang bon-puri versions, where the native Korean expression jeosing "that life" is preferred. The expression is doubly strange because more detailed versions of the Cheonji-wang bon-puri make it clear that far from being a "prison in the earth," the realm of the dead is actually located above the earth.
- ↑ The meaning of suri is unclear, and left transliterated in the Japanese transliteration.