One evening the newly made king heard a cock crow in the woods toward the west. He sent his servants after it, who found a small golden casket suspended from a tree. Under it a white cock was crowing. The servant reported the matter to his master. Another servant was despatched to the place. He returned with the box, which, being opened, was found to contain a boy baby, who was given the name signifying “The Golden Boy from the Grove in which the Cock crowed.” The baby boy grew up and succeeded his father. In the reign of the twenty-second king of [[310]]the line, the people of the country, then called Shin-han, changed the name of their country to Shinra.
In the “Grammaire Coréenne” there are a number of specimens of folk-lore given in Corean and French, from which we extract a few of the most characteristic. The first one is an illustration of our universal human nature.
THE THREE WISHES.
There were once two old married folks who had not a single child, boy or girl. Extremely poor, they lived a pitiable life. One evening, when it was very cold in winter, after having supped, they gazed into the fire in the brazier, and sitting in their room face to face they warmed themselves a moment in silence, when the good old man thus spoke:
“For the rich the winter is an excellent season; their food is prepared in advance. Having no toil they have only to take their ease. But for the poor, it is a rough time when they have neither food for the mouth nor fuel. If they go out over the mountain through the rain or the snow to seek wood, they die of cold or frost.”
The good dame replied: “They say that Heaven is just. Why then does he permit this? They say, besides, that when you pray to Heaven, it is easy to obtain that which you need. If we ask to become rich—” said she.
“You are right, do so,” replied the husband.
And both prostrating themselves, prayed fervently to the Deity, when suddenly an angel appeared.
“In spite of your sin of murmuring, Heaven having pitied you, accords you three things, after which you can ask no more. Reflect well, choose, and ask.” Saying this he disappeared.
The old man made this proposition: “If we ask riches, freedom from sickness, or long life—”
“No,” said the old woman, “we should not enjoy these things properly if we do not have a child. What pleasure will it be?”
“Hold! I have not asked. What shall I do? If he had only said four things at the good moment! Why did he say only three? Since we wish to have a child, must we forego freedom from sickness, must we renounce riches, must we give up long life? It is hard to decide. Think, then, seriously this night, and decide to-morrow.”
Breaking off their conversation, both sat plunged in reverie. At the moment of lying down to sleep, the old woman, stirring up the fire with the tongs, launched out with this reflection, “If we could have three or four feet of pudding to set to toast on this brazier, that would be royally excellent.”
She spoke, and there was three feet of food placed by her side.
The husband, beside himself with rage, screamed out—
“Oh! what a woman! By one stroke you have lost all our benefits. To punish you I wish the pudding would hang itself on the point of your nose.”
Immediately the pudding made a leap and attached itself to the old dame’s nose. [[311]]
At this the husband cried out, “Hello! Angry as I am, I have also by my fault lost a wish.” Seizing the sausage to detach it, they pulled, first one, then the other, almost dislocating the nose, but the sausage held on.
“Alas!” said the woman in tears, “if this is always to remain hanging here, how can I live?”
The husband, on the contrary, without being at all disturbed, said, “If even yet our wish of fortune is fulfilled, we could make a tube of gold to hide this sausage, and then drawing it out at length, it will be only more beautiful to see.”
The wife, still more miserable, cried out, “Oh, wretched me, only to think that fortune should wish to put it there. Well! whether you be rich or live long, as for me, I should like to kill myself.”
Saying this she took a cord and went to strangle herself at the end of a beam. The husband, struck with fear, and touched with compassion, hastened to set her free.
“Stop,” said he, “there remains one wish to us. Have your own way about it.”
“If that is so, I wish that what hangs to my nose comes loose. Quick, quick, that it may go swift away. That is my chief wish.”
She had hardly finished speaking when the sausage fell plump to the ground, and out of the midst of the heaven an angry voice was heard:
“You have obtained the three things which you wished for, and have you gained a great advantage? If you wish to enjoy true blessing in this world be content to live with what Heaven gives, and do not form vain desires.”
The two old folks spitted the pudding, ate it, and from this night they abstained from foolish wishes.
On the morrow, agreeably to their supreme ambition, which was to have a baby, they found a little fatherless and motherless orphan. Having adopted it as their child, they gave him a good education and lived happily to extreme old age.
The following illustrates official shrewdness and rapacity:
THE HISTORY OF A NOSE.
In the chief city of Chulla, there was a politician who was in debt to the government to the amount of ten thousand strings of cash. Unable to pay the same, he was condemned to death. Cast into prison, he awaited only the orders of the king to carry out the sentence. As he had thought hard without discovering any means to get out of the affair, he bethought himself of a stratagem. So, addressing the jailer, he said:
“Helloa! you there, you’ll do well to let me go free a little while.”
“Helloa!” answered the jailer, “what wretched talk! After I have set free a man who ought to be put to death to-morrow or day after to-morrow, what shall I do?”
The prisoner replied, “Are we not friends both of us? If you do not let me go, who can save my life? Think over it a little and see. My wife, my children, my house, all I have, all my relations and friends being here, where [[312]]shall I fly? If you set me at liberty for some moments not only will I not abscond but there will be found means for preserving my life safely. Do so.”
As he thus besought him eagerly, the jailer, struck with compassion, could not do otherwise than let him go.
So at midnight he presented himself before the door of the room where the governor slept, and thus addressed him.
“Are you asleep? Is your excellency sleeping?”
Hearing the sound and astonished at recognizing the voice of the officer who had been cast into prison and was to be executed in a short time, the governor asked.
“Who are you?”
“Your servant,” answered the officer.
“A scoundrel who is at the point of being executed, how is it you are here?”
“If I may be allowed to enter to salute you,” said the officer, “I have something particular to say to you.”
“Oh, well, come in and speak.”
The officer entering, approached, sat down, and said:
“I pray your excellency to reflect and consider my purpose. If you put your servant to death this will be simply one man of means less in the world, and the money I owe will be lost to the government. What advantage will you thus derive? If, on the contrary, you preserve my life there will be one man more in the world, and I shall repay the whole of my debt to the government. Let me then live.”
“If it ought to be so I wish you well in the matter.”
“Your servant will come again, then, to-morrow, during the night, to see you.”
“Do as you will.”
The morrow during the night the officer presented himself anew and asked to be introduced. Approaching he made the prostrations before the governor, drew from his sleeve a packet which he undid and took out a sketch representing a human nose. He immediately besought the governor to please put his seal upon the sketch.
Agreeing to the proposal the governor imposed his seal.
The officer now associated three companions who were in the plot, and they all assembled upon the coast of the Eastern Sea, where they found a populous village, in the midst of which rose a high and grand mansion. Taking their drink of spirits at a hotel in the suburbs of the next village beyond, they prepared to sup. Addressing their host they put this question:
“What is the name of the village which is just behind us? Whose is the largest house?”
The inn-keeper answered, “That is the house of a very rich noble. Last year he received the degree of the doctorate and is eligible to fill very soon a very high position under the government.”
The officer taking with him one of his comrades repaired to the mansion, where, as he noticed, everything showed abundant means, and thus spoke to the son.
“As we have a secret affair to treat of, let us go into another room,” said the officer. [[313]]
They did so. “See here, the king is very sick, and they have called all the physicians from all the eight provinces for a consultation. They have declared that the only means to obtain healing is to find the nose of a man just like this, and to concoct a remedy from it. This is why we have been commanded by the Court, where they have said to us, putting in our hand this sketch of the nose: ‘Without distinction of place or person if you meet a nose similar to this, strike it off and produce it before us in this place.’ Obeying this severe order we have been out many times without being able to find a nose conforming to the sketch, and thus far have made useless journeys, but now, without peradventure, your honorable father’s nose exactly resembles this. We demand to see him, and wherever he may be we shall not depart till we have cut it off.”
The son cried out: “Perhaps they do say such things!”
“Who dare oppose the government business? Hurry, hurry, strike it off and we’ll go.”
The son fell into a study and reflected.
“It is an affair of state. This is a matter which we cannot prevent. Cut it off, they say, but to cut off the nose of my old father, that is altogether impossible. The entire family, men, women, young and old, every one will be plunged into woe. You can bear away the half of our fortune at least, if you will go away without taking my father’s nose.”
The officer replied, “We had proposed to ourselves to depart only after having cut off the nose. However, as this is a matter of a son devoted to his father, and that they may not repress filial piety in others, we shall not cut off the nose. If you will give us a certain sum we will go elsewhere to procure a nose which we shall present to the king.”
He accepted with thanks a sum equal to many times ten thousand strings of cash, for which he gave a receipt, told the sender of the money such a day, such a place, and on leaving offered this recommendation:
“Upon the whole, say nothing of this affair. If it should leak out, and the government comes to know that having found a proper nose we have been bribed not to cut it off, we shall be arrested and put to death, they will certainly cut off your father’s nose and take your money also. Pray then be careful not to divulge this secret.” Upon this they took their leave.
Overjoyed at not having his parent’s nose amputated, but believing that the king on being informed would send again on this business, the son dared let no one know until the day of his father’s death. Then breaking the silence he said, “I have bought my father’s nose for —— thousand strings of cash.”
The story here told explains itself. Cheng-chong was the Haroun al Raschid of Corea.
AN INSTANCE OF ROYAL SOLICITUDE.
There was in Chō-sen a king called His Majesty Cheng-chong, who was celebrated in all the kingdom for his goodness. One night, disguised as a countryman, and accompanied only by a single companion, he started out from the midst of the capital to make a circuit in order to inform himself of the temper of his subjects, and to become himself acquainted with the details of their life. [[314]]
Arrived at a certain point he looked in the window. There was a miserable house, of which the outer dilapidation, extremely pitiable as it was, led him to suspect in the interior a state of things difficult to imagine. Eagerly wishing to know what it was, he punched a peep-hole in the paper door and perceived an old man weeping, a man in mourning singing, and a nun or widow dancing. Unable to divine the cause of this spectacle, he ordered his companion to call the master of the house. The king’s servant doing so, said:
“Is the proprietor of the house at home?”
Hearing this voice the man in mourning made his appearance. His Majesty saluting him said:
“We have never before met.”
“True,” said the man in mourning, “but whence are you? How is it that you should come to find me at midnight? To what family do you belong?”
Cheng-chong answered, “I am Mr. Ni, living at Tong-ku-an. As I was passing before your house, I was attracted by strange sounds. Then by a hole which I made in the door, I saw an old man weeping, a nun who danced, and a gentleman in mourning who sang. Why did the old man shed tears, the nun dance, and the man in mourning sing? Unable to fathom the motive I have made my friend call the householder with the purpose of informing myself.”
The man in mourning rejoined, “Have you any business to know other people’s matters? What is your reason for acting thus when it concerns you so little? The night is well gone. Get back as quickly as possible.”
“No, not at all. I acknowledge that it is not becoming to pry into the affairs of others, but this is such an extraordinary case I beg of you give me some light on the matter.”
“Alas!” said the man in mourning, “why is the gentleman so eager to know other people’s matters?”
Cheng-chong replied, “It is important that I should be somewhat informed.”
“Since the gentleman wishes so much to know, I cannot do other than tell. This is why. My family has always been poor. In my hut one could never find sufficient grain for a meal and one flea would not have enough room upon my land to squat upon. I have no victuals for my old father. This is why, morning and evening, in default of all other resource, my wife has often cut off a tress of her hair and gone and sold it to buy a cup of bean-soup, which she graciously offers to my father. This evening she clipped and sold all of her hair that remained, and by this she has become bare-headed like a nun. My old father, seeing that for his sake his young daughter-in-law has become a nun, broke out into mourning in these terms:
“ ‘Why have I lived to this day? Why am I not dead? Why have I thus degraded my daughter-in-law?’ And in saying this he shed tears. To console him, my wife said to him, ‘Do not weep,’ and she danced. I, also, although in mourning, joined in with my wife. One danced, the other sang. This made my old father smile, and perhaps gave him solace. There! that is why we behaved so. Do not think it strange, and go away.”
Listening to this narrative the king was impressed with such a marked supreme devotion on the part of the son and daughter-in-law, even in the time of deepest misfortune, and he said, “This is the most extraordinary thing in the world. How will it do to present you at the examination to-morrow?” [[315]]
“What examination to-morrow?” asked the man.
“Why, certainly,” said Cheng-chong, “to-morrow there will be an examination. By all means don’t fail to be there.”
The man responded, “But I have not heard it said that there is to be an examination.”
“Whether you have heard or not,” said the king, “prepare to compete, and present yourself. As I shall also present myself to-morrow I shall give you a stall in the enclosure.”
Having thus spoken he took his leave, returned to the palace and awaited the stroke of the great clock-bell.
No sooner did he hear the vibration of the mighty gong than he immediately gave the order to announce promptly the examination in the city, and beyond the walls, to the utter astonishment of the literary men, who said, “Even until yesterday no one had heard of an examination, and behold it was published during the night. What does this mean?”
The poor householder on his part made this reflection, “Although I knew nothing about it, this man knows perfectly,” and he started out.
On the way he noticed a crowd of candidates. Without hesitation he entered the enclosure. The subject of the examination was: “The song of a man in mourning, the dance of a nun, the tears of an old man.”
Of all the students not one could derive the sense of such a subject.
This man alone knew it perfectly well, because he had had experience of those very things in his own house. He treated the theme clearly and sent in his copy. The king having examined the essay and found it without a mistake, gave the degree of doctor and sent for him to come to him.
When they were in each other’s presence the king said:
“Do you know me? It is I who yesterday recommended you to present yourself at the examination. Lift up your head and look.”
Fixing his gaze attentively, the man recognized who he was—in effect the same person—and manifested his feelings in appropriate actions of gratitude.
“Go quickly,” said the king to him, “go find your old father and wife.”
Forthwith, with high appointment to office joined to magnificent treatment, the king recompensed the filial piety of the son and daughter-in-law.
The royal renown has been handed down from generation to generation. In truth, beyond the goodness of the king, the reward bestowed upon the filial devotion of these two married people is known to every one.
Evidently the following is a story told by metropolitans to show up the bumpkins of the provinces:
THE PRODIGIOUS EFFECTS OF A LOOKING-GLASS.
A young noble of Kiung-sang province was going on a journey to Seoul. Just as he was about to depart, his wife called him.
“He! say now, listen to me a little. I have heard the mother of Mr. Kim speak of a very lovely thing which looks like glass and pretty metal. They say that if you look in it you will see a very curious thing. You must bring me one.” [[316]]
“Is it dear or cheap?” asked the husband.
“It is not dear,” said she. “It will be necessary to spend some money, but if you heed the matter at all, it will be easy to pay for it.” This is what the husband heard as he set out for the capital.
Having finished his business at Seoul he was on the point of returning, having almost lost sight of his wife’s order. At last he recalled it, asked the name of the object in question, and made the purchase of a mirror through one of his friends. In his eagerness to get home he put his wife’s commission in his wallet without even looking at it. When he arrived home, she hastened to take out the mirror. At once she perceived in it a woman. Immediately she began to weep and to berate her husband.
“Oh the villain! not only to play himself the vagabond and debauchee but to bring along a concubine! Is it possible? This woman, what is she?”
The amazed husband looked in the mirror, and at the side of his wife perceived a man. Unable to contain his wrath which made his face first dark and then blue, he uttered piercing cries.
“Is this the conduct for the wife of a noble. You have brought a libertine here,” cried he.
He was about to murder his wife, when his old mother hearing the squabble came in to know what it was. At sight of the old woman the quarrel ceased on either side. Pointing at the mirror, the rivals spoke both at once. The weeping daughter-in-law raved about a concubine, the son, even more angry, talked of a paramour. As the couple had never quarrelled before, there was no way of accounting for the mystery.
“Do not be vexed,” said she, and looking in the mirror she saw a woman. At once she broke out into a laugh.
“Is it because you see the old woman, your neighbor, that you dispute? The widow Pak has come to get some fire,” said she, and she went out to speak to her, but she was not there.
Astonished, she called her husband and said to him
“There is in the children’s room a very funny thing. You can see in it all kinds of extraordinary things and they are bickering over it. Come and see a little.”
The venerable gentleman having entered the room perceived in the mirror an aged man.
“Hello! the puppy of the teacher Tsoi has come to collect his fees and I have not a penny. That is not very nice.”
The people of the village, one by one, two by two, all without exception looked at the mirror, but unable to comprehend anything, they made a tumult. Curious to know what should result, they carried it to the magistrate. At sight of the instrument, the man of authority more astonished than the others, called the policemen and gave them this order:
“A new officer has arrived, why have I lost my place? Get ready men and horses for him.”
Really believing that he had been cashiered he prepared to leave, when a young policeman after a careful examination of the mirror, pointed out the manner in which the visage of each individual was reflected.