Sample Translations
Haewang Jeong Park Hyeokgeose E ng l i s h
Book Information
Park Hyeokgeose (박혁거세) Hyeonamsa Publishing corp. / 2011 / 6 p. / ISBN 9788932372594 74810, 9788932372617 (set) For further information, please visit: http://library.klti.or.kr/node/772 This sample translation was produced with support from LTI Korea. Please contact the LTI Korea Library for further information. library@klti.or.kr
Park Hyeokgeose Written by Jeong Haewang, Illustrated by Kim Doyeon
Once upon a time, there were six large towns in Gyeongju. Each one had an elder who looked after it, and they were called chiefs. But there was no king yet, and of course there was no kingdom either.
One day, the six chiefs gathered in one place. “We need a king who will govern the people wisely.” “That’s right. It’s because we don’t have a king that the people are so unruly.” The chiefs all had the same idea. “How about we find a great man and make him our king?” “That’s an excellent idea. Let’s combine the six towns and make them one country. That will make the people prosperous and peaceful.”
The six chiefs climbed up a high hill and looked around. Just then, one chief pointed to the south and shouted. “Look, look at Najeong!” A beam of bright light was shining down on Najeong on the well. At the center of the light was a pure white horse. It appeared to be bowing down to something.
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The six chiefs rushed to the well. The white horse stood up as the people approached. With a long neigh it flew up into the sky. In the place where it had bowed there was a large egg. “What a strange purple egg.” “It’s no ordinary egg.” “The white horse was bowing to this egg.”
The chiefs cautiously cracked the egg open. Carefully, very carefully… There was a baby inside! A handsome little boy.
The eldest of the six chiefs carefully held the baby, And brought him to a spring east of that place. Everyone followed. The chiefs washed the child with the clear spring water. Then the baby shown with a wondrous light.
The light attracted birds And other wild animals. Various beasts gathered around and danced joyously, Celebrating the birth of the child. That was not the only miracle. The Heaven and Earth trembled,
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The sun shone brighter, and the moon became clearer.
“The child must be a gift from heaven!” The chiefs named the child Hyeokgeose, Which means ‘to govern the world with a bright light.’ “Now that a precious child has become our king, We must find a queen worthy of him.” “If there is a king then there must be a queen as well.”
The very same day, beside well, another miraculous event took place. A strange animal appeared beside Alyeongjeong, in the town of Saryang. The people gathered to look at the animal. The oldest lady in the town said, “The head of a hen and the body of a dragon! That is the mystical Gyeryong!”
The gyeryong moaned in great pain. Then the people noticed something emerge from the gyeryong’s left side. It was a little baby girl. Her skin was fair, and she had pretty eyes, nose and ears. But her mouth was pointy, like a hen’s beak. How strange she looked!
The people took the baby girl to a stream in the north And carefully bathed her.
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Then the beak dropped off and her adorable lips appeared. The people decided to give the baby girl a name. “How about Alyeong, since she was born beside Alyeongjeong the well?” “That’s a beautiful name.”
People built a house at the western foot of South Mountain. There they raised Hyeokgeose and Alyeong With the utmost care and love. How could they do otherwise with their king and queen? Hyeokgeose was given the last name, Park, Since he was born from an egg, which looked like a large gourd. He was called Park Hyeokgeose.
When the two children turned thirteen The people held an enormous feast and there was a wedding. “Long live King Park Hyeokgeose!” “Long live Queen Alyeong!”
The people from the six towns formed a kingdom Park Hyeokgeose as king. King Park Hyeokgeose named the kingdom Seorabeol. He peacefully governed Seorabeol for sixty-one years. Seorabeol grew in territory and became a strong kingdom. This kingdom of Seorabeol later became Silla.
When Park Hyeokgeose passed away
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His body floated into heaven and disappeared. On the seventh day his body was divided into five parts and dropped down to earth. The people tried to gather the five parts into one tomb, But a large snake appeared and stopped them. The people buried the five parts separately, So there were five tomb sites. Park Hyeokgeose was a miraculous person from birth to death.
<Treasure Hunt with Mom and Dad>
Najeong and Alyeongjeong: “Jeong” means well. Najeong, or Na Well, and Alyeongjeong, or Alyeong Well, are located on Namsan (South Mountain) in the city of Gyeongju. Wherever there was a well there was also a town nearby. The story of Park Hyeokgeose and Alyeong should be understood as the people of Najeong and Alyeongjeong working together to establish a kingdom. The horse at Najeong may suggest that the people there raised horses while the Gyeryong at Alyeongjeong shows the people grew chickens.
Seorabeol became Seoul? Korean language scholars suggest that “Seora” means new or East and that “beol” is a wide meadow. Therefore, Seorabol means a new land, or the land in the East. The word Seorabeol was changed to Seoble, then Seoboul, and finally Seoul. At first, it was the name of a kingdom, but later it became the country’s capital. Seorabeol is an old name for Gyeongju, which was the capital city of Silla. Seoul is the capital of present day South Korea.
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Oreung, Park Hyeokgeose’s Five Tombs In Tabdong Gyeongju, five large tombs are harmoniously situated around each other. These are the oreung, or five tombs. SamgukYusa, written by Il-yeon, recounts that the five parts of Park Hyeokgeose’s body were buried here. However, Kim Busik’s SamgukSagi states that the tombs are for Park Hyeokgeose, Queen Alyeong, King Namhae, King Yuri, and King Pasa. Since the tombs have never been excavated we do not know for certain who is right.
What Kind of Kingdom was Silla? Silla was Korea’s longest lasting kingdom. It lasted almost a millennium from 57 B.C., when Park Hyeokgeose founded it until 935 A.D., when King Gyeongsun surrendered to Taejo Wang-gun of the new Goryo Kingdom. It began as a small city state based in Gyeongju, but it gradually became stronger and grew in territory, stretching north to the provinces of Gyeongsang and Gangwon. In 676 A.D. the 29th king, King Muyeol, allied with the Tang Dynasty of China and conquered the neighboring kingdoms Goguryo and Baekje, unifying the three kingdoms.
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