| Jemangmaega | |
| Hangul | 제망매가 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 祭亡妹歌 |
| Revised Romanization | Jemangmaega |
| McCune–Reischauer | Chemangmaega |
Jemangmaega (Korean: 제망매가; Hanja: 祭亡妹歌) is an 8th-century hyangga written by a Buddhist monk named “Wolmyeongsa” in the ancient Korean kingdom of Silla. The poem was included in Samguk Yusa, a collection of folklore from the Three Kingdoms Period. The poem still remains one of the most popular Korean works of literature today.[1]
The poem's title “Jemangmaega” roughly translates to “A Requiem for a Dead Sister.”[2] Consequently, the poem is about the author mourning his sister's death in a regretful and sad tone. A variety of figurative expressions such as similes, metaphors, and philosophical statements related to death are present in the work.[3]
It is believed that the poem was written during the deceased sister's jesa, a traditional Korean funeral. Legend states that upon writing the poem on a piece of paper, a strong gust of wind flew the paper westwards. In Korean and Buddhist folklore, a paper flying towards the west means that the wish on the paper has been granted.[4]
This is how the poem was written in the original Samguk Yusa:
生死路隠
此矣有阿米次肹伊遣
吾隐去内如辝叱都
毛如云遣去内尼叱古
於內秋察早隠風未
此矣彼矣浮良落尸葉如 / 一等隠枝良出古
去奴隠處毛冬乎丁
阿也
彌陁刹良逢乎吾 / 道修良待是古如
| Original (Hyangchal) | Mixed Script Korean[5] | Modern Korean | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 生死路隠 | 生死 길흔 | 삶과 죽음의 길은 | Was it because it was here that the paths of life and death crossed that you hesitated, |
| 此矣有阿米次肹伊遣 | 이에 이샤매 머믓그리고 | 여기에 있음에 머뭇거리고 | |
| 吾隐去内如辝叱都 | 나ᄂᆞᆫ 가ᄂᆞ다 말ᄯᅩ | '나는 간다'는 말도 | and then passed away without even saying "I must go?" |
| 毛如云遣去内尼叱古 | 몯다 니르고 가ᄂᆞ닛고 | 못 다 하고 가는가 | |
| 於內秋察早隠風未 | 어느 ᄀᆞᅀᆞᆯ 이른 ᄇᆞᄅᆞ매 | 어느 가을 이른 바람에 | Like leaves that will be blown hither and thither in an untimely autumn wind, though we come from the same branch, |
| 此矣彼矣浮良落尸葉如 / 一等隠枝良出古 | 이ᅌᅦ 뎌ᅌᅦ ᄠᅳ러딜 닙ᄀᆞᆮ / ᄒᆞᄃᆞᆫ 가지라 나고 | 이리저리 떨어질 잎처럼 / 한 가지에 나고도 | |
| 去奴隠處毛冬乎丁 | 가논 곧 모ᄃᆞ론뎌 | 가는 곳을 모르겠구나 | we know not where we go. |
| 阿也 | 아야 | 아아, | Oh! (Interjection) |
| 彌陁刹良逢乎吾 / 道修良待是古如 | 彌陀刹아 맛보올 나 / 道 닷가 기드리고다 | 극락세계에서 만날 나 / 도를 닦아 기다리겠노라 | As for me, whom you shall meet in Paradise, I shall wait, seeking truth profound. |