Chapter XV The Wine Punishment

ON this day of the happy festival Swallow
and White-cap came in at the last and added
the final touch of delight. The Master and
the Prince, while desiring to stay longer, were com-
pelled by the falling shadows of the evening to break
up the feast and return. They gave to each performer
rich presents of gold, silver and silk. Grain measures
of gems were scattered about and rolls of costly
materials were piled up like hillocks. The Master
and the Prince, taking advantage of the moonlight,
returned home to the city amid the ringing of bells.
All the dancers and musicians jostled each other
along the way, each desiring to be first to return.
The sound of gems and tinkling ornaments was like
falling water ; and perfume filled the atmosphere.
Straying hairpins and jewelled ornaments were
crushed by the horses' hoofs and the passing of
countless feet. The crowd in the city, desiring to see,
stood like a wall on each side of the way. Old men of
ninety and a hundred wept tears of joy, saying : " In
my younger days I saw his Majesty Hyon-jong out
on procession, and his splendour alone could be
compared with this. Beyond all my expectations I
have lived till to-day and now see this happy gather-

ing."

The two Princesses with Chin See and Cloudlet
were with the mother awaiting the return of the
Master. In a little he came, bringing in his train

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Swallow and White-cap, who at once appeared be-
fore the mother and the two Princesses and made
their salutations.

Cheung See said : " Your Excellency has spoken
very often, saying that by the help of these two
maidens you had brought into subjection whole
districts of rebels. I was always sorry that I had
never met them. Why is it, girls, that you have come
so late ? "

Swallow and White-cap made answer : "We are
unknown people from a distant province, and though
the Master has kindly looked upon us, we feared that
the two ladies would not be willing to accord us a
place with them so we hesitated to come. But now
having entered the gates and having heard the people
say that the two Princesses were blessed with the
happy hearts of Kwa-jo and Kyoo-mok, and that
their kindly virtues moved high and low alike, we
have come boldly in to make our obeisance. Just at
the time of our entrance into the city we learned that
the Master was engaged in the Festal Grounds ; so
we hurried out and joined in the happy gathering.
Now that your kind words are spoken to us how
delighted indeed we are."

The Princess laughed and said to the Master :
" To-day we have a garden of flowers gathered in
the palace. Without doubt your Excellency vdll
boast of it. It all pertains to our merits, however,
and is due to us two. You must not think it due to
yourself."

The Master laughed heartily and said : " The
saying runs, ' Folks in high places like praise.' It
seems to be true. These two come for the first time

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to the palace, and are afraid of the dignity of your
Highnesses, so they have resorted to flattery. Do you
take what they say as real and so pride yourselves on
your own merit?" And all those present laughed.

Then Chin See and Cloudlet asked of Moonlight
and Wildgoose : " Who won to-day in the lists ? "

Wildgoose made answer : " Moonlight laughed
at my boasting, and yet with one word I took all the
courage out of Prince Wol. Che Kal-yang on a little
boat like the leaf of a tree entered Kang-dong, and
with a few diminutive words made clear where right
and wrong lay, so that Chu Kong-geum and No Ja-
kyong could not utter a syllable for shame. Prince
Pyong-won went to the kingdom of Cho to make a
contract of peace and amity, while the nineteen who
accompanied him had no occasion for a word, and
nothing whatever to do. It is because my heart is
large that my lips at times are boastful ; but in my
boastful words there lay victory. You may ask Moon-
light ; she knows what I say is true."

Moonlight said : " Wildgoose 's skill of bow and
horseback riding is indeed wonderful and suited to
the Festal Ground, but if arrows and stones were
raining round her on the battlefield she would not
dare to ride a pace or draw a bow. The taking all the
courage out of Prince Wol was due to the arrival of
the two fairy maids, with their beauty and skill ;
how could she think of its being due to herself ? I
have just one word to say to Wildgoose, and I will
say it now. In the days of the Spring and Autumn
Classic, Minister Ka had a very dirty, unwashed
face, so that people who passed by, in contempt, spat
upon him. He was married for three years without

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The Cloud Dream of the Nine

his wife once having smiled. On a certain day he
went with her into the fields when he chanced to
shoot a pheasant that was flying by. His wife laughed
for the first time. Wildgoose's shooting the pheasant
was just like Minister Ka. He was no good and yet
he shot a pheasant."

Wildgoose made answer : " Minister Ka, in spite
of his dirty face, by means of skill at the bow and
horsemanship, made his wife to smile ; how much
more would one with skill and beauty besides when
they shoot a pheasant, make the world to smile and
sing their praises."

Moonlight laughed and said in reply : " Your
boastfulness, Wildgoose, grows apace. It is because
the Master loves you overmuch that you are vain
and proud."

The Master laughed and said : " I knew long ago
that Moonlight was greatly gifted, but I never knew
that she was up in the Classics as well. Now I find
that she is acquainted with the Spring and Autumn
Book."

Moonlight's answer was : "In my leisure I used
to study the Classics and history, but how could you
say that 1 was acquainted with them ? "

On the following day the Master went into audi-
ence before his Imperial Majesty. His Majesty sum-
moned the Empress Dowager and Prince Wol. The
two Princesses had already come in and were seated
with them.

The Empress Dowager said to Prince Wol : " You
and the General had a contest of pretty girls yester-
day ; tell me who won ? "

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The Wine Punishment

The Prince replied : " I was altogether defeated ;
no one can hope to equal General Yang in the bless-
ings of life and good-luck. But how do blessings like
these," pointing to the secondary wives, " appeal
to your daughters, I wonder ? Please, your Majesty,
ask this of his Excellency, will you ? "

The Master broke in : " His Highness 's statement
that he was defeated by me is quite aside of the mark.
It is like Yi Tai-baik turning pale when he saw the
writing of Choi -ho. Whether this is a happiness to
the Princesses or not, how can I answer ? Please ask
their Highnesses themselves."

The Dowager laughed and looked toward the
Princesses, who replied, saying : " Husband and wife
are one, whether it be for gladness or for sorrow.
There can be no difference in their lives. If our hus-
band wins glory we win it too, but if failure falls to
his lot, we too must share it. Whatever makes him glad
makes us glad also."

Prince Wol said : " My sisters' words are all very
sweet to listen to, yet they are not from the heart.
Since ancient times there never was such an extrav-
agant son-in-law as this General. It would indicate
that the good old laws that once prevailed are losing
ground. Please have his Excellency sent to the Chief
Justice, and his contempt of court and disregard of
the laws of State looked into."

The Dowager laughed and said : " Our son-in-
law is doubtless somewhat of a sinner in this respect,
but if you desire to judge him according to the law
you will plunge an old woman like me and my two
daughters into a whirl of anxiety. Let's dispense with
the State laws and deal with him privately."

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Prince Wol then said : " Though it might cause
a measure of anxiety you cannot lightly overlook such
a sin as his. Please let us inquire into his case before
your Majesty, determine the nature of his offence,
and deal with him accordingly," (He then wrote as
though dictated to by the Empress.)

The Empress laughed while Prince Wol hastened
to write out his statement :

** Since ancient times the son-in-law of the Em-
press has never taken to himself secondary wives.
This is not due to the fact that he might not desire
to do so, nor to the fact that he lacked sufficient
food and clothes to give them, but only from a desire
to do reverence to the Emperor and honour to the
State. Now, however, if we regard the lofty station
of the two Princesses, they are daughters of my
own, and in their bringing-up and attainment they
are not inferior to Im-sa [44]. But you, Yang So-
yoo, have not been appreciative of this or of your
bounden duty. Instead you have possessed yourself
of a spirit of lawlessness and wild excess, and have
lost your heart over every painted cheek and
powdered head, and have given your thought to
dainty silks and gaudy dresses. You have gathered
a host of pretty girls together in an astoundingly
greedy manner, seeking tliem in the east by morn-
ing light, and in the west at evening time. You
have let the light and the lands of Cho and Yon to
blind your eyes, and you have allowed your ears
to be filled with the songs of the Cheung King-
dom, condescending to look on groups who gather
like ants in the music halls, or like bees in swarms

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The Wine Punishment

to talk and chatter together. Though the Prin-
cesses in their spirit of liberality show no jealousy,
how about your duty and your behaviour in the
matter ? One cannot but punish a sin of pride and
excess. Now let us have no dissimulation, but a
straightforward confession and an acceptance of
the sentence."

The Master then descended from the dais, put off
his headgear and awaited sentence. Prince Wol went
to the end of the railed enclosure, and in a loud voice
read out what had been written, and after the Master
had heard it he said by way of confession : " Your
Majesty's humble subject, Yang So-yoo, has pre-
sumptuously accepted of favours accorded by your
two Excellent Majesties and has been crowned with
the greatest possible glory, having the two Princesses
made his very own with all their true and matchless
graces. I had already won more than all that heart
could wish. Still I was ungrateful, and my soul did
not cherish the delight of the modest and the beauti-
ful, but loved music excessively, as well as dancing
and singing. This was indeed excess beyond what
one already so greatly blessed should have shown.
Still, as I humbly read the laws of the State, the son-
in-law of her Majesty may have secondary wives,
that is if they be taken before his marriage with the
first Princess. Though I have secondary wives, my
wife Chin See is mine by reason of the command of
your Excellent Majesty, concerning which there can
be no question. My wife Cloudlet was my attendant
while I lived in the home of Justice Cheung. My
wives Moonlight, Wildgoose, Swallow and White-cap

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The Cloud Dream of the Nine

were taken in the days before my marriage with the
Princesses. Their being here in this place is also by
command and with the permission of the Princesses
themselves, and not by reason of any act of mine. If
we speak of State laws or your Majesty's expressed
will, I feel that there is no sin in this that deserves
punishment. These are your humble subject's state-
ments and he offers them in fear and reverence."

The Empress Dowager on hearing this laughed
and said : " The taking to himself of several wives
does not in any way impair the dignity of the Superior
Man. This I can forgive, but excess in the matter of
drink causes me anxiety. Be careful ! "

Prince Wol, however, went on to say : " It is not
right that the son-in-law should take so many wives.
So-yoo, too, blames the Princesses, forgetting that
he has his own responsibility to answer for. I should
like to have him properly disciplined for this. Please,
your Majesty, ask concerning this again."

Then Yang in a state of embarrassment bowed his
head and asked forgiveness, while the Dowager
laughed and said : " So-yoo, while my son-in-law,
is indeed a Minister of State. Why should I treat
him as a son-in-law ? " and she bade him put on
his headgear and come up before the dais.

Prince Wol said : " Though his Excellency's merit
is very great, and it is difficult to punish him, still
the laws of the State are strict and he ought not to go
without some mark of reprimand. You might try the
wine punishment upon him."

The Dowager laughed and gave consent.

The palace maids then brought out a little white
stone goblet, but Prince Wol said : " The General

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The Wine Punishment : Green Mountain Castle

The Wine Punishment

has the capacity of a whale, and his offence is so great
that you must use a larger dish than this." So they
brought a huge ornamented gold goblet and poured
it full to the brim. Although the Master's capacity
was large still this could not fail to make him drunk.

He nodded his head and said : " The Herdsman
loved the Weaving Damsel very, very much, and was
scolded by his father-in-law. I, too, for taking too
many wives, am punished by my mother-in-law. It
is indeed difficult to fill the place of son-in-law of the
Empress. This wine has gone to my head and I ask
permission to retire, please."

The Dowager laughed and 'ordered the palace
nxaids to help him away. She said also to the two
Princesses : " The Master is upset and feeling ill,
you must go and look after him."

The two Princesses obeyed orders and followed.

At this time Madame Yoo had lit the lamps in the
main hall and was waiting her son's return. Seeing
him dnmk she said in amazement : " What is this ?
Drink ? I have seen you drink before but never saw
you drunk. What does it mean ? "

The Master, with intoxicated look, at first made no
reply, but after a time, pointing to the Princesses, he
said : " The Princesses' brother. Prince Wol, has
prevaricated to the Empress Dowager and brought
me into judgment. I pleaded my own cause with skill
and really cleared myself, but the Prince, by force,
has put an imaginary fault upon me, and has caused
me to undergo the wine punishment. If I had not
been accustomed to wine I should have died. It is
nothing but the result of his mortification of having
been beaten in the lists yesterday. He wants to settle

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The Cloud Dream of the Nine

accounts with me, I see, and Orchid is jealoxis of my
having so many wives. She has joined her brother in
this scheme, no doubt. Her generous heart of former
days seems to have gone. I pray you, mother, to give
Orchid a glass of punishment as well and so make
amends for this disgrace of mine."

The mother said : " It is not at all clear that Orchid
is guilty as you say, and she has never tasted wine in
all her life. If you desire that I should punish her, let
it be with a cup of tea instead."

The Master said : "No, that will not do, it must
be wine."

The mother laughed and said to Orchid : "If
your Highness does not drink of it, this wretched
fellow will not be satisfied," so she called a maid and
ordered her to give to Orchid a glass of punishment.

While the Princess attempted to drink it, the
Master suddenly expressed a doubt and tried to take
the glass by force to taste it, but Orchid quickly
threw it on to the matting. The Master then dipped
his finger in the dregs, tasted it, and found that it
was only sweetened water.

He said : " If her Majesty, the Empress, had
punished me with sweetened water, my mother's
, giving sweetened water to Orchid would have been
all right, but I have had to drink strong wine, so
Orchid must have strong wine too and not sweetened
water." He called a maid and bade her bring a glass
and he himself poured it full and sent it. The Princess,
having no alternative, drank it all.

Then he said again to his mother : " The one who
urged the Empress to give me wine punishment was
Orchid, but Blossom was in the scheme, too, you

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may be sure. She sat before the Empress and saw all
my confusion, but she only laughed and nodded to
Orchid. There is no fathoming her. My desire is that
you punish Blossom too."

The mother laughed and sent the glass to Cheung
See. Cheung See retired from her place and drank it.

The mother then said : " The Empress's pun-
ishment of the Master was on account of his having
taken so many wives. The two Princesses have both
had to drink of it, how can you girls Escape ? "

The Master said : "Prince Wol's meeting me on
the Festal Field was simply to find about our singers
and dancers, and there, in spite of all his great com-
pany, he was defeated by Wildgoose, Moonlight,
Swallow and White-cap. Our weak numbers put his
whole palace to shame. In the contest we won the
day, and this is why Prince Wol has vented his re-
sentment on me and caused my discomfiture. These
four must certainly be punished as well."

The mother asked : " Do you punish those who
win in the contest ? Yours are the ridiculous words
of a drunken man." But she called the four and gave
them each a glass ; and when all had drunk. Wild-
goose and Moonlight knelt before the mother and
said : " The Empress's punishment of the Master
was assuredly on account of his many wives, and not
because of his having won the day on the Festal
Field. Swallow and White-cap have not shared the
Master's home and yet they have been punished
also. Will this not be a source of resentment later ?
Cloudlet has for a long time been with him, and
has been greatly favoured, but she did not share the
sports on the Festal Field, and so has escaped the

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The Cloud Dream of the Nine

punishment altogether. The rest of us humble folk
feel that this is not fair."

" You are perfectly right," said the mother. Then
she gave a large glass to Cloudlet, who smothered her
laughter and drank it, so all were made to share alike
in the glass of punishment and all were put to con-
fusion.

Princess Orchid was overcome and in great dis-
tress ; but Chin See sat in a corner in a manner
wholly unconcerned, saying nothing and without a
smile.

The Master said : " Chin See alone is not moved
by it, and regards all the rest of us with contempt.
She shall be punished once more." So he poured
out another glass to the full and gave it to Chin See,
who took it with a laugh and drank it.

The inother asked of the Princess : " Your High-
ness has never tasted of this before, how are you
feeling ? "

She replied : " My head aches terribly."

The mother told Chin See to help the Princess to
her room, and bade Cloudlet pour out another ^ass
and bring it. She took the glass and said : " Our
two daughters are Princesses of the Palace and I feel
that I am wholly unworthy of them. Now you in
your intoxication have caused them much discomfort.
If her Majesty the Empress hears of this she will
be very much disturbed. I have failed to bring
you up properly, so we have had this disgraceful
scene to-day. I cannot say that I am without sin in
the matter, so I shall have to take a glass myself."
She drank it all.

The Master, alarmed, knelt and said : " Mother,

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on account of my misdeeds, you have yourself shared
in the glass of punishment. A beating, such as you
give a child, would not be enough for me." Then he
made Wildgoose bring still another big glass. He
took it and, kneeling, said : "I have not lived up to
the teaching of my mother, but have caused her pain
and anxiety, so I drink this extra glass for shame."
He drank it all and was so overcome that he could
not sit up. He desired to go to his room and made
signs accordingly. The mother asked Cloudlet to
help him away, but she said she could not because
Wildgoose and Moonlight would be jealous, so she
told Moonlight and Wildgoose to do so instead.

Moonlight remarked : " Cloudlet does not wish
to do it on account of what I said; I shall not either."

Wildgoose laughed, arose and helped the Master
away, and so they each and all retired.

Swallow and White-cap were great lovers of the
open hills and streams. This the Master knew, and
had made for them a beautiful lake in the middle of
the Imperial park. There he erected a special home
which he called " Butterfly Pavilion." Here White-
cap lived. On the other side of the lake was a hill
whose top was ornamented with great rocks that
were piled one above the other. There the shadows
of the ancient pines screened the light and the spare
graceful bamboo cast its grateful shade. Here also
was a house built which he called " The Hall of Ice
and Snow " in which Swallow took up her abode.
When they all came out to have a happy time in the
garden. Swallow and White-cap acted as hostesses
of the sylvan halls.

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The Cloud Dream of the Nine

The several sisters asked quietly of White-cap :
" Could you explain to us the wonderful law of meta-
morphosis through which you have passed."

White-cap replied : " That is something that be-
longs to a former existence. Taking advantage of the
divine wheel of change, and by means of the powers
of nature, I put off my former body and changed my
appearance. The scales and discarded features were
very gruesome to behold. I am like the sparrow
changed into a clam. How can you expect me still
to have wings with which to fly ? "

The ladies all said : " Surely the principles and
laws governing such a thing are wonderful."

Though Swallow, to please them, sometimes gave
an exhibition of sword-dancing before the mother,
the Master and the Princesses, she did not care
to give it often, saying : " Though I met the Master
because of my skill of hand with the sword, still the
suggestion of death that goes with it does not make
it a pleasant exercise nor one that should be often
indulged."

From this time on the two ladies and the six sub-
sidiary wives were all gladness and joy together, like
fishes in the stream, or birds that flit among the
clouds. They were ever united in heart and ever
dependent one on the other like real sisters, while
the Master regarded them with love all alike. Though
it was due to the goodness of the two ladies that the
whole house was so happy, still it was specially due
to the fact that the nine had all been once together
on Nam-ak Mountain and thus their wishes were
fulfilled.

On a certain day the two Princesses said to each

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The Wine Punishment

other : " In olden days sisters were known to marry
into one and the same family, some becoming wives
of the first order, and some becoming wives of the
second order^ Now we two wives and our six attend-
ant sisters love each other more than those born of
the same house ; and among us are some who have
come from distant regions. How could this be other-
wise than by the ordinance of God ? Our persons
and our names differ one from the other ; our social
conditions, too, were widely separated, and yet here
we are to-day with no incongruity to mar our gather-
ing. We are indeed older and younger sisters and
love so to be called."

Thus they spoke to the six sisters, when these, with
great earnestness, disclaimed any such possibility,
maintaining that they were wholly unworthy, especi-
ally Cloudlet, Wildgoose, and Moonlight.

Cheung See said : " Yoo Hyon-tok, Kwan On-
jang, and Chang Ik-tok were all courtiers of the king,
and yet they preserved to the last the bond of brother-
hood. How much more should I be a loved and
trusted sister to Cloudlet who was my dear friend in
days gone by ? The wife of Sokamoni and the wife
of their next-door neighbour were worlds apart in
social standing, and also in virtue and chastity. Still
they each became disciples of the Buddha, and they
became one in heart. One rises to the place of
illumination and rectitude."

The two Princesses said to the six : " Let us go
to the Merciful Buddha who sits within the palace
chapel and there bum incense and offer prayer."

They wrote out a solemn oath which read thus :
'* Such a year, such a day, the disciples Cheung called

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The Cloud Dream of the Nine

Blossom, Yi called Orchid, Chin called the Phoenix,
Ka called Cloudlet, Kay called Moonlight, Chok
called Wildgoose, Sim called Swallow, Pak called
White-cap, having bathed and cleansed their hearts,
come now with all reverence before the great Buddha
of the Southern Sea.

" People of the world oftentimes reckon all within
the Four Seas as brothers because they are similar in
thought and desire. Even those bom by appointment
of God as brothers in the same family sometimes
view each other as strangers and unknown passers
by. This is due to the fact that they fail in love and
have no common interest. We, eight disciples, though
we have been born at different places, and have been
separated wide as the four corners of the earth, now
serve one husband, live in one place, and are one in
thought and life. Our love is perfect and flows out
to each other. If one were to make comparison we
are surely like a group of flowers that grew on one
twig and fared alike in wind and weather, till at last
one fell into the palace, one into a home of the gentry,
one on the bank by the way, one was swept into
the mountains, one borne down the stream and out
t6 sea, but if we seek the origin it will be found that
we are all from one root and finally shall all return
at last to one place. So it is with men when born
of a similar blood though separated widely by the
vicissitudes of time ; they all come home to abide
together in the end.

" The past has far receded from us. But in it we
eight were born at one and the same time, and though
we have been separated by this wide expanse of
empire yet here we are gathered together and living

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The Wine Punishment

in the same home. This is truly an affinity that has
come down to us from a former existence and explains
the joy and gladness of our present life.

" So we eight disciples make a solemn vow and
swear an oath of sisterhood to receive together the
blessings or the reverses of life ; to live together and
die together and never, never to part. If among us
there be any otherwise minded and forgetful of this
oath, may God strike them dead and may the invisible
spirits regard them with abhorrence.

" We humbly pray that the great Buddha may give
us blessing here and remove from us all sorrow, and
help us so that when life is over we may enter the
regions of the blessed."

The two ladies hereafter called the six their younger
sisters, but they, out of regard for their humble
station, did not call the Princesses older sisters though
they truly loved them as such in heart.

They each were blessed with children. The two
Princesses, Cloudlet, Moonlight, Swallow and Wild-
goose had each a son, while Phoenix and White-cap
had each a daughter. Not once did any of them see a
little child die in the home, which is an experience
that differs from the common world of mortals.

At this time the whole world was at peace, with
people dwelling safely and enjoying years of plentiful
harvest. Little was there for the Government to do.

When the Emperor went on hunting expeditions
the Master accompanied him, and on his return he
would retire to his mother and family, where, with
music and dancing, he passed happy days. Their
joy and gladness accompanied the changing seasons.
With years of office, the Master enjoyed great reward

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The Cloud Dream of the Nine

and prosperity. But in the providence of God when
peace recedes unrest comes in its place, and, when joy
has reached its full, sorrow falls.

Unexpectedly the lady Yoo fell ill and died at the
advanced age of over ninety. The Master mourned
deeply and sorrowed, so that both their Majesties
were anxious and sent a eimuch to comfort him and
attend his needs. He buried his mother with all the
honours of a queen. Justice Cheung and his wife also
passed away at a great age, and he mourned for them
with no less sorrow than Cheung See herself.

The Master's six sons and two daughters were all
blessed with the beauty and comeliness of their
parents, like jade-stones and orchid flowers. The
eldest son's name was Great Honour, child of Cheung
See, and he rose to the ofiice of Minister of Foreign
Affairs ; the second son's name was Lesser Honour,
a son of Wildgoose, and he rose to the rank of Mayor
of the Capital ; the third was Lightsome Honour, a
son of Cloudlet, who became Chief Justice ; the
fourth was Latest Honour, son of Princess Orchid,
who became Minister of War ; the fifth was called
Fifth Honour, Moonlight's son, who rose to the rank
of Chief of the Literati ; the sixth was Final Honour,
a son of Swallow. At fifteen he was stronger than any
grown man, and was like the genii in his wisdom.
The Master greatly loved him, and made him general-
issimo of the forces. He commanded the forty thou-
sand soldiers who served as guard for the Imperial
Palace.

The eldest daughter's name was Tinted Rose, a
child of Chin See. She married, later. Prince Wol's
son. The second daughter was called Eternal Joy,

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bom of White-cap. She became a second wife of the
Prince Imperial.

The Master, who originally was but a common
literatus, had met a King who knew his worth and
took advantage of his mighty talents. He it was who
brought a great war to a glad conclusion, and in merit
and renown equalled Kwak Poon-yang.

The Master said : " If we are too prosperous mis-
fortune easily follows, and if our cup of joy be too
full a danger exists of running over. I shall now make
request to retire from office." And so he wrote, "I
bow a hundred times and make my humble petition
to his Majesty. My desire for riches and long life
has been realised, and no longer does anything
remain to be fulfilled. Parents ask for their children
only riches and honour, thinking that if they attain
to these nothing is left beyond. Is it not the glory
of long life with fame and wealth that the world
struggles and contends for ? They are indeed the
things that the human heart constantly craves. Men
do not know the wisdom that says * Enough,' but
desire ever more and more till at last they plunge
themselves into the sea of destruction that follows.
Though long life and honour have their attractive
sides, still they cannot equal a contented mind, or
dying peacefully in one's native land. Though these are
things we rejoice over, how can they equal a happy
home ? My abilities were of a mediocre kind and my
powers limited, yet I have come to the highest estate
possible and have held the most important offices in
the land. I have had every honour and glory ex-
tended to me. My earliest ambitions did not reach a
thousandth part of what has come to pass. Who

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would have guessed that such lay wrapped away in
the future ? Notwithstanding my humble station, I
became the Imperial son-in-law, superior to all the
other courtiers of the Palace ; and the gifts of your
'Majesty have been showered . upon me beyond
measure. From a child who lived on herbs I have
come to dine on the richest fare ; and from the lowest
origin I have come to be a dweller among kings. I
fear that it will prove a blot on your Majesty's record
and a wrong that I have permitted. How can I be
happy in view of it ? In my early days I desired to
hide my origin, to retire from the world, to close my
gates, to refuse all favour and to confess my presump-
tion to Heaven, to Earth, and to the invisible spirits.
But your Majesty's favours were so great that I
could not resist them ; and since I was strong and
well in physique, I accepted, desiring to repay -if
possible some single part of what you had bestowed
upon me. I guarded my ancestral graves, and so
lived out my life. But old age is coming on and my
hair is growing grey. My form is like the decaying
tree and shows the approach of the autumn season
and signs of the yellow leaf. My heart is like an im-
used well, which though never drawn from still runs
dry. Although I take to myself as my model the dog
and the horse and set my strength in an effort to
requite the many favours that have been accorded
me, there is no way open by which to do it.

" May your Gracious Majesty, seeing that all is
quiet in the outlying regions of the empire, that there
is no need longer for military force ; that the people
are at peace and that the sound of the drum has
ceased from the land, grant me my request. God's

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The Wine Punishment

blessing is upon you and the harvest is rich and
plentiful as it was in the happiest days of the Three
Kingdoms. Even though you hold me still to office,
and make me carry on affairs of State, it means only
the expenditure of public money and the hearing of
Kyok-yang songs. What special profit will it be, or
what new reform can you expect ?

" The King and his officer are like father and son.
Now a father loves even an ungrateful son because
he is his child and he thinks of him when he go6s
beyond the gate. I pray your Majesty to look upon me
as aged and past service. I desire to act my part as a
child does towards a parent, and know that you will
think of me as the best parent thinks concerning his
son. My load of Imperial favour is on my back. How
can I go far away or say a long farewell to so good a
King? Since you cannot fill fuller the glass already
full, and since a broken cart can no more be ridden,
my prayer is that your Majesty will behold how I
can no longer bear the burden of State and let me go
back to my native land to fill out my span of life and
sing for ever the Imperial praises."

The Emperor read this memorial and wrote the
reply with his own hand : " Your Excellency's great
office and influence have been a blessing to all the
people. Your experience has been of immense service
to the State. Your prestige and weight have held the
empire steady. In olden days Ta-kong and So-kong
aided the kingdom of Cho till they were nearly a
hundred, and helped in the minutest affairs of gov-
ernment. Your Excellency has not yet reached the
limit of age when office is laid down, and though
you excuse yourself and desire to retire I cannot

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The Cloud Dream of the Nine

grant it. The pines and the firs of the forest look with
contempt upon the snow and are strong in spirit,
while the willows have their leaves stripped from
them when they meet the cold winds, because they
are not courageous in soul. Your Excellency is of the
nature of the pine and the fir, how can you be anxious
concerning a fate similar to that of the willow and
the poplar ?

" As I behold you, you seem as young as ever ;
your strength has not diminished since the day you
first took office. It is as vigorous as it was when you
crossed the Wee Bridge to fight against the rebels.
Though you say you are old I do not accept it. By
all means change your attitude from that of So-boo
[45] and aid me in my government. This is my de-
cision."

The Master, when a disciple of the Buddha, had
received the mysteries of the doctrine from the
teacher on Nam-chon hills. He had there tasted its
refining influence, so that now, though his age was
far advanced, he still showed no signs of decay, and
the people referred to him as one of the immortals.
This is why the Emperor so worded his reply.

But the Master again memorialised the Throne so
earnestly that his Majesty called him and said :
" Your Excellency has so persuasively made request
to retire, that though my desire is on no account to
accede to you, still I find I must. If you should go far
away to your own state and reside there, there would
be no one to whom I could refer the more pressing
affairs of the kingdom. Now, also, that the Empress
Dowager has taken her departure to the distant
regions, how can I bear to part for so long from

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Blossom and Orchid.? To the south of the city,
forty It distant, there is a special palace called the
Green Mountain Castle where King Hyon-jong used
to go to escape the hot season. It is quiet and retired
and is just such a place as old age could enjoy and
delight itself in.. I give this to you."

So he issued a proclamation making the Master
the honorary Chief of the Literati, and appointing to
him five thousand extra homes to exalt his rank,
while he relieved him of all the arduous duties of
active office.

289