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Eochon Sim, Eon-gwang’s history awareness and view of life showed in his historical poems

Kang ji-hee 1

1한림대학교

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ABSTRACT

Eochon Sim, Eon-gwang was a well-known statesman of Jungjong in the Joseon Dynasty. He was also good at poetry and prose. He wrote 850 poems and his historical poems run into 44 poems. After encountering discharge, he returned to his own old home and wrote these historical poems. We can understand Eochon’s history awareness, view of life and moral values through his historical poems. I analyzed his historical poems in this paper. We can find sorrow and regret in his poems which he wrote after he came back to his old home. He took time for self-examination because of the mistake he did and always thought of the good old days when he was in the court of King Jungjong. In his latter years, Eochon wrote all of historical poems and their materials were mostly loyalists in time of crisis. He wanted to be a loyalist like them. But loyalists in history did not always get some payment in return. Many loyalists died under a false accusation in spite of faithful mind. Eochon wrote poems about people who was righteous but died under a false accusation. I think that he wanted to dedicate a requiem for them and give words of comfort for himself. As for one’s course of action, he learned a lesson from a person who got in politics after seclusion but could not succeed eventually. He highly praised the life of a recluse. At that times he retired from politics and returned to his home, so he seemed to accept his realities positively. He disliked a opportunist in history. Eochon landed on a person who flattered power of injustice although he became a high official thanks to his outstanding talent. He mostly praised immediate vassals over death. I think that he wanted to be a loyalist whom he praised in his poems.

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