Three Things Mastered

There was a relative of the king, named Im Sung-jong, who was a gifted man in thought and purpose. He was the first performer of his time on the harp. King Se-jong said of him, "Im's harp knows but one master, and follows no other man."

王族に、イム・スンジョンという名の、思慮にも志にも秀でた人がいた。当代随一の琴の弾き手だった。世宗王はこの人について言った。「イムの琴はただ一人の主しか知らず、ほかの誰にも従わぬ。」

His home was outside the South Gate, and every morning he was seen kneeling on the sill of his front door beating his hands upwards and downwards on his knees, and this practice he carried on for three years. People could not imagine what he meant by it, but thought him mad. Thus he learned the motions required for the harp.

その家は南大門の外にあって、毎朝、玄関の敷居にひざまずいて、両手を膝の上で上下に打っている姿が見られた。この稽古を三年続けた。人々はそれが何のつもりなのか見当もつかず、気がふれているのだと思った。こうしてこの人は琴に要る手の動きを身につけたのである。

Also he blew with his mouth and practised with his fingers day and night without stopping, so that when people called on him he would see them but would not perceive them. He kept this up for three years and so learned the motions for the flute.

またこの人は、昼も夜も休まずに口で吹き、指で稽古をしたので、人が訪ねてきても目は向けても相手に気づかないほどだった。これを三年続けて、笛に要る動きを身につけた。

He was a lightly built man in body, and poor at riding and at archery. He often sighed over this defect, and said, "Though I am weak and stupid and not able to shoot a long distance, I shall yet know how to hit the target and make the bull's-eye. This also must be acquired by practice." So every morning he took his bow and arrows and went off into the hills. There he shot all day long, keeping it up for three years, till he became a renowned archer. Thus you may perceive the kind of man he was.

この人は体つきが華奢で、馬術や弓術は苦手だった。この欠点をよく嘆いて言った。「わたしは弱く愚かで遠くまで射ることはできないが、それでも的に当てて真ん中を射抜くすべは身につけられるはずだ。これもまた稽古で身につけなければならない。」そこで毎朝、弓矢を持って山へ出かけた。そこで一日じゅう射て、それを三年続け、とうとう名高い弓の名手になった。これでこの人がどういう人だったかわかるだろう。

Yi Ryuk.

李陸(イ・リュク)