''Jeongeupsa'' (, , "The Song of Jeongeup") is the only surviving ''gayo'' () song from the

Baekje Baekje or Paekche (, ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BC to 660 AD. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. Baekje was founded by Onjo, the third son of Goguryeo's founder Jum ...

kingdom. ''Jeongeupsa'' is the oldest song recorded in

Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The let ...

, and is thought to be a popular

folk song Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be c ...

originating sometime after the rule of King

Gyeongdeok of Silla Gyeongdeok of Silla (景德王; 742–765) was the 35th ruler of Silla and son of King Seongdeok (reigned 702–737). He succeeded his elder brother, King Hyoseong, the 34th ruler of Silla. His reign is considered a golden age in Unified Silla� ...

. It was later used as court music during the

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificati ...

and

Joseon Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

dynasties.

Background

Although not mentioned in the original composition, the title and commentary were recorded in "''

Akhak gwebeom The ''Akhak gwebeom'' (Hangul: 악학궤범, Hanja: 樂學軌範; literally "Musical Canon") is a nine-volume treatise on music, written in Korea in the 15th century, in the Joseon Dynasty. It is written by hand in hanja, and depicts, in line dra ...

''" in the ''

Goryeosa The ''Goryeosa'' (), or ''History of Goryeo'', is the main surviving historical record of Korea's Goryeo dynasty. It was composed nearly a century after the fall of Goryeo, during the reign of King Sejong, undergoing repeated revisions between ...

'', although the lyrics themselves were not. The author and exact date of composition are both unknown, although the song is believed to have been written during the mid-7th century CE, and set to music sometime during the

era, likely during the 10th century CE. The lyrics were only recorded during the

period; accordingly, the original lyrics likely differ significantly. Reportedly, the song derives from a legend of a man from

Changsha Changsha (; ; ; Changshanese pronunciation: (), Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is the capital and the largest city of Hunan Province of China. Changsha is the 17th most populous city in China with a population of over 10 million, an ...

(now in the Haeri region of

Gochang County Gochang County (''Gochang-gun'') is a county in North Jeolla Province, South Korea. It is a rural area, and is home to only one institution of higher education: Gochang Polytechnic College. Notable people from Gochang include the 20th-century ...

South Jeolla Province South Jeolla Province (; ''Jeollanam-do''; ), also known as Jeonnam, is a province of South Korea. South Jeolla has a population of 1,902,324 (2014) and has a geographic area of located in the Honam region at the southwestern tip of the Korean ...

) who departed for military service and did not return for a long time, so his wife climbed

Seonunsan Seonunsan is a mountain of Jeollabuk-do, western South Korea, with an elevation of 336 metres. It is a popular destination for hiking, with a variety of trails. Some leading to a giant 13m carving of Gautama Buddha, Buddha on a cliff, which dates b ...

to watch for him, and composed and sang the song. Another version of the legend say that the man was a peddler who went out to sell his wares and did not return, so his wife climbed the cliff and sang a prayer to the moon that it would light her husband's path back home. It is also said that a

Mong Fu Shek Amah Rock (, ''Mong Fu Shek'', "husband-watching stone") is a naturally shaped rock located on a hilltop in southwest Sha Tin District, Hong Kong. Description The rock is approximately 15 meters in height, and is shaped much like a woman car ...

can now be found in the place where the woman waited for her husband.

Lyrics

Lee Chang-guy wrote:

"Jeongeupsa," the only surviving gayo (poetic song) from the Baekje period, starts with the line, "Oh, moon, up so high in the sky." Popular through the Goryeo and Joseon periods, it was sung, according to the "History of Goryeo," by the wife of a peddler as she waited for her husband who had gone to market to sell his wares. She went up on a rock and asked the moon to shine its light around so that her husband would not come to harm on his way back home. To commemorate this song, the municipal orchestra of Jeongeup city, in North Jeolla Province, holds various traditional Korean music performances every month around the time of the full moon.

The lyrics describe the woman's concern for her husband, praying to the moon to shine brighter and higher in the sky to light the way for her husband's safe return.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jeongeupsa Culture in Baekje Korean traditional music