Yongbieocheonga (Song of Dragons Flying in Heaven), Volumes 3 and 4

An epic in 125 cantos, each pairing an episode from the founding of the dynasty with a matching episode from Chinese history, with the Korean verse, a Chinese poem and a commentary set out together. Its argument is that the dynasty was founded by the mandate of heaven, and its second purpose is to warn the kings who would come after. Jeong In-ji and two colleagues wrote the text in 1445; Sejong then had Choe Hang, Bak Paeng-nyeon and Kang Hui-an add the commentary, and it was printed in 1447. It was also an experiment. Hangul had been announced two years earlier and nothing of length had been written in it. This is where the letters were first made to carry sustained argument, and they held. These are volumes three and four of the first edition, well preserved and finely printed apart from losses at either end.

Original Text

Visiting

Visitor information: Korea Tourism Organization · KOGL Type 1

Where it is

Region

Jongno-gu, Seoul

Designation

Treasure · 보물