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Writer

Kwon Pil(권필)

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Title
Kwon Pil
Family Name
Kwon
First Name
Pil
Middle Name
-
Preferred Name
-
Pen Name
Gwon Pil, 权鞸, Kwon Phil
ISNI
-
Birth
1569
Death
1612
Occupation
Writer
Period
Classical
Representative Works
-
  • Descriptions
  • Korean(한국어)
  • English(English)

권필

 

1. 소개

권필(權韠, 1569~1612)은 조선 14대 국왕 선조~15대 국왕 광해군 때 활동한 시인이자 소설가이다. 동시대의 시인인 이안눌(李安訥)과 함께 16세기 한시단의 문학적 전성기를 이끈 시인이다.

 

2. 생애

권필은 1569년 12월 26일, 서울 마포 서강의 현석촌(玄石村)에서 태어났다. 그의 집안은 대대로 문필로 이름이 높았던 명문이었다. 그러나 그는 평생 벼슬에 나아가지 않고 은거하며, 세태를 비판하는 시를 많이 남겼다.

권필은 당시 혼란한 정치적 상황으로 인해 과거를 포기했다. 1591년에 권필이 존경하던 좌의정 정철을 포함한 서인들이 국왕 선조가 총애하던 후궁 김씨와 그녀가 낳은 왕자를 죽이려 했다는 모함을 입어 귀양을 가거나 파직당하는 사건이 일어난다. 이 같은 일련의 사건들은 권필에게 정치에 대한 깊은 환멸과 분노를 심어주었다. 이후 권필은 과거를 포기하고 벼슬길에 나아가지 않았다.

젊어서 겪은 전쟁의 기억 또한 권필의 삶에 영향을 끼쳤다. 그가 24세이던 1592년에 임진왜란이 발발하였다. 권필은 아버지와 함께 피난길에 올랐으나 도중에 헤어져 강화도에 머물렀다. 이듬해 여름 일본군이 한양에서 철수하자 그는 아버지를 모시고 서울 마포의 옛집으로 돌아온다. 이후 권필은 강화도와 호남을 떠돌며 방랑하다가, 호남에서 송제민의 딸과 결혼했다. 전쟁의 참화는 계속되어, 정유년 8월에는 남원성 전투에서 권필의 매부 윤진이 죽고 누이가 자결하였으며, 9월에는 처남을 잃었다. 이후 권필은 아내와 함께 큰 누님이 있는 강화도로 가 그곳에 정착한다.

당시에 이미 그의 시적 재능은 널리 알려져, 1601년 11월에 이정귀(李廷龜)의 추천으로 명나라 사신을 맞이하는 자리에 제술관으로 발탁되었다. 이때 국왕 선조가 권필의 시를 가져오게 해서, 읽어보고는 매우 감탄하며 높이 칭찬하였다. 이후 권필은 당대 최고의 시인으로 나라 안에 이름을 날린다.

권필은 권력에 굴복하지 않는 굳센 의기 때문에 큰 고초를 겪게 된다. 광해군의 즉위 이후, 권필은 강화도 생활을 청산하고 서울의 현석촌으로 돌아온다. 하지만 그의 서울 생활은 순탄하지 못했다. 술집에서 광해군의 외척으로 권세를 누리고 있던 유희분을 만나 꾸짖고, 권력자인 이이첨(李爾瞻)이 그와 교제를 청했으나 거절하는 등 반항적인 기질을 드러냈다.

이때 임숙영(任叔英)이 과거 시험에서 외척 유씨들의 횡포를 비판한 글을 쓰자, 이를 광해군이 보고 분노하여 그를 합격자 명단에서 제외시키는 사건이 일어났다. 권필은 이 사실을 듣고 분노하여 「궁류시(宮柳詩)」를 지어 유씨를 풍자하였다. 이후 1612년 2월에 김직재(金直哉)가 역모를 꾸몄다고 모함을 당하였는데, 그의 집을 수색하다가 권필의 「궁류시」가 적힌 책이 발견되었다. 이 일을 빌미로 권필은 역모에 연좌되어 귀양을 가게 되었다. 하지만 모진 형벌을 받아 쇠약해진 탓에, 바로 출발하지 못하고 서울의 동대문 밖 민가에 머물렀다. 이때 그는 갈증이 나서 마신 막걸리 때문에 매를 맞은 상처가 악화되어 갑작스레 죽었다.

 

3. 작품

권필은 『석주집(石洲集)』에 850여 수의 시와 20여 편의 산문을 남겼다. 이밖에 한문소설 「주생전(周生傳)」, 「위경천전(韋敬天傳)」이 따로 전한다.

권필은 어려서 아버지 권벽에게서 시를 배웠다. 권필은 당나라 두보의 시를 본받아 세련되면서도 원숙한 시풍을 구사했다. 권필은 두 번의 전쟁을 겪으며 오랜 객지 생활을 했다. 그는 전쟁의 참화와 정치의 혼란을 겪으며 이를 고발하고 풍자하는 시를 다수 창작했다.

현실 비판적인 내용의 시작은 유장한 가락을 통해 형상화되었다. 앞 시기의 삼당 시인들이 4구의 짧은 시에 재능을 보였던 것과 달리, 권필은 장편 고시를 다수 창작하였다. 그의 시는 과거 이름난 작품의 시적 전통을 지키면서도, 이를 시인 자신의 서정과 절묘하게 조화시켜 독자의 공감력을 높였다. 그의 장편시는 긴 호흡을 유지하면서도 긴장감을 잃지 않았고, 시의 여운 또한 깊다. 잘 알려진 권필의 시로는 「궁류시(宮柳詩)」, 「행로난(行路難)」, 「충주석(忠州石)」 등이 있다.

또 권필의 저작으로 알려진 「주생전」과 「위경천전」은 모두 임진왜란 때 조선에 파견된 명나라 장교의 사랑 이야기를 소재로 삼았다. 당나라 전기소설(傳奇小說)의 영향을 크게 받았다. 그는 실제로 전쟁 중에 강화도에서 그곳에 주둔했던 명나라의 장교들과 교유하였다. 「주생전」과 「위경천전」에는 이 때의 교유 경험이 깊이 반영되어 있다.

 

4. 평가 및 의의

일반적으로, 권필은 천부적인 시적 재능을 타고난 시인으로 일컬어진다. 후대의 사람들은 권필 시의 완성도와 예리한 현실비판의식이 두보의 시를 본받은 것이라고 평가하면서도, 권필의 시가 갖는 호쾌하면서 자연스러운 기풍을 두고 천재적인 재능을 가졌던 이백의 시에 견주기도 하였다. 이같은 권필의 시풍은 그와 쌍벽을 이루었던 동시대 시인인 이안눌(李安訥)의 굳세고 정밀한 시풍과 대비되는 것으로 언급된다.

삼당시인이 당나라의 민요풍 시를 본받아 정형화된 낭만적 정감을 표현하기에 주력하여 지나치게 섬세하고 나약하다는 평을 얻은데 반해, 권필은 당시의 풍격을 능숙하게 사용하면서도 전쟁의 참상과 정치의 혼란함을 사실적으로 묘사하여 조선 중기 한시를 대표하는 시인으로 높이 평가된다. 권필은 시론 방면에 있어서도 자신의 견해를 뚜렷이 고수하여, 당대 문단을 주도했다. 

 

1. Introduction

Kwon Pil (權韠, 1569 - 1612) was a poet and writer that was active from the reign of King Seonjo, the 14th King of Joseon, to that of King Gwanghaegun, the 15th King of Joseon. Together with his contemporary, the poet Yi Annul, they helped materialize the literary golden age of 16th century classical Chinese poetry.

 

2. Life

Kwon Pil was born on December 26, 1569, in Hyeonseok Village [Hyeonseokchon] located in Seoul, Mapo, Seogang. He was born into a prestigious family who, for generations, had become highly regarded for their writing abilities. However, Kwon Pil was never able to obtain a government position and lived a secluded life, leaving behind many poems that criticized contemporary social conditions. 

Due to the turbulent political circumstances at the time, Kwon Pil was forced to give up taking the gwageo, or the civil service examination. In 1591, the Seoin, or Westerners faction, which included the Second State Councilor Jeong Cheol whom Kwon Pil highly respected, were falsely accused of plotting to murder one of the royal concubines, Lady Kim, favored by King Seonjo favored, and their child, the prince, causing them to be banished and removed from office. These kinds of incidents cultivated in Kwon Pil a deep disillusionment and anger towards politics. Shortly after these events, Kwon Pil gave up on taking the civil service examination and did not try and obtain a government position.  

Kwon Pil’s memories of war, which he experienced at a young age, also greatly influenced his life. In 1592, when he was 24 years old, the Imjin War broke out with the first invasion by the Japanese. Though he sought refuge with his father, they were separated on the way and he ended up staying for some time at Ganghwa-do. In the summer of the following year, as soon as the Japanese army evacuated from Hanyang, the then-capital, he found his father and took him back to their old home in Mapo, Seoul. Afterwards, Kwon Pil spent his time wandering Ganghwa-do and Honam until he finally married Song Jemin’s daughter in Honam. The ravages and calamities of war raged on, and in August 1597, at the battle of Namwon Fortress (also known as the Siege of Namwon), Kwon Pil’s brother-in-law, Yun Jin, died, and his sister committed suicide. In September of the same year, he lost his other brother-in-law. After this, Kwon Pil and his wife went to his older sister’s home in Ganghwa-do and settled down there. His poetic talents were already widely known during his lifetime and on November 1601, on the recommendation of Yi Jeonggwi, he was chosen as the jesulgwan (製述官 official writer) that would receive envoys from Ming China. At this time, King Seonjo ordered Kwon Pil to bring him one of his poems and was deeply moved and highly praised him upon reading it. Afterwards, Kwon Pil became widely known throughout the country as one of the leading poets of his day.

Because of Kwon Pil’s steadfast spirit that refused to yield to authority, he endured much suffering. After King Kwanghaegun ascended to the throne, Kwon Pil liquidated his home in Ganghwado and returned to Hyeonseokchon in Seoul. However, his life in Seoul was riddled with hardships. For instance, he once encountered Yu Huibun, who was then enjoying great power as one of King Gwanghaegun’s maternal relatives, at a bar and publicly rebuked him. In another instance, Yi Icheom (李爾瞻), an influential man of the time, requested Kwon Pil’s association and friendship, but Kwon adamantly refused and thus showed his rebellious disposition. Later on, Im Sukyeong wrote a piece during the civil service examinations that criticized the tyranny of the Yu Clan, who were the maternal relatives of the King. Seeing this, King Gwanghaegun became furious and excluded Im from the list of candidates that successfully passed the exams. Furious upon hearing about this incident, Kwon Pil wrote “Gungnyusi” (宮柳詩 Poem of the Palace Willows) which satirized the Yu Clan. Afterwards, in February 1612, Kim Jikae was falsely accused of plotting treason, and while the government forces were searching through his home, they discovered a book that had Kwon Pil’s “Gungnyusi” written in it. This incident was used as a pretext to also implicate Kwon Pil in the conspiracy, and Kwon Pil was banished. However, because he had been greatly weakened by his severe physical punishment, he was unable to set out for his banishment right away, and stayed at a private home outside of Dongdaemun in Seoul. There, he drank makgeolli liquor to assuage his thirst, which exacerbated his wounds from being beaten and he abruptly died.[1]

 

3. Works

Kwon Pil left behind around 850 poems and 20 essays which were compiled into the Seokjujip (石洲集 The Collected Writings of “Seokju” Kwon Pil). He also wrote two separate works of fiction in classical Chinese, Jusaengjeon (周生傳 The Story of Jusaeng) and Wigyeongcheonjeon (韋敬天傳 The Story of Wi Gyeongcheon). Kwon Pil learned poetry from his father, Kwon Byeok. Kwon Pil emulated himself after the poetry of the poet Du Fu of Tang China, gradually coming to master a mature and refined poetic style. Undergoing the experience of war twice in his lifetime, he spent long periods of time living far from his home. Having undergone the ravages of war and political chaos, he wrote many poems that critically reported and satirized these conditions.[2] These poems, which sharply criticize reality, are usually manifested through a leisurely melody. In Contrast to the “Samdang siin” (三唐詩人 The Three Tang Poets), who wrote short poems of four lines, Kwon Pil mostly wrote long-length classical poems. While preserving the poetic traditions of renowned classical works, he also exquisitely harmonized them with his own lyricism as a poet and elevates the reader’s empathy. His long-form poems preserve an elongated sense of respiration without losing a sense of tension, and the lingering imagery of his poetry continuously resonates. His most well-known poems include “Gungnyusi” (宮柳詩 Poem of the Palace Willows), “Haengnonan” (行路難 The Difficulties of Living), and “Chungjuseok” (忠州石 XXX). Jusaengjeon and Wigyeongcheonjeon, two other works written by Kwon Pil, both take as their subject matter the love story of Ming Dynasty generals who were dispatched to Joseon during the Imjin Wars. He was greatly influenced by the Chinese chuanqi short stories, or the jeongi soseol, from Tang China. While at Ganghwa-do during the war, he actually met and associated with generals from Ming China that were stationed there. Jusaengjeon and Wigyeongcheonjon thus deeply reflect his experiences interacting with these officers during this time.[3] 

 

4. Reception and Significance

In general, Kwon Pil has been referred to as a gifted poet that was born with innate poetic talent. Future generations have appraised the high level of completion and the sharp critical consciousness towards reality in Kwon’s poems as emulating the poetry of Du Fu, but they have also been compared to the poetry of the genius Tang poet Li Bai (李白) for their dynamic and natural spirit. Kwon Pil’s poetic style has also been contrasted with the steadfast and precise poetic style of Yi Annul who, along with Kwon Pil, were considered the two great poetry masters of their times.[4] The Three Tang Poets (Samdang siin), who were influenced by the folk poetry of Tang China and devoted themselves to standardizing the expression of romantic affection, have been criticized for what has been perceived as an excessive delicateness and weakness. In contrast, Kwon Pil has been highly regarded as one of the representatives of classical Chinese poetry during the mid-Joseon Dynasty for his skillful use of Tang poetry’s characteristics to nevertheless realistically describe political chaos and the horrors of war. Though Kwon Pil commented on contemporary events, he clearly held fast to his own opinions and was a leader of the literary world during his time.

 

5. Footnotes

[1] Jeong Min. “On ‘Seokju’ Kwon Pil.” In The Mongneung Literary Group and “Seokju” Kwon Pil. Taehaksa, 1999, 141-167.

[2] Mun Beomdu. Research on “Seokju” Kwon Pil’s Literature. Gukak jaryowon, 1996, 156-158.

[3] Jeong Min. “The Association and Exchanges Between the Literary Intelligentsia During the Imjin Period and Their Significance.” In The Mongneung Literary Group and “Seokju” Kwon Pil. Taehaksa, 1999, 102-123.

[4] Jeong Min. “A Comparative Study of Kwon Pil and Yi Annul.” In The Mongneung Literary Group and “Seokju” Kwon Pil. Taehaksa, 1999, 169-199.

[5] Jeong Min. “The Perspective and Poetic Consciousness of ‘Seokju.’” In The Mongneung Literary Group and “Seokju” Kwon Pil. Taehaksa, 1999, 247.  

 

6. References

Gwanghaegun ilgi (光海君日記 The Daily Records of King Gwanghaegun)

Yeollyeosil gisul (燃藜室記述 Descriptions by “Yeollyeosil”)

Mun Beomdu. Research on “Seokju” Kwon Pil’s Literature. Gukak jaryowon, 1996.

Jeong Min. The Mongneung Literary Group and “Seokju” Kwon Pil. Taehaksa, 1999, 102-123.

Jeong Min. The Collected Writings of “Seokju” Kwon Pil. Taehaksa, 2009.

So Jaeyeong. “On ‘Seokju’ Kwon Pil.” Collected Essays from the Sungjeon University Humanities Research Center. Volume 6, 1976. 

Naver Encyclopedia Entry on Kwon Pil (Encyclopedia of Korean Culture, the Academy of Korean Studies): https://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=550333&cid=46644&categoryId=46644

 

7. Other Lnks and References

1) Kwon Pil’s grave is located in Gyeonggi-do Province, Goyang-si City, Wiyang-ri.  

https://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=1298050&cid=40942&categoryId=33690

 

Original Works7 See More

Translated Books6 See More