(Translation) 2019 婁伯捕虎

Original Script

翰林學士崔婁伯。水原戶長尙翥之子。年十五時。父因獵爲虎所害。婁伯欲補 虎。母止之。婁伯曰。父讐可不報乎。卽荷斧跡虎。虎旣食飽臥。婁伯直前叱虎 曰。汝食吾父。吾當食汝。虎乃掉尾俛伏。遽斫而刳其腹。取父骸肉。安於器。 納虎肉於瓮。埋川中。葬父弘法山西廬墓。一日假寐。其父來詠詩云。披榛到孝 子廬。情多感淚無窮。負土日加上。知音明月淸風。生則養死則守。誰謂孝無始 終。詠訖遂不見。服闋。取虎肉盡食之。

【詩】崔父山中獵兎狐。却將肌肉餧於菟。

　　當時不有兒郎孝。誰得揮斤斫虎顱。

　　捕虎償冤最可憐。山西廬墓又三年。

　　小詞來誦眞非夢。端爲哀誠徹九泉。

Translation

Student Translation : Olga

Hallim academy scholar, Ch'oe Nubaek, son of Suwon township headman Sangjǒ. When he was 15 his father was hunting and was attacked by the tiger. Nubaek wanted to revenge the tiger. [His] mother stopped him. Nubaek said: "Can I not retaliate father's enemy?" Right then, he, carrying an ax over his shoulder, he traced the tiger. Having already eaten, he (the tiger) was lying on the ground with his stomach full. Nubaek proceeded straight and scolded the tiger: "You ate my father, [now] I must eat you." The tiger was tapping its tail and crawling. Suddenly [Nubaek] cut the tiger and cut its stomach open. Took his father's bones and meat, put it in a bowl. Put tiger meat in a jar and buried it in the middle of the river. Buried his father on the west side of Hongpǒpsan, kept vigil beside the grave.
One day he was half-asleep. His father came and sang a poem: "Cut open thick bushes and arrived to a filial son doing vigil; emotion is felt greatly and tears are endless. He carried dirt daily adding up [to the grave]; his only friends - bright moon, clear wind. When I was alive, he nurtured me; when I died, he protected me. Who [was that who] said that filial piety has no beginning or end." The poem finished, then he was not seen [again].
When the period of mourning was over, [Nubaek] went back to the tiger meat and ate it.

Father Ch'oe was hunting hare in the mountains - a tiger [appeared].

---

• Discussion Questions: