춘향전
The Tale of Chunhyang
Traditional Korean novel (Chunhyangjeon, anonymous, Joseon era)
The Story
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옛날 전라도 남원에 성춘향이라는 아름답고 총명한 처녀가 살았어요.단오절이 되자 춘향은 몸종 향단과 함께 광한루 근처 그네를 타러 나갔어요.마침 그곳을 지나던 사또의 아들 이몽룡이 그네를 타는 춘향의 모습을 보고 한눈에 반하고 말았어요.
몽룡은 향단을 통해 춘향에게 마음을 전했고, 두 사람은 그날 밤 춘향의 집에서 처음으로 이야기를 나누었어요.신분의 차이에도 불구하고 두 사람은 서로에게 깊이 끌렸고, 몽룡은 반드시 춘향을 아내로 맞이하겠다고 약속했어요.두 사람은 백년가약을 맺고, 매일 밤 함께 시간을 보내며 행복한 나날을 보냈어요.
그러나 얼마 후 몽룡의 아버지가 한양으로 발령을 받으면서, 몽룡도 가족과 함께 남원을 떠나야만 했어요.몽룡은 춘향에게 반드시 과거에 급제하여 떳떳하게 돌아오겠다고 약속하며 눈물로 작별을 고했어요.춘향은 몽룡이 돌아올 날만을 기다리며, 홀로 조용히 하루하루를 보냈어요.
얼마 후 남원에 변학도라는 새로운 사또가 부임해 왔는데, 그는 성품이 몹시 거만하고 탐욕스러운 사람이었어요.변학도는 춘향의 미모에 대한 소문을 듣고 그녀를 관아로 불러들여 자신의 수청을 들라고 명령했어요.하지만 춘향은 이미 몽룡과 정혼한 몸이라며, 아무리 사또의 명령이라도 절대로 따를 수 없다고 단호히 거절했어요.
화가 난 변학도는 춘향의 뜻을 꺾으려 했지만, 춘향은 끝까지 굽히지 않고 자신의 정절을 지켰어요.결국 변학도는 춘향을 옥에 가두었고, 춘향은 차디찬 감옥에서 몽룡을 그리워하며 하루하루를 견뎌 냈어요.마을 사람들은 모두 춘향의 처지를 안타까워했지만, 아무도 사또에게 맞설 용기를 내지 못했어요.
그 사이 한양에서 몽룡은 밤낮으로 열심히 공부하여 마침내 과거에 장원으로 급제했어요.임금은 그의 재능을 높이 사, 몽룡에게 암행어사라는 비밀 임무를 내려 지방 관리들의 부정을 몰래 조사하게 했어요.몽룡은 거지 행색으로 변장하고 남원으로 향하며, 마침내 춘향을 다시 만날 순간이 다가왔음을 느꼈어요.
남원에 도착한 몽룡은 초라한 거지의 모습으로 옥에 갇힌 춘향을 몰래 찾아가, 그녀의 한결같은 마음을 확인했어요.마침 변학도의 생일잔치가 열리던 날, 거지 행색의 몽룡도 그 자리에 초대받아 구석에 앉게 되었어요.몽룡은 잔치 자리에서 백성을 착취하는 탐관오리를 꾸짖는 시를 한 편 지어 좌중에게 읽어 주었어요.그 순간 암행어사의 출두를 알리는 외침이 울려 퍼졌고, 몽룡은 마침내 자신의 진짜 신분을 드러냈어요.
몽룡은 그 자리에서 변학도의 죄를 낱낱이 밝히고 그를 벼슬에서 파직시켰으며, 춘향을 즉시 옥에서 풀어 주었어요.마침내 다시 만난 두 사람은 정식으로 혼인을 올렸고, 춘향의 한결같은 정절은 두고두고 사람들의 칭송을 받았답니다.
Full translationTry the story first — open this only to check your understanding.
Long ago in Namwon, Jeolla Province, there lived a beautiful and clever young woman named Seong Chunhyang. When the Dano festival came, Chunhyang went out with her maid Hyangdan to ride a swing near Gwanghalluu Pavilion. Just then, Yi Mongryong, the son of the local magistrate, happened to pass by and fell in love with Chunhyang at first sight as he watched her on the swing.
Mongryong sent word to Chunhyang through Hyangdan, and that night the two of them spoke together for the first time at Chunhyang's house. Despite the difference in their social status, the two were deeply drawn to each other, and Mongryong promised that he would surely make Chunhyang his wife. They pledged eternal devotion to one another and spent happy days together every night.
But before long, Mongryong's father was reassigned to Hanyang, and Mongryong had to leave Namwon together with his family. Mongryong promised Chunhyang that he would surely pass the state exam and return to her with his head held high, and bid her farewell in tears. Chunhyang waited only for the day Mongryong would return, quietly passing her days alone.
Soon after, a new magistrate named Byeon Hakdo arrived in Namwon, a man of extremely arrogant and greedy character. Byeon Hakdo heard rumors of Chunhyang's beauty and summoned her to the government office, commanding her to attend and serve him. But Chunhyang firmly refused, saying she was already pledged to Mongryong and could never obey, no matter whose order it was.
The furious Byeon Hakdo tried to break Chunhyang's resolve, but she never once bent, holding fast to her devotion to the end. In the end, Byeon Hakdo had Chunhyang locked in prison, and she endured her days in the cold cell, longing for Mongryong. Everyone in the village pitied Chunhyang's plight, but no one dared to stand up to the magistrate.
Meanwhile in Hanyang, Mongryong studied diligently day and night and at last passed the state exam at the very top of his class. The king, greatly impressed by his talent, gave Mongryong the secret duty of a royal secret inspector, to investigate the corruption of local officials in disguise. Mongryong disguised himself as a beggar and set off for Namwon, sensing that the moment to see Chunhyang again was finally at hand.
Once in Namwon, Mongryong secretly visited the imprisoned Chunhyang in his shabby beggar's disguise, and confirmed that her heart had never once wavered. On the very day of Byeon Hakdo's birthday banquet, Mongryong, still disguised as a beggar, was allowed into the feast and seated in a corner. At the banquet, Mongryong composed a poem scolding corrupt officials who exploited the common people, and read it aloud to everyone present. At that moment, a cry rang out announcing the arrival of the royal secret inspector, and Mongryong at last revealed his true identity.
On the spot, Mongryong laid bare every one of Byeon Hakdo's crimes, stripped him of his post, and had Chunhyang released from prison at once. The two, reunited at last, were properly married, and Chunhyang's unwavering devotion was praised by people for generations to come.
Comprehension Check
1. Why did Chunhyang refuse Byeon Hakdo's order?
2. What did Mongryong achieve in Hanyang that brought him back to Namwon?
3. At the end of the story, how did Mongryong punish Byeon Hakdo?
Vocabulary
noun
정절
jeongjeol
fidelity, devotion (especially to a betrothed or spouse)
춘향은 끝까지 굽히지 않고 자신의 정절을 지켰어요.
She never once bent, holding fast to her devotion to the end.
Your Summary
In 1–2 sentences, say why Chunhyang was imprisoned, and how Mongryong finally freed her.
Source: Based on Chunhyangjeon (춘향전), an anonymous traditional Korean pansori tale believed to date from the late Joseon era and long in the public domain — one of the most famous stories in Korean literature, and a deliberately popular pick for the shelf. This simplified retelling and its English translation are original text written for SeoJae Story; Byeon Hakdo's punishment of Chunhyang is kept to imprisonment only, omitting the harsher physical punishment described in some versions of the tale.
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