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From the Columbia Anthology of Traditional Korean Poetry – edited by Peter Lee

From Songs of Flying Dragons

Anxious only to fuIfill the royal cause
He led his men from camp to camp.
How many days did he run
Without doffing his armour?'

When you are wrapped in a dragon robe,
When you wear the belt of precious gems,
Remember, my Lord,
His fortitude and tenacity.

Zealous to deliver the suffering people,
He fought on mountains and plains.
Oh, how many times did he go
Without food and drink?

When you sup on northern viands and southern dainties,
When you have superb wine and precious grain,
Remember, my Lord,
His fortitude and fervour.

Wishing to entrust him with a great task,
Heaven flexed his bones and sinews,
And let his body suffer
Wounds and scars.

While the stately guards stand row after row,
While you reign in peace and give audience,
Remember, my Lord,
His piety and constancy.

Because he loved men and sought their welfare,
He overawed
The fierce rebels
And caught them alive.

When you have men at your beck and call,
When you punish men and sentence men,
Remember, my Lord,
His mercy and temperance.

Seeing the bodies lying in heaps,
He abandoned food and sleep.
Moved by love for his people,
He laboured assiduously.

If you are unaware of people's sorrow,
Heaven will abandon you.