A Turtle’s Gift
One day, King Wonseong3 summoned the Buddhist Great Master Jeehye to pray for his people for 50 days in his palace.
The Venerable had a little assistant monk called Myojeong, who always guarded and helped him like his shadow. While his master was reciting Buddhist Scripture, part of Myojeong’s job was to burn incense on the altar and to wash the dishes.
Myojeong was, as usual, washing the dishes at the well while humming a song. As he was looking into the well he saw a turtle repeatedly break the water and disappear along with the rhythm of his humming. As soon as he finished singing, it hopped towards him. Myojeong greeted her warmly.
“Hi, Little Turtle! How are you?”
From that day on, they continued to greet each other at the well three times a day.
He started to become more attached to this little cute creature with time. Something mysterious started to happen
to Myojeong, though he didn’t know from when or why it started to happen. He often found himself hurrying to meet her. Feeding her some rice became part of his routine. He got into the habits of always setting aside a little rice for her from his rations.
On the last day of the praying event, Myojeong rushed to the well to say goodbye to her and while serving her last meal, he said to the turtle playfully,
“I have fed you some food three times a day for almost 50 days. How can you repay me for my kindness?”
The moment his last word ended, the turtle suddenly disappeared from his sight.
After a while, she came back with a bead in her mouth.
She gave him a gesture as if to say that it was for you.
“Take it? Thanks. How pretty it is! Every time I see it, I will always remember you forever.”
Then, whenever he went out, he always carried it around on his belt.
It was around this time that strange things started to happen to him. He fell into favor with the king unexpectedly. When it was time for his master to leave the palace, the king suddenly asked Myojeong to stay behind.
He was wise enough to live up to4 the king’s expectation.
Several months later, Myojeong was sent to Tang as a Silla’s envoy. As soon as he arrived in Tang, he was immediately favored by the courtiers as well as the Emperor.
His luck seemed to be with him for good. In time, he began to hold his nose in the air.5
People started to notice his continuous good fortune and some close to the emperor commented and questioned Myojeong’s ongoing luck. Those who had the gift of foretelling the fate of people going by their facial expression started to talk to the emperor.
One of them said,
“Your Majesty! I can’t understand what makes everyone love this man without a lucky appearance. It is really mysterious. I think he must have something strange inside his clothes.”
The emperor said, “What a curious thing it is”.
So he ordered,
“Search inside his clothes.”
At last, they found the small bead on his belt. The king looked confused and slightly perplexed,
“Isn’t that the bead I have been looking for? In fact, I have four beads like it, but one of them disappeared for no reason several months ago. How was it that you obtained it?” asked the emperor.
Myojeong suddenly realized that he was in a bad situation. He must do whatever it took to get himself out of it. Myojeong explained to the emperor how the bead came to be in his possession.
Oh, my God! The day when the turtle presented it to him coincided exactly with the day the emperor had lost the bead.
The emperor said,
“What a strange coincidence that it should have happened to the both of us!”
However, his accounts were not enough to save him. The emperor deprived him of everything including the bead and deported the poor man back to Silla.
After then, he had to live as a common monk for the rest of his life.

<b>삼국유사를 영어로 읽어보는 즐거움<br/><br/>삼국유사에 대하여</b><br/>삼국유사는 고려시대 최고위 스님이자 학자였던 일연(1206~1289)에 의해 지어진 역사서이자 이야기책이다. 보각국사 일연은 충렬왕에게 불교 교리를 가르쳤다. <br/><br/>삼국유사는 삼국인 고구려, 백제, 신라뿐만 아니라 고조선에서 고려까지 폭넓게 민족의 흥망성쇠를 담은 최고의 고전이자 역사서로 우리에게 친숙한 단군신화부터 민족신화, 설화, 불교, 민간 신앙을 담고 있다. ‘유사’라는 말은 이전의 역사서와 기록에 빠졌거나 자세히 드러나지 않은 사실을 말하는 것으로 일연은 자료를 수집하기 위해 민간에서 전해지는 고서나 문집 등에서 방대한 자료를 수집하고 직접 답사하여 보고 들은 이야기들을 채록한 것이다. <br/> 삼국유사는 5권 9편으로 구성되어 있다. 1권은 고대사 연구에 중요한 자료가 되는 신라, 백제, 고구려, 가락국, 후삼국을 중국과 함께 도표로 나타내는 연표와 왕의 치적과 역사적 사실을 담은 왕력편과 기이편 있고, 2권은 고조선에서 후백제에 이르는 역사를 신기하고 이상한 사실들을 바탕으로 기록한 기이편이고, 3권은 불교에 관한 기사와 불상, 불경 등에 대한 이야기로 의법편과 탑상편으로 구성되었다. 4권은 불교 고승의 행적과 활동을 기록한 의해편이고 마지막 5권은 민간신앙을 담은 신주편, 감동시킨 이야기를 담은 감통편, 숨어서 이적을 보여주는 승려이야기인 피은편, 효와 관련된 이야기를 담은 효선편으로 구성되어 있다. 삼국 유사는 또한 민간에서 널리 노래로 불려지며 전해지는 신비롭고 기이한 향가 14수를 기이편과 감통편에 채록했다. <br/> 보각국사 일연은 무신 정권 집권과 30년에 걸친 몽골의 지속적인 침략에 굴복하고 결국 원의 간섭을 받는 등 나라가 어수선하고 불안해지자 몽골보다 문화적 우월함을 강조하는 등 정신적인 측면을 강조하여 우리 민족의 자부심을 고취하고자 했다. 삼국유사는 민족사의 시초를 확립하고 고대사를 자주적으로 이해할 수 있는 체계를 마련하였다.<br/><br/><b>가려 뽑아 영어로 옮긴 삼국유사 이야기로 우리 역사와 민속 이해하기</b><br/>이 책은 방대한 『삼국유사』 중 우리들에게 익숙하고 재미있어 편하게 읽을 수 있는 이야기, 외국인에게 우리 역사를 이야기를 통해서 쉽게 전달할 수 있는 이야기를 중심으로 가려 뽑아서 영어로 옮겼다. 우리의 민속적인 내용을 외국인에게 전달하기는 결코 쉽지 않은 일이다. ‘외국인이 이 내용을 과연 이해할 수 있을까?’하고 되물으며 번역했다는 옮긴이의 말처럼 이 책을 읽은 독자는 옮긴이가 외국인의 입장에서 이해할 수 있도록 세심하게 번역한 것을 알 수 있다. 책에는 독자의 편의를 위해 중요한 낱말과 숙어에 주석이 달려있다. 옮긴이는 번역의 완성도와 외국인의 이해를 높이고자 뉴질랜드에 사는 원어민들에게 꼼꼼한 감수를 받았다고 한다.<br/><br/> 책은 1부에 민담 23편, 2부에 왕 이야기 10편, 3부에 스님 이야기 10편을 담고 있다. 영어를 공부하는 학생에게 권할 만한 책이며, 영어를 좋아하는 성인들에게 삼국유사를 영어로 읽는 즐거움을 줄 것이다. 특히 외국인에게 한국의 역사를 쉽고 재미있게 이해하도록 하는데 도움이 될 것이다.<br/>