Hwarang's journey and Hyangga

화랑의 순유(巡遊)와 향가

In spite of a few numbers of Hyangga that is handed down today, Hyangga has diverse and abundant contents. So it is possible to survey Hyangga as a journey literature of the middle age. On this purpose we can inquire into the Hwarangs' group journey, because the Hwarang was one of the main enjoying group of Hyangga. Hwarangs' group journey shows many aspects. They made a journey for the public purpose like a tour of inspection of people's daily life and the fortresses of the country's peripheral areas. Also, they made a journey for personal purposes like enjoying the attractive view of the mountains and rivers or seeking pretty girls outside of the palace. On these journeys, Hwarang made and enjoyed Hyanggas. Among Hyanggas that remains today, Hyeseongga and Cheoyongga have a direct relation to Hwarang's journey. Hyeseongga was made to eliminate the calamities that occurred at the time of the start of a journey. It is expressed in this poem that Hwarang could take a peaceful trip with the condition that the celestial objects shed light on the earth path. As such, the trip becomes a sacred ceremony. Cheoyongga reflects the fact that the foreigner Cheoyong became Hwarang and toured the streets of Seorabeol, the capital of Shilla. The Cheoyong's bitterness of broken love is expressed in this poem. SongSadahamga and MoJukjirangga come under a broad category of Hwarang's journey literature. SongSadahamga is a farewell poem for Hwarang who leaves to fight on the battlefield. It was universal to make a journey for the fighting of a battle in Shilla period, so many Hyanggas would be made under those situations. MoJukjirangga has the content of Hwarang's trip for saving his follower who was taken by another senior. It expresses the intimate relationship between Hwarang and the follower. Though the words of the song have not been remained, Hyeongeumpogok, Daedogok, and Mungungok were created on the way of Hwarang's journey. These seem to be a series poems which have the proper characteristic features of the Hwarang's journey literature. In these poems, the king's open mind and liberal political views are reflected. In short, Hwarang created and enjoyed Hyanggas on the way of their journey, so Hyangga has the features of journey literature in Korean middle ages.