Prayer before the Great King of Mount Jiri (智異山)智異山大王前願文
某等俱以非才。補元戎之寮佐。將問罪東都。夫軍之生死成敗。皆係于統軍。譬諸人身。統軍如首。寮佐如手臂。軍卒如足。安有首之有恙。而手臂足之安然哉。今師次于善州。統軍尙書金公某。忽有微疾。節宣頗爽。意者山行野宿。觸風犯霧之病耶。或不知有異故而然耶。一軍憂恐。莫知其由。敢發衆誠。虔禱于我大王之靈。若借以神力。保持救護。俾金公勿藥有喜。立復康和。則非唯三軍之福也。大王之威靈益顯。豈不佳哉。先以衣襯一事。姑伸微懇。迨病瘳。續遣使致祭。報恩之萬一者。
We are all of us men without talent, and yet we have been made to fill out the staff of the Commander-in-Chief (元戎), and are about to call the Eastern Capital (東都) to account for its guilt. In all things the living and the dying, the making and the breaking of an army hang upon the one who leads it. Set this against a man's body: the commanding general is the head, the staff officers are the hands and arms, and the soldiers are the feet. How should the hands and arms and feet be at ease when something ails the head?
Now the army halts at Seonju (善州), and the commanding general, Minister Kim So-and-so, has suddenly taken a slight illness, and the ordering of his body has gone much awry. Is it, we wonder, an illness of walking the mountain roads and sleeping in the fields, of taking the wind and braving the mist? Or is there some other cause we do not know, that it should be so? The whole army is troubled and afraid, and does not know the reason.
We dare to put forth the sincerity of the multitude and pray earnestly to the spirit of our Great King. If by lending your numinous power you uphold and guard and deliver him, so that Lord Kim mends without the use of medicine and at once recovers his ease, this will be not the good fortune of the Three Armies only, but the majestic spirit of the Great King will be shown forth the more; and how should that not be fair?
First, with one suit of clothing for the body, we unfold for the time being our small earnestness. When the illness is mended we shall send a messenger after this to offer sacrifice, and repay one part in ten thousand of your kindness.
Interlinear notes 1
副使已下行
Performed by those below the deputy commissioner.