The Malgal靺鞨
1The Malgal of the Seven Divisions
靺鞨，在高麗之北，邑落俱有酋長，不相總一。凡有七種：其一號粟末部，與高麗相接，勝兵數千，多驍武，每寇高麗中。其二曰伯咄部，在粟末之北，勝兵七千。其三曰安車骨部，在伯咄東北。其四曰拂𣵀部，在伯咄東。其五曰號室部，在拂𣵀東。其六曰黑水部，在安車骨西北。其七曰白山部，在粟末東南。勝兵並不過三千，而黑水部尤為勁健。自拂𣵀以東，矢皆石鏃，即古之肅慎氏也。所居多依山水，渠帥曰大莫弗瞞咄，東夷中為強國。有徒太山者，俗甚敬畏，上有熊羆豹狼，皆不害人，人亦不敢殺。地卑濕，築土如堤，鑿穴以居，開口向上，以梯出入。相與偶耕，土多粟麥穄。水氣鹹，生鹽於木皮之上。其畜多猪。嚼米為酒，飲之亦醉。婦人服布，男子衣猪狗皮。俗以溺洗手面，於諸夷最為不潔。其俗淫而妬，其妻外婬，人有告其夫者，夫輒殺妻，殺而後悔，必殺告者，由是姦婬之事終不發揚。人皆射獵為業，角弓長三尺，箭長尺有二寸。常以七八月造毒藥，傅矢以射禽獸，中者立死。
The Malgal are to the north of Goryeo. Every settlement has its chief, but they are not held together under one head. There are seven kinds in all. The first is called the Songmal division, and it lies against Goryeo. It has some thousands of fighting men, many of them quick and brave, and it is always raiding into Goryeo. The second is called the Baekdol division, which is north of Songmal, and it has seven thousand fighting men. The third is called the Anchagol division, which is northeast of Baekdol. The fourth is called the Buryeol division, which is east of Baekdol. The fifth is called the Hosil division, which is east of Buryeol. The sixth is called the Heuksu division, which is northwest of Anchagol. The seventh is called the Baeksan division, which is southeast of Songmal. None of these has more than three thousand fighting men, and the Heuksu division is the hardiest of them. From Buryeol eastward the arrows all have stone heads, and these are the Suksin of old.
Where they live is for the most part along the hills and the waters. Their head man is called daemakbulmandol, and among the Eastern Yi they are a strong country. There is a mountain called Dotae Mountain (徒太山), which in their customs they revere and fear greatly. The bears, the brown bears, the leopards and the wolves on the mountain do none of them harm a man, and the people do not dare to kill them either.
The land is low and wet, so they heap up earth like a dyke and dig out a hollow to live in, with the mouth of it opening upward, and they go in and out by a ladder. They pair with one another to plough, and the land has much millet and barley and panic grass. The water is salt to the taste, and salt comes out on the bark of the trees. Of the beasts they keep, pigs are the most. They chew rice to make their wine, and drinking it they grow drunk as well. The women wear cloth, and the men wear the skins of pigs and dogs. They wash their hands and faces with urine, and among all the barbarian peoples they are the least clean.
In their customs they are lewd and jealous both. If a wife plays the wanton outside and there is one who tells her husband of it, the husband at once kills the wife; and having killed her he repents, and he is sure to kill the one who told him. For this reason acts of adultery never come to light in the end.
All the people take hunting for their work. Their horn bows are three cheok (尺)〔about 30 cm〕 long, and the arrows are one cheok and two chon (寸)〔a tenth of a cheok〕. In the seventh and eighth months they always make a poison and smear it on their arrows to shoot birds and beasts, and whatever is struck dies on the spot.
Interlinear notes 1
粟末 原作「栗未」，據冊府九五六、新唐書黑水渤海靺鞨傳、通鑑武德四年胡注改。下同。
For "Songmal (粟末)": the text first had "栗未", and it has been changed after book 956 of the Cefu yuangui, the Account of the Heuksu Malgal in the Xin Tang shu, and Hu Sanxing's note on the fourth year of Wude in the Tongjian. The same holds below.
2He Counsels Them as a Father
開皇初，相率遣使貢獻。高祖詔其使曰：「朕聞彼土人庶多能勇捷，今來相見，實副朕懷。朕視爾等如子，爾等宜敬朕如父。」對曰：「臣等僻處一方，道路悠遠，聞內國有聖人，故來朝拜。既蒙勞賜，親奉聖顏，下情不勝歡喜，願得長為奴僕也。」其國西北與契丹相接，每相劫掠。後因其使來，高祖誡之曰：「我憐念契丹與爾無異，宜各守土境，豈不安樂？何為輒相攻擊，甚乖我意！」使者謝罪。高祖因厚勞之，令宴飲於前。使者與其徒皆起舞，其曲折多戰鬬之容。上顧謂侍臣曰：「天地間乃有此物，常作用兵意，何其甚也！」然其國與隋懸隔，唯粟末、白山為近。
In the early years of Kaihuang they came together, one leading another, and sent envoys with tribute. Gaozu sent down an edict to their envoys: "I have heard that the people of that land are many of them brave and quick, and now that they have come and I see them, it truly answers my heart. I shall look on you as my children, and you should revere me as a father." They answered: "Your servants dwell off in one corner and the roads are long and far, but we heard that there is a sage in the inner country, and so we have come to pay court. Having received your comfort and your gifts, and having looked with our own eyes on the sage countenance (聖顔), we cannot hold in our joy, and we wish to be your servants for ever."
The northwest of their country lies against the Khitan, and the two were always raiding each other. Afterwards, when their envoys came, Gaozu warned them: "I feel for the Khitan no differently than for you. Each should keep to his own land, and then would you not be at peace and glad? Why do you fall at once to striking each other? It goes much against my mind!" The envoys begged pardon.
Gaozu then comforted them generously and had a feast set before him, and the envoys with all their company rose and danced, and the turns of the dance were much in the likeness of fighting. The emperor looked at his attendants and said, "That there should be such creatures between heaven and earth, always making the motions of war — how far it goes!" Yet their country is far cut off from Sui, and only Songmal and Baeksan are near.
3Dojigye Comes and Surrenders
煬帝初與高麗戰，頻敗其眾，渠帥度地稽率其部來降。拜為右光祿大夫，居之柳城，與邊人來往。悅中國風俗，請被冠帶，帝嘉之，賜以錦綺而褒寵之。及遼東之役，度地稽率其徒以從，每有戰功，賞賜優厚。十三年，從帝幸江都，尋放歸柳城。在塗遇李密之亂，密遣兵邀之，前後十餘戰，僅而得免。至高陽，復沒於王須拔。未幾，遁歸羅藝。
When Emperor Yang first fought with Goryeo and broke their host again and again, the head man Dojigye led his division and came and surrendered. He was made Grand Master of the Right for Splendid Happiness and was settled at Liucheng, and he came and went among the people of the border. He liked the customs of China and asked to wear the cap and belt (冠帶), and the emperor thought well of it and gave him brocades and figured silks and favoured him.
In the Liaodong campaign Dojigye led his men and followed along, and in every battle he had merit, and his rewards were generous. In the thirteenth year he followed the emperor on his progress to Jiangdu, and before long he was sent back to Liucheng. On the road he met the rising of Li Mi, and Li Mi sent soldiers to head him off and strike him, and in more than ten battles, first and last, he barely got away. When he reached Gaoyang he fell to Wang Xuba once more, but not long after he escaped and went over to Luo Yi.