정포 鄭誧
Poet and official, author of Seolgok sigo; middle founder of the Seolgok line, pen name Seolgok
| Era | 고려 후기 |
| Clan | 청주 정씨 |
Life & career
Jeong Po (鄭誧) was a late-Goryeo civil official from Cheongju, courtesy name Jungbu, pen name Seolgok (雪谷), and the middle founder of the Seolgok line. A grandson of the councillor Jeong Hae and son of Jeong Chaek, he was a son-in-law of Choe Mun-do; sources write his name as 鄭誧 or 鄭鋪. Wikipedia treats him as the younger brother of Jeong O.
He passed the examination in 1326 and, on a mission to Yuan to deliver a memorial, met King Chungsuk on his way home and won his favor. Under King Chunghye he rose from Jeolli chongnang to left remonstrator and petitioned to correct bad government, but was dismissed and, after a false charge that he would flee to Yuan, exiled to Ulju. In exile he is said to have remained unruffled and to have enjoyed a life of leisure.
Freed, he went to Yuan again, where the prime minister Biejiabuhua took to him at first sight and recommended him to the emperor, but he died soon after at 37. A disciple of Choe Hae who associated with Yi Gok, he excelled in poetry and calligraphy, and his Seolgok sigo and Seolgokjip survive.
Seolgok sigo and the Treasure
The Seolgok sigo is a two-volume woodblock collection edited in 1375 by his son Jeong Gong-gwon (Jeong Chu) while he was Mipjik academician and printed the next year. It has prefaces by Yi Saek and Yi Je-hyeon and a postscript by Yi Bang-han dated 1376. It was designated a Treasure in March 1981 and is held in Jung-gu, Seoul.
Yi Saek judged his poetry as pure without being aloof and ornate without being licentious, with an elegant and far-reaching tone.
Exile and a Short Life
He lived an unsettled life, dismissed after a petition and exiled to Ulju on a false charge, but Yi Je-hyeon's preface mourns his unhappy life and suggests his character and talent. His achievement is seen in giving his experiences dignified shape in verse.
The Start of the Seolgok Line
Through his son Jeong Chu his grandsons Jeong Chong and Jeong Tak (鄭擢) became Joseon founding merit subjects, and the Hoseong subject Jeong Gon-su and the scholar Jeong Gu belong to this line. The Seolgok line, divided into branches such as Ongjin, Jangdan, Seongju, Chungok and Sukcheon, thus began with one man's literary gift and continued as a family of officials over generations.
Grave
The location of his grave was not confirmed.
Descendants
His descendants include his son Jeong Chu and grandsons Jeong Chong and Jeong Tak (擢).
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