A long time ago, in a small village on the seashore, there lived a girl.
Beautiful and of good character. Her name was Simcheon. Her father was blind and had never seen the white light. For this they called him Sim Ponsa. A boy was born into a yangban family, everyone considered him lucky and envied him. And not only was he blind, but he also began to suffer from illness. They feel sorry for the blind fellow villager, but cannot help. But Sim Ponsa is patient: he does not complain about fate, he does not complain about profit. He's kind. And he got a good wife. He won’t say a word against him. They live in peace and harmony. The wife goes around among people: she cooks dinner for someone, does laundry for someone - every business is sorted out in her hands.
[Ponsa – blind, blind.]
Feeds the whole family. But then my wife died. Simcheon was seven days old then.
Because of poverty, my father could not afford a nanny or a cook. If a girl cries from hunger, he takes her in his arms, walks from house to house, asking the women to feed her daughter. Women feel sorry for the baby: first one will breastfeed her, then another.
So Simcheon has reached seven years. She leads her blind father around the village.
Some will give them some brushwood for kindling, some will give them some kanjan.
[Kanjan – soy sauce.]
Another three years passed, and Simcheon dad learned to cook, wash clothes, sew and clean the house. She helped everyone in the village. So the orphan lived with her blind father. Simcheon will work for the day, return home, and the father asks:
[Pap – boiled rice]
-Are you tired, daughter?
Simcheon answers:
- What are you, father, not at all. The hostess is kind and loves me.
It used to be that the last piece would be left in the house, Simcheon would never eat it, she would give it to her father, and she would say that she went to a wedding and ate it there.
The fame of Simcheon's kindness spread throughout all the surrounding villages. A woman surnamed Zhang from a neighboring village heard about her and invited her to visit her.
Simcheon marveled:
– What does she want from me? - but I went to visit.
Aunt Zhang saw the girl, was delighted and said:
– Are you Simcheon? I heard about your virtues. It’s the first time I’ve seen such a beautiful and kind girl.
Aunt Zhang gave Simcheon rice as a farewell, and told her not to be shy, to come when you have time. From then on, the girl visited Aunt Zhang often.
Time flies quickly. Fifteen years of Simcheon have already passed.
Aunt Zhang wanted to take Simcheon as her adopted daughter. But the girl is no good.
“You’ll forgive me, I’m unreasonable,” he says, “but I can’t leave my blind father.” He doesn't see white light. Mom died when I was seven days old, and I cannot be ungrateful.
“Now I see that you are truly a respectful daughter,” Auntie Zhang cried and began to praise Simcheon in every possible way. And at parting she gave her a risai of clothes.
That day, Simcheon did not return home for a long time. The father became worried, took a stick and went to meet his daughter. And it was winter. New Year has just arrived. A cold January wind was blowing. Sim Ponsa went along the river, but it froze at some point, he slipped and fell into the icy water.
- Save me! - shouts.
Luckily, a monk was passing by. He helped Sim Pons get out of the water. ASim Ponsa and asks:
“What kind of noble man saved me?”
– I am a monk from the Monunsa monastery. How did this happen to you? - asked the monk and immediately caught himself: - Forgive me, I didn’t notice that you were blind.
Sim Pons thanked the monk, cried bitterly and, cursing fate, exclaimed in his hearts:
– Will I finally see the light someday?
– Donate three hundred rice juice to Buddha, pray fervently, and the Almighty will deliver you from misfortune.
Sim Ponsa rejoiced and said:
- That's what I'll do. If only I could see the light, see the white light!
He said, but he didn’t think where he would get so much rice.
The monk handed over a sacred book, where Sim Ponsa wrote that he was ready to donate three hundred juice of rice to Buddha, and signed it.
He returned home, sees his daughter, the father is not himself, he walks around sad. I started asking questions. Sim Ponsa told it all as it is.
“Your father must have lost his mind,” he says. “Where will we get so much rice from when we are so poor?”
He said and sighed heavily.
When Simcheon heard this, it was as if a stone had fallen on her heart. He cannot calm down: how could the father promise such a thing to a monk? But at the thought that the father would see the light, sadness gave way to joy.
“Don’t worry, father,” said Simcheon, “I’ll try to get some rice.”
She poured Simcheon into a bowl of water and from that day began to pray to the Almighty, asking him to save my father from blindness. Once a neighbor, Aunt Kwidok, came to Simcheon and told me that fishermen merchants were walking around the village, they wanted to buy a girl, they wouldn’t stand up for the price, no matter how much they said, they’d pay as much.
- Why do they need a girl? – asks Simcheon.
– They must make a sacrifice to the sea king Dragon. So that the typhoon does not hit them and helps them with trade. All this is good, but how can you throw it at a living person? Animals, not people!
Simcheon heard this and thought: Heaven itself sent me these fishermen.
I thought so and said to my neighbor:
- Help me, auntie, meet them.
Simcheon went to the merchants and said:
“I’m ready to become a victim, just bring three hundred juices of rice into the monastery, then my father will see the light.”
The fishermen agreed. Simcheon didn’t tell anyone about her decision. Not even now, the father finds out, no one knows what he will do. It's already evening. Simcheonk went to her father and said:
- Rejoice, father, I got rice.
Sim Pons almost jumped for joy.
- Is it really true? - asks. – Where did you get it?
It was not easy for Simcheon to deceive her father; she had never spoken a lie in her life. But this is for his own benefit!
“Aunt Zhang once said that she wanted to take me as her adopted daughter.” Well, of course, I refused. And now I told her what happened with the monk and that you promised to donate three hundred juices of rice to the monastery, so she immediately volunteered to bring the rice for you.
- This is such joy! - the old man cried. – I can’t even believe it!
Before leaving home forever, Simcheon went to Aunt Zhang to say goodbye and told everything as it was. Aunt Zhang listened to her and said:
“Since you are such a respectful daughter, I will donate this rice to the monastery myself.”
Simcheon disagreed. She’s not used to living at someone else’s expense and says:
– As I decided, so it will be. For my father’s sake, I don’t even feel sorry for my life.
Fellow villagers learned that the girl had decided to sacrifice her life for her father. And they praise her and feel sorry for her, shedding tears. But the father has no idea that his daughter will soon lose her life. Simcheon doesn't show it. She sews clothes and does housework. And she herself is waiting for the day when she will say goodbye to her father forever. The last night has come. Sim Ponsa is sleeping. And Simcheon is sitting next to him, tears rolling down his cheeks. Either he strokes his father affectionately, or he straightens the blanket. And with the first roosters, Simcheon went out into the yard to prepare food for her father for the last time. And the merchant fishermen are right there.
- We are going to sea today! Make sure you're not late.
The girl heard this, cried and answered:
“Let me cook my father’s food for the last time.”
The fishermen did not rush the girl. Gone.
Simcheon prepared the food, served it to the table, sat down next to her father and asked:
- Eat more!
- I’m eating, daughter, I’m eating. Never have you fed me so deliciously. Did you bring food from the wedding or wake?
Simcheon couldn’t stand it here and started crying out loud. Sim Pons heard his daughter cry bitterly, got scared and asked:
- What's wrong with you, daughter? Are you sick?
- No, father, I’m healthy.
Simcheon washed herself, went up to the altar, and prayed to the Almighty to make her father sighted. Then she came up to her father and said:
“I am an ungrateful daughter, I deceived you, I didn’t tell you that I sold myself for three hundred sokris.” The fishermen came for me, they are in a hurry, they are now going to sea, they are taking me with them, and I will not return to my home.
The father shouted:
– Why do I need eyes if I don’t see you? It’s better to remain blind, the notes will be nearby! - And he said so bitterly that the fishermen could not stand it and brought the leafy man a lot of money and rice - enough for a lifetime.
Simcheon began to say goodbye to her fellow villagers and asked them to look after their father. She got into the boat and sailed away with the fishermen. The boat sailed to the middle of the sea, the fishermen threw gifts to the sea king Dragon, one better than the other, one richer than the other. Then Simcheon stood up, looked at the Sky and prayed:
- Almighty, your power is great, I believe in your power, make sure that my father receives his sight!
She covered her face with her hands and jumped into the sea. A whirlwind came and Simcheon disappeared into the abyss of the sea waters. And a few days later a lotus bud appeared in this place.
The fishermen, returning home, swam to this place where Simcheon threw herself into the sea, and there a lotus of rare beauty blossomed. The fishermen picked a lotus and presented it to the king as a gift. Suddenly the lotus petals opened, and Simcheon came out of the bud - alive and unharmed. Simcheon became queen. But her life is not a joy. The old father can't get out of my head. She asked the Simcheon king to organize a feast and invite blind people from all over the country. Sim Ponsa also came to the feast.
He cried his eyes out, missing his daughter. He came and sat down in the farthest corner.
But Simcheon immediately saw him.
“Father,” she screamed, ran up to the old man, and hugged him tightly.
The old man heard his daughter’s voice, couldn’t believe his ears and shouted as loud as he could:
- Am I dreaming about this? If only I could take a look at my daughter! – He shouted and regained his sight. For the first time in my life, the white light saw my daughter, dear Simcheon!
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru