덕곡(德谷) 조승숙(趙承肅)은 두문동(杜門洞) 72현(賢) 가운데 한 사람으로, 고려에 벼슬을 하다가 고려가 망하고 조선이 건국되자 벼슬을 그만두고 고향인 덕곡에 물러나 은거하였다. 그는 교수정(敎授亭)을 짓고 후학을 양성하며 평생 절조를 지켜 세상에 나아가지 않았다. 그는 과거에 합격하여 벼슬을 하기도 하였으며, 벼슬하는 여가에 포은(圃隱) 정몽주(鄭夢周)에게 나아가 성리학을 공부하기도 하였으나, 고려가 조선에 의해 망하자 불사이군(不事二君)의 정신으로 조선의 신하가 될 수 없다고 판단하고 고향인 함양의 덕곡(德谷)으로 내려가 그곳에 머물면서 후학을 양성하며 평생 은거하는 삶을 살았던 것이다. 그는 덕곡에서 금오산(金烏山)에 물러나 살았던 야은(冶隱) 길재(吉再)와 교류하는 한편 시를 지어 수창하기도 하였다. 당시에 지은 시가 모두 7수가 전하지만, 이 가운데에는 덕곡의 작품이 아닌 것이 있으며, 덕곡의 작품 가운에도 온전한 작품 이라고 하기에는 문제가 있는 것도 있다. 이처럼 시를 지어 자신의 마음을 표현하기 도 한 작품은 그리 많이 남아있지 않으나, 여기에는 그의 성정이 드러나 있으며, 사상이 나타나 보이는 것이다. 그래서 후대의 사람들이 그의 행적과 남겨진 작품을 토대로 하여 그를 높이 평가하였다. 그가 고려 왕실에 대한 절조를 굳게 지켰던 일을 주(周)나라가 은(殷)나라를 멸망시키자 수양산에 들어가 살았던 백이숙제(伯夷叔齊)에 비기고, 또 잘나가던 벼슬을 초개처럼 내던지고 고향에 가서 은거하였던 일을 벼슬을 미련 없이 버리고 고향 율리(栗里)에 은거하였던 도연명(陶淵明)에 비겼다. 그래서 성종의 명에 의해 제문을 지었다는 유호인은 그 글에서 덕곡을 “수양명월(首陽明月) 율리청풍(栗里淸風)”이라고 극히 칭송하였던 것이다.

This thesis lookes into the life and thoughtof Dukgok Cho, Seungsuk, one of the 72 Doomoondong scholars during Goryeo Dynasty, who retreated back to his home village, Dukgok where he built Gyosujeong Pavilion to bring up younger disciples and did not come back out into the world, keeping fidelity throughout his lifetime when Gyoreo Dynasty collapsed. He accompanied a congratulating party going to China`s royal palace after he passed the state examination and got appointed to be the position of Jeojakrang, and he so much surprised Chinese people with his excellent writing offered to the king that the Chinese king reportedly offered him a Jageumudae(or purple/gold fish-patterned belt), and after he returned, the king of Chosun Dynasty offered him a aromatic wooden box with its name on it written by the King himself. During his official service, he learned Confucianism from Poeun Jeong, mongjoo and then when Goryeo Dynasty collapsed, he judged that he counldn`t be a subject of Chosun Dynasty due to his motto of ‘no service to two kings,` and came down to his home village, Dukgok, where he built Gyosujeong Pavilion and lived a hermit`s life, bringing up younger disciples. While he had academic intercourse with Yaeun Giljae, who retreated to Geumosan(mountain) from Dukgok, he wrote poems, among which a total of 7 poems are passed on, but some of them were not written by him and even those reportedly written by him face the question whether they were really composed by him. This way, his works expressing his heart are rare but they do express who he was and how he thought. Therefore, those in the following generations highly evaluated him on the basis of his behaviors and works left behind. They compared his fidelity to Goryeo Dynasty to Baekisukje, who retreated to Suyangsan(mountain) when Zhou Dynasty conquered Eun Dynasty and his life as an hermit in his hometown, discarding his office as if it were bits of straw to Tao Yan Ming, who gave up his office without reserve and retreated to his hometown, Eulri. For this reason, Yhu Ho-in, who reportedly wrote his funeral oration by order of King Seongjong extremely exulted him, saying, “Dukgok is like a bright moon over Suyangsan(mountain) and pristine wind in Eulri.” This evaluation of him compressively symbolizes Dukgok`s life and thought, clearly showing the following generations how he lived and who he was.