Lyrics
[The Daltokki (달토끼), or "Moon Rabbit," is a mythical creature rooted in East Asian folklore and deeply cherished in Korean tradition as an inhabitant of the moon. According to legend, the dark markings visible on the surface of the full moon resemble the outline of a rabbit standing over a mortar (jeolgu) and pestle. While variations of the story exist across Asia—such as the Chinese myth where the rabbit grinds the elixir of life—the Korean Daltokki is traditionally depicted pounding rice grains to prepare tteok (sweet rice cakes), symbolizing selflessness, harvest, and abundance. The tale stems from a legendary story of a compassionate rabbit who offered itself to help a starving traveler (the King of Heaven in disguise); moved by its sacrifice, the deity rescued the rabbit and placed it on the moon as an eternal tribute to virtue. Today, the Daltokki remains an iconic symbol celebrated during Chuseok (the Korean autumn harvest festival), representing prosperity, peace, and good fortune under the full moon.] Beneath the sacred tree
A shadow kneels in grace
Before the beggar disguised in dust
The fox presents the river's yield
The monkey offers gathered fruits
Only humble grass the bunny brings
To feed the starving heavenly lord
Stripped of earthly weight and form
It leaps into the burning coals
An offering of pure surrender
To feed the light, to cleanse the fire
Daltokki strikes the lunar tides
Pestle and mortar in cyclic motion
Crafting harvest, shaping life
Ascended selfless, elevated divine
Pound the grain, cycle again
Circling through the silver veil
Strike the vessel, pulse the stone
Lunar echo, flesh unknown
Elevated above terrestrial pain
Enthroned upon the cold grey sea
Not grinding remedies of forgotten age
But shaping unity for the realm below
Pounding tteok in rhythmic grace
A pulse of life, a harvest renewed
Chuseok autumn brings the sacred song
Gratitude etched in lunar dust
Stripped of earthly weight and form
It leaps into the burning coals
An offering of pure surrender
To feed the light, to cleanse the fire
Daltokki strikes the lunar tides
Pestle and mortar in cyclic motion
Crafting harvest, shaping life
Ascended selfless, elevated divine
Pound the grain, cycle again
Circling through the silver veil
Strike the vessel, pulse the stone
Lunar echo, flesh unknown
Shadows gather round the feast
Under autumn's golden gaze
Families bound by sacred grain
Forged within the mortar's deep
A silent beacon in the night
The selfless creature keeps the pulse
Infinite cycle of the pestle's fall
Sustaining generations below
Stripped of earthly weight and form
It leaps into the burning coals
An offering of pure surrender
To feed the light, to cleanse the fire
Daltokki strikes the lunar tides
Pestle and mortar in cyclic motion
Crafting harvest, shaping life
Ascended selfless, elevated divine
Pound the grain, cycle again
Circling through the silver veil
Strike the vessel, pulse the stone
Lunar echo, flesh unknown
Mathematical strike of the wooden beam
Resonating through cosmic space
Sacrifice becomes the nourishment
A flame of surrender, an act of trust
No golden ring, no earthly greed
Only the pounding of sacred seed
The elevated bunny, eternal guard
Unbound by flesh, unbound by shadow
Sacred gyesu, root of wisdom
Keep the rhythm, churn the stars
Pound. Churn. Ascend. Divine.
Pound. Churn. Ascend. Divine.
The pyre consumed the mortal shape
The sky received the selfless spirit
Pestle falling in polyrhythmic time
One with the moon, one with the mind
Stripped of earthly weight and form
It leaps into the burning coals
An offering of pure surrender
To feed the light, to cleanse the fire