Whom the King Honours

In the days of King Se-jong, the students of the Confucian College held a picnic to celebrate the Spring Festival. They gathered in a wood north of the college, beside a lovely spring, and feasted and drank all night long, leaving the college rooms empty.

But one student from the countryside, a student whom the others paid little attention to, thought that while the others were off enjoying themselves, someone ought to stay behind and guard the sacred grounds of the shrine. So he gave up the fun of the picnic and stayed to keep watch.

That night the King sent a palace servant to the college to see how many students had stayed on guard. The servant came back and reported that every one of them had gone to the picnic except a single student from the countryside, who was minding the place alone. The King at once sent for him and told him to come just as he was, in his everyday clothes.

When he arrived, His Majesty asked, “Why, when all the others have gone off to have a good time, have you stayed behind by yourself?”

“I would have liked to go too,” he answered, “but it didn’t seem right to leave the sacred shrine with nobody in it, so I stayed.”

The King was very pleased with this answer. “Can you write verses?” he asked.

“I know only a little about it,” said the student.

“Here is half of a verse,” said the King. “‘After the rains the mountains weep.’ Write me a matching line to go with it.”

At once the student replied, “Before the wind the grass is tipsy.”

The King was delighted. He praised the young man’s skill and made him a special graduate on the spot. He gave him his diploma and flowers for his hat and proclaimed that he had passed the royal examination. Then he ordered for him the graduate’s hat, the red coat, a horse to ride, two boys to walk in front, and flute players and harpists. “Now go to the picnic,” he said, “and show yourself.”

In the wood the picnickers suddenly heard flutes and harps and wondered what it could mean, for this was not the season when new graduates paraded through the streets. As they watched, along came a successful candidate in ceremonial robes, with boys going ahead of him, riding the King’s own horse, to greet them. When he came closer, they saw it was the country student they had left behind at the shrine.

They asked what had happened and learned to their amazement that the King himself had honored him. The whole party broke up in confusion and hurried home.

Thanks to the King’s favor, this special graduate went on to become a great and famous man.

About this story

“Whom the King Honours” is from James Scarth Gale’s Korean Folk Tales: Imps, Ghosts and Fairies (1913), drawn from the collection of Im Bang. The collection presents King Se-jong as a ruler who notices both an overlooked student’s care for the shrine and his poetic skill.

The Confucian College in Seoul held a shrine to Confucius, so leaving it unguarded was a serious matter. In old Korea, scholars won office by passing exams in classical writing, and composing a matching line of verse on the spot was a true test of talent.

Read the original: Korean Folk Tales: Imps, Ghosts and Fairies (Project Gutenberg)

Best for ages 6–8 — one quiet student stays behind to do his duty, and the King himself rewards him.

He stays because the task matters

The student admits that he wanted to attend the picnic. His choice has weight because he gives up something he would enjoy, without knowing the king will notice. The reward also follows a second demonstration: he answers the half-verse with a matching image. Care and ability appear together, challenging his classmates’ dismissive view of him.

Complete a paired image

Try a second line for “After the rains the mountains weep”. Match a natural thing with a human action, as the student does with tipsy grass. Then explain which part of his reward recognises duty and which recognises skill.

Questions to ask

• Why did the country student stay behind at the college?
• What test did the King give him?
• How do you think the other students felt when they saw him riding the King’s horse?

More stories like this

• The Renowned Maing — another Korean scholar known for his character
• The Literary Man of Imsil — another scholar and the royal examinations
• Topknots and Crockery Hats — more about life in old Korea