The Sneezing Colossus
재채기하는 거인 조각상
William Elliot Griffis, after traditional Korean folklore (1843–1928)
The Story
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In old Korea, a poor farmer named Kim lived with his family at the foot of a mountain.Kim did not like to work, so his family often had little food.One day his wife said, “Go up the mountain and find something to eat.”
Kim walked up the mountain and soon felt very hungry and tired.Then he saw a huge stone statue standing among the trees.It was an old Buddha statue, taller than any house in his village.
A pear tree grew right beside the statue, and one ripe pear hung near its nose.Kim’s mouth watered, but the pear was too high for him to reach.
So he climbed up the statue’s arm and stepped onto its great stone nose.As he reached for the pear, his foot tickled the inside of the statue’s nostril.Suddenly the giant statue let out a tremendous sneeze!
The sneeze threw Kim high into the air, and he landed in a soft bush far below.When Kim opened his eyes, he found the ripe pear lying right next to him.He laughed all the way home and told his family the strangest story they had ever heard.
Full translationTry the story first — open this only to check your understanding.
옛날 한국에서 김씨라는 가난한 농부가 산기슭에서 가족과 함께 살았어요. 김씨는 일하는 것을 좋아하지 않아서, 그의 가족은 자주 먹을 것이 부족했어요. 어느 날 아내가 말했어요. "산에 올라가서 먹을 것을 좀 찾아와요."
김씨는 산을 올라갔고, 곧 몹시 배고프고 지쳤어요. 그때 나무들 사이에 서 있는 거대한 돌 조각상을 보았어요. 그것은 오래된 불상이었는데, 그의 마을에 있는 어떤 집보다도 컸어요.
배나무 한 그루가 그 조각상 바로 옆에서 자라고 있었고, 잘 익은 배 하나가 그 코 가까이에 달려 있었어요. 김씨는 군침이 돌았지만, 배는 그가 닿기에는 너무 높이 있었어요.
그래서 조각상의 팔을 타고 올라가 크고 단단한 코 위에 올라섰어요. 배를 향해 손을 뻗는 동안, 발이 조각상의 콧구멍 안쪽을 간지럽혔어요. 갑자기 그 거대한 조각상이 엄청난 재채기를 했어요!
그 재채기는 김씨를 공중 높이 날려 버렸고, 저 아래 멀리 있는 부드러운 덤불에 떨어졌어요. 김씨가 눈을 떴을 때, 잘 익은 배가 바로 자기 옆에 떨어져 있는 것을 발견했어요. 집에 가는 내내 웃었고, 가족에게 그들이 이제껏 들어본 것 중 가장 이상한 이야기를 들려주었어요.
Original text
Now read the original
You just read an easy retelling. Here is the same passage exactly as the author wrote it — unabridged, split into short readings.
The complete story · 854 words · 2 short readings
Read the originalComprehension Check
1. Why did Kim's wife send him up the mountain?
2. Why did Kim climb onto the statue's nose?
3. What happened when Kim's foot tickled the statue's nose?
Vocabulary
noun
statue
조각상, 동상
He saw a huge stone statue standing among the trees.
김씨는 나무들 사이에 서 있는 거대한 돌 조각상을 보았어요.
Your Summary
In 1–2 sentences, say why Kim climbed onto the stone statue, and what happened when his foot tickled its nose.
Source: Adapted from "The Sneezing Colossus," a traditional Korean folktale retold in English by William Elliot Griffis in "Korean Fairy Tales" (1911; Project Gutenberg #67180). Griffis (1843–1928) is long in the public domain in the US and in life+70 countries. This simplified retelling and its Korean translation are original text written for SeoJae Story.
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