Two birds who were perched on the branch of a tree caught the attention of the dejected and bereaved king as he was on his way back to the palace. The king ran after the young queen to reconcile, but his efforts failed.
It narrates the story of a young queen who left the palace following a disagreement with the elder queen (or first wife of the King). In the remains of ancient Korean poetry that we have available, there is a famous poem written by Shah Poori in 17th Century BC. The daily humdrum of Korean life was inundated with literature, even a common man had a verse ready for every occasion. And so, versifying became a custom of that age. Or, in the fashion of Korean literary jargon, we could say that successful examinees “wandered into the wilderness of literary aesthetics” to rise higher and higher. Those who aced the prestigious Gwageo examination were awarded membership into Hanlin-an imperial academy. It was the crowning desire of every candidate to pen poetry in the presence of the emperor. Those who appeared in the final stage were the lucky ones as most candidates were sifted out in the initial three stages and, resultantly, doomed to obscurity. The final examination always took place in the palace of the emperor. It was mandatory to pass the Gwageo examinations within the span of two to three years and in four stages.
It required a great deal of hard work, dedication, and focus. It was, however, no easy undertaking to pass this examination. Anyone who claimed to be intelligent had to excel in this examination to ascertain and validate their intellectual authority. In the year 957AD, Gwageo was a national civil service examination and poetry was a quintessential and constitutive portion of this examination. Interestingly and ironically, the best of Korean poetry was penned down in exile by such failed politicians. Nonetheless, and barring a few exceptions, poets who ventured into politics always failed. Regardless of their humble beginnings, educated people were preferred over the elites for positions in political offices. In the early centuries of the Christian calendar, in Korea or “land of tranquil mornings”, the acquisition of knowledge was an affair taken with great pride and privilege. Although many examples of Chinese poetry have been enfolded into Indian culture too, we will focus solely on Korean poetry for the moment. Like any other culture, Chinese poetry was also reflective of its own values and traditions. Chinese people thus spread elements of ancient Korean traditions throughout their land too. They left their homeland but the paleness of their land always stayed with them, and the qualities of their inherent culture also remained intact. Exasperated by overpopulation, Koreans were driven to migrate to China to inhabit its vast lands. Nevertheless, there is another example like this in history which bears the same pattern as the Aryan migration. Ultimately, they laid the foundations of several unique and unmatched traditions and civilizations both in India and in the Western world. When the Aryans left Central Asia and settled in the West, few lost touch with their roots or succumbed to the lures of surreal Indian magic after crossing the Himalayas. Since the beginning of this world, man has always been in a state of unceasing migration either individually or socially. The decision of leaving one’s birthplace, one’s homeland, is a very serious step yet it is compelled by human curiosity, evolving human needs and the pressing claims of the times.