Two Beggars and the King

Short Version

Once there were two beggars in a city. Every day, they sat beside a park and begged for money and food. One beggar always said, “Good fortune can help a person.” The other said, “Only the king can help a person.”

One day, the king was passing along the road near the park. He heard the two beggars talking. He was very pleased with the beggar who said that only the king could help a person.

The next day, the king decided to help him. He put some diamonds inside a large piece of bread and sent it to the beggar through one of his men.

When the beggar received the bread, he found it very heavy. He became annoyed and thought that such a heavy piece of bread was not useful to him. So, he gave it to the other beggar.

The other beggar took the bread home. When he opened it to eat, he was surprised to find the diamonds inside. He sold them, became rich, and stopped begging.

The next day, the king passed by the park again. He was surprised to see the second beggar still begging and saying, “Only the king can help a person.”

The king went near him and asked about the bread. The beggar told him that he had given it to the other beggar.

Then the king understood that his plan had helped the other man instead.

Moral: Good fortune can come in unexpected ways.

Expanded Version

Once there were two beggars in a city. Every day, they sat beside a park and asked passers-by for food and money.

The two men often talked about why some people were rich and others were poor. One beggar always said, “Good fortune can help a person.” The other disagreed. He said, “Only the king can truly change a poor person’s life.”

One day, the king passed along the road near the park and heard their conversation. He was pleased with the beggar who praised the king’s power.

The next day, the king decided to help that man. He ordered a large piece of bread to be prepared. Some valuable diamonds were hidden inside it. Then the bread was sent to the beggar.

The beggar received it, but he was surprised by how heavy it felt. He did not know that diamonds were inside. Thinking that such a heavy piece of bread was strange and not useful, he gave it to the other beggar.

The other man took the bread home. When he opened it to eat, he discovered the diamonds. He sold them and became rich. After that, he no longer needed to beg.

The next day, the king passed the park again. He was surprised to see the beggar he had tried to help still sitting there.

The king asked him what had happened to the bread. The beggar explained that he had given it away.

The king then understood that his plan had helped the other man instead.

Moral: Good fortune can come in unexpected ways.