아기 소나무/The Baby Pine

In order to learn new words, I attempted to translate one of the stories in a children book I own, 하느님의 눈물 (got it on sale, less than a dollar for the book! xP). I translated on my notebook and decided to rewrite it here with hope that the repeat will make the words stuck in my head.


아기 소나무 is the second story in this book. Please excuse mistakes, wrong choice of words, and weirdness in the translation, this is my first time translating Korean text this long. I'd be very happy if you're willing to point them out in the comment. ^^ I will make separate post to list difficulties I face and some questions I (still) have on my translation attempt.

source: here

아기 소나무 / The Baby Pine

동산에 떠오른 달님은 만져질 듯이 가까이에 있었습니다. 

The moon  has just came up, it was there near the hill as if touching it.

오늘은 팔 월 한가위, 1년 중 가장 커다란 달님이기 때문입니다, 희고 둥근 달님의 얼굴이 온 세상을 아름답게 비추어습니다.

Today on the August was the Korean thanksgiving day because it was the time of the year when the moon came up the biggest. The white and the round face of the moon shone beautifully all over the world. 

"달님 아줌마! 달님 아줌마!"

산당성이 외딴 봉우리에서 잔지만 또랑또랑한 목소리가 들렸습니다.

"Auntie Moon! Auntie Moon!"

From the top of an isolated ridge, a small but clear voice was heard.

"어엉, 누구니?"

달님은 소리나는 쪽으로 눈과 귀를 한꺼번에 돌렸습니다.

"Mm, who is it?"

The Moon turned its ear and looking towards the voice at the same time.

"저예요. 여깄잖아요!"

"It's me. Can't you see I'm here!"

달님이 자세히 내려다보니, 조그만 소리로 부른 건 바로 아기 소나무였습니다. 세 살짜리 아기 소나무는 봉우리 꼭대기에 팔을 번쩍 치켜들고 서 있습니다.

The Moon looked down thoroughly towards the calling sound and there it was a baby pine. The 3 year old Baby Pine was at the top of the mountain waving his arms.

source: here

"오! 오! 너였구나. 그래 나를 왜 불렀니?"

"저, 말예요."

"으응."

"지난 여름, 억수같이 퍼붓던 물 누가 쉬 한 거예요?"

"....?"

"Oo! Oo! So it was you. Why did you call me?"

"I, have something to say."

"Ok."

"Last summer water was pouring down heavily, who was peeing?"

"....?"

"아줌마가 눈 거예요? 아니면 해님 아저씨가 눈 거여요?"

달님은 금방 얼굴이 빨개지고 말았습니다.

"Was it Auntie's pee? If not, was it Uncle Sun's pee?"

The Moon soon turned red and rolled its face.

"아기 소나무야, 그건 쉬 한 게 아니다."

"Dear Baby Pine, it was not peeing."

"에그, 거짓말. 아줌마 얼굴이 빨개진 걸 보니 달님이 쉬 했군요. 그렇죠?"

"아니야, 그건 오줌이 아니고 '비'라고  하는 거야. 온 세상의 나무들이 잘 자라라고 하느님이 내려 주시는 거야."

"Yeah right, that's a lie. I saw Auntie's face turning red, it was you who was peeing, wasn't it?"

"No, that was not urine. It was called 'rain'. The trees in the whole world need to grow and so God gives them rain."

"그럼, 그때 시커먼 포장은 왜 잔뜩 가려 놓았어요? 누가 볼까 봐 궁뎅이 감추느라 그랬죠?"

"If that's so, why were you covering yourself that time? You don't want to people see you peeing so you're covering your butt, right?"

"푸낭이 아니고 그게 바로 '구름'이라는 물통이야. 여름엔 날씨가 덥고 농사철이기 때문에 물이 굉장히 많아야 되거든. 시원하고 달짝한 비를 너도 실컷 마시고 컸잖니?"

달님은 진땀이 나도록 차근차근 들려 주었습니다.

"It was not a cover, that thing was a water bucket called 'cloud'. In the summer, because the wheather is hot and it is a farming season, we need a lot of water. You too drink warm and sweet water of rain as much as you want and grow, don't you?"
The Moon waited and listened calmly to the point that she began to sweat.

아기 소나무는 약간 알아 들은 듯했습니다.
"참말 그랬어요. 시원하고 달짝한 걸 보니 쉬는 아닌 것 샅애요."
The Baby Pine seems to understand it a bit.
"So it was truly like that, eh. It looks like the warm and sweet thing is not a pee after all."

"아닌 것 같은 게 아니라 정말 아니다."
"No, it really was not that."

아기 소나무는 입을 다물었습니다. 자꾸 따지고 들면 그런 아기 소나무가 맘에 들었습니다. 무명베처럼 희고 질긴 달빛을 쏟아 비춰 주었습니다.
The Baby Pine shut his mouth. Because if he kept nitpicking, he would be one that has no manner.

source: here

"아기 소나무야. 너는 이 담에 키가 어느만큼 크고 싶니?"
달님이 물었습니다.
"Dear Baby Pine, in the future how big you want to be?"
The Moon asked.

"달님한테까지 내 손이 닿도록 크고 싶어요."
"어머나! 그만치 커서 무얼 하려고 그러니?"
"I want to grow until my arm can touch Auntie Moon."
"Oh my! What will you do after growing that big?"

"언젠가 바람이 내가 가르쳐 줬어요.
저어기 산골짜기랑 시냇가에 살고 있는 사람들은 모두 슬픈 사람들이래요. 아들들은 군인으로 뽑혀가고 딸들은 도시의 공장으로 돈벌이 가고....."
"Sometime ago the Wind told me something.
People who live faraway there in the valley and on the riverbank are said to be all sad people. The sons are forced to be a slave and the daughters must go to the factory in the city to work and earn money.."

"쯧쯧, 안됐구나. 정말....."
"Tsk, tsk, it's not good. Really...."

"그래서, 할머니랑 할아버지들은 달님만 쳐다보고 '저기 저기 저 달 속에 초가 산간 집 짓고 살고 싶어라.' 한대요."
"정말 그렇겠구나."
"So, I heard that the grandmothers and the grandfathers there are only looking at Auntie Moon and said 'There, there, it would be good to build a three room thatched cottage and live there in the moon.'"
"Is that so?"

"그러니까 내가 하늘만큼 키가 자라서 튼튼 해지면, 그 할머니 할아버지들이 나를 베다가 초가집 짓고 살으시랴고요."
아기 소나무는 가슴에 두 손을 모아 쥐면서 정성껏 말했습니다.
"That's why if I grow as high as the sky and become strong, that grandmothers and grandfathers can cut me down and use me to build and live in a thatched cottage."
The Baby Pine holds both his arms in front of his chest while saying this.

달님은 갑자기 목이 베려고 해서 억지로 참았습니다.
"아기 소나무야, 고맙다."
The Moon suddenly felt chocked up as she was surpressing her tears.
"Dear Baby Pine, thank you."

"달님 아주머니도 저 아래 산 밑, 한국의 할아버지랑 할머니들이 불쌍하셔요?"
"Auntie Moon, also, down there at the bottom of the mountain, were Korean grandfathers and grandmothers there poor?"

"그래, 할아버지 할머니들뿐만도 아니지. 군인으로 간 아들들도 공장으로 간 딸들도, 한국에 살고 있는 모두가 불쌍하지."
"그럼, 내 키가 얼른 얼른 자라게 도와 주셔요."
"That's true. Besides the grandfathers and the grandmothers, the sons that become slaves, the daughters who have to go to the factory, everyone else in Korea is poor."
"If that's so, then please help me grow quickly, quickly."

"도와 주고 말고지. 하느님도 네가 제일 착하다고 하실 거야."
"아니에요. 제일로 착한 건 싫어요. 보통으로 착하면 되어요."
"그래 그래 아기 소무야."
달님은 한 번 더 목이 메려는 것을 꼭 참았습니다.
"I will certainly want to help you. God too, when he hears that you are kindest of all, will also help you."
"No. I don't want to be the kindest one. The usual kind is already enough."
"Ok, ok, dear Baby Spine."
Once again, the Moon choked back her tears.

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