Day 27: The Prize Poem Father Opposed

Dialogue

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1. 1

   B 아버지, 떡국 다 식어요. 아침부터 신문을 그렇게 뚫어지게 보시면 눈 나빠지세요.

   Abeoji, tteokguk da sigeoyo. Achimbuteo sinmuneul geureoke ttureojige bosimyeon nun nappajiseyo.

   Dad, your rice cake soup's getting cold. You'll ruin your eyes staring at the paper like that first thing in the morning.

   Line 1
2. 2

   A 가만있어 봐라. 신춘문예 당선작이 오늘 실린다길래 새벽에 편의점 가서 세 부나 사 왔다.

   Gamanisseo bwara. Sinchunmunye dangseonjagi oneul sillindagillae saebyeoge pyeonuijeom gaseo se buna sa watda.

   Hold on. I heard the New Year contest winners were being printed today, so I went to the convenience store at dawn and bought three copies.

   Line 2
3. 3

   B 세 부나요? 제가 시 쓴다고 회사 그만둘 때는 시가 밥 먹여 주냐고 그렇게 반대하셨잖아요.

   Se bunayo? Jega si sseundago hoesa geumandul ttaeneun siga bap meogyeo junyago geureoke bandaehasyeotjanayo.

   Three copies? When I quit my job to write poetry, you were dead against it. You kept asking if poems would put food on the table.

   Line 3
4. 4

   A 반대는 지금도 해. 그런데 신문에까지 난 마당에 내가 무슨 말을 하겠냐. 어디 보자, 제목이 '첫차'구먼.

   Bandaeneun jigeumdo hae. Geureonde sinmunekkaji nan madange naega museun mareul hagennya. Eodi boja, jemogi 'cheotcha'gumeon.

   I still am against it. But now that it's in the newspaper, what can I say? Let's see, so the title is 'The First Bus'.

   Line 4
5. 5

   B 아버지, 제발 제 앞에서 소리 내서 읽지는 마세요. 차라리 제가 방에 들어가 있을게요.

   Abeoji, jebal je apeseo sori naeseo ikjineun maseyo. Charari jega bange deureoga isseulgeyo.

   Dad, please don't read it aloud in front of me. I'd rather go to my room.

   Line 5
6. 6

   A 앉아. '첫차의 불빛이 아버지의 등을 먼저 깨운다.' 첫 줄부터 말이 안 되는구먼. 불빛이 무슨 수로 등을 깨워?

   Anja. 'Cheotchaui bulbichi abeojiui deungeul meonjeo kkaeunda.' Cheot julbuteo mari an doeneungumeon. Bulbichi museun suro deungeul kkaewo?

   Sit down. 'The light of the first bus wakes my father's back before him.' The very first line makes no sense. How can a light wake someone's back?

   Line 6
7. 7

   B 시니까요. 새벽에 나가시던 뒷모습을 떠올리면서 쓴 거예요. 꼭 등이 먼저 일어나서 출근하는 것 같았거든요.

   Sinikkayo. Saebyeoge nagasideon dwinmoseubeul tteoollimyeonseo sseun geoyeyo. Kkok deungi meonjeo ireonaseo chulgeunhaneun geot gatatgeodeunyo.

   Because it's a poem. I wrote it thinking of you from behind, going out at dawn. It was as if your back got up first and went to work.

   Line 7
8. 8

   A 흠. 둘째 연에 '구두 뒤축이 닳는 만큼 우리 집 쌀독이 찼다'는 구절도 과장이다. 우리 집 쌀독이 찬 적은 없었어.

   Heum. Duljjae yeone 'gudu dwichugi dalleun mankeum uri jip ssaldogi chatda'neun gujeoldo gwajangida. Uri jip ssaldogi chan jeogeun eopseosseo.

   Hm. And in the second verse, 'as the heels of his shoes wore down, our rice jar filled' is an exaggeration. Our rice jar was never full.

   Line 8
9. 9

   B 그건 비유예요, 아버지. 정말로 쌀독이 찼다는 게 아니라 아버지가 그만큼 버티면서 저희를 뒷바라지하셨다는 뜻이에요.

   Geugeon biyuyeyo, abeoji. Jeongmallo ssaldogi chatdaneun ge anira abeojiga geumankeum beotimyeonseo jeohuireul dwitbarajihasyeotdaneun tteusieyo.

   That's a metaphor, Dad. It doesn't mean the rice jar was really full; it means that's how hard you kept going to provide for us.

   Line 9
10. 10

    A 비유든 뭐든, 내 구두는 뒤축보다 앞코가 먼저 닳았다. 기왕 쓸 거면 사실대로 써야지.

    Biyudeun mwodeun, nae guduneun dwichukboda apkoga meonjeo daratda. Giwang sseul geomyeon sasildaero sseoyaji.

    Metaphor or not, my shoes wore out at the toes before the heels. If you're going to write it, get the facts right.

    Line 10
11. 11

    B 그걸 어떻게 기억하세요? 그 구두 버리신 지 벌써 십 년도 넘었잖아요.

    Geugeol eotteoke gieokaseyo? Geu gudu beorisin ji beolsseo sip nyeondo neomeotjanayo.

    How do you remember that? You threw those shoes out more than ten years ago.

    Line 11
12. 12

    A 새삼스럽기는. 몇 년을 신은 구두인데 그걸 모를 리가 있냐. 그리고 여기 셋째 연, '나는 한 번도 그 등에 인사하지 못했다.' 이건 무슨 뜻이냐?

    Saesamseureopgineun. Myeot nyeoneul sineun guduinde geugeol moreul riga innya. Geurigo yeogi setjjae yeon, 'naneun han beondo geu deunge insahaji motaetda.' Igeon museun tteusinya?

    What a question. Of course I know shoes I wore for years. And here, the third verse: 'I never once said goodbye to that back.' What's that supposed to mean?

    Line 12
13. 13

    B 아버지가 나가실 때 저는 늘 자고 있었으니까요. 잘 다녀오시라는 말씀을 한 번도 못 드려서요.

    Abeojiga nagasil ttae jeoneun neul jago isseosseunikkayo. Jal danyeoosiraneun malsseumeul han beondo mot deuryeoseoyo.

    When you left, I was always asleep. I never once got to say 'have a good day' to you.

    Line 13
14. 14

    A ...문장이 너무 길어. 시는 짧을수록 좋은 법이다. 마지막 줄도 좀 늘어지는구먼.

    ...Munjangi neomu gireo. Sineun jjalbeulsurok joeun beobida. Majimak juldo jom neureojineungumeon.

    ...The sentences are too long. The shorter a poem, the better. The last line drags a bit too.

    Line 14
15. 15

    B 심사위원 세 분은 마지막 줄이 제일 좋았다고 하셨는데요. 아버지 혹평이 심사평보다 훨씬 무섭네요.

    Simsawiwon se buneun majimak juri jeil joatdago hasyeonneundeyo. Abeoji hokpyeongi simsapyeongboda hwolssin museomneyo.

    All three judges said the last line was the best part. Your review is a lot harsher than theirs.

    Line 15
16. 16

    A 심사위원들이야 너를 모르니까 그런 과찬을 하는 거지. 나는 너를 스물아홉 해 동안 봤다. 넌 원래 할 말을 끝까지 못 맺는 애야.

    Simsawiwondeuriya neoreul moreunikka geureon gwachaneul haneun geoji. Naneun neoreul seumurahop hae dongan bwatda. Neon wollae hal mareul kkeutkkaji mot maenneun aeya.

    The judges only heap on the praise because they don't know you. I've watched you for twenty-nine years. You've never been able to finish saying what you mean.

    Line 16
17. 17

    B 그런데 아버지, 신문은 왜 세 부나 사 오셨어요? 한 부면 충분하잖아요.

    Geureonde abeoji, sinmuneun wae se buna sa osyeosseoyo? Han bumyeon chungbunhajanayo.

    But Dad, why did you buy three copies? One would have been enough.

    Line 17
18. 18

    A 한 부는 읽고, 한 부는 오려서 액자에 넣고... 한 부는 네 큰아버지 갖다줄 거다. 그 양반이 너 회사 그만둘 때 제일 혀를 찼거든.

    Han buneun ilgo, han buneun oryeoseo aekjae neoko... han buneun ne keunabeoji gatdajul geoda. Geu yangbani neo hoesa geumandul ttae jeil hyeoreul chatgeodeun.

    One to read, one to cut out and frame... and one to take to your uncle. He was the one who tutted loudest when you quit your job.

    Line 18
19. 19

    B 아버지, 그러니까 지금 큰아버지한테 자랑하러 가신다는 거죠? 아까 그 트집도 다 쑥스러우셔서 그러신 거고요.

    Abeoji, geureonikka jigeum keunabeojihante jaranghareo gasindaneun geojyo? Akka geu teujipdo da ssukseureousyeoseo geureosin geogoyo.

    Dad, so you're going over to show off to Uncle, aren't you? And all that nitpicking was just because you were embarrassed.

    Line 19
20. 20

    A 자랑은 무슨. 멀쩡한 회사 때려치운 놈 이름이 신문에까지 난 마당에, 큰형님한테 소식은 전해야 할 거 아니냐. 떡국이나 먹어라, 다 식는다.

    Jarangeun museun. Meoljjeonghan hoesa ttaeryeochiun nom ireumi sinmunekkaji nan madange, keunhyeongnimhante sosigeun jeonhaeya hal geo aninya. Tteokgugina meogeora, da singneunda.

    Show off, my foot. When a boy who threw away a perfectly good job gets his name in the paper, I have to let my big brother know, don't I? Eat your soup, it's getting cold.

    Line 20
21. 21

    B 네, 먹을게요. 그리고 큰아버지 댁에 가실 때는 제가 대문 앞까지 배웅해 드릴게요. 이번에는 꼭요.

    Ne, meogeulgeyo. Geurigo keunabeoji daege gasil ttaeneun jega daemun apkkaji baeunghae deurilgeyo. Ibeoneneun kkogyo.

    Okay, I'll eat. And when you go over to Uncle's, I'll see you off at the gate. This time for sure.

    Line 21