Day 54: A Poem for Mom's Sixtieth

Dialogue

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1. 1

   A 오빠, 엄마 환갑 생신 때 낭송할 시 첫 줄 생각났어. 들어 봐. "희디흰 엄마의 손은 봄날의 목련 같아서."

   Oppa, eomma hwangap saengsin ttae nangsonghal si cheot jul saenggangnasseo. Deureo bwa. "Huidihuin eommaui soneun bomnarui mongnyeon gataseo."

   Jihoon, I've thought of the first line of the poem we'll recite at Mom's sixtieth birthday dinner. Listen: "Mom's hands, white as white can be, are like magnolias in spring."

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2. 2

   B 잠깐, 엄마 손이 하얗다고? 엄마 손 제대로 본 적 있어? 설거지하고 김장하느라 거칠고 억세.

   Jamkkan, eomma soni hayatago? Eomma son jedaero bon jeok isseo? Seolgeojihago gimjanghaneura geochilgo eokse.

   Wait, Mom's hands are white? Have you ever actually looked at them? They're rough and tough from washing dishes and making kimchi.

   Line 2
3. 3

   A 이건 비유야, 비유. 시에서는 사실보다 느낌이 중요하다고. 공대 나온 사람은 이래서 안 돼.

   Igeon biyuya, biyu. Sieseoneun sasilboda neukkimi jungyohadago. Gongdae naon sarameun iraeseo an dwae.

   It's a metaphor, a metaphor. In poetry, feelings matter more than facts. This is why engineers are hopeless.

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4. 4

   B 느낌도 사실에서 나와야지. 난 차라리 숫자로 쓰고 싶어. 엄마가 우리 밥상을 몇 번이나 차렸는지 알아?

   Neukkimdo sasireseo nawayaji. Nan charari sutjaro sseugo sipeo. Eommaga uri bapsangeul myeot beonina charyeonneunji ara?

   Feelings have to come from facts. I'd rather write it in numbers. Do you know how many meals Mom has put on the table for us?

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5. 5

   A 그걸 누가 세고 있어. 설마 오빠, 그걸 진짜 세어 봤어?

   Geugeol nuga sego isseo. Seolma oppa, geugeol jinjja seeo bwasseo?

   Who counts that? Don't tell me you actually counted.

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6. 6

   B 계산해 봤지. 삼십 년 동안 하루 세 끼씩, 대충 삼만 번이 넘어. 그게 진짜 감동 아니야?

   Gyesanhae bwatji. Samsip nyeon dongan haru se kkissik, daechung samman beoni neomeo. Geuge jinjja gamdong aniya?

   I calculated it. Three meals a day for thirty years - that's over thirty thousand, roughly. Isn't that what's really moving?

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7. 7

   A 삼만 번은 좋은데, 낭송하는 자리에서 "밥상 삼만 번"이라고 하면 다들 웃을 거야. 시가 무슨 보고서야?

   Samman beoneun joeunde, nangsonghaneun jarieseo "bapsang samman beon"irago hamyeon dadeul useul geoya. Siga museun bogoseoya?

   Thirty thousand is nice, but if we say "thirty thousand meals" at the reading, everyone will laugh. Is a poem some kind of report?

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8. 8

   B 웃으면 좋지 뭐. 너처럼 "푸르디푸른 봄" 이러면 이모들 다 졸아.

   Useumyeon jochi mwo. Neocheoreom "pureudipureun bom" ireomyeon imodeul da jora.

   Laughing's fine by me. If you go "the bluest of blue springs" like you do, all our aunts will doze off.

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9. 9

   A 졸긴 누가 졸아! 이모들이 얼마나 감성적인데. 그리고 마지막 줄은 이미 정했어. "다시 봄이 오거들랑 엄마, 우리 손 잡고 꽃길 걸어요."

   Jolgin nuga jora! Imodeuri eolmana gamseongjeoginde. Geurigo majimak jureun imi jeonghaesseo. "Dasi bomi ogeodeullang eomma, uri son japgo kkotgil georeoyo."

   Nobody's going to doze off! Our aunts are really sentimental. And I've already decided on the last line: "When spring shall come again, Mom, let's walk the flower path hand in hand."

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10. 10

    B 오거들랑? 그게 뭐야, 조선 시대 편지야? 요즘 누가 그런 말을 써?

    Ogeodeullang? Geuge mwoya, Joseon sidae pyeonjiya? Yojeum nuga geureon mareul sseo?

    'Shall come'? What's that, a letter from the Joseon dynasty? Who talks like that these days?

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11. 11

    A 옛날 시 말투를 빌려 온 거야. 엄마가 김소월 시를 제일 좋아하시잖아. 옛날 말투라서 더 애틋하고 울림이 있다고.

    Yennal si maltureul billyeo on geoya. Eommaga Gimsowol sireul jeil joahasijana. Yennal malturaseo deo aeteutago ullimi itdago.

    I borrowed the style of old poems. Mom loves Kim Sowol's poetry more than anything. The old-fashioned language makes it more tender and it resonates more.

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12. 12

    B 울림은 모르겠고, 엄마 손이 하얗지 않다는 건 확실해. 거짓말로 시작하는 시는 싫어.

    Ullimeun moreugetgo, eomma soni hayachi antaneun geon hwaksilhae. Geojinmallo sijakaneun sineun sireo.

    I don't know about resonance, but I'm sure Mom's hands aren't white. I don't want a poem that starts with a lie.

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13. 13

    A 거짓말이 아니라 시적 표현이라니까! 그럼 오빠는 엄마 손을 뭐라고 쓸 건데?

    Geojinmari anira sijeok pyohyeoniranikka! Geureom oppaneun eomma soneul mworago sseul geonde?

    It's not a lie, it's poetic language! Then what would you write about Mom's hands?

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14. 14

    B 있는 그대로. "엄마 손은 거칠다. 밥상을 삼만 번 차린 손이라서."

    Inneun geudaero. "Eomma soneun geochilda. Bapsangeul samman beon charin soniraseo."

    Just as they are. "Mom's hands are rough, because they have set the table thirty thousand times."

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15. 15

    A ...어? 잠깐만, 오빠. 방금 한 말 다시 한번 천천히 말해 봐.

    ...Eo? Jamkkanman, oppa. Banggeum han mal dasi hanbeon cheoncheonhi malhae bwa.

    ...Huh? Hang on. Say what you just said again, slowly.

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16. 16

    B "엄마 손은 거칠다, 밥상을 삼만 번 차린 손이라서." 왜, 너무 투박해?

    "Eomma soneun geochilda, bapsangeul samman beon charin soniraseo." Wae, neomu tubakae?

    "Mom's hands are rough, because they have set the table thirty thousand times." Why, too blunt?

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17. 17

    A 아니, 그거야. 내 첫 줄이랑 붙이면 돼. "희디흰 줄 알았던 엄마의 손은 밥상을 삼만 번 차린 거친 손이었다."

    Ani, geugeoya. Nae cheot jurirang buchimyeon dwae. "Huidihuin jul aratdeon eommaui soneun bapsangeul samman beon charin geochin sonieotda."

    No, that's it. We just join it to my first line. "Mom's hands, which I thought were white as white can be, were rough hands that had set the table thirty thousand times."

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18. 18

    B 오, 네 비유랑 내 사실이 한 줄에 다 들어갔네. 싸우다가 시가 나왔어.

    O, ne biyurang nae sasiri han jure da deureoganne. Ssaudaga siga nawasseo.

    Oh, your metaphor and my fact both fit in one line. We fought our way into a poem.

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19. 19

    A 그러니까. 우리가 싸운 얘기를 그대로 시로 쓰자. 엄마는 삼십 년 동안 우리 뒷바라지하면서 이런 싸움을 다 들으셨잖아.

    Geureonikka. Uriga ssaun yaegireul geudaero siro sseuja. Eommaneun samsip nyeon dongan uri dwitbarajihamyeonseo ireon ssaumeul da deureusyeotjana.

    Exactly. Let's write our fight into the poem just as it happened. Mom's been listening to fights like this for thirty years while she looked after us.

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20. 20

    B 좋아. 마지막 줄 '오거들랑'도 네 맘대로 해. 엄마가 옛날 말투 좋아하시는 건 인정.

    Joa. Majimak jul 'ogeodeullang'do ne mamdaero hae. Eommaga yennal maltu joahasineun geon injeong.

    Okay. And the last line with 'shall come,' do what you like with it. I'll admit Mom likes old-fashioned language.

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21. 21

    A 그럼 낭송은 오빠가 해. 삼만 번은 오빠가 센 거잖아.

    Geureom nangsongeun oppaga hae. Samman beoneun oppaga sen geojana.

    Then you do the reading. You're the one who counted the thirty thousand.

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22. 22

    B 내가? ...안 돼. 난 '밥상' 소리 나오면 바로 목이 멜 것 같아.

    Naega? ...An dwae. Nan 'bapsang' sori naomyeon baro mogi mel geot gata.

    Me? ...No way. The moment I get to 'set the table,' I'll choke up.

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