Day 86: Editing Mom's Poetry Collection

Dialogue

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1. 1

   B 엄마, 원고 다 읽어 봤어. 백이십 편인데, 솔직히 육십 편 정도로 줄이는 게 좋겠어.

   Eomma, wongo da ilgeo bwasseo. Baegisip pyeoninde, soljiki yuksip pyeon jeongdoro jurineun ge jokesseo.

   Mom, I've read the whole manuscript. It's a hundred and twenty poems, and honestly, it would be better cut to about sixty.

   Line 1
2. 2

   A 반을 빼자고? 사십 년 동안 공책에 쓴 걸 이렇게 다 빼래서야 시집이 되겠니?

   Baneul ppaejago? Sasip nyeon dongan gongchaege sseun geol ireoke da ppaeraeseoya sijibi doegenni?

   Cut half? Forty years of notebooks, and you want me to throw out this much? How is that supposed to make a collection?

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3. 3

   B 되지. 오히려 그래야 시집이 돼. 편집이라면 내가 전문가야. 백이십 편이면 독자가 중간에 지쳐.

   Doeji. Ohiryeo geuraeya sijibi dwae. Pyeonjibiramyeon naega jeonmungaya. Baegisip pyeonimyeon dokjaga junggane jichyeo.

   It will. That's what makes it a collection. When it comes to editing, I'm the expert. With a hundred and twenty, readers get worn out halfway.

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4. 4

   A 독자가 누군데? 동창들이랑 친척들이 다일 텐데.

   Dokjaga nugunde? Dongchangdeurirang chincheokdeuri dail tende.

   And who are the readers? Old classmates and relatives, that's all.

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5. 5

   B 그러니까 더 그래. 엄마 친구분들이 엄마 시를 끝까지 읽게 만들어야지. 봐, 봄 시만 스무 편이야.

   Geureonikka deo geurae. Eomma chingubundeuri eomma sireul kkeutkkaji ilge mandeureoyaji. Bwa, bom siman seumu pyeoniya.

   All the more reason. We have to make your friends read to the end. Look, there are twenty poems about spring alone.

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6. 6

   A 봄이 해마다 다르게 왔으니까 그렇지. 1998년 봄이랑 2020년 봄이 같니?

   Bomi haemada dareuge wasseunikka geureochi. 1998nyeon bomirang 2020nyeon bomi ganni?

   That's because spring came differently every year. Was the spring of 1998 the same as the spring of 2020?

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7. 7

   B 엄마한테는 다르겠지만, 읽는 사람한테는 '또 벚꽃이네' 할 수 있어. 그중에서 제일 좋은 세 편만 추리자.

   Eommahanteneun dareugetjiman, ingneun saramhanteneun 'tto beotkkochine' hal su isseo. Geujungeseo jeil joeun se pyeonman churija.

   To you they're different, but a reader might go, 'Cherry blossoms again.' Let's pick out just the best three.

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8. 8

   A 세 편? 너 출판사에서도 작가들한테 이렇게 매정하게 하니?

   Se pyeon? Neo chulpansaeseodo jakgadeulhante ireoke maejeonghage hani?

   Three? Are you this heartless with your authors at work too?

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9. 9

   B 더 해. 엄마니까 이 정도지. 그리고 빼는 게 버리는 건 아니야. 나중에 두 번째 시집에 넣으면 되잖아.

   Deo hae. Eommanikka i jeongdoji. Geurigo ppaeneun ge beorineun geon aniya. Najunge du beonjjae sijibe neoeumyeon doejana.

   Worse. This is me going easy because you're my mom. And cutting isn't throwing away. You can put them in your second collection.

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10. 10

    A 두 번째 시집... 그 말은 마음에 드네. 좋아, 봄은 네 말대로 해. 대신 네 아빠 시는 하나도 못 빼.

    Du beonjjae sijip... geu mareun maeume deune. Joa, bomeun ne maldaero hae. Daesin ne appa sineun hanado mot ppae.

    A second collection... I like the sound of that. Fine, have it your way with spring. But not one of the poems about your dad goes.

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11. 11

    B 아빠 시는 다 넣을게. 그건 나도 빼고 싶지 않아. 근데 이건 빼자. '열다섯 살 딸에게'.

    Appa sineun da neoeulge. Geugeon nado ppaego sipji ana. Geunde igeon ppaeja. 'Yeoldaseot sal ttarege'.

    All the Dad poems stay. I don't want to cut those either. But let's cut this one. 'To My Fifteen-Year-Old Daughter.'

    Line 11
12. 12

    A 왜? 그게 제일 애착이 가는 시인데.

    Wae? Geuge jeil aechagi ganeun siinde.

    Why? That's the one I'm most attached to.

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13. 13

    B 엄마, 그거 내가 사춘기 때 방문 쾅 닫고 들어간 얘기잖아. 엄마 친구분들 다 나 아는데, 그걸 어떻게 실어.

    Eomma, geugeo naega sachungi ttae bangmun kwang datgo deureogan yaegijana. Eomma chingubundeul da na aneunde, geugeol eotteoke sireo.

    Mom, that's about me slamming my bedroom door when I was a teenager. All your friends know me. How can we print that?

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14. 14

    A 그 시는 너 흉보려고 쓴 게 아니야. 끝까지 읽어 보기는 했니?

    Geu sineun neo hyungboryeogo sseun ge aniya. Kkeutkkaji ilgeo bogineun haenni?

    I didn't write that poem to run you down. Did you even read it to the end?

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15. 15

    B 첫 줄 보고 창피해서 넘겼어. '문이 닫혔다 / 오늘도 너는 나에게서 한 뼘 멀어졌다.'

    Cheot jul bogo changpihaeseo neomgyeosseo. 'Muni datyeotda / oneuldo neoneun naegeseo han ppyeom meoreojyeotda.'

    I saw the first line and skipped it, I was so embarrassed. 'The door closed / today again you moved a hand's width further from me.'

    Line 15
16. 16

    A 마지막 연을 읽어 봐. 소리 내서.

    Majimak yeoneul ilgeo bwa. Sori naeseo.

    Read the last stanza. Out loud.

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17. 17

    B '닫힌 문 앞에서 나는 배웠다 / 사랑은 문을 여는 일이 아니라 / 열릴 때까지 기다리는 일이라는 것을.'

    'Dachin mun apeseo naneun baewotda / sarangeun muneul yeoneun iri anira / yeollil ttaekkaji gidarineun iriraneun geoseul.'

    'Before the closed door I learned / that love is not the opening of a door / but the waiting until it opens.'

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18. 18

    A 그 시 쓰고 삼 년 뒤에 네가 먼저 문 열고 나와서 엄마 김밥 싸 줬잖아. 그날 이 시가 완성된 거야.

    Geu si sseugo sam nyeon dwie nega meonjeo mun yeolgo nawaseo eomma gimbap ssa jwotjana. Geunal i siga wanseongdoen geoya.

    Three years after I wrote it, you came out of that door on your own and made me gimbap. That was the day the poem was finished.

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19. 19

    B ...엄마, 편집자로서 판단 바꿀게. 이건 걸작이야. 빼면 안 되겠다.

    ...Eomma, pyeonjipjaroseo pandan bakkulge. Igeon geoljagiya. Ppaemyeon an doegetda.

    ...Mom, I'm changing my decision as your editor. This is a masterpiece. It can't go.

    Line 19
20. 20

    A 편집자로서? 딸로서가 아니고?

    Pyeonjipjaroseo? Ttalloseoga anigo?

    As my editor? Not as my daughter?

    Line 20
21. 21

    B 둘 다. 그리고 이걸 시집 제목으로 하자. '열릴 때까지'.

    Dul da. Geurigo igeol sijip jemogeuro haja. 'Yeollil ttaekkaji'.

    Both. And let's make it the title of the collection. 'Until It Opens.'

    Line 21
22. 22

    A 제목까지? 아까는 반을 빼라고 해서 서운했는데, 이러면 할 말이 없네.

    Jemokkkaji? Akkaneun baneul ppaerago haeseo seounhaenneunde, ireomyeon hal mari eomne.

    The title, even? A minute ago I was hurt when you said to cut half, and now I don't know what to say.

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23. 23

    B 대신 봄 시는 진짜 세 편이야. 협상 끝.

    Daesin bom sineun jinjja se pyeoniya. Hyeopsang kkeut.

    But spring really is three poems. End of negotiation.

    Line 23
24. 24

    A 알았어, 편집장님. 대신 두 번째 시집 약속은 꼭 지켜라. 제목은 '봄이 스무 번'으로 할 거니까.

    Arasseo, pyeonjipjangnim. Daesin du beonjjae sijip yaksogeun kkok jikyeora. Jemogeun 'bomi seumu beon'euro hal geonikka.

    All right, Madam Editor. But you keep your promise about the second collection. I'm calling it 'Twenty Springs.'

    Line 24