ขาว — Page 3
"He knew," her mother said, simply, the way she said things that were completely certain.
"그는 알고 있었어," 어머니가 말했다, 담담하게, 완전히 확신하는 것들을 말할 때의 그 방식으로.
Outside, the frangipani was doing its slow, indifferent dropping of flowers onto the path.
밖에서는 플루메리아가 천천히, 무심하게 꽃잎을 길 위로 떨어뜨리고 있었다.
A bird landed in the mango tree and then left again.
새 한 마리가 망고나무에 앉았다가 다시 날아갔다.
The afternoon was the long kind, the light going golden over the garden in the way it did at this hour in this season, and Nipa thought of all the evenings she had spent somewhere else while the light did exactly this over the gate and the flowers and the old tree, while her mother sat on the porch and talked quietly to a white dog about things that did not need to be kept from him.
오후는 긴 종류의 것이었고, 이 계절 이 시간대에 늘 그렇듯 빛이 정원 위로 황금빛으로 물들었다, 그리고 니파는 빛이 정확히 이렇게 대문과 꽃들과 늙은 나무 위로 물들던 그 시간에 자신이 다른 어딘가에서 보낸 저녁들을 모두 떠올렸다, 어머니가 현관에 앉아 흰 개에게 굳이 숨길 필요가 없는 것들을 조용히 이야기하는 동안.
"Did it help?" Nipa asked.
"도움이 됐어요?" 니파가 물었다.
"Saying it to him. That she would come home."
"그한테 말하는 게요. 그녀가 집에 돌아올 거라고."
Her mother considered this with the same seriousness she gave to every question Nipa had ever asked her.
어머니는 니파가 지금껏 물어본 모든 질문에 그랬던 것과 같은 진지함으로 이것을 생각했다.
"I think he already knew," she said.
"그는 이미 알고 있었던 것 같아," 어머니가 말했다.
"I think I was saying it for myself."
"내가 나 자신을 위해 말하고 있었던 것 같아."
After dinner they sat on the porch together as the dark came, not talking much.
저녁 식사 후 어둠이 내려앉을 때 그들은 함께 현관에 앉아 별말을 하지 않았다.
The garden went from gold to grey to the blue-black of a provincial evening with no city glow to soften it, and the stars appeared the way they always appeared here — suddenly, as if they had been there all along.
정원은 황금빛에서 회색으로, 도시의 빛 하나 없이 부드럽게 만들어줄 것이 없는 지방의 저녁다운 청흑빛으로 변해갔고, 별들은 여기서 늘 그러하듯 나타났다 — 갑자기, 마치 처음부터 거기 있었던 것처럼.
Nipa looked at the gate.
니파는 대문을 바라보았다.
She had walked through it so many times.
그녀는 그 문을 수없이 많이 지나쳐 왔다.
As a child running back from school, calling his name before she had even pushed it open, already hearing his feet on the concrete.
학교에서 뛰어 돌아오는 아이로서, 문을 밀어 열기도 전에 그의 이름을 부르며, 이미 콘크리트 위에서 달려오는 그의 발소리를 듣던 때.
As a young woman coming home from Bangkok with gifts she'd chosen on the train, watching him appear from wherever he had been sleeping and come to her with his whole body expressing something beyond welcome.
기차 안에서 고른 선물들을 들고 방콕에서 집으로 돌아오는 젊은 여자로서, 그가 어딘가에서 자다가 나타나 환영을 넘어서는 무언가를 온몸으로 표현하며 자신에게 다가오는 것을 바라보던 때.
Vocabulary
- 그는
- geu-neun — He (subject marker attached to third person pronoun)
- 알고
- al-go — Knowing; gerund form of 'to know'
- 있었어
- i-sseo-sseo — Was existing; informal past progressive form
- 어머니가
- eo-meo-ni-ga — Mother (as subject of a sentence)
- 말했다
- mal-haet-da — Said; past tense of 'to speak'
- 담담하게
- dam-dam-ha-ge — Calmly, composedly, without strong emotion
- 완전히
- wan-jeon-hi — Completely, entirely, fully
- 확신하는
- hwak-sin-ha-neun — Being certain of; present attributive form of 'to be convinced'
- 것들을
- geot-deul-eul — Things (plural object marker attached)
- 말할
- mal-hal — To say; future/attributive form of 'to speak'
- 때의
- ttae-ui — Of the time when; possessive form of 'time/moment'
- 그
- geu — That; a demonstrative or third-person pronoun
- 방식으로
- bang-si-geu-ro — In the manner/way of; method or style
- 밖에서는
- bak-ke-seo-neun — As for outside; topic-marked locative 'outside'
- 천천히
- cheon-cheon-hi — Slowly, at a leisurely pace
- 무심하게
- mu-sim-ha-ge — Indifferently, carelessly, without concern
- 꽃잎을
- kkon-ni-peul — Flower petals (as object of a verb)
- 길
- gil — Road, path, street
- 위로
- wi-ro — Onto, upward, toward the top of something
- 떨어뜨리고
- tteo-reo-tteu-ri-go — Dropping, letting fall; connective gerund form
- 있었다
- i-sseo-ssda — Was; past progressive or existential past form
- 새
- sae — Bird
- 한
- han — One; a numeral or indefinite article-like word
- 마리가
- ma-ri-ga — Counter for animals (as subject)
- 앉았다가
- an-jat-da-ga — Sat and then (did something else); sequential past form
- 다시
- da-si — Again, once more
- 날아갔다
- na-ra-gat-da — Flew away; past tense of 'to fly away'
- 오후는
- o-hu-neun — The afternoon (as topic of sentence)
- 긴
- gin — Long; attributive form of 'to be long'
- 종류의
- jong-nyu-ui — Of the kind/type; possessive form of 'type, sort'
- 것이었고
- geo-si-eot-go — Was (a thing); past copula with connective ending
- 이
- i — This; a near demonstrative pronoun or adjective
- 계절
- gye-jeol — Season (spring, summer, autumn, winter)
- 시간대에
- si-gan-dae-e — At this time of day; locative form of 'time slot'
- 늘
- neul — Always, habitually, at all times
- 그렇듯
- geu-reot-deut — As it usually is; just as it always is
- 빛이
- bit-i — Light (as subject of a sentence)
- 정원
- jeong-won — Garden, yard
- 황금빛으로
- hwang-geum-bit-eu-ro — Into golden light; directional form of 'golden color'
- 물들었다
- mul-deul-eot-da — Was tinged/dyed with color; past tense
- 그리고
- geu-ri-go — And, and then; a conjunctive word
- 정확히
- jeong-hwak-hi — Exactly, precisely
- 이렇게
- i-reo-ke — Like this, in this way
- 대문과
- dae-mun-gwa — The main gate and (something else); conjunctive form
- 꽃들과
- kkon-deul-gwa — Flowers and (something); plural conjunctive form
- 늙은
- neul-geun — Old, aged; attributive past form of 'to be old'
- 나무
- na-mu — Tree, wood
- 물들던
- mul-deul-deon — That used to be dyed/tinged; past retrospective form
- 시간에
- si-gan-e — At the time of; locative form of 'time'
- 자신이
- ja-sin-i — Oneself (as subject); reflexive pronoun
- 다른
- da-reun — Different, other, another
- 어딘가에서
- eo-din-ga-e-seo — From somewhere; locative form of 'somewhere'
- 보낸
- bo-naen — Spent, sent; past attributive form of 'to send/spend'
- 저녁들을
- jeo-nyeok-deul-eul — Evenings (plural object); multiple evening times
- 모두
- mo-du — All, everyone, everything
- 떠올렸다
- tteo-ol-lyeot-da — Recalled, brought to mind; past tense
- 현관에
- hyeon-gwan-e — At the entrance/foyer; locative form
- 앉아
- an-ja — Sitting; connective gerund of 'to sit'
- 흰
- hwin — White; attributive form of 'to be white'
- 개에게
- gae-e-ge — To the dog; dative form of 'dog'
- 굳이
- gu-di — Deliberately, insistently, going out of one's way
- 숨길
- sum-gil — To hide, conceal; future/attributive form
- 필요가
- pil-lyo-ga — Need, necessity (as subject)
- 없는
- eom-neun — Without, non-existent; attributive negation form
- 조용히
- jo-yong-hi — Quietly, silently
- 이야기하는
- i-ya-gi-ha-neun — Telling, talking; present attributive form of 'to talk'
- 동안
- dong-an — During, while, for (a period of time)
- 도움이
- do-um-i — Help, assistance (as subject)
- 됐어요
- dwaet-eo-yo — Was helpful/became; polite past form of 'to become'
- 물었다
- mu-reot-da — Asked; past tense of 'to ask a question'
- 그한테
- geu-han-te — To him; dative form of third person pronoun
- 말하는
- mal-ha-neun — Speaking, saying; present attributive form of 'to speak'
- 게요
- ge-yo — Polite ending indicating intention or explanation
- 그녀가
- geu-nyeo-ga — She (as subject); third person feminine pronoun
- 집에
- ji-be — To/at home; locative form of 'house/home'
- 돌아올
- do-ra-ol — To return, come back; future attributive form
- 거라고
- geo-ra-go — Quotative saying that (something) will happen
- 어머니는
- eo-meo-ni-neun — Mother (as topic of sentence)
- 지금껏
- ji-geum-kkeot — Until now, up to this point, so far
- 물어본
- mu-reo-bon — Asked; past attributive form of 'to ask'
- 모든
- mo-deun — All, every; attributive form of totality
- 질문에
- jil-mu-ne — To/regarding the question; locative form of 'question'
- 그랬던
- geu-raet-deon — Used to do so; past retrospective form of 'to be/do so'
- 것과
- geot-gwa — Thing and (something else); conjunctive nominal form
- 같은
- ga-teun — Same, similar; attributive form of 'to be like'
- 진지함으로
- jin-ji-ham-eu-ro — With seriousness/sincerity; instrumental form
- 이것을
- i-geo-seul — This (as object); proximal demonstrative pronoun
- 생각했다
- saeng-gak-haet-da — Thought about; past tense of 'to think'
- 이미
- i-mi — Already, by now
- 있었던
- i-sseo-deon — That existed/was; past retrospective attributive form
- 것
- geot — Thing, fact, nominalized noun placeholder
- 같아
- ga-ta — Seems like, appears to be; informal copula form
- 내가
- nae-ga — I (as subject); first person pronoun with subject marker
- 나
- na — I, me; informal first person pronoun
- 자신을
- ja-si-neul — Oneself (as object); reflexive pronoun
- 위해
- wi-hae — For the sake of, for the benefit of
- 말하고
- mal-ha-go — Saying and (then); connective gerund of 'to speak'
- 저녁
- jeo-nyeok — Evening, dinner time
- 식사
- sik-sa — Meal, dining
- 후
- hu — After, following
- 어둠이
- eo-dum-i — Darkness (as subject of sentence)
- 내려앉을
- nae-ryeo-an-jeul — To settle down, descend and rest; future attributive
- 때
- ttae — Time, moment, when
- 그들은
- geu-deul-eun — They (as topic of sentence)
- 함께
- ham-kke — Together, jointly
- 별말을
- byeol-mal-eul — Special/particular words (object); 'nothing special to say'
- 하지
- ha-ji — Do not; negation connective of 'to do'
- 않았다
- an-at-da — Did not; past tense negation auxiliary
- 정원은
- jeong-wo-neun — The garden (as topic of sentence)
- 황금빛에서
- hwang-geum-bi-te-seo — From golden light; ablative form of 'golden color'
- 회색으로
- hoe-sae-geu-ro — Into gray; directional form of 'gray color'
- 도시의
- do-si-ui — Of the city; possessive form of 'city, urban'
- 빛
- bit — Light, brightness
- 하나
- ha-na — One; the number one
- 없이
- eop-si — Without; adverbial form of non-existence
- 부드럽게
- bu-deu-reop-ge — Softly, gently, smoothly
- 만들어줄
- man-deul-eo-jul — Will make for someone; future attributive benefactive form
- 것이
- geo-si — Thing (as subject); nominalized subject form
- 지방의
- ji-bang-ui — Of the countryside/province; possessive form of 'region'
- 저녁다운
- jeo-nyeok-da-un — Evening-like, befitting an evening; attributive suffix form
- 변해갔고
- byeon-hae-gat-go — Changed and went on; past connective of 'to change gradually'
- 별들은
- byeol-deul-eun — The stars (as topic of sentence)
- 여기서
- yeo-gi-seo — From/at here; locative form of 'here'
- 그러하듯
- geu-reo-ha-deut — As it is so; just as it always is
- 나타났다
- na-ta-nat-da — Appeared, showed up; past tense of 'to appear'
- 갑자기
- gap-ja-gi — Suddenly, all of a sudden
- 마치
- ma-chi — As if, just like; a simile marker
- 처음부터
- cheo-eum-bu-teo — From the beginning, from the start
- 거기
- geo-gi — There, that place
- 것처럼
- geot-cheo-reom — As if it were a thing; simile nominal form
- 대문을
- dae-mu-neul — The main gate (as object)
- 바라보았다
- ba-ra-bo-at-da — Gazed at, looked toward; past tense of 'to gaze'
- 그녀는
- geu-nyeo-neun — She (as topic of sentence); feminine third person pronoun
- 문을
- mu-neul — The door/gate (as object)
- 수없이
- su-eom-si — Countless times, innumerably
- 많이
- ma-ni — A lot, much, many
- 지나쳐
- ji-na-chyeo — Passing by; connective gerund of 'to pass by'
- 왔다
- wat-da — Came; past tense of 'to come'
- 학교에서
- hak-gyo-e-seo — From school; ablative locative form of 'school'
- 뛰어
- ttwi-eo — Running; connective gerund of 'to run/jump'
- 돌아오는
- do-ra-o-neun — Returning, coming back; present attributive form
- 아이로서
- a-i-ro-seo — As a child; role/capacity marker attached to 'child'
- 밀어
- mi-reo — Pushing; connective gerund of 'to push'
- 열기도
- yeol-gi-do — Even opening; gerund of 'to open' with 'even/also'
- 전에
- jeo-ne — Before, prior to; temporal form of 'before'
- 그의
- geu-ui — His; possessive form of third person pronoun
- 이름을
- i-reum-eul — Name (as object of verb)
- 부르며
- bu-reu-myeo — Calling out while doing something; simultaneous form
- 위에서
- wi-e-seo — From on top of; ablative locative of 'above/on top'
- 달려오는
- dal-lyeo-o-neun — Running toward; present attributive of 'to come running'
- 발소리를
- bal-so-ri-reul — Sound of footsteps (as object)
- 듣던
- deut-deon — Used to hear; past retrospective attributive form
- 기차
- gi-cha — Train
- 안에서
- a-ne-seo — From inside; ablative locative of 'inside'
- 고른
- go-reun — Chosen, selected; past attributive of 'to choose/select'
- 선물들을
- seon-mul-deul-eul — Gifts/presents (plural object)
- 들고
- deul-go — Holding/carrying and; connective gerund of 'to hold'
- 집으로
- ji-beu-ro — Toward home; directional form of 'home/house'
- 젊은
- jeol-meun — Young; attributive form of 'to be young'
- 여자로서
- yeo-ja-ro-seo — As a woman; role marker attached to 'woman'
- 자다가
- ja-da-ga — While sleeping and then; sequential gerund of 'to sleep'
- 나타나
- na-ta-na — Appearing; connective gerund of 'to appear'
- 환영을
- hwan-yeong-eul — Welcome, illusion/apparition (as object)
- 넘어서는
- neo-meo-seo-neun — Going beyond, surpassing; attributive form with topic marker
- 무언가를
- mu-eon-ga-reul — Something (as object); indefinite pronoun
- 온몸으로
- on-mo-meu-ro — With the whole body; instrumental form of 'whole body'
- 표현하며
- pyo-hyeon-ha-myeo — Expressing while doing; simultaneous form of 'to express'
- 자신에게
- ja-si-ne-ge — To oneself; dative form of reflexive pronoun
- 다가오는
- da-ga-o-neun — Approaching, coming closer; present attributive form
- 것을
- geo-seul — Thing (as object); nominalized object form
- 바라보던
- ba-ra-bo-deon — Used to gaze at; past retrospective attributive form
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