Walden, and On The Duty Of Civil Disobedience — Page 7
It is very evident what mean and sneaking lives many of you live, for my sight has been whetted by experience; always on the limits, trying to get into business and trying to get out of debt, a very ancient slough, called by the Latins _æs alienum_, another's brass, for some of their coins were made of brass; still living, and dying, and buried by this other's brass; always promising to pay, promising to pay, tomorrow, and dying today, insolvent; seeking to curry favor, to get custom, by how many modes, only not state-prison offences; lying, flattering, voting, contracting yourselves into a nutshell of civility or dilating into an atmosphere of thin and vaporous generosity, that you may persuade your neighbor to let you make his shoes, or his hat, or his coat, or his carriage, or import his groceries for him; making yourselves sick, that you may lay up something against a sick day, something to be tucked away in an old chest, or in a stocking behind the plastering, or, more safely, in the brick bank; no matter where, no matter how much or how little.
여러분 중 많은 이들이 얼마나 비열하고 비굴한 삶을 살고 있는지는 매우 명백합니다. 경험으로 날카로워진 내 눈에는 다 보이니까요. 항상 한계선 위에서, 사업을 시작하려 애쓰고 빚에서 벗어나려 발버둥치면서 말입니다. 빚이란 아주 오래된 수렁으로, 라틴어로는 _æs alienum_, 즉 '타인의 구리'라 불렸습니다. 그들의 동전 중 일부가 구리로 만들어졌기 때문입니다. 그렇게 여전히 살아가고, 죽어가고, 그 타인의 구리에 의해 묻히는 것입니다. 항상 갚겠다 약속하고, 내일 갚겠다 약속하면서, 정작 오늘 파산한 채로 죽어갑니다. 환심을 사고 단골을 얻으려, 얼마나 많은 방법을 동원하는지요. 국가 범죄에 해당하지 않는 것들뿐이지만 말입니다. 거짓말하고, 아첨하고, 투표하고, 형식적인 예의의 껍데기 속으로 자신을 웅크리거나 희박하고 공허한 관대함의 분위기로 부풀려, 이웃이 자신에게 신발이나 모자나 외투나 마차를 만들게 해달라고, 혹은 식료품을 대신 들여오게 해달라고 설득하려 합니다. 아픈 날을 대비해 무언가를 모아두려고 스스로를 병들게 하면서, 그것을 낡은 궤짝 안에, 혹은 회반죽 뒤의 스타킹 속에, 아니면 더 안전하게는 벽돌로 된 은행에 꼭꼭 숨겨두려 합니다. 어디에 두는지, 얼마나 많든 적든 상관없이.
I sometimes wonder that we can be so frivolous, I may almost say, as to attend to the gross but somewhat foreign form of servitude called Negro Slavery, there are so many keen and subtle masters that enslave both north and south.
나는 때때로 우리가 이토록 경솔할 수 있다는 사실에 놀라곤 합니다. 거의 이렇게 말할 수 있을 정도입니다. 노예제라 불리는 조잡하지만 다소 낯선 형태의 예속에만 주목하면서 말이죠. 북부와 남부 모두를 예속시키는 날카롭고 교묘한 주인들이 이토록 많은데도 불구하고 말입니다.
Vocabulary
- 여러분
- yeoreobun — Everyone; a polite address to an audience or group
- 중
- jung — Among; in the middle of something
- 많은
- maneun — Many; a large number or quantity of something
- 이들이
- ideuri — These people; subject form of 'these ones'
- 얼마나
- eolmana — How much; to what extent or degree
- 비열하고
- biyeolhago — Being mean and despicable; base and contemptible
- 비굴한
- bigulhan — Servile; cowardly and submissive in character
- 삶을
- salmeul — Life; object form referring to one's existence
- 살고
- salgo — Living; present continuous form of 'to live'
- 매우
- maeu — Very; extremely; to a high degree
- 명백합니다
- myeongbaekamnida — It is clear and obvious; evidently apparent
- 경험으로
- gyeongheoméuro — Through experience; by means of personal experience
- 날카로워진
- nalkarowojin — Sharpened; having become keen or acute over time
- 내
- nae — My; possessive first-person singular pronoun
- 눈에는
- nuneneun — To one's eyes; in one's perception or view
- 다
- da — All; everything; completely
- 보이니까요
- boinikkayo — Because it is visible; I can see it all
- 항상
- hangsang — Always; at all times without exception
- 한계선
- hangyeseon — Boundary line; the limit or threshold of something
- 위에서
- wieseo — Above; on top of; from an elevated position
- 사업을
- sa-eobeul — Business; object form of enterprise or venture
- 시작하려
- sijakaryeo — Intending to start; trying to begin something
- 애쓰고
- aesseugo — Striving hard; making great effort toward a goal
- 빚에서
- bijjeseo — From debt; out of a state of owing money
- 벗어나려
- beoseonaryeo — Trying to escape or break free from something
- 발버둥치면서
- balbeoдungchimyeonseo — While struggling desperately; thrashing about frantically
- 말입니다
- marimnida — That is to say; it is so; emphatic sentence ending
- 빚이란
- bijiran — What is called debt; debt by definition or nature
- 아주
- aju — Very; quite; extremely; to a great degree
- 오래된
- oraedoen — Old; long-established; having existed for a long time
- 수렁으로
- sureongéuro — Into a swamp or quagmire; into a deep trap
- 즉
- jeuk — That is; namely; in other words
- 타인의
- ta-inui — Of another person; belonging to someone else
- 구리
- guri — Copper; a reddish-brown metallic element
- 불렸습니다
- bullyeotseumnida — Was called; was named; received a certain title
- 동전
- dongjeon — Coin; a small metal piece used as currency
- 일부가
- ilbuga — A part of it; some portion as subject
- 만들어졌기
- mandeureojyeotgi — Because it was made; having been constructed of something
- 때문입니다
- ttaemun-imnida — It is because; the reason is; therefore
- 그렇게
- geureoke — Like that; in that way; thus
- 여전히
- yeojeonhi — Still; even now; as before without change
- 살아가고
- saraga-go — Living on; continuing to live through life
- 죽어가고
- jugeo-gago — Dying; in the process of gradually dying
- 의해
- uihae — By means of; due to; through the agency of
- 묻히는
- muchiineun — Being buried; being covered and hidden under something
- 것입니다
- geo-simnida — It is the thing that; formal declarative sentence ending
- 갚겠다
- gapgetda — Will repay; promises to pay back a debt
- 약속하고
- yaksokago — Promising; making a pledge or commitment to someone
- 내일
- naeil — Tomorrow; the day following today
- 정작
- jeongak — In reality; when it actually comes to it
- 오늘
- oneul — Today; the current day
- 파산한
- pasanhan — Bankrupt; having become financially insolvent
- 채로
- chaero — While still in a state of; as it is
- 죽어갑니다
- jugeo-gamnida — Dying; gradually approaching death in present tense
- 환심을
- hwansimeul — Favor; goodwill; object form of winning someone's heart
- 사고
- sago — Buying; purchasing; also means 'accident' in other contexts
- 단골을
- dangoreul — Regular customer; loyal patron as object of sentence
- 얻으려
- eodeeuryeo — Trying to obtain or gain something for oneself
- 방법을
- bangbeobeul — Method; way; means as the object of a verb
- 국가
- gukga — Nation; state; the country as a political entity
- 범죄에
- beomjoee — Crime; to a criminal act; regarding an offense
- 해당하지
- haedanghaji — Not corresponding to; not falling under a category
- 않는
- anneun — Not doing; negative modifier for a following noun
- 거짓말하고
- geojitmalhago — Lying; telling falsehoods and then doing more
- 아첨하고
- acheomhago — Flattering; engaging in sycophantic behavior toward others
- 투표하고
- tupyohago — Voting; casting a ballot and doing more
- 형식적인
- hyeongsikceogin — Formal; superficial; concerned only with outward appearance
- 예의의
- yeouiui — Of etiquette; pertaining to manners or courtesy
- 껍데기
- kkeopdeogi — Shell; outer husk; hollow outer appearance or facade
- 속으로
- sogéuro — Into the inside; inwardly; retreating within something
- 자신을
- jasineul — Oneself; reflexive pronoun as the object of a verb
- 웅크리거나
- ungkeurigeona — Crouching or curling up; cowering into a small shape
- 희박하고
- huibakago — Thin and sparse; diluted and lacking in substance
- 공허한
- gongheuhan — Empty; hollow; lacking genuine meaning or substance
- 관대함의
- gwandaehamui — Of generosity; pertaining to magnanimous or liberal giving
- 분위기로
- bunwigiro — With an atmosphere of; by means of an air
- 부풀려
- bupullyeo — Inflated; puffed up; exaggerated beyond actual substance
- 이웃이
- i-usi — Neighbor; the nearby person as subject of sentence
- 신발이나
- sinbalina — Shoes or; footwear as one option among others
- 모자나
- mojana — A hat or; headwear as one option among others
- 외투나
- oetuna — A coat or; outerwear as one option among others
- 마차를
- machareul — A carriage; horse-drawn vehicle as object of sentence
- 만들게
- mandeulge — To make; to have something crafted or produced
- 해달라고
- haedallago — Asking someone to do something on one's behalf
- 혹은
- hogeun — Or; alternatively; used to present another option
- 식료품을
- singnyopumeul — Groceries; foodstuffs as the object of a verb
- 대신
- daesin — Instead; on behalf of; in place of something else
- 들여오게
- deuryeo-oge — To bring in; to have goods imported or fetched
- 설득하려
- seoldeukaryeo — Trying to persuade; attempting to convince someone
- 합니다
- hamnida — Does; formal polite declarative verb ending
- 아픈
- apeun — Sick; painful; unwell; in a state of illness
- 날을
- nareul — Day; a specific day as the object of a verb
- 대비해
- daebihae — In preparation for; in anticipation of a future event
- 무언가를
- mueon-gareul — Something; an unspecified thing as object of a verb
- 모아두려고
- moaduryeogo — In order to save up and set aside for later
- 스스로를
- seuseuloreul — Oneself; by oneself as the object of a verb
- 병들게
- byeongdeulge — To make sick; to cause illness in oneself
- 하면서
- hamyeonseo — While doing; simultaneously performing two actions
- 그것을
- geugeos-eul — That thing; it as the object of a verb
- 낡은
- nalgeun — Old and worn out; dilapidated; shabby from long use
- 궤짝
- gwejjak — An old wooden chest or box for storing things
- 안에
- ane — Inside; within the interior of something
- 회반죽
- hoebanjiuk — Plaster; a paste used on walls in construction
- 뒤의
- dwiui — Behind; at the back of; in the rear of
- 스타킹
- seutaking — Stockings; close-fitting leg coverings made of thin fabric
- 속에
- soge — Inside; within; hidden within something
- 아니면
- animyeon — Or else; alternatively; if not that then this
- 더
- deo — More; further; to a greater degree
- 안전하게는
- anjeonhageneun — More safely; as for keeping something more secure
- 벽돌로
- byeokdollo — Made of brick; by means of brick construction
- 된
- doen — Made of; having become; constructed as something
- 은행에
- eunhaenge — At the bank; in a financial institution
- 꼭꼭
- kkokkok — Tightly and thoroughly; firmly hidden or packed away
- 숨겨두려
- sumgyeoduryeo — Trying to hide away and keep concealed somewhere safe
- 어디에
- eodie — Where; in what place; at which location
- 많든
- mandeun — Whether it is much or; regardless of quantity
- 적든
- jeokdeun — Whether it is little; regardless of being small
- 상관없이
- sanggwan-eopsi — Regardless; without concern for; no matter what
- 나는
- naneun — I; me as the topic of the sentence
- 때때로
- ttaettaero — Sometimes; occasionally; from time to time
- 우리가
- uriga — We; us as the subject of a sentence
- 이토록
- itorok — This much; to this extent; so greatly as this
- 경솔할
- gyeongsolhal — Being rash; careless and imprudent in judgment
- 수
- su — Ability; possibility; can; used with verbs modally
- 있다는
- itdaneun — That there is; the fact that something exists
- 사실에
- sasire — At the fact; regarding the truth of something
- 놀라곤
- nollagon — Often being surprised; repeatedly astonished by something
- 거의
- geoui — Almost; nearly; very close to a full degree
- 이렇게
- ireoke — Like this; in this way; thus; to this extent
- 말할
- malhal — To say; able to say; the act of speaking
- 있을
- isseul — There will be; will exist; potential existence form
- 정도입니다
- jeongdo-imnida — It is to the extent of; to that degree or level
- 노예제라
- noyejera — Called slavery; referred to as a system of slavery
- 불리는
- bullineun — Called; being named; referred to by a certain name
- 조잡하지만
- jojapajiman — Though crude and rough; coarse but still present
- 다소
- daso — Somewhat; rather; to a certain degree; fairly
- 낯선
- natseon — Unfamiliar; strange; not well known or recognized
- 형태의
- hyeongtaeui — Of the form of; pertaining to a certain shape or type
- 예속에만
- yesogeman — Only in subjugation; solely in a state of bondage
- 주목하면서
- jumokamyeonseo — While paying attention to; while focusing on something
- 말이죠
- mariijyo — I mean; you know; softening emphasis at sentence end
- 북부와
- bukbuwa — The north and; northern region connected to another
- 남부
- nambu — The south; southern region or part of an area
- 모두를
- modureul — All of them; everyone as the object of a verb
- 예속시키는
- yesoksiikineun — Enslaving; subjugating all under domination and control
- 날카롭고
- nalkaropgo — Sharp and keen; acute and also something more
- 교묘한
- gyomyohan — Cunning; clever and crafty in a deceptive way
- 주인들이
- juindeuri — Masters; owners as the subject of a sentence
- 많은데도
- manheundedo — Even though there are many; despite numerous examples
- 불구하고
- bulguhago — Despite; in spite of; regardless of circumstances
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