올드코난의 이솝우화 제 70화 황금알을 낳는 거위 (Perry 87. The Goose that laid the Golden Eggs)

올드코난 (Old Conan)이 재해석하는 현대판 이솝우화 (Aesop's Fables, Aesopica) => 원 저작자: Aesop; 참고 번역본 저자: 조지 파일러 타운센드(George Fyler Townsend, 1814-1900) 외 / 현재 알려진 이솝우화들을 현대적으로 해석해  소개해 드리겠습니다.

올드코난의 이솝우화 제 70화 황금알을 낳는 거위 (Perry 87. The Goose that laid the Golden Eggs) 

어느 시골 농부에게 황금알을 낳는 거위 한 마리 있었다. 거의 매일 황금알을 낳아주는 거위 덕에 농부는 큰 돈을 벌 수 있었다. 그러다 욕심이 커진 농부는 하루에 한 개만 낳는 거위의 배를 가르면 더 큰 황금이 있을 것으로 생각하게 되었다. 그리고 거위를 잡아 배를 갈랐다. 하지만, 거위의 뱃속에는 황금은 없었다. 다른 거위들과 다르지 않았다.

결국 농부는 더 이상 황금알을 얻을 수 없었다.

과유불급(過猶不及)이다.

[올드코난 한마디]

이 이야기를 모르는 사람은 없을 것이다. 그리고 이 이야기를 들은 사람들 대부분은 이 농부를 비웃는다. 하지만, 나이를 먹어가면서 느끼는 것은 많은 사람들이 이 농부와 같은 실수를 범한다는 사실이다.

하루 한 개의 알도 큰 수확이지만, 익숙해지면 더 큰 욕심이 생기고, 결국은 파멸에 이른다는 것을 이 이야기는 충고하고 있다.

그리고 이 이야기에 맞는 인물은 역시나 이명박 전 대통령이다.

자신의 업적과 욕망에 임기 5년동안 모든 것을 하겠다는 성급함으로 대한민국 국민들에게 큰 시련을 안겼다. 언론, 경제, 인권, 민주주의 등등 이명박이 망친 것들은 오랫동안 국민들이 피와 땀으로 이룩했던 것들로 MB정부 5년동안 모든 것들이 후퇴해 버렸다. 농부가 황금알을 낳는 거위를 죽였다면 이명박은 선진국으로 가는 한국을 후진국으로 돌려놨다.

[영어 문장]

Perry 87. The Goose that laid the Golden Eggs

A man owned a goose that laid golden eggs and decided to kill it to obtain the source of gold. There wasn’t one. Too bad.

Greed often overreaches itself.

1. Eliot/Jacobs Version

One day a countryman going to the nest of his Goose found there an egg all yellow and glittering. When he took it up it was as heavy as lead and he was going to throw it away, because he thought a trick had been played upon him. But he took it home on second thoughts, and soon found to his delight that it was an egg of pure gold. Every morning the same thing occurred, and he soon became rich by selling his eggs. As he grew rich he grew greedy; and thinking to get at once all the gold the Goose could give, he killed it and opened it only to find nothing.

2.Townsend version (Hen instead of a Goose)

A cottager and his wife had a Hen that laid a golden egg every day. They supposed that the Hen must contain a great lump of gold in its inside, and in order to get the gold they killed it. Having done so, they found to their surprise that the Hen differed in no respect from their other hens. The foolish pair, thus hoping to become rich all at once, deprived themselves of the gain of which they were assured day by day.

3. JBR Collection (A Man and His Goose)

A certain Man had a Goose that laid him a golden egg every day. Being of a covetous turn, he thought if he killed his Goose he should come at once at the source of his treasure. So he killed her, and cut her open, and great was his dismay to find that her inside was in no way different to that of any other Goose.

4. V.S. Vernon Jones Version

A Man and his Wife had the good fortune to possess a Goose which laid a Golden Egg every day. Lucky though they were, they soon began to think they were not getting rich fast enough, and, imagining the bird must be made of gold inside, they decided to kill it in order to secure the whole store of precious metal at once. But when they cut it open they found it was just like any other goose. Thus, they neither got rich all at once, as they had hoped, nor enjoyed any longer the daily addition to their wealth.

Moral: Much wants more and loses all.

5. Aesop For Children (The Goose and The Golden Egg)

There was once a Countryman who possessed the most wonderful Goose you can imagine, for every day when he visited the nest, the Goose had laid a beautiful, glittering, golden egg.

The Countryman took the eggs to market and soon began to get rich. But it was not long before he grew impatient with the Goose because she gave him only a single golden egg a day. He was not getting rich fast enough.

Then one day, after he had finished counting his money, the idea came to him that he could get all the golden eggs at once by killing the Goose and cutting it open. But when the deed was done, not a single golden egg did he find, and his precious Goose was dead.

Moral: Those who have plenty want more and so lose all they have.

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