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 116화 구두쇠 할머니와 도둑 의사 (Perry 57. The Old Woman and the Thieving Physician)
자린고비같은 구두쇠 할머니가 있었다. 갈수록 눈이 침침해지고 잘 보이기 않게 되어서야 의사를 집으로 왕진을 오게 했다. 근데, 구두쇠 할머니는 의사가 치료비를 요구하자 눈이 다 나을 때까지 돈을 줄 수 없다고 완강히 버틴다. 의사는 여기에 동의한다. 근데, 의사는 거의 매일 구두쇠를 찾아와 눈에 안약을 넣는 정도의 치료를 하면서 집 밖을 나갈때는 노인의 집안 물건을 조금씩 훔쳐가기 시작했다. 치료를 하는 날이 길어지자 구두쇠할머니의 집안에 있던 모든 값진 물건들은 의사의 차지가 되어 버린다.
시간이 흘러 노파는 눈의 다 나았다. 눈이 다시 잘 보이자 의사는 구두쇠할머니에게 치료비를 청구했다. 그러자 구두쇠할머니는 집안의 물건들이 보이지 않는다며 눈이 회복 되지 않아 치료비를 주지 않겠다고 주장한다. 화가난 의사는 할머니를 고소했고, 법원까지 간 할머니는 재판장에게 이렇게 말했다.
“재판장님 저는 분명 의사에게 시력이 회복되면 치료비를 준다고 약속했습니다. 근데, 집안에 있던 저의 물건들이 하나도 보이지 않습니다. 이는 내 눈이 아직 낫지 않았다는 증거입니다. 그러니 치료비는 절대 줄 수 없습니다.”
[올드코난 한마디]
이 이야기는 구두쇠 할머니를 비꼬는 말이기도 하지만, 도둑 의사처럼 믿을 수 없는 사람에게 중요한 일을 맡기지 말라는 교훈이 담겨있다.
중요한 것은 만일 구두쇠할머니가 의사에게 먼저 신뢰를 주고도 의사가 도둑질을 했다면 의사는 매우 나쁜 인간이었을 것이다. 처음부터 도둑이었는지, 아님 도둑을 만들었는지를 생각해 봐야 한다.
요즘 한국의 재벌 대기업들이 이 구두쇠할머니와 같다. 신입사원들 초봉도 깍으려 하고, 정규직 직원들을 줄이고 최대한 비정규직을 늘리려 한다. 언제든지 직원들을 값싸게 부리고 내치려 한다. 이런 회사들이 도둑들을 만드는 것이다. 도둑 의사보다 돈을 떼먹으려는 구두쇠가 더 나쁘다.
회사에 분노하는 직원보다, 사람 취급하지 않는 재벌들이 더 나쁘다는 말로 마무리한다.
[영어 문장]
Perry 57. The Old Woman and the Thieving Physician
A physician comes to cure blindness. On each visit an item is stolen. When he demands payment he gets nothing.
Few things are done except for profit.
An Old Woman asked a Physician to cure her eyes. The bargain reached was that she would pay when healed. The Physician came at regular intervals and applied his salve to her eyes and, while her eyes were covered he would carry off some small item from the house. The Old Woman eyes eventually healed and when she looked around her home it was empty. When she saw this she would give the Physician nothing. The Physician sued. When before the judge the Old Woman presented her case: “This man declares that I am healed, but I must still have eye problems. When I lost my sight I saw my house and everything in it; but now, even though he says I am cured, I cannot see a single thing in it.”
1. Townsend version
An Old Woman having lost the use of her eyes, called in a Physician to heal them, and made this bargain with him in the presence of witnesses: that if he should cure her blindness, he should receive from her a sum of money; but if her infirmity remained, she should give him nothing. This agreement being made, the Physician, time after time, applied his salve to her eyes, and on every visit took something away, stealing all her property little by little. And when he had got all she had, he healed her and demanded the promised payment. The Old Woman, when she recovered her sight and saw none of her goods in her house, would give him nothing. The Physician insisted on his claim, and. as she still refused, summoned her before the Judge. The Old Woman, standing up in the Court, argued: “This man here speaks the truth in what he says; for I did promise to give him a sum of money if I should recover my sight: but if I continued blind, I was to give him nothing. Now he declares that I am healed. I on the contrary affirm that I am still blind; for when I lost the use of my eyes, I saw in my house various chattels and valuable goods: but now, though he swears I am cured of my blindness, I am not able to see a single thing in it.”
2. JBR Collection
An Old Woman that had bad eyes called in a clever Doctor, who agreed for a certain sum to cure them. He was a very clever Doctor, but he was also a very great rogue; and when he called each day and bound up the Old Woman’s eyes, he took advantage of her blindness to carry away with him some article of her furniture. This went on until he pronounced the Woman cured. Her room was then nearly bare. He claimed his reward, but the Old Lady protested that, so far from being cured, her sight was worse than ever. “We will soon see about that, my good Woman,” said he; and she was shortly after summoned to appear in Court. “May it please your Honour,” said she to the Judge, “before I called in this Doctor I could see a score of things in my room that now, when he says I am cured, I cannot see at all.” This opened the eyes of the Court to the knavery of the Doctor, who was forced to give the Old Woman her property back again, and was not allowed to claim a penny of his fee.
3. L’Estrange version
A physician undertakes a woman with sore eyes, upon the terms of no cure no mony. His way was to dawb ’em quite up with oyntments, and while she was in that pickle, to carry off a spoon or a porringer, or somewhat or other at the end of his visit. The womans eyes mended, and still as she came more and more to her self again, there was every day less and less left in the house to be seen. The doctor came to her at last, and told her; Mistress, says he, I have discharg’d my part, your eyes are perfectly well again, and pray let me be payd now according to our agreement. Alas sir, says she, I’m a great deal worse then I was the first minute you undertook me; for I could see plate, hangings, paintings, and other goods of value about my house, ’till you had the ordering of me; but I am now brought to such a pass, that I can see nothing at all.
Moral: There are few good offices done for other people, which the benefactor does not hope to be the better for himself.
4.Medicus et Vetula
Vetula mulier, oculorum morbo laborans, medicum quemdam, ut eam curaret, accersivit et ingentem mercedem se daturam promisit si oculorum vitio sanaret; contra vero, si nil efficeret, nec minimum quid praebituram. Hoc itaque pacto, quoties medicus ad eius oculos medendos veniebat, semper aliquid ei furabatur. Cum illam egregie sanasset, pactam sibi mercedem postulavit. Sed vetula continuo differt, et medicus in ius denique ante magistratus eam rapit. Quorum in conspectu stans ait, “Fateor me ei mercedem, si bene visum recuperassem, promisisse; sin minus, me nihil omnino daturam. Ac iste iactat me esse curatam; ego vero adfirmo contrarium me pati. Nam quando oculis laborabam, meas tunc opes omnemque supellectilem domi esse videbam; sed nunc, me videre ipso dicente, nil prorsus domi cernere possum.”
글 작성/편집 올드코난 (Old Conan)
글에 공감하신다면 SNS (트위터, 페이스북)로 널리 널리 알려 주세요. ★ 글의 오타, 하고픈 말, 그리고 동영상 등이 재생이 안되는 등 문제가 발견 되면 본문 하단에 댓글로 남겨 주시면 감사하겠습니다