학  황순원

The Crane by Hwang Sun-wŏn

Translated by Brother Anthony of Taizé

삼팔 접경의 이 북쪽 마을은 드높이 개인 가을하늘 아래 한껏 고즈넉했다.

This village to the north of the 38^th parallel demarcation line was lying utterly still below the lofty, clear, autumn sky.

주인 없는 집 봉당에 흰 박통만이 흰 박통만을 의지하고 굴러 있었다.

On the dirt-floored steps in unoccupied houses, a few pale gourds lay where they had rolled, propped one against another.

어쩌다 만나는 늙은이는 담뱃대부터 뒤로 돌렸다. 아이들은 또 아이들대로 멀찌감치서 미리 길을 비켰다. 모두 겁에 질린 얼굴들이었다.

Old men he happened to cross turned aside, pipes first. The children left the path well ahead of him, as children do. Every face was riven with fear.

동네 전체로는 이번 동란에 깨어진 자국이라곤 별로 없었다. 그러나 어쩐지 자기가 어려서 자란 옛마을은 아닌 성싶었다.

The entire neighborhood had suffered little or no damage in the recent turmoil. Yet somehow it seemed not to be the old village in which he had lived as a child.

뒷산 밤나무 기슭에서 성삼이는 발걸음을 멈추었다. 거기 한 나무에 기어올랐다. 귓속 멀리서, 요놈의 자식들이 또 남의 밤나무에 올라가는구나, 하는 혹부리할아버지의 고함소리가 들려 왔다.

Sŏngsam paused on the hillside with the chestnut trees. He scrambled up a tree. From somewhere far off he heard the old man with the wen yelling, “You kids, climbing people’s chestnut trees again!”

그 혹부리할아버지도 그새 세상을 떠났는가, 몇 사람 만난 동네 늙은이 가운데 뵈지 않았다. 성삼이는 밤나무를 안은 채 잠시 푸른 가을하늘을 치어다 보았다. 흔들지도 않은 밤나뭇가지에서 남은 밤송이가 저 혼자 아람이 벌어져 떨어져 내렸다.

Maybe that old man with the wen had died too? There had been no sign of him among the few elderly inhabitants he had encountered. Embracing the chestnut tree, Sŏngsam briefly gazed up at the blue autumn sky. On a branch that had not so much as stirred, a remaining chestnut burr gaped open of its own accord and the ripe chestnuts fell.

임시 치안대 사무소로 쓰고 있는 집 앞에 이르니, 웬 청년 하나이 포승에 묶이어 있다.

When he reached the house being used as a temporary office by the security forces, he found a youth tied up with a rope.

이 마을에서 처음보다시피하는 젊은이라, 가까이 가 얼굴을 들여다보았다. 깜짝 놀랐다. 바로 어려서 단짝 동무였던 덕재가 아니냐.

It was the first youth he had seen in the village; he went closer and examined his face. He was startled. Why, it was Tŏkchae, his best friend as a child.

천태에서 같이 온 치안대원에게 어찌된 일이냐고 물었다. 농민동맹부위원장을 지낸 놈인데 지금 자기 집에 잠복해 있는 걸 붙들어 왔다는 것이다. 성삼이는 거기 봉당 위에 앉아 담배를 피워 물었다.

He asked the member of the security team who had accompanied him from Ch’ŏnt’ae about him. He explained he had been vice-chairman of the peasant’s league; they had just brought him in after catching him hiding in his own house. Sŏngsam sat perched above the dirt step in front of the house, smoking a cigarette as he questioned him.

덕재를 청단까지 호송하기로 되었다. 치안 대원 청년 하나이 데리고 가기로 했다.

It had been decided that Tŏkchae would be taken under guard to Ch’ŏngtan. They had decided that one young member of the security forces would take him.

성삼이가 다 탄 담배꼬투리에서 새로 담뱃불을 댕겨가지고 일어섰다.

Sŏngsam lit another cigarette from the completely burned down stub, then stood up.

“이 자식은 내가 데리고 가지요.”

“I’ll take this fellow down myself.”

덕재는 한결같이 외면한 채 성삼이 쪽은 보려고도 하지 않았다.

Tŏkchae consistently kept his eyes averted and did not once so much as glance in Sŏngsam’s direction.

동구밖을 벗어났다.

They left the village.

섬삼이는 연거푸 담배만 피웠다. 담배맛은 몰랐다. 그저 연기만 기껏 빨았다 내뿜곤 했다. 그러다가 문득 이 덕재 녀석도 담배 생각이 나려니 하는 생각이 들었다. 어려서 어른들 몰래 담모퉁이에서 호박잎 담배를 나눠 피우던 생각이 났다. 그러나 오늘 이놈에게 담배를 권하다니 될 말이냐.

Sŏngsam went on smoking one cigarette after another. He could not taste anything. He merely inhaled the smoke. Suddenly the thought struck him that this Tŏkchae fellow must be longing for a cigarette too. The memory came of the two of them as children smoking cigarettes made from pumpkin leaves in a corner of the garden wall. But it would not do to offer this fellow a cigarette today, now, would it?

한번은 어려서 덕재와 같이 혹부리할아버지네 밤을 훔치러 간 일이 있었다. 성삼이가 나무에 올라갈 차례였다. 별안간 혹부리할아버지의 고함소리가 들려 왔다. 나무에서 미끄러져 떨어졌다. 엉덩이에 밤송이가 찔렸다. 그러나 그냥 달렸다. 혹부리할아버지가 못 따라올 만큼 멀리 가서야 절로 눈물이 질끔거려졌다. 덕재가 불쑥 자기 밤을 한 줌 꺼내어 성심이 호주머니에 넣어 주었다------.

Once when they were children he and Tŏkchae had gone together to steal chestnuts from the old man with the wen. It was Sŏngsam’s turn to climb the tree. Suddenly they heard the sound of the old man yelling. He slipped and fell from the tree. His bottom was pierced by chestnut burr needles. But he just ran. It was only when they were too far away for the old man to follow that tears began to flow. Tŏkchae had pulled out a handful of his own chestnuts and pushed them into Sŏngsam’s pocket . . . .

성삼이는 새로 불을 댕겨 문 담배를 내던졌다. 그리고는 이 덕재 자식을 데리고 가는 동안 다시 담배는 붙여 물지 않으리라 마음먹는다.

Sŏngsam threw down the cigarette he had just lit. He decided he would not smoke another cigarette while he was taking this fellow Tŏkchae down.

고갯길에 다다랐다. 이 고개는 해방 전전에 성삼이가 삼팔 이남 천태 부근으로 이사가기까지 덕재와 더불어 늘 꼴 베러 넘나들던 고개다.

They reached the uphill path. In the prewar days after Liberation, he and Tokchae had often visited this hill to cut fodder, before Sŏngsam had gone to live in Ch’ŏnt’ae, to the south of the 38^th parallel.

성삼이는 와락 저도 모를 화가 치밀어 고함을 질렀다.

Filled with a sudden surge of unexpected rage, Sŏngsam shouted:

“이 자식아, 그 동안 사람을 멫이나 죽였냐?”

“Hey, fellow, how many people did you kill then?”

그제야 덕재가 힐끗 이쪽을 바라다보더니 다시 고개를 거둔다.

For the first time, Tŏkchae glanced briefly in his direction before lowering his head again.

“이 자식아, 사람 멫이나 죽였어?”

“Hey, fellow, how many people have you killed?”

덕재가 다시 고개를 이리로 돌린다. 그리고는 성삼이를 쏘아본다. 그 눈이 점점 빛을 더해 가며 제법 수염발 잡힌 입언저리가 실쭉거리더니,

Once again Tŏkchae turned his head in his direction. The he stared at Sŏngsam. Little by little his eyes grew brighter, while his lips, surrounded by a full growth of beard, twitched.

“그래 너는 사람을 그렇게 죽여 봤니?”

“And you then, did you kill anyone?”

이자식이! 그러면서도 성삼이의 가슴 한복판이 환해짐을 느낀다. 막혔던 무엇이 풀려 내리는 것만 같은.

Hey, fellow! As he spoke, Sŏngsam felt his heart grow lighter. As if something had been stuck tight, then released.

그러나,

“농민동맹 부위원장 쯤 지낸 놈이 왜 피하지 않구 있었어? 필시 무슨 사명을 마구 잠복해 있는 거지?”

Still.

“Why would someone who’d been vice-chairman of the peasants’ league stay put and not run away? Were you hiding for some kind of mission?”

덕재는 말이 없다.

Tŏkchae said nothing.

“바른대루 말해라. 무슨 사명을 띠구 숨어 있었냐?”

“Speak truthfully. What mission were you hiding like that for?”

그냥 덕재는 잠잠히 걷기만 한다. 역시 이자식 속이 꿀리는 모양이구나. 이런 때 한 번 낯짝을 봤으면 좋겠는데 외면한 채 다시는 고개를 돌리지 않는다.

Tŏkchae simply keeps walking on in silence. It looks as though this fellow’s brooding over something. At a time like this I need to get a look at his face. But he keeps his gaze averted and does not turn his head again.

성삼이는 허리에 찬 권총을 잡으며,

As Sŏngsam takes hold of the pistol hanging at his waist:

“변명은 할려구두 않는다. 내가 제일 빈농의 자식인데다가 근농꾼이라구 해서 농민동맹 부위원장 됐든 게 죽을 죄라면 하는 수 없는 거구, 나는 예나 이제나 땅 파먹는 재주밖에 없는 사람이다.”

“I’m not trying to excuse myself. I was made vice-chairman of the peasant’s league because I was the son of the poorest peasant, and reckoned a hard worker; if that’s a crime deserving death, well, okay then. Now as before, I’m a guy who’s good at nothing but farming.

그리고 잠시 사이를 두어,

Then after a short pause:

“지금 집에 아버지가 앓아 누웠다. 벌써 한 반년 된다.”

“Now father’s lying sick at home. It’s already been half a year.”

덕재 아버지는 홀아비로 덕재 하나만 데리고 늙어 오는 빈농꾼이었다.

Tŏkchae’s father had been a poor farmer, a widower growing old with Tŏkchae for sole company.

칠 년 전에 벌써 허리가 굽고 검버섯이 돋은 얼굴이었다.

Seven years ago his back was already bent and age-marks were erupting on his face.

“장간 안 들었냐?”

“Didn’t you get married?”

잠시 후에,

A moment’s pause:

“들었다.”

“I did.”

“누와?”

“Who with?”

“꼬맹이와.”

“With Mini.”

아니 꼬맹이와? 거 재미있다. 하늘 높은 줄 모르고 땅 높은 줄만 알아, 키는 작고 똥똥하기만 한 꼬맹이. 무던히 새침데기였다. 그것이 얄미워서 덕재와 자기는 번번이 놀려서 울려 주곤 했다. 그 꼬맹이한테 덕재가 장가를 들었다는 것이다.

What, with Mini? How funny. Mini, who knew nothing about anything, small in size, chubby. Very prim-looking. Provoked by that, Tŏkchae and he had all the time used to tease her till she cried. And Tŏkchae had married that Mini.

“그래 애가 멫이나 되나?’

“So how many kids have you got?”

“이 가을에 첫애를 낳는대나.”

“The first one’s due this autumn.”

성삼이는 그만 저도 모르게 터져 나오려는 웃음을 겨우 참았다. 제 입으로 애가 몇이나 되느냐 묻고서도 이 가을에 첫애를 낳게 됐다는 말을 듣고는 우스워 못 견디겠는 것이다. 그러지 않아도 작은 몸에 곧 배를 한아름 안고 꼬맹이. 그러나 이런 때 그런 일로 웃거나 농담을 할 처지가 아니라는 걸 깨달으며,

Sŏngsam suppressed with difficulty the laugh that had unexpectedly come welling up. The question how many kids they had came from his own lips, yet the news that the first was due this autumn was somehow unbearably comic. Even without that, Mini had been so small, her belly must be a whole armful now. Still, he sensed that this was not at all the moment to laugh or make a joke about it.

“하여튼 네가 피하지 않구 남아 있는 건 수상하지 않어?”

“Anyway, did you not realize what would happen if you stayed instead of running away?”

‘나두 피하려구 했었어. 이번에 이남서 쳐들어오믄 사내란 사낸 모주리 잡아죽인다구 열일곱에서 마흔 살까지의 남자는 강제루 북으로 이동하게 됐었어. 할 수 없이 나두 아버질 업구라두 피난 갈까 했지. 그랬드니 아버지가 안 된다는 거야. 농사꾼이 다 지어 놓은 농살 내버려 두구 어딜 간단 말이냐구. 그래 나만 믿구 농사일루 늙으신 아버지의 마지막 눈이나마 내 손으루 감겨 드려야겠구, 사실 우리 같이 땅이나 파먹는 것이 피난 간댔자 별수 있는 것두 아니구------.”

“I was intending to run away. They said that when the southerners moved north, they would kill every man without exception, and they obliged all the men between seventeen and forty to go north. I thought of running away, even carrying father on my back. Then father said no. He said no one ever heard of a farmer planting all his crops then running away somewhere, leaving everything behind. Beside, I’d been reckoning that I would be the one to close father’s eyes at the end, after he’d grown old farming, always counting on my being there. Really, there was no way we could leave the fields we’d been working together and evacuate . . . .”

지난 유월달에는 성삼이 편에서 피난을 갔었다. 밤에 몰래 아버지더러 피난 갈 이야기를 했다. 그때 성삼이 아버지도 같은 말을 했다. 농사꾼이 농사일을 늘어놓구 어디루 피난간단 말이냐. 성삼이 혼자서 피난을 갔다. 남쪽 어느 낯설은 거리와 촌락을 헤매이다니면서 언제나 머리에서 떠나지 않는 건 늙은 부모와 어린 처자에게 맡기고 나온 농사일이었다. 다행히 그때나 이제나 자기네 식구들은 몸성히들 있다.

Back in June, it had been Sŏngsam’s turn to evacuate. That night he had told his father secretly they should get out. Then his father had said just the same thing. How can a farmer leave his farming and go running off somewhere? Sŏngsam had left alone. As he went wandering among unfamiliar roads and villages, the thought of the farm work he had left in the hands of his elderly parents and youthful bride never left him. Luckily, now as ever, his family was safe and sound.

고갯마루를 넘었다. 어느 새 이번에는 성삼이 편에서 외면을 하고 걷고 있었다. 가을 햇볕이 자꾸 이마에 따가웠다. 참 오늘 같은 날은 타작하기에 꼭 알맞은 날씨라고 생각했다.

They crossed the brow of the hill. Suddenly it was Sŏngsam who was walking with his face averted. The autumn sunshine was stinging his brow. He was thinking what good weather it was for harvesting.

고개를 다 내려온 곳에서 성삼이는 주춤 발걸음을 멈추었다.

Reaching the foot of the hill, Sŏngsam suddenly stopped.

저쪽 벌 한가운데 흰 옷을 입은 사람들이 허리를 굽히고 섰는 것 같은 것은 틀림없는 학떼였다. 소위 삼팔선 완충지대가 되었던 이곳. 사람이 살고 있지 않은 그 동안에도 이들 학들만은 전대로 살고 있은 것이었다.

What looked like people bending over, out in the middle of the plain, must surely be a flock of cranes. This had become part of the so-called 38^th Parallel neutral zone, where people were not allowed to live, so in the meantime these cranes had taken full possession.

지난날 성삼이와 덕재가 아직 열두어 살쯤 났을 때 일이었다. 어른들 몰래 둘이서 올가미를 놓아 여기 학 한 마리를 잡은 일이 있었다. 단정학이었다. 새끼로 날개까지 얽어매 놓고는 매일같이 둘이서 나와 학의 목을 쓸어안는다, 등에 올라탄다, 야단을 했다. 그러한 어느날이었다. 동네 어른들의 수군거리는 소리를 들었다. 서울서 누가 학을 쏘러 왔다는 것이다. 무슨 표본인가를 만들기 위해서 총독부의 허가까지 맡아 가지고 왔다는 것이다. 그 길로 둘이는 벌로 내달렸다. 이제는 어른들한테 들켜 꾸지람 듣는 것 같은 건 문제가 아니었다. 그저 자기네의 학이 죽어서는 안된다는 생각뿐이었다. 숨 돌릴 겨를도 없이 잡풀 새를 기어 학 발목의 올가미를 풀고 날개의 새끼를 끌렀다. 그런데 학은 잘 걷지도 못하는 것이다. 그동안 얽매여 시달렸던 탓이리라. 둘이서 학을 마주 안아 공중에 투쳤다. 별안간 총소리가 들렸다. 학이 두서너번 날개짓을 하다가 그대로 내려왔다. 맞았구나. 그러나 다음 순간, 바로 옆 풀숲에서 펄럭 단정학 한 마리가 날개를 펴자 땅에 내려앉았던 자기네 학도 긴 목을 뽑아 한번 울음을 울더니 그대로 공중에 날아올라, 두 소년의 머리 위에 동그라미를 그리며 저쪽 멀리로 날아가 버리는 것이었다. 두 소년은 언제까지나 자기네 학이 사라진 푸른 하늘에서 눈을 뗄 줄을 몰랐다------.

Once, when Sŏngsam and Tŏkchae had been about twelve, they had laid snares, unknown to the adults, and caught a crane. It had been a red-crowned crane. They tied the wings down with a straw cord, then almost every day the two would come out, clutch its neck, climb on its back, have an uproarious time. One such day they heard the villagers whispering. They were saying that someone had come up from Seoul to shoot a crane. Intent on taking a specimen, he had even come equipped with permission from the Japanese government-general. The two went hurrying along the same path to the plains. It was no longer a matter of being found out and scolded by the grown-ups; their only thought was that their crane must not be killed. Without pausing to catch their breath, they freed the crane’s leg from the snare amidst the grass and undid the ropes round its wings. But the crane could hardly walk, probably because it had been held down by the snare all that time. The two took hold of the crane and hurled it into the air. At that very moment they heard gunfire. The crane flapped its wings a few times then fell back to earth. It must have been hit. But then another crane in a nearby thicket spread and flapped its wings, at which their crane, that had been crouching on the ground, stretched out its neck, gave one call, and went flying up into the air, circled above the two boys’ heads then flew off into the distance. The boys could not tear their eyes from the blue sky where their crane had vanished . . . .

“얘, 우리 학사냥이나 한번 하구 가자.”

“Hey, let’s go crane hunting!”

성삼이가 불쑥 이런 말을 했다.

Sŏngsam spoke suddenly.

덕재는 무슨 영문인지 몰라 어리둥절해 있는데,

Tŏkchae looked puzzled, wondering what he was talking about.

“내 이걸루 올가밀 만들어 놀께 너 학을 몰아오너라.”

“I’ll use this to make a noose. You go and drive the cranes.”

포승줄을 풀어 쥐더니, 어느 새 잡풀 새로 기는 걸음을 쳤다.

He untied the rope binding him and went striding off through the grass.

대번 덕재의 얼굴에서 핏기가 걷혔다. 좀전에, 너는 총살감이라던 말이 퍼뜩 머리를 스치고 지나갔다. 이제 성삼이가 기어가는 쪽 어디서 총알이 날아오리라.

Tŏkchae’s face paled abruptly. The thought flashed through his mind that a little while before the men had said he would be shot. In a moment a bullet might come speeding from the direction where Sŏngsam had gone striding off.

저만치서 성삼이가 홱 고개를 돌렸다.

Far away, Sŏngsam suddenly looked back.

“어이, 왜 멍추같이 서 있는 게야? 어서 학이나 몰아 오너라.”

“Hey, why are you standing there like a dummy? Hurry up and send some cranes over.”

그제서야 덕재도 무엇을 깨달은 듯 잡풀 새를 기기 시작했다.

At that, as if suddenly understanding something, Tŏkchae went striding off through the grass.

때마침 단정학 두세 마리가 높푸른 가을하늘에 곧 날개를 펴고 유유히 날고 있었다.

Just then, a few red-crowned cranes were slowly flying with outstretched wings across the high, blue autumn sky.