[이솝우화] 백조 🦢 THE SWAN🦢白鳥

백조는 일생에 한 번만 노래를 부른다고들 한다 — 죽을 때 그 노래를 부른다.
어느 날 한 남자가 백조의 노래 이야기를 듣고 시장에서 한 마리의 백조를 사서 집으로 데려갔다.
며칠 뒤 그는 친구들을 저녁에 초대하고 백조를 내놓아 그 노래를 들려달라 했다.
그러나 백조는 잠자코 있었다.
시간이 흐르고 백조가 늙어갈 즈음, 자신의 임박한 죽음을 깨달은 백조는 슬프고도 아름다운 노래를 부르기 시작했다.
주인은 화를 내며 말하였다. 
“그 동물이 죽을 때만 노래한다면, 내가 그날 노래를 듣고 싶어 했던 것은 어리석었구나! 
차라리 목을 조르는 것이 더 나았을 텐데.”

💡교훈:
진정한 가치(진심)는 때를 잘못 재면 놓쳐버릴 수 있다.

 

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THE SWAN

The Swan is said to sing but once in its life--when it knows that it is about to die. 

A certain man, who had heard of the song of the Swan, one day saw one of these birds for sale in the market, and bought it and took it home with him. 

A few days later he had some friends to dinner, and produced the Swan, and bade it sing for their entertainment: but the Swan remained silent. In course of time, when it was growing old, it became aware of its approaching end and broke into a sweet, sad song. 

When its owner heard it, he said angrily, 

"If the creature only sings when it is about to die, what a fool I was that day I wanted to hear its song! 

I ought to have wrung its neck instead of merely inviting it to sing."

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🦢白鳥

白鳥は一生に一度だけ歌う──それは自分が死にゆくときだと言われている。
ある男が白鳥の歌の噂を聞き、市場で一羽の白鳥を見つけて買い、家に連れ帰った。
数日後、彼は友人を夕食に招き、その白鳥を取り出して歌を聞かせるように命じた。
だが白鳥は黙ったままだった。
時がたち、白鳥が年老いると、自分の死が近いことを悟り、やがて甘く悲しい歌声を上げた。
それを聞いた主人は怒って言った。
「もし生涯で死ぬときだけ歌うのなら、あの日歌わせようとした私はなんと愚かだったのだ！
歌わせる代わりに首を絞めるべきだった。」

💡教訓:
本当の価値は、時を誤れば失ってしまう。