背影 The Image of His Back by 朱自清 Zhu Ziqing

This story is called 背影 (Beiying) , and was written by famous poet and essayist 朱自清 Zhu Ziqing (1898-1948). He studied at the famous Peking University and was one of the writers to arise in popularity during the 1920s out of the May Fourth Movement. His story tells the interactions between the thoughts of a young student and his father after the death of his grandmother. 

I got this story originally from the website:

http://www.eduzhai.net/wenxue/xdwx/zhuziqing/beiying.htm

(all rights reserved)

Enjoy~!

背影 by 朱自清

The Image of His Back

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我与父亲不相见已二年余了，我最不能忘记的是他的背影。 I haven’t seen my father for more then two years already.  The thing that I can never forget though is  the image of his back. 那年冬天，祖母死了，父亲的差使也交卸了，正是祸不单行的日子， 我从北京到徐州，打算跟着父亲奔丧回家。  That year’s winter, my grandmother died and my father relinquished his post.  Lots of bad things happened during this time.  I had planned on going back home from Beijing to Xuzhou,  in order to help my father prepare the funeral.   到徐州见着父亲，看见满院狼藉的东西，又想起祖母，不禁簌簌地流下眼泪。 I arrived in Xuzhou and seeing my father,  I caught sight of the yard in disarray and couldn't help the tears from slipping out as I thought of  my grandmother again.   父亲说，“事已如此，不必难过，好在天无绝人之路！”回家变卖典质， 父亲还了亏空；又借钱办了丧事。 My father said, “Since stuff like this has already happened  there’s no need to be sad, the road to Heaven is open!”  When we returned home, my father sold our mortgage  to clear our debt, but also borrowed money  to use for the funeral.   这些日子，家中光景很是惨淡，一半为了丧事，一半为了父亲赋闲。 These days our family’s circumstances are very bleak,  half because of the funeral arrangements while the  other half was because of my idle father.   丧事完毕，父亲要到南京谋事，我也要回北京念书，我们便同行。 After the funeral is over, my father wanted to  go to Nanjing for work, and I needed to go back to study  in Beijing, so we traveled together.   到南京时，有朋友约去游逛，勾留了一日；第二日上午便须渡江到浦口，下午上车北去。 When we arrived in Nanjing,  we had friends who we went out sightseeing with for one day,  and the afternoon of the second day  I needed to cross the river to get to Pukou and  catch the train north.   父亲因为事忙，本已说定不送我，叫旅馆里一个熟识的茶房陪我同去。 Because my father was already busy,  we agreed on him not bothering to see me off.  Instead he asked a hotel waiter that he knew to accompany me.   他再三嘱咐茶房，甚是仔细。 My father told the waiter over and over again  to be very careful.   但他终于不放心，怕茶房不妥帖；颇踌躇了一会。 He was still not relieved, afraid that  the waiter would not do things right, and hesitated for a minute.   其实我那年已二十岁，北 京已来往过两三次，是没有甚么要紧的了。 I was in fact already 20 at the time,  and had been to Beijing two or three times  without any problems arising.   他踌躇了一会，终于决定还是自己送我去。 He hesitated for another second,  and finally decided to send me off himself.   我两三回劝他不必去；他只说,“不要紧，他们去不好！” 我们过了江，进了车站。 I tried two or three times to persuade him not to go,  but he said “Never mind, if he goes with you  it will be bad!” We crossed the river  and entered the station.   我买票，他忙着照看行李。 I bought my ticket and he looked after my luggage.   行李太多了，得向脚夫行些小费,才可过去。 Because I had too much luggage,  I had to pay a small fee to the porter,  and only then could we go in.    他便又忙着和他们讲价钱。 He was busy arguing the price with the porter.   我那时真是聪明过分，总觉他说话不大漂亮，非自己插嘴不可。 At that time, I thought I was so smart,  I thought that he didn't speak eloquently,  and I couldn’t help but interrupt his talking.   但他终于讲定了价钱；就送我上车。 But he at last got the price he wanted,  and sent me to board the train.   他给我拣定了靠车门的一张椅子；我将他给我做的紫毛大衣铺好坐位。 He picked me out a chair that was by the door,  I took the purple coat he made me and laid  it out over the seat.   他嘱我路上小心，夜里警醒些，不要受凉。 He urged me to be careful on the road,  be alert at night, and to not catch a cold.   又嘱托茶房好好照应我。 He also asked the attendants to take good care of me.   我心里暗笑他的迂；他们只认得钱，托他们直是白托！而且我这样大年纪的人， 难道还不能料理自己么？ Inside my heart I laughed at his over-protectiveness,  These people only know money, asking them to  do something like this... it’s useless. Furthermore,  I’m already an adult, why wouldn’t I be able to take care of myself?   唉，我现在想想，那时真是太聪明了！ Well, thinking about it now,  I really thought I was too clever.   我说道，“爸爸，你走吧。” I said, “Dad, you should leave.”   他望车外看了看，说，“我买几个橘子去。你就在此地，不要走动。” He looked outside the train, saying,  “I brought a few tangerines.  Since your already here, don't move.”   我看那边月台的栅栏外有几个卖东西的等着顾客。 I looked across the platform and saw  some customers waiting to buy things outside the fence.   走到那边月台，须穿过铁道，须跳下去又爬上去。 To reach the platform, you had to cross  the train tracks, jump down and then crawl back up.   父亲是一个胖子，走过去自然要费事些。 My father was a fat person, so to do that would not be easy.   我本来要去的，他不肯，只好让他去。 I originally wanted to go, he wouldn’t agree,  so I couldn’t help but let him do it.   我看见他戴着黑布小帽，穿着黑布大马褂，深青布棉袍， 蹒跚地走到铁道边，慢慢探身下去，尚不大难。 I saw him wearing a small black hat,  a black coat, dark green quilted gown,  stumbling towards the railway edge,  lowering his body to go down, still without any problems.   可是他穿过铁道，要爬上那边月台，就不容易了。 However, him crossing the tracks to climb up  over the other platform was not easy.   他用两手攀着上面，两脚再向上缩；他肥胖的身子向左微倾，显出努力的样子。 He used two hands to lift himself up,  pulled his two legs upward, his fat body collapsed  to the left, and his expression showed one of great effort.   这时我看见他的背影，我的泪很快地流下来了。 At this moment, I saw his back,  My tears quickly started flowing.   我赶紧拭干了泪，怕他看见，也怕别人看见。 I hurriedly wiped them, afraid that he or others had seen.   我再向外看时，他已抱了朱红的橘子望回走了。 I looked outwards again; he was already  holding the vermillion colored tangerines and coming back.   过铁道时，他先将橘子散放在地上，自己慢慢爬下，再抱起橘子走。 Crossing the railway track, he first  put the tangerines down, then slowly lowered himself,  then picked up the tangerines again and walked.   到这边时，我赶紧去搀他。 At this time, I quickly went to assist him.   他和我走到车上，将橘子一股脑儿放在我的皮大衣上。 He and I walked to the train, and  I put the tangerines on top of my coat.   于是扑扑衣上的泥土，心里很轻松似的，过一会说，“我走了； 到那边来信！”我望着他走出去。 Then he brushed the dirt from his clothes,  seeming very at ease, and then said after a moment,  “I’m going now, when you get there send me a letter!”  I watched him leave.   他走了几步，回过头看见我，说，“进去吧，里边没人。” He walked a few steps, turned back, and said,  “Go in now, there’s no one inside.”   等他的背影混入来来往往的人里，再找不着了， 我便进来坐下，我的眼泪又来了。 When his back mixed in with the people coming  and going, and I couldn't find him again, my tears came back.   近几年来，父亲和我都是东奔西走，家中光景是一日不如一日。 In recent years, My father and I are both  rushing about; our family situation getting worse and worse.   他少年出外谋生，独力支持，做了许多大事。 He left to seek work while he was young;  he did a lot of things alone to support himself.   那知老境却如此颓唐！ How would he have known that  the situation would be this bad when he got older!   他触目伤怀，自然情不能自已。 He has so many hardships,  but he cannot feel them himself.   情郁于中，自然要发之于外；家庭琐屑便往往触他之怒。 In the feeling of melancholy,  I naturally wanted to send out my feelings,  family matters tended to make him angry.   他待我渐渐不同往日。 He treated me differently from before.   但最近两年的不见，他终于忘却我的不好，只是惦记着我，惦记着我的儿子。 But in these two years we haven’t met,  he eventually forgot the bad parts of me,  merely concerned for my son.    我北来后，他写了一信给我，信中说道，“我身体平安， 惟膀子疼痛利害，举箸提笔，诸多不便，大约大去之期不远矣。” After going north, he wrote a letter to me,  the letter said “My body is healthy,  only my upper arm hurts, its painful to hold up  chopsticks and inconvenient to write. My time is nearing.”   我读到此处，在晶莹的泪光中，又看见那肥胖的，青布棉袍，黑布马褂的背影。 When I read this line, my tears were glistening;  I saw his large body, and his black jacket.   唉！我不知何时再能与他相见！ Oh dear! I don't know when I will be able to meet with him again!   １９２５年１０月在北京。 （原载１９２５年１１月２２日《文学周报》第２００期） *To me this story seemed to tell the importance of appreciating  one's parents, despite their imperfections. Chinese culture,  and asian culture in general stresses the importance of filial piety. Your parents, grandparents, and older people in general need to be  treated with the utmost respect. In korean, you even need to conjugate  your verbs differently based on who you are speaking to. The narrator  of the story looks back on his treatment of his father with regret  (if you look at the part with the porter), especially at the end.  We can see that the narrator is "playing it cool" by not showing  his appreciate or love for his father to his father's face,  and only crying when he turns his back. This is something that  I think everyone can relate to, because even I did this in  order to look "cooler" in front of my friends. But the author  tells us that we should show our love and appreciation  for others while they are still around because  we never know when they will not be here anymore.

솥 안에 든 거인 The Giant In The Pot- Korean Fairy tale

This story is a classical Korean fairy tale, which tells the story of a boy who defeats a giant in order to rescue his kidnapped father. The original Korean story that I used for translations was found in a book by  학습반 전래동화-story #7, and the author & illustrator of this version of the tale are  그쓴이- 송재찬 (Song Jaechan) and 그린이- 주영삼 (Ju Yeongsam) all rights go to them for the book! the translations are my own....

솥 안에 든 거인 

The Giant in the Pot 

——————————————————————————————                      먼 옛날, 어느 산 골에 세  식구가 있었습니다.

아버지와 어머니, 그리고 마음씨 착한 아들은 넉넉하지는 않아지만 행복하게 살았어요. 어느 날 아버지가 산으로 나무를 하러 갔습니다.

그런데 날이 저물어도 아버지가 돌아오시지 않았어요.

어머니와 아들은 몹시 적정이 되었습니다.

A long time ago, in a mountain valley lived a 3-member family. The family was made up of a father, mother, and their gentle kind-hearted son. Even though they were not well off, they lived happily. One day the father went out to the mountain to get trees. But, the day passed and it became dark, and the father had still not returned. The mother and son became terribly worried about him.

“어머니, 아버지가 왜 아직도 안 돌아오실까요?”

“글쎄 말이다. 늦어도 너무 늦으시는구나. 오다가 길을 잃어버리셨나? 얘야, 등불을 들고 산으로 가보자. 아버지를 찾아봐야겠다.”

어머니와 아들은 등볼을 들고 집을 나섰습니다. “아버지!” “여보!”

큰 소리로 부르면 찾았지만 어디에도 아버지는 보이지 않았습니다.

“Mother, why hasn’t father come back yet?”

“I don't know, although it’s late, he’s terribly late. He must have lost his way somewhere? My darling, pick up the lamp and let’s go to the mountain. We need to go search for your father. The mother and the son left the house with the lamp. “Father!” “Honey!” They made a lot of noise looking for him but he wasn't anywhere.

이튿날도 아들은 혼자서 하루 종일 산을 헤맸지만 아버지를 찾을 수 없었습니다.

아들은 너무나 지쳐서 너무 그늘에세 쉬다가 깜박 잠이 들었습니다. 그런데 꿈 속에서 머리가 허연 노인니 나타나 말했어요.

“너는 참 효성이 지극한 아들이구나. 네가 너무 착해서 아버지를 찾도록 해 주겠다. 벼룩 한 말과 빈대 한 말, 그리고 바늘 한 말을 구해 오너라. 그것들을 가지고 다니면 아버지를 찾을 수 있을 게다.

The next day too the son roamed around the mountain alone but he was unable to find his father. The son became very exhausted and went into the shade and suddenly fell asleep. But, in his dreams, a white haired old man appeared and said, “You are someone who love your parents a lot aren’t you. Because you are such a good son, I will help you find your father. Get and come back with a bag of fleas, a bag of bedbugs and a bag of needles. If you carry those with you on your quest you will be able to find your father.

그게 정말이세요?

깜짝 놀라서 큰 소리로 묻는데 그만 잠이 깨었습니다.

“이상한 꿈도 다 있네. 벼룩, 빈대, 바늘을 한 말씩 구하라고?”

아들은 혼자 중얼거리며 집으로 향했습니다.

“Is that really true?”

While he asked with a loud voice in astonisment, he awoke from his slumber. “What a strange dream. I must get bags of fleas, bedbugs, and needles?”, the son muttered to himself as he headed home alone.

“어떻게 하면 벼룩과 빈대를 한 말씩 구할 수 있을까?”

곰곰이 생각한 아들은 일부러 벼룩이 득실거리는 거직들을 찾아가 함께 지냈습니다. 또 더러운 동물 우리도 청소하며 벼룩과 빈대를 열심히 구했습니다.

바늘을 구하는 것도 매우 힘든 일이었습니다.

아들은 삯바느질을 하는 아주머지의 일을 도와 주고 난 다음에야 겨우바늘한 말을 얻을 수 있었습니다.

그러는 사이에 여러 달이 흘렀습니다.

“How am I supposed to get a bag of fleas and a bag of bedbugs?” thinking seriously, he deliberately visited homless beggars carrying fleas and spent time with them. He also searched hard for the bed bugs and fleas by cleaning dirty animal’s cages. Finding needles was also a difficult task. The son was barely able to get a needle from the seamstress after helping her work. Meanwhile, several months have passed.

마침내 아들은 아버지를 찾아 길을 떠났습니다. 산 속에서 날이 저물자. 아들은 하룻밤 잘 만한 곳이 없을까 하고 사방을 둘러 보았습니다. ‘그런데 저게 뭐야? 불빛이 잖아. 집인 모양이군. 저기 가서 하룻밤 재워 달라고 해야겠다.’ 아들은  부지런히 불빛을 향해 걸었습니다. 그런데 집에 닿아 보니 불빛이 새어 나오고 있던 그 집에는 아무도 살고 있지 않았습니다. 아들은 대문을열고 집 안으로 들어갔습니다. “여보세요, 여보세요. 아무도 없어요?” 마당에 들어가 소리쳤지만 아무리 불러도 대답이 없었어요. ‘정말 빈 집인 모양이군. 들어가 한 잠 자고 가자.’ 아들은 방 안으로 들어가 누웠습니다.

Finally, the son left on the road to search for his father. As the day was getting darker on the mountain, he looked around thinking if there is anywhere he can spend the night. ‘What’s that? It’s light.  It looks like a home. I will go and ask them if I can rest there for the night. The son walked diligently towards the light. But when he arrived to the house, which was leaking light, it looked like there was no one living there. When he reached the door he opened it and said “Hello, hello. Anybody home?” His voice traveled into the yard, but there was no reply. “I guess it really is an empty home. Well, lets go in and sleep for a bit” said the son who went in and laid down.

막 잠이 들려고 하는데 문 밖에서 쿵쿵거리는 소리가 들려 왔습니다. ‘이게 무슨 소리지?’ 아들은 문 틈으로 밖을 내다보았습니다. ‘저게 뭐야? 으아, 저건 거인이잖아.’ 거인의 몸집이 너무나 커서 마당 안이 꽉 찬 것 같았어요.

When the son was about to asleep, he heard a huge sound of stomps coming from outside the door on the streets.  ‘What sound is this?’ said the son who peeked out through the crack of the door. Oh my, it’s a giant.’ The giant’s body was so big that it looked like it filled the whole courtyard.

“모두들 다 있는지 확인해 봐야겠다.”거인은 뚜벅뚜벅 광으로 걸어갔습니다. 거인이 광문을 열고 사람들의 이름을 부르자 “예!” “예!” 하고 사람들이 큰 소리로 대답하는 소리가 들렸어요. 그런데 사람들 중에는 아들의 아버지도 있었습니다. 아들은 깜짝 놀았어요. 가슴이 막 뛰었습니다. “한 놈도 도망가지 못하고 다 있군. 꼼짝하지 말고 어서 자!” 거인은 다시 문을 닫아 며 큰 소리로 말 했습니다.

“I’m going to go check to make sure everyone is there.”  The giant plodded along walking towards the shed. He opened the barn door and called out the people’s names, which they answered with loud replies “Yes!” “Yes!”. Among the people, the son saw his father was also there. The son was shocked and his heart was beating very fast. “Not one man was able to run away. Don’t budge, go to sleep!” said the giant in a loud voice as he closed the door.

거인은 아들이 있는 맞은편 방으로 가서 벌렁 누웠습니다. 그러더니 드르렁드르렁 코를 골기 시작했어요. ‘아버지를 구해야해. 아버지가 거 광 속에 게신다고.’ 아들은 두 주먹을 불끈 쥐었습니다. “옳지!” 그때 문득 꿈 속에 나타났던 노인의 말이 떠올랐습니다.  “벼룩들아, 저 거인을 꼼짝도 못하게 해 다오.” 아들은 거인이 잠들어 있는 방 안으로 살금살금 들어가, 거인 옆에다 벼룩 주머니를 풀었습니다.

The giant went to the room on the opposite side from where the son was and lay on his back. Then he began to snore loudly. ‘I have to save my father. My father is in the shed’ Thought the son as he squeezed his fists. “Right!” Then, the words of the old man that appeared in his dream came to mind. “Fleas, please let the giant come to a standstill.” The son entered the room where the giant was sleeping stealthily, and unpacked the bag of fleas next to the giant.

“얏! 따끔한 벼룩 부대의 맛을 봐라!” 벼룩들은 톡톡 튀면서 거인을 물어 뜯었습니다. “앗 따가워. 아얏, 아얏!”  거인은 마루로 나오며  나오며 뒹굴었습니다. “빈대들아, 이번에는 너희들 차례다.” 아들은 마루에 빈대에는풀어 놓았습니다. 빈대들은 거인의  몸을 까맣게 뒤덮으면서 마구 물어 뜯었어요. “아이구, 나 죽는다. 사람 살려.” 거인은 몸을 긁으면서 숲 속으로 도망쳤어요.

“Hah! Experience the stinging bite of this troop of fleas!” said the son. As the fleas jumped, they bit the giant viciously. “Ack it stings. Ack, Ack!” the giant came out and rolled around on the floor. “Bedbugs, its your turn now.” The son unpacked the bedbugs onto the floor. As the bedbugs covered the giant’s body so it became completely black, he was viciously bitten. “Oh god, I’m dying. Someone save me!” The giant ran away into the woods as he scratched his body.

“얏, 바늘 부대 나간다.” 아들은 숲으로 도망치는 거인을 향해 이번에는 바늘을 던졌어요. 그러자 이게 웬일일까요? 바늘들이 마치 살아 있는 것처럼 빛을 내며 거인을 향해 날아가는 게 아니겠어요? “얏! 얏!” 바늘들은 한꺼번에 거인을 찌르기 시작했습니다. 거인은 비명을 지르며 풀숲에서 뒹굴었어요.

“Hah, now the bag of needle’s turn to come out.” The son threw the bag of needles at the giant fleeing into the forest. And then, wala! As if they were alive, the needles flew towards the giant as they flashed. The needles all at ones started pricking the giant. As the giant yelled out screams, he rolled around on the grass.

“사람 살려!” 거인은 이리저리 도망다니다니가 부엌으로 달려갔습니다. 그리고는 아무도 들어오지 못하게 솥 안에 들어가 몸을 옹크리고 숨었습니다. 아들은 얼른 솥뚜껑을 닫고 그 위에 큰 돌덩이를 많이 올려놓았어요.

“Someone save me!” The giant ran here and there while trying to escape, and then ran into the kitchen. And then he went into the pot that no one was aloud to go in, concealing himself and crouching his body up.  The son quickly closed the lid of the pot and placed a lot of big rocks on top of it.

“어디 뜨거운 맛 좀 봐라.” 아들은 아궁이에 불을 지피기 시작했습니다. “앗, 앗 뜨거워! 살려 줘, 살려 줘.” 거인은 솥 안에서 우레같이 비명을 지르다가. 마침내 까맣게 타버렸습니다.

“Experience the burn of extreme heat.” The son started a fire in the furnace. “”Ack, Ack, hot! Please save me, save me.”  The giant screamed out like thunder from inside the pot. Eventually it burned black.

거인이 족은 것을 두 눈으로 보고 나서 아들은 광으로 달려갔습니다. “아버지! 아버지!” 아들은 광을 열고 아버지와 다른 사람들도 모두 구해 내었습니다. “와, 살았다. 살았어!” 광에 갇혔던 사람들은 서로 얼싸안으며 좋아했습니다.

After watching the giant’s death with his own eyes the son ran to the shed. “Father! Father!” the son opened the door to the shed and brought out his father along with all the other people. “Wah your alive. Your alive!” The people trapped in the shed embraced each other and rejoyced.

아들은 다른 광도 열어 보았습니다. 거기에는 거인이 훔쳐 온 양식과 보물들이 꽉 차 있었어요. 아들은 거인의 재물을 모든 사람들과 똑같이 나누어가졌습니다. “고맙습니다.정말 고맙습니다.” 거인에게서 풀려난 사람들은 아들에게 머리를 조아렸습니다. 아들은 아버지를 모시고 집으로 돌아가 어머니와 함께 행복하게 살았습니다.

The son also opened another shed. It was filled with all the food and treasures that the giant had stolen. The son divided the treasure evenly between all of the people. “Thank you. Really, thank you so much.” The people released from the giant bowed their heads to the son. The son took his father back home and lived with the mother happily ever after. 

*This story tells the importance of the common theme filial piety, with the son trying to find his father at all costs. It also shows us the son's quick and resourceful thinking outwits the evil giant, and thus that good will prevail through hard work over evil.  It's funny because after talking to my Korean tutor she said that this was not a famous tale in korea, and that she herself had never heard of it. I thought that it was a good, generic type fairy tale story though and it was fun to translate.