(R) [Terry Deary's Greek tales] The tortoise and the dare
올림픽의 정신에 대해서 배우면서 삶을 살아가는 태도에 대해서도 다시 한번 생각해보게 하는 책이었다. 이기는 것이 중요한 것이 아니라 정정당당하게 싸우는 것이 중요하다는 것은 어쩌면 사람을 살아가는 우리에게도 필요한 말일지도 모른다. 언제부턴가 나는 혹은 세상은 올바르게만 살면 손해 본다는 생각이 드니 말이다.
동시에 과거의 여자들에 대한 불평등에 대해서도 생각해 보았다. 여자들은 올림픽 경기에 참여하는 것뿐만 아니라 관람도 못하는 시대가 있었다니, 참 현재는 여성들의 자유가 많이 향상되었다는 생각이 들었다.
마지막으로 어쩌면 무겁거나 지루할 수 있는 이야기를 작가는 유쾌하게 풀어 내어 재미있게 읽을 수 있었다. 특히 달리기 선수들이 나체로 달렸다는 설정(? 혹은 사실)은 신기하기도 하고 재미있었다. 정말 이 작가의 시리즈는 추천할만 하다.
표현
If they try, they are executed… thrown off a cliff.
* are executed: 사형되다. 처형되다.
* thrown off a cliff 절벽으로 던져지며
* dare: 도전, 대듦
Dear Cypselis had a bet on a race. 내기를 걸었다.
My brother Cypselis ran in from school, bubbling like a soup pot. He was so happy he didn’t notice how miserable the family was.
* bubble 거품을 만들다.
We’ll have the standing long jump, quoit throwing and javelin!
* the standing long jump 제자리 멀리뛰기
* quoit throwing 쇠고랑 던지기
* javelin 투창
“I think I could win the foot race,” he babbled.
* babble = talk or say sth in a quick, confused, excited or silly way 어떤 것을 빠르게/정신없게/바보같이 말하다. 지껄였다.
Cypselis blinked. “An athlete needs cheese and milk.”
He wasn’t really thoughtless, just stupid.
* thoughtless: 경솔한, 자신의 말이나 행동이 어떤 사람을 언짢게 할 수 있다는 것을 생각하지 않는
“You deserve to be sacrificed like Pelops!” I raged. 화를 냈다. 마구 고함쳤다.
He said he will give me a goat if I can beat him. 만약 내가 그를 이기면
Chapter 2
When two men make a bargain, then it must be kept.
I got up and trotted down the hill ahead of Cypselis.
* trot = run 빠른 걸음으로 가다.
In the stadium, Bacchiad was sweating but pleased with himself.
*in the stadium 경기장에,
*be pleased with oneself 자신에 대해 스스로 만족감을 느끼다.
“You couldn’t even beat his sister,” I jeered.
*jeer 조롱하다, 놀리다. 비웃다.
The laughter died in Bacchiad’s throat. “Who are you to say that?”
* laughter 웃음소리
“When I win, you will work till you drop.” His eyes glittered darkly in his ugly face.
* drop 녹초가 되다. 지쳐서 주저 앉다.
* glittered darkly: 희미하게(사악하게) 번쩍였다.
“You’ll weed in the fields till dark and then…”
*weed 잡초를 뽑다.
“Then you be the starter, Telemachus. We’ll race the length of the stadium, turn at the pillar and run back.”
“Take your marks…” Telemachus began.
chapter 3
Bacchiad took a step to the side and caught me with his elbow, so he turned first and was five paces ahead of me before I recovered.
I was angry – he brought out the worst of my temper. I made my arms fly like a sparrow’s wings and pull me along. I caught up with him before we were halfway down the home stretch.
*sparrow 참새
* home stretch: 경주의 마지막 부분
He saw my shadow alongside him and swayed so he’d barge me aside.
그는 그와 나란히 있는 나의 그림자를 보았다.
*sway 흔들다.
*barge: 헤치고 나아가다. 부딪치다.
This time I was ready for him. I skipped to his left and passed him on the inside.
*skip 가볍게 뛰다, ~로 옮아가다. = move lightly and quickly
There were 30 paces left to run.
He was grunting with the effort.
Every pace took him further into the lead and he passed the finish line well ahead. He sank to the ground, shaking with the pain and forced a grin.
“You are quite good, girl. But your brother will have to be better to get near me.”
“I slow down. I could have beaten him by the length of a goat,” I said.
I wish there was a way out of it.
If I refuse to race, he’ll claim you as the prize anyway.
Tonight I will get Mother to take the shears to my hair and cut it as short as yours. No one will be able to tell us apart!
*tell sth apart ~를 구별하다.
Chapter 4
Their muscles were shiny and as hard as brass, and they strutted like cockerels to their seats by the finish line – the best seats.
* brass: 황동
* strut 뽐내며 걷다. 중요하게 보이기 위해 노력하며 자랑스러운 방식으로 걷다.
* cockerels 젊은 수탉들
I was dressed in Cypselis’s tunic and my short hair felt odd.
* tunic: 허리나 무릎까지 오는 사람의 신체에 느슨하게 맞는 한 벌의 옷
“Hello, Cypselis,” he sneered.
* sneer: 비웃다. 빈정거리다.
My twin brother wore a hood so no one would see the switch and walked with me into the arena.
* arena: 원형 경기장.
“Watch out for him at the turn – he’ll barge you out wide.”
* Watch out for~을 조심하다, 주의하다.
Anyway, I may be ahead of him at the pillar and he won’t be able to elbow me.
The head teacher, Master Sophos, marched onto the starters’ platform and clapped his hands. Everyone fell silent.
* fall silent 조용해 지다.
< The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part; the great thing is not winning but fighting well. Let us have no cheating, boys! > 올림픽 정신
Or the best girl, I smirked.
* smirk 다른 누군가는 모르는 것을 알아서 만족 / 기쁨을 표현하는 미소를 짓다.
The crowd cheered and the athletes began to sort themselves out into groups – the javelin throwers at one end of the track and the runners near the start.
*sort out sth: 문제나 상황을 성공적으로 처리하다.
The boys started to slip their tunics over their heads.
* slip 힘들이지 않고 끼우다. 급히 벗다,
“How could I know?” I hissed.
* hiss 조용하지만 화를 내며 말하다.
The Olympics are always run without clothes. Didn’t you know?
“I thought you knew. I thought you’d come up with a way round the problem.”
I tore Cypselis’s hood and tunic off him and quickly put the hood over my head. 뜯어내다. 잡아떼다
Then I hurried off to find a seat in the stands.
*hurry off 급히 떠나다.
Chapter 5
At the turn he was level with Big Bacchiad. The rest of the runners were already lengths behind.
* level: 같은 수준의, 동점인 = s1’s ability compared to other ppl
* length = distance
He stumbled and went round the turn with his arms whirling, trying to keep his balance.
* stumble 비틀거리다.
* went round the turn 그 모퉁이를 돌았다.
Every stride took him closer to Cypselis. Every step took Cypselis closer to the finishing line.
But his weary legs stumbled and Bacchiad pounded past him just before they reached the finish line.
* weary /위:어뤼/ = very tired 특히 긴 시간의 고된 일로 인해 매우 지친
* pound past him 쿵쾅거리며 그를 지나 나아가다.
A man in a rich cloak ran from the stands and wrapped his arms around the big boy.
* cloak /클로:ㅋ/ 망토
“There’s no harm in it!” the father huffed.
*huff: 공격적이거나 화나는 방식으로 말하다.
“Bacchiad has cheated. Bacchiad loses the race. I declare the winner to be Cypselis!”
The brother looked in wonder as the wreath was placed on his forehead. The crowd cheered till their throats were as sore as mine.
* wreath: 화관
Mother raised a glass of milk in a toast to us. “Remember, children, the great thing in life is not winning but eating well!”