아름다운 노래를 부르는 백조
백조는 세상에서 가장 아름다운 노래를 부를 수 있습니다. 하지만 그 노랫소리를 들어본 사람은 거의 없다고 합니다. 왜냐하면 백조는 죽을 때가 되어서야 비로소 자신의 운명을 아름다운 노래로 부리기 때문입니다.
옛날에 새의 노랫소리를 무척 좋아하는 사람이 있었습니다. 그 사람은 온갖 종류의 새들을 기르고 있었지요. 그 사람은 손님들을 초대해서 새들의 노래소리를 들려주는 것을 커다란 즐거움으로 생각했지요.
어느 날 그 사람은 시장에서 백조를 파는 상인을 만났습니다.
"백조는 정말 아름다운 노래를 부릅니다."
"정말입니까?"
"그럼요, 다른 어떤 새보다도 감동적인 노래를 부를 수 있지요."
상인의 말을 듣고 그 사람은 비싼 값을 주고서 백조를 한 마리 샀습니다. 그 사람은 백조의 노래를 듣고 싶었습니다. 그리고 그것을 자랑하기 위해 마찬을 준비하고 손님들을 초대했습니다. 분위기가 한층 무르익었을 때, 주인은 의기양양 하게 백조를 향해 노래를 부르라고 명령을 내렸지요.
그러나 백조는 입을 꼭 다문 채, 노래할 생각을 하지 않았습니다. 주인이 다시 명령했지만 백조는 계속 입을 다물고 있었지요. 화가 난 주인이 소리를 질렀지만 아무런 소용이 없었습니다. 화가 머리 끝까지 난 주인은 하인들에게 아무짝에도 쓸모없는 백조를 죽여버리라고 했지요.
얼마 후에 자신의 죽음을 예감한 백조는 슬프디슬픈 노래를 부르기 시작했습니다. 그것은 과연 지금까지 한 번도 들어보지 못한 아름다운 노래였습니다. 이 노래를 들은 백조의 주인은 이렇게 말했습니다.
"너는 죽을 때가 되어야만 노래를 부르는 새였구나. 그런데 아무것도 모르고 노래를 부르라고 시킨 내가 바보였어. 차라리 그때 널 죽일 준비를 했더라면 노래를 불렀을 텐데."
사람들은 하고 싶지 않은 일도 때로는 강요에 의해서 억지로 하곤 합니다. 하지만 이 세상에는 진정으로 마음 속에서 우러 나와야만 할 수 있는일도 있습니다. 그런 일은 어느 누구의 강요에 의해서 되는 것이 아닙니다. 사람의 감정을 표현하는 음악도 바로 그런 일들 중의 하나입니다.
1. 죽음을 앞두 고 마지막 노래를 부른 백조에 대해 생각해 보세요. 이 백조는 주인의 강요에 의해서 노래를 부른 것일까요? 아니면 자기 스스로 원해서 노래를 부른 것일까요?
2. 백조에게 노래를 강요한 주인의 태도에 대해서 어떻게 생각합니까? 그리고 주인의 잘못은 무엇일까요?
3. '거위로 오해받는 백조'의 우화에서는 노래 때문에 목숨을 건진 백조의 이야기가 나옵니다. 그런데 우화에서는 백조의 노래가 어떤 결과를 가져왔나요? 두 이야기를 비교해 보세요.
The swan can sing the most beautiful song in the world. However, few people have heard its music. This is because the swan only sings its beautiful song of fate when it is about to die.
Once upon a time, a person loved the song of birds very much. This person raised all kinds of birds. The person considered it a great pleasure to invite guests and let them listen to the birds' songs.
One day, this person met a merchant selling swans in the market.
“The swan sings a lovely song.”
“Really?”
“Yes, it can sing a more touching song than any other bird.”
Hearing the merchant’s words, the person bought a swan for a high price. The person wanted to listen to the swan's song, so he prepared a feast for guests to show it off. The owner proudly ordered the swan to sing when the atmosphere was ripe.
However, the swan kept its mouth shut and had no intention of singing. The owner commanded again, but the swan kept its mouth shut. The angry owner yelled, but it was of no use. The owner, whose anger had reached the top of his head, told the servants to kill the useless swan.
After a while, the swan began to sing a sad song, sensing its death. It was indeed a beautiful song that had never been heard before. Hearing this song, the owner of the swan said,
“You are a bird that only sings when it is about to die. But I was a fool who ordered you to sing without knowing anything. If I had prepared to kill you then, you would have sung.”
People often do things they don’t want to do because of coercion. However, things can only be done when they come from the heart. Anyone’s coercion does not do such things. Music that expresses human emotions is one of those things.
- Think about the swan that sang its last song in the face of death. Did this swan sing because of the owner’s coercion? Or did it sing because it wanted to?
- What do you think about the attitude of the owner who forced the swan to sing? And what was the owner’s mistake?
- In the fable ‘The Swan Mistaken for a Goose,’ the story of the swan who saved its life because of a song is told. But what result did the swan’s song bring in the fable? Compare the two stories.
Paw Patrol story
In Adventure Bay, there lived a man named Farmer Yumi who loved bird songs very much. Farmer Yumi raised all kinds of birds and considered it a great pleasure to invite guests and let them listen to the birds’ songs.
One day, Farmer Yumi met a merchant selling swans in the market.
“The swan sings a lovely song.”
“Really?”
“Yes, it can sing a more touching song than any other bird.”
Hearing the merchant’s words, Farmer Yumi bought a swan for a high price. Farmer Yumi wanted to listen to the song of the swan. And to show it off, she prepared a feast for guests. Farmer Yumi proudly ordered the swan to sing when the atmosphere was ripe.
However, the swan kept its mouth shut and had no intention of singing. Farmer Yumi commanded again, but the swan kept its mouth shut. The angry Farmer Yumi yelled, but it was of no use. Farmer Yumi, whose anger had reached the top of her head, told the Paw Patrol to take the useless swan away.
After a while, the swan began to sing a sad song, sensing its end. It was indeed a beautiful song that had never been heard before. Hearing this song, Farmer Yumi said,
“You are a bird that only sings when it is about to leave. But I was a fool who ordered you to sing without knowing anything. You would have sung if I had prepared to let you go then.”
People often do things they don’t want to do because of coercion. However, things can only be done when they come from the heart. Anyone’s coercion does not do such things. Music that expresses emotions is one of those things.
Think about the swan that sang its last song in the face of leaving. Did this swan sing because of Farmer Yumi’s coercion? Or did it sing because it wanted to? What do you think about the attitude of Farmer Yumi, who forced the swan to sing? And what was Farmer Yumi’s mistake? In the fable ‘The Swan Mistaken for a Goose,’ the story of the swan who saved its life because of a song is told. But what result did the swan’s song bring in the fable? Compare the two stories.
And that’s how the Paw Patrol learned about the importance of each creature’s unique abilities and the power of a beautiful song.