Sample Translations
Deok Kyu Choi Pinocchio’s Village E ng l i s h
Book Information
Pinocchio’s Village (피노키오 마을) 9 p. For further information, please visit: http://library.klti.or.kr/node/772
This sample translation was produced with support from LTI Korea. Please contact the LTI Korea Library for further information. library@klti.or.kr
Pinocchio’s Village Written and Illustrated by Choi, Deok Kyu
Pinocchio lived in a small village. The villagers were so nice and gentle to each other that they did not need any rules or laws to regulate the relationship among them. “I look strange, but I am a real person!” Pinocchio was a doll made out of wood, whose nose grew longer and longer whenever he lied. (Hurray!) One day, Geppetto had gone to the town market and found a log on the street. He took it home with him and made Pinocchio out of it. Geppetto promised Pinochio, “Be a good boy, then I will make you into a real person.” (Yippie!) Pinocchio sang and danced like a real person. But he did not like his hard skin. He did not like his nose getting longer. So he longed to be a real person. After that, Pinocchio did many nice things. “Here comes Pinocchio! Look at the wooden doll Pinocchio!” The children made fun of Pinocchio, who came to draw water from the well. “Here comes the hobbler! Look at the hobbler!” Now the children ran toward the girl who walked with a limp. Just as they made fun of Pinocchio, they made fun of her, too. “Guys, don’t say that to her!” Pinocchio shouted at the children and tried to make them stop. “Have you fallen in love with her, Pinocchio? Hee-hee-hee,” the children made fun of them all the more.
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Embarrassed, Pinocchio denied it, “No, I did not!” Then, his nose got longer. Pinocchio was busy. He cleaned the house and prepared meals for Geppetto. He chopped wood and milked the cow and cleaned up the barn. The mischievous village boys snuck up on the barn where Pinocchio was working. (Oink Oink Oink Oink Oink) The boys hit the pig with slingshots; The pig got upset and ran out of the pen. The duck and the rooster, and the dog and the goat ran out of the barn and followed the pig. Pinocchio ran after the animals. (Squeak!) (Cook-a-doodle-doo!) (Moo-) After the fuss, all the villagers gathered around the well. “This is terrible. The well is the water for the entire village. We are worried that an epidemic may break out.” People said that, a long time ago, an epidemic had broken out in the village. The villagers who drank water from the well died. That was why people were worried about the contamination of the well. Geppetto, who always considered the health and prosperity of the village the same as he considered his own, and just as if he had been waiting for this moment, took a step forward and said, “Villagers! This is a matter of life and death for our village. We cannot be too careful in taking care of the well. Here are some suggestions of mine.” First, we can hire someone who will professionally take care of the well. “It will cost a lot.”
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“The current taxes are heavy enough, will we have to pay more taxes?” Second, we can make a cover for the well and lock it, and use the well only at a certain time of the day. “Then, we cannot draw water whenever we want, can we?” “That’s too inconvenient.” Third, we can take turns in cleaning the well. “I have so much to do already.” “Yes, I don’t like cleaning my own house let alone the village well.” Fourth, well, we can use the well without taking care of it just as we always have. Even if our beloved family members are dying of diseases, we won’t care. “. . .” Or fifth. This is the last suggestion. Someone takes the initiative for the entire village. Geppetto pointed his finger toward Pinocchio and said, “All of you know that Pinocchio wants to become a real person, don’t you? And you also know that he can become one when he has done many nice things. What about giving him a chance to become a real person by letting him take care of the well?” (Wow) “Good idea! I know Pinocchio is really a good boy, no, a good wooden doll.” “Go, go!” “Way to go, Pinocchio!” “I hope you can do many good things quickly, that you become a real boy soon.” From the very next day, Pinocchio began to take care of the well. Taking care of the well was not as easy as he had expected. When it rained, he covered the mouth of the well, When it snowed, he cleared and made a path for people to come and go to the well.
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Once a drunken man tried to relieve himself into the water and Pinocchio stopped him just in time. Sometimes people dropped their hats into the well and Pinocchio pulled them back out. “Thank you, Pinocchio.” “It’s my pleasure. I can carry buckets of water for you anytime.” Once Pinocchio carried buckets for Amelia who lived up on the hilltop. The other villagers came to know about it, and it became gossip among them. Then they started complaining that they also needed help. “My house is on the hilltop, higher up than Amelia’s!” “He didn’t give me a hand. I am too old, my legs are too frail to carry the buckets of water all the way home.” “The wooden doll doesn’t have a crush on Amelia, does he?” “He wasn’t fair in helping people.” People muttered behind him. Pinocchio did not know what to do. Finally he said, “I will draw water and carry the buckets for all of you.” The villagers were pleased with that. “Pinocchio, surely you are good! His body felt heavier, but his heart felt lighter. Soon, however, the villagers began complaining again. “Why should I be the last one to receive water? I would like to drink fresh morning water.” He had only one body, so he could not help it, could he? It was strange. Before Pinocchio started taking care of the well, no one complained to him, but now the more
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work he did, the more complaints they piled on him. One day, the girl with a limp appeared at the well. She came near Pinocchio who was cleaning around the well. “Do you really believe that you will become a real person if you do many nice things?” Her words provoked him, “You don’t know what you are saying. Look at me. I can be changed into a real person, I am sure!” The girl retorted, “Then why are you still a wooden doll?” She continued, “Let me tell you the truth. It is one of two reasons: either because you are not good or because Geppetto lied to you!” Pinnochio started to protest, “No, that’s not true. It’s because I’m not good enough yet to become. . .” Since he had started cleaning the well, Pinocchio’s body had been growing rotten. Because he believed Geppetto, however, he worked hard, dreaming of the day when he would become a real person. “You’ll change into a real person! Yep!” (Pop!) “Now I am a real person!” (I am ashamed.) One day, Sandro lost his wedding ring. People looked slyly at Pinocchio who delivered water door to door. (You’re lying!) (You stole it!) (You are the only one who was able to go in and out of each and every house freely!) (You little wooden doll!)
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(You did it on purpose, didn’t you?) (He ought to be taken in hand! Let’s beat him!) The villagers were so upset that they began right then and there to throw stones at Pinocchio. Pinnochio started running. He fell down and found himself in front of the girl with a limp. (Clunk!) (Clunk!) (Clunk!) There was no time for the girl to stop them. In no time, the villagers arrived and started wildly kicking Pinocchio. Shortly later, the real “thief” became known. The truth was that Sandro’s little baby swallowed the ring and was choked by it; they barely managed to get it out of the baby’s throat. The villagers felt embarrassed and they started leaving one by one, without saying a word. Above the hilltop, the clouds were scattering. Down the cheeks of the girl, tears were streaming. The wind was passing by, tickling the grass of the field. The grass was whiffling, greeting the mischievous wind. The girl said that she wanted to wander around like the wind. She asked Pinocchio, “Pinocchio, do you still want to be a real person?” “. . . . . . .” “The villagers know that you can’t become a person,” said the girl. “It’s not true,” said Pinocchio. “Geppetto is just using of you,” said she. “No, that’s not true. You are lying!” Pinocchio angrily responded. “They were not grateful to you. Do you know why?” she continued, “It is because Geppetto received payment from them in return for your services.”
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The darkness came down upon the village. From the woods up to the bleak sky came the bats. From the chimney of Geppetto’s lonely house went up smoke. Inside the house, Pinocchio and Geppetto were having dinner. Pinocchio broke the silence and asked, “Were you deceiving me?” “What are you talking about?” Geppetto said to Pinocchio. Pinocchio said, “Is it true that you were receiving money from the villagers for the work I did at the well?” “Huh huh huh. You are doing hard work for the lazy villagers. It is just a little something,” said Geppetto. Pinocchio expressed his frustration with Geppetto, “When are you going to change me? I want to become a person, a real person!” “You little thing! I cannot help it! Didn’t I say that you needed to do a lot of good work?” Geppetto retorted. “How much work is enough? Until my body rots away to nothing?” Pinocchio’s voice got louder and louder. “You are not capable of changing me into a person, are you? You liar!” “Uh hu. The little log does not want to become a person, do you?” Geppetto’s face also hardened into an expression of anger, “You brat! You used to be a mere log that was rolling on the market street! I will put you on the fire!” Geppetto lost his temper to the extent that he raised up a mallet. Then he smashed it down toward the frightened Pinocchio who was stepping backward. (Aargh!) Through the windows of the lonely house on the hillside escaped a scream, breaking the silence of the night sky.
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Pinocchio’s resentment of how Geppetto could not turn him into a person led to this tragedy. Next morning, people did not see Geppetto, who had always wandered around the village to look for things to take care of. They could not see, of course, Pinocchio cleaning the well, either. Water was not delivered and the villagers felt uncomfortable. One by one they gathered and went to Geppetto’s house together. “Pinocchio, we know that you are in there! Come out immediately!” (Kwang Kwang!) Inside the house, they could see neither Geppetto nor Pinocchio. The walls and furniture were splashed with blood. Anyone would know that something serious had happened there. There were Geppetto’s glasses, broken and crushed on the floor. Someone picked up Geppetto’s shoe from the floor and said, “It seems that he didn’t walk out of here himself,” “I can’t believe. . . Pinocchio should not have. . .,” someone else murmured. “There is no way that Pinocchio bled!” someone else added sharply. There were clear traces that someone had dragged a corpse. The villagers conjectured that Pinocchio had killed Geppetto and then run away. The villagers went around and searched for Geppetto’s body and for Pinocchio even going into the woods. In a while, they caught Pinocchio who was hiding in a cave in the woods. (Such an ungrateful rascal should be put right onto the fire!) (Put him to death!) At that moment, the girl with a limp pushed her way through the angry people and came forward. She entreated people,
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“All of you have drunk the water that Pinocchio drew and carried to your house, haven’t you? Please, have pity on him. You know his nose grows longer if he lies. Why don’t you ask him, just one time, whether or not he really did it?” The girl was sobbing. The villagers were shouting in total confusion. Finally, Sandro’s confident voice rose above the confusion, “Last night you got angry and killed Geppetto, didn’t you?” (Let’s see how much longer his nose will get!) (Say something! Say anything!) (Answer quickly!) Pinocchio was silent. When he finally spoke, he was wearing a mysterious smile, “I did not kill him.” All eyes were watching Pinocchio’s nose. However, it did not grow any longer. (It’s strange.) (What happened? Why didn’t it grow longer?) (What’s wrong with him?) The villagers were at a loss and stood around blankly. (Limp limp) (Limp limp) (Limp limp) Not long after Pinocchio and the girl with a limp disappeared from the village, Geppetto’s body floated to the top of the water in the well. The village where Pinocchio used to live recovered the peace of its former days. Now there is a tall tree planted, where the well used to be.
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