IhavebeenregularlygoingtoalocaldinerforbreakfastonSundaymorningforthelastacoupleofyears.

There,Ijoinwithafewfriendswhoareinthesameagewithme.Wesharetowngossipsandtalkabout

localandnationalpolitics.Asweareretiredpeople.wegetconcernedwiththedecliningstockprices.

WealsolaughatthechildishpoliticalpartyoftheRepublicancongressmen.Weshoutattwoofuswho

aremembersofRepublicanparty.WealsocriticizeObama’sunfocusedeconomicpolicy.

[지난수년간일요일마다근처식당에가서아침식사를한다.몇명의나와동갑인친구들이모여서동네의소문

도나누고,지방및국가정치에대해서얘기하기도한다,우리는모두은퇴를한사람들이니,요즘은증권가격

의급작스런하향과공화당국회의원들의어린아이들같은정치장난을비웃으며공화당을지지하는친구들을

쏘아붙이기도한다.오바마의초점잃은경제정책에대해서도목소리를높혀가며서로들얘기를나눈다.]

InAugustlastyear,InoticedanoldmanwhoIhadnotseenbefore.HebegantocomethereeverySunday

morningwhenIwasthere.Hecametherewithasmallharmonicainhishand.Heplayeditatacornerof

therestaurantregardlessofotherbreakfasteaters.Inthebeginning,peopleshowedsomeinterestin

listeningtohismusicalthoughmostofthepeopledidnotknowwhatthemusicwasthathewasplaying.

[지난해8월어느날처음보는노인한분이눈에띄었다.그이후내가가는일요일아침마다그분을보게되었다.

그는볼때마다작은하모니카하나를손에쥐고있었다.그는다른손님의시선은개의치않고식당한구석에서

하모니카를불기시작한다.무슨곡조인가좀관심을갖는사람들도있었지만대부분은그분이연주하는곡을

모르는것같았다.]

Asweekswentby,somejustlistenedtothemelodicsoundshewasmaking.Someothersbegantoignore

himastheythoughthewasacrazyoldmanwhomighthavebeendevelopingAlzheimer’sdisease.They

listenedtothemusicforhissakeinsympathy,withreluctance.Iheardamiddleagedmanbehindme

whisperinginhisfemalecompanion’sear,“Iamgladheplaysonlyoneortwosongs.”

[이렇게몇주가지나자그분의하모니카에잠자코귀기울이는사람들이있는가하면노인네가노망이들었나보다

하고무시해버리는사람들도있었다.어떤손님들은노인네가참안됐네하는동정심으로마지못해서듣고있기

도했다.내뒷자리에앉은중년쯤된남자가동석한여인보고"그노인네한두곡만불어대니그래도다행이군."

하고속삭여말한다.]

InoticedthatheorderedscrambledeggswithwhitetoasteverySundaymorning.Iexpectedthathewould

orderdifferentbreakfastonthemenunextweek.Hekeptorderingjustscrambledeggsandwhitetoastwith

noexceptionseverySunday.

[노인께서는언제나흰토스트에계란스크램블을주문하곤했다.다음번에는다른것을시키겠거니싶었으나,

그러나매주일요일마다어김없이꼭같은음식을시킨다.]

Onemorning,Iwalkeduptohimandaskedifhewouldliketoplayharmonicawithme.HeaskedmeifI

knewhowtoplay.Itoldhim,“Yes.”Heseemedtobeunconvinced,however.Tryingtohidesomedegree

ofdoubtaboutmyproposal,hesaidinhesitation,“Whynot”.

[그러던어느날아침,나는그노인에게다가가서같이하모니카합주를한번해보지않으시겠느냐고암시를

주었다.노인은내가하모니카를불줄아느냐고되물어왔다.그래서불줄안다고답했다.그는나의대답에,

조금못믿어하는표정을지었다.이친구가제대로불줄아는가하는의심을눈초리를보이더니그러면한번

해보자고했다.]

ButIhadtoconvincehimfurtherwithsomeknowledgeofharmonicaplay.ItoldhimthatIhadplayed

harmonicaforsixyearsinmyteenageyears.Hereplied,“Youstilllooklikeateenagertome.”Ialsotold

himIhadtwoharmonicas,bothwithtwenty-fourholes.ItoldhimIwouldgivehimone.Hesaid,“ItisO.K.”

Hecontinuedtosaythathelikedtheonethathehadthebestbecauseithadsomespecialmeaningsto

itthatotherpeopledonotknow,evenhischildren.Ibecamecuriousaboutit.ButIrefrainedmyselfbecause

Ifeltitwouldinvadehisprivacy.Hidingmycuriosity,Itriedtoconvincehimthatheshouldtakemyharmonica

toplaymusictogetherbecauseheneededtohaveabiggeronewithmoreoctavestoplaywiderrangesof

melodyandrhythm.Butheinsistedthathewantedtoplaywithhissmallharmonicaofoneoctave.

[그렇지만나는그에게더욱확신을주기위하여나도하모니카다루어본경험이제법있다고재삼말해주었다.

그러면서소싯적에6년여동안하모니카를불었다고말했다."내눈에자네는아직십대소년같아보이는구료."

라고하고맛장구를처주었다.나는24구짜리하모니카두개가있으니하나를주겠다고말했다.그는괜찮다고

하면서자기의것이제일마음에들며,자식들도모르는특별한의미가있는하모니카라고대답했다.나는궁금했다.

하지만사생활을캐묻는게아닌가싶어더이상묻지않았다.그리고는같이합주를하려면그분의하모니카보다

큰게있어야곡조를제대로맞출수있다고,따라서제것을쓰시라고권했다.그러나그노인은한옥타부밖에없는

자기하모니카로불겠다고고집했다.]

Iaskedhimifhehasaspecialsongtoplay.Hesaidwithnohesitation,“Yeah,‘YouareMYSunshine’.”

Heasked“Didyouknowthesong?”Isaid,“Yes.”Ifeltfurtherneedtoconvincehim.Isangthesongina

whisperinglowvoiceclosetohisears,“Youaremysunshine,myonlysunshine……Youneverknowdear

howmuchIloveyou.Pleasedon‘ttakemysunshineaway.”Weplayedthesonginonemorningafew

weekslater,howevercacophonousitmighthavebeen.

[원하시는곡조가있냐고물었다."그렇소.""당신은나의태양(햇빛)"이라고바로말했다."너도아는곡이요?"라고

하시길래그렇다고대답했다.그래도좀미심쩍은듯싶었다.그래서그노인의귀에다대고낮은목소리로속삭이

듯이노래를몇소절불러주었다.“당신은나의햇빛이요,나의하나밖에없는햋빛이요,…..당신은내가당신을

얼마나사랑하고있는가를알지못할겄입니다.나를놓고떠나지마세요.”몇주가흐른다음결국그와나는그

노래를합주하였다.조금은음율이서로헝크러지기는했어도…..]

Hewasashortandheavy-setman.Hehadbigandthickhandswithimpressivelycalcifiedwrinkles,which

engulfedhisharmonicasodeeponhispalmthatpeoplecouldhardlyseeit.Peoplejustheardthesounds

comingoutthroughtheslightcrevicesofhisthickfingers.Hehadonlyafewunkemptgrayhairsleftonhis

head.Onecouldcountthemonebyone,whichlookedlikeasifsomebodyhadimplantedthemverysparsely

inarandomorder.

[그는키가작고땅땅한노인이다.크고두꺼운손은놀랄만큼딱딱하게굳은주름이잡힌데다조그마한하모니카를

잡으면손에파묻혀보이지도않을정도였다.그래서그분이불면굵은손가락마디사이로소리만들리게마련이다.

거의대머리라희게센머리카락도얼마없고.머리숱이얼마없어하나씩세면셀수있을정도인데,마치누가여기

저기머리를듬성듬성심어놓은것처럼보인다.]

Whenweplayedthemusic,YouareMYSunshine’,Ismeltheavysweatinhisunwashedjacketwithshining

sleeveedges.Onecouldeasilyreadthathehadahardlifewhichseemedtohavebeenimprintedinmany

wrinklesonhisfacemoresothanjustagealonecoulddo.Hehadbendedshouldersasifhewerecarrying

theheavyweightofhisage.Whenhelaughed,heshowedhisbrownishteeththathavebeenstainedfromhis

tobaccochewing.Webecamefriends.
[가까이서함께하모니카합주를하다보니그의소매에닳아서반들반들해있었고,빨래를한지오래된노인의자켓

에서는땀냄새가심하게난다.나이보다훨씬더들어보이는얼굴의주름살을보니노인께서는참고달픈인생을꾸

려왔구나하는생각이든다.어깨는굽어서세월이가져다준무게를짊어진모습이고.웃을때보이는치아는담배를

씹어서누렇게변색되어있었지만.우리는어느새친한친구사이가되었다.]

ItwasoneSundaymorninginthelastNovember.Itwasachillymorning.Frostlayontheground.Iwentto

thediner.Healsocameafewminuteslater.Inoticedhiswettrouserbottoms.Iaskedhimifhehadtakena

walkonagrassfieldinthemorning.Hesaid,“Yes,IvisitmywifeineverySundaymorning.Mywifedieda

yearago.SheisburiedinthemarbleorchardofRollingGreenCemetery.”Hecontinuedtogivememore

informationabouthislife.Hehadbeenmarriedforsixtysomeyearstoher.Sheusedtomakehimscrambled

eggswithwhitetoast.Heusedtosingthe“YouareMYSunshine’”withherwhenhewasdatingher.

[지난해11월어느일요일아침이었다.날씨는싸늘하였고.땅에는서리가깔려있었다.나는여느때처럼그식당을

찾았다.그분도조금후에들어왔다.노인의바지끝단이젖어있다.풀밭으로아침산보를갔다왔는냐고물어보았다.

그는그렇다고대답하면서,“매주일요일아침이면아내곁에갔다온다오..일년전에세상을떳구려.롤링그린묘지

에묻었지."그러면서그분은살아온인생을회고하듯이무거운표정을짓고있었다.떠나보낸아내와는육십여년을

해로했노라면서아내가살아생전에흰토스트와계란스크램블을자주해주었다고말했다.두분이사귀면서

‘YouareMYSunshine’를같이부르던추억과함께….]