The Bremen Town Musicians
브레멘 음악대
Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm (1785–1863, 1786–1859)
The Story
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A man had a donkey that had carried heavy sacks to the mill for many years.Now the donkey was old and weak, and the man did not want to feed him any longer.So the donkey ran away. “I will go to Bremen and become a town musician,” he said.
On the road he found a dog lying in the grass, panting as if he had run a long way.“I am too old to hunt now, and my master wanted to be rid of me,” the dog said.“Come to Bremen and make music with me,” said the donkey, and the dog got up and followed.
Soon they met a cat by the road with a face as sad as three rainy days.“My teeth are blunt now, and the people at home have no more use for me,” she said.“Come with us to Bremen,” said the donkey. “You were made for night music.”
They walked on and passed a farm, where a rooster was crowing with all his might.“Guests are coming tomorrow, and the cook wants me in the soup,” the rooster cried.“Come away to Bremen instead,” said the donkey. “A voice like yours is worth hearing.”
Bremen was still far off when night fell, so the rooster flew up a tree to look for shelter.He saw a light nearby: a house where a band of robbers sat at a table full of food and money.The donkey put his feet on the sill, the dog climbed on his back, the cat on the dog, and the rooster on top of them all.
At a sign they all began at once — braying, barking, meowing, and crowing — and crashed through the window.The robbers were sure a monster had come and ran into the wood, and the four friends sat down and ate their fill.Later one robber crept back in the dark, but the cat scratched him, the dog bit him, the donkey kicked him, and the rooster crowed from the roof — so the robbers never returned, and the four musicians liked the house so well that they never left for Bremen at all.
Full translationTry the story first — open this only to check your understanding.
어떤 사람에게 여러 해 동안 방앗간으로 무거운 자루를 나른 당나귀가 있었어요. 이제 당나귀는 늙고 힘이 없어졌고, 주인은 더 이상 먹여 주고 싶어 하지 않았어요. 그래서 당나귀는 달아났어요. "브레멘으로 가서 거리의 악사가 되어야지." 하고 말했어요.
길에서 당나귀는 개 한 마리가 풀밭에 누워, 먼 길을 달려온 것처럼 헐떡이고 있는 것을 보았어요. "난 이제 너무 늙어서 사냥을 못 해. 그래서 주인이 나를 없애 버리려고 했어." 개가 말했어요. "나와 함께 브레멘에 가서 음악을 하자." 당나귀가 말하자, 개는 일어나 뒤를 따랐어요.
얼마 안 가 둘은 사흘 내리 비 온 날처럼 슬픈 얼굴을 한 고양이를 길가에서 만났어요. "이제 내 이빨은 다 무뎌졌고, 집 사람들도 나를 더는 쓸데없어 해." 고양이가 말했어요. "우리와 함께 브레멘으로 가자." 당나귀가 말했어요. "넌 밤 음악에 딱 맞는 고양이야."
셋은 계속 걸어 어느 농장을 지났는데, 그곳에서 수탉 한 마리가 있는 힘껏 울고 있었어요. "내일 손님이 오는데, 요리사가 나를 국에 넣으려고 해." 수탉이 외쳤어요. "그러지 말고 브레멘으로 가자." 당나귀가 말했어요. "너처럼 좋은 목소리는 들을 만하지."
밤이 되었을 때도 브레멘은 아직 멀었고, 수탉은 쉴 곳을 찾으려고 나무 위로 날아올랐어요. 가까이에 불빛이 보였어요. 도둑 무리가 음식과 돈이 가득한 탁자에 둘러앉아 있는 집이었지요. 당나귀가 창턱에 앞발을 올리고, 개가 그 등에, 고양이가 개 위에, 수탉이 그 모두의 꼭대기에 올라섰어요.
신호에 맞춰 넷이 한꺼번에 시작했어요. 히힝, 멍멍, 야옹, 꼬끼오 울며 창문을 부수고 뛰어들었지요. 도둑들은 괴물이 나타났다고 굳게 믿으며 숲으로 달아났고, 네 친구는 자리에 앉아 배불리 먹었어요. 나중에 도둑 하나가 어둠 속에서 살금살금 돌아왔지만, 고양이는 할퀴고 개는 물고 당나귀는 걷어차고 수탉은 지붕에서 울어 댔어요. 그래서 도둑들은 두 번 다시 오지 않았고, 네 음악가는 그 집이 무척 마음에 들어 끝내 브레멘으로는 가지 않았답니다.
Original text
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You just read an easy retelling. Here is the same passage exactly as the author wrote it — unabridged, split into short readings.
The complete story · 1,361 words · 3 short readings
Read the originalComprehension Check
1. Why did the donkey leave home?
2. What did the dog, the cat, and the rooster have in common?
3. How did the four animals get the house?
Vocabulary
adjective
weak
약한, 힘없는
Now the donkey was old and weak.
이제 당나귀는 늙고 힘이 없었어요.
Your Summary
In 1–2 sentences, explain why the four animals left their homes, and how they ended up living in the robbers' house.
Source: Adapted from the Brothers Grimm tale "The Bremen Town Musicians" ("Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten," added to Grimms' collection in 1819; long in the public domain, Project Gutenberg #2591). This simplified retelling and its Korean translation are original text written for SeoJae Story.
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