젊어지는 샘물
The Spring of Youth
Traditional Korean folktale (젊어지는 샘물, anonymous, oral tradition)
The Story
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옛날 어느 산골에 마음씨 착한 할아버지와 할머니가 살았어요.두 사람은 자식이 없었지만 서로 아끼며 사이좋게 지냈어요.할아버지는 매일 산에서 나무를 해서 장에 내다 팔았어요.
어느 더운 날, 할아버지는 나무를 하다가 목이 너무 말랐어요.그때 파랑새 한 마리가 날아와 할아버지를 숲속으로 이끌었어요.파랑새를 따라가 보니 맑은 샘물이 퐁퐁 솟아나고 있었어요.
할아버지는 샘물을 두 손으로 떠서 시원하게 마셨어요.그런데 갑자기 몸이 가벼워지고, 하얀 머리가 까맣게 변했어요.물에 비친 얼굴을 보니 할아버지는 늠름한 젊은이가 되어 있었어요.
집에 돌아오자 할머니는 낯선 젊은이를 보고 깜짝 놀랐어요. “누구세요?”할아버지에게 샘물 이야기를 들은 할머니도 다음 날 샘에 가서 물을 마셨어요.할머니도 고운 젊은 색시가 되었고, 두 사람은 정말 기뻐했어요.
이웃에 사는 욕심쟁이 할아버지가 이 소식을 들었어요.“나는 더 많이 마셔서 훨씬 더 젊어져야지!”욕심쟁이 할아버지는 샘으로 달려가 물을 벌컥벌컥 끝도 없이 마셨어요.
밤이 되어도 이웃이 돌아오지 않자, 착한 부부는 샘으로 찾아가 보았어요.샘가에서는 커다란 옷 속에서 갓난아기 하나가 “응애응애” 울고 있었어요.착한 부부는 그 아기를 집으로 데려와 자기 자식처럼 정성껏 키웠답니다.
Full translationTry the story first — open this only to check your understanding.
Long ago, in a mountain village, there lived a kind-hearted old man and old woman. They had no children, but they cared for each other and lived happily together. Every day the old man cut wood on the mountain and took it to market to sell.
One hot day, while cutting wood, the old man grew terribly thirsty. Just then, a bluebird flew down and led the old man into the forest. Following the bluebird, he found a clear spring bubbling up out of the ground.
The old man scooped up the spring water in both hands and drank it, cool and refreshing. Suddenly his body felt light, and his white hair turned black. When he looked at his face reflected in the water, he saw he had become a strong young man.
When he came home, the old woman was startled to see a young stranger. "Who are you?" After hearing about the spring, the old woman went there the next day and drank the water too. She became a lovely young woman, and the two of them were overjoyed.
A greedy old man who lived next door heard the news. "I'll drink even more, and become much younger still!" The greedy old man ran to the spring and gulped down the water without stopping.
When night came and the neighbour still hadn't returned, the kind couple went to the spring to look for him. By the spring, a newborn baby was crying "waah, waah" inside a pile of oversized clothes. The kind couple took the baby home and lovingly raised it as their own child.
Comprehension Check
1. How did the old man find the spring?
2. What happened to the old man after he drank the spring water?
3. Why did the greedy old man turn into a baby?
Vocabulary
noun
샘물
saemmul
spring water
맑은 샘물이 솟아나고 있었어요.
Clear spring water was bubbling up.
Your Summary
In 1–2 sentences, say what happened to the kind old couple at the spring, and why the greedy neighbour became a baby.
Source: Based on 젊어지는 샘물 (Jeolmeojineun Saemmul), an anonymous traditional Korean folktale about a spring that turns back the years, passed down orally and long in the public domain. This simplified retelling and its English translation are original text written for SeoJae Story.
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