[영어 원서 정복] 이솝우화(Aesop's Fables) - 001. Demades and the Athenians

출처: Luara Gibbs trans., Aesop’s Fables, Oxford Univ Pr., 2008.

Fable 1

Demades and the Athenians

The orator Demades was trying to address his Athenian audience. When he failed to get their attention, he asked if he might tell them an Aesop’s fable. The audience agreed, so Demades began his story. ‘The goddess Demeter, a swallow, and an eel were walking together down the road. When they reached a river, the swallow flew up in the air and the eel jumped into the water.’ Demades then fell silent. The audience asked, ‘And what about the goddess Demeter?’ ‘As for Demeter,’ Demades replied, ‘she is angry at all of you for preferring Aesop’s fables to politics!’

So it is that foolish people disregard important business in favour of frivolities.

[NOTE]

Demades (d. 319 BCE) was an Athenian orator and diplomat. Demeter was a Greek agricultural goddess and was of special importance to the Athenians because of the cult of the Eleusinian Mysteries (see Fable 559).

[어휘 풀이]

orator: 연설가, 웅변가

Demades: 데마데스(고대 그리스의 웅변가, 외교관)

Athenian: 아테네의, 아테네 사람

Demeter: 데메테르(곡물, 수확, 대지의 여신)

swallow: 제비

eel: 장어, 뱀장어

fall silent: 입을 다물어 버리다

as for ...: ...에 대해서 말하자면

be angry at ...: ...에 대하여 화내다

prefer A to B: A를 B보다 더 선호하다

in favour of ...: ...에 찬성[지지]하여, ...에 우호적인, ...을 위하여

frivolity: 바보 같은 짓, 까부는 짓

(frivolous: 경솔한, 바보 같은, 까부는, 시시한, 하찮은)

diplomat: 외교관

agricultural: 농업의

cult: (종교) 제례[의식], 추종[숭배]

Eleusinian Mysteries: 엘레우시스 제전