A Tale of Two Cities — Page 1

English → Japanese CHAPTER I. Level 8/10

The Period

時代

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way--in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

それは最良の時代であり、最悪の時代であり、知恵の世紀であり、愚かさの世紀であり、信仰の時代であり、不信の時代であり、光の季節であり、闇の季節であり、希望の春であり、絶望の冬であった。私たちの前にはすべてがあり、私たちの前には何もなく、私たちは皆まっすぐ天国へ向かっており、私たちは皆まっすぐ逆の方向へ向かっていた――要するに、その時代は現代とあまりにも似ていたため、最も声高な権威者たちの一部は、良きにつけ悪しきにつけ、その時代を比較の最上級においてのみ受け取るよう主張したのである。

There were a king with a large jaw and a queen with a plain face, on the throne of England; there were a king with a large jaw and a queen with a fair face, on the throne of France.

イングランドの王座には大きな顎を持つ王と平凡な顔立ちの王妃がおり、フランスの王座には大きな顎を持つ王と美しい顔立ちの王妃がいた。

In both countries it was clearer than crystal to the lords of the State preserves of loaves and fishes, that things in general were settled for ever.

両国において、パンと魚の国家的利権を握る支配者たちには、物事が全般的に永遠に定まっているということが水晶よりも明らかであった。

It was the year of Our Lord one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five.

それは主の年、千七百七十五年のことであった。

Spiritual revelations were conceded to England at that favoured period, as at this.

霊的な啓示は、現代と同様に、その恵まれた時代においてもイングランドに与えられていた。

Mrs. Southcott had recently attained her five-and-twentieth blessed birthday, of whom a prophetic private in the Life Guards had heralded the sublime appearance by announcing that arrangements were made for the swallowing up of London and Westminster.

サウスコット夫人はつい最近、二十五歳の祝福された誕生日を迎えたばかりであり、近衛騎兵隊のある予言的な一兵士が、ロンドンとウェストミンスターを飲み込む手はずが整ったと告知することによって、彼女の崇高な出現を予告していた。

Vocabulary

時代: jidai — Era, age, or period in history
それ: sore — That; refers to something near the listener
は: wa — Topic-marking particle indicating the subject
最良: sairyō — The best; most excellent of all options
の: no — Possessive or linking particle connecting nouns
で: de — Particle indicating location, means, or context
あり: ari — Formal conjunctive form of 'to be'
最悪: saiaku — The worst; most terrible situation or thing
知恵: chie — Wisdom, knowledge, or clever insight
世紀: seiki — Century; a period of one hundred years
愚か: oroka — Foolish, stupid, or lacking good judgment
さ: sa — Nominalizing suffix turning adjective into noun
信仰: shinkō — Faith, belief, or religious devotion
不信: fushin — Distrust, disbelief, or lack of faith
光: hikari — Light; brightness or radiance
季節: kisetsu — Season; one of the four yearly periods
闇: yami — Darkness, the dark, or obscurity
希望: kibō — Hope, wish, or optimistic expectation
春: haru — Spring; the season after winter
絶望: zetsubō — Despair, hopelessness, or complete loss of hope
冬: fuyu — Winter; the coldest season of the year
あっ: a — Exclamation expressing sudden realization or surprise
た: ta — Past tense auxiliary verb suffix
私: watashi — I; first-person singular pronoun
たち: tachi — Plural suffix for people; we, they, etc.
前: mae — Before, in front of, or ahead
に: ni — Particle indicating direction, location, or time
すべて: subete — Everything, all, or the whole of something
が: ga — Subject-marking particle identifying the doer
何: nani — What; interrogative pronoun for things
も: mo — Also, too, or emphatic particle meaning even nothing
なく: naku — Conjunctive negative form meaning without or lacking
皆: mina — Everyone, all people, or everybody
まっすぐ: massugu — Straight, directly, or without deviation
天国: tengoku — Heaven; paradise or the afterlife realm
へ: e — Directional particle indicating movement toward something
向かっ: mukatte (te-form of mukau) — Heading toward or facing a direction
て: te — Conjunctive particle connecting sequential actions
おり: ori — Humble or formal progressive auxiliary 'to be'
逆: gyaku — Opposite, reverse, or contrary direction
方向: hōkō — Direction, course, or way one is heading
い: i — Shortened form of iru; to be or exist
要する: yōsuru — To require; used in 要するに meaning in short
その: sono — That (near listener); demonstrative adjective
現代: gendai — The modern age; contemporary times or era
と: to — Particle meaning and, with, or quotation marker
あまり: amari — Not very; too much; excessive amount
似: ni (from niru) — Resembling or similar to something else
ため: tame — For the sake of; because of; purpose
最も: mottomo — Most; the superlative degree of an adjective
声高: koedata / koedaka — Loud-voiced; vociferous or clamorous in speech
な: na — Adjectival particle linking na-adjectives to nouns
権威: ken'i — Authority, power, or recognized expertise
者: sha / mono — Person; suffix denoting a person of a type
一部: ichibu — A part, portion, or some of a whole
良き: yoki — Good; archaic or literary form of 良い
つけ: tsuke — Attaching or assigning; suffix or record
悪しき: ashiki — Evil or bad; archaic literary adjective form
を: wo — Object-marking particle indicating direct object
比較: hikaku — Comparison; act of comparing two or more things
最上級: saijōkyū — Superlative degree; the highest level or grade
おい: oi — Hey; interjection to get someone's attention
のみ: nomi — Only, just, or nothing but something
受け取る: uketoru — To receive, accept, or take something offered
よう: yō — Seems like; in order to; manner or way
主張: shuchō — Claim, assertion, or insistence on a point
し: shi — Conjunctive form of suru; also listing reasons
ある: aru — To exist; there is (for inanimate things)
王座: ōza — Throne; the seat of a king or ruler
大きな: ōkina — Large, big, or great in size
顎: ago — Jaw or chin of a person's face
持つ: motsu — To have, hold, or possess something
王: ō — King; a male monarch or ruler
平凡: heibon — Ordinary, mediocre, or unremarkable appearance
顔立ち: kaodachi — Facial features; the look of one's face
王妃: ōhi — Queen; the wife of a king
美しい: utsukushii — Beautiful, lovely, or aesthetically pleasing
両国: ryōkoku — Both countries; two nations together
パン: pan — Bread; a baked flour-based food staple
魚: sakana — Fish; aquatic animal used as food
国家的: kokkатeki — National; relating to the state or country
利権: riken — Vested interests, concessions, or special privileges
握る: nigiru — To grasp, grip, or hold firmly
支配: shihai — Control, rule, or domination over something
物事: monogoto — Things in general; matters or affairs overall
全般的: zenpanteki — General, overall, or applicable across the board
永遠: eien — Eternity; forever or everlasting existence
定まっ: sadamatte (te-form of sadamaru) — To be settled, fixed, or determined firmly
いる: iru — To exist or be (for animate beings)
いう: iu — To say, speak, or be called something
こと: koto — Thing, fact, or nominalizer for verb phrases
水晶: suishō — Crystal; clear quartz or transparent gemstone
より: yori — Than; comparative particle showing a standard
明らか: akiraka — Clear, obvious, or evident to everyone
主: nushi / omo / Shu — Lord, master, or the Lord (religious)
年: nen / toshi — Year; a unit of time, twelve months
千: sen — One thousand; the number 1000
七百: nanahyaku — Seven hundred; the number 700
七十: nanajū — Seventy; the number 70
五: go — Five; the number 5
霊的: reiteki — Spiritual; relating to spirits or the soul
啓示: keiji — Revelation; divine disclosure of hidden truth
同様: dōyō — Similarly, likewise, or in the same way
恵まれ: megumare (passive of meguму) — To be blessed with or gifted something
与え: atae (from ataeru) — To give, grant, or bestow upon someone
られ: rare — Passive or potential auxiliary verb suffix
夫人: fujin — Madam, Mrs., or a married woman of standing
つい: tsui — Just recently; unintentionally or inadvertently
最近: saikin — Recently, lately, or in the near past
二十: nijū — Twenty; the number 20
歳: sai — Years old; counter for a person's age
祝福: shukufuku — Blessing, benediction, or divine favor
れ: re — Passive auxiliary suffix indicating receiving action
誕生: tanjō — Birth; the event of being born
日: hi / nichi — Day; the sun or a single calendar day
迎え: mukae (from mukaeru) — To welcome, greet, or mark an occasion
ばかり: bakari — Just; only; having just done something recently
近衛: konoe — Imperial or royal guard; household guards
騎兵: kihei — Cavalry soldier; a soldier on horseback
隊: tai — Unit, corps, or squad of soldiers
予言: yogen — Prophecy, prediction, or foretelling of events
的: teki — Suffix meaning -tic, -like, or pertaining to
一: ichi / hito — One; the number 1
兵士: heishi — Soldier; a person serving in the military
飲み込む: nomikomu — To swallow; to engulf or absorb completely
手はず: tehazu — Arrangements, preparations, or planned procedure
整っ: totonotte (from totonou) — To be in order, arranged, or ready
告知: kokuchi — Notification, announcement, or formal notice
する: suru — To do; general-purpose action verb
よっ: yotte (te-form of yoru) — By means of; due to; through an agent
彼女: kanojo — She, her, or girlfriend
崇高: sūkō — Sublime, lofty, or noble in character
出現: shutsugen — Appearance, emergence, or coming into view
予告: yokoku — Advance notice, preview, or prior announcement

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