Atlantis: The Antedeluvian World — Page 4

English → Japanese CHAPTER II. Level 7/10

I will tell an old-world story which I heard from an aged man;

私は年老いた男性から聞いた古い時代の話をしよう。

for Critias was, as he said, at that time nearly ninety years of age, and I was about ten years of age.

というのも、クリティアスは彼が言ったように、当時ほぼ九十歳であり、私は約十歳であったからだ。

Now the day was that day of the Apaturia which is called the registration of youth; at which, according to custom, our parents gave prizes for recitations, and the poems of several poets were recited by us boys, and many of us sung the poems of Solon, which were new at the time.

その日はアパトゥリア祭の中でも「青年登録」と呼ばれる日であり、慣習に従って、私たちの親は朗読に対して賞を与え、いくつかの詩人の詩が私たち少年によって朗読され、多くの者がソロンの詩を歌ったが、その詩は当時まだ新しいものであった。

One of our tribe, either because this was his real opinion, or because he thought that he would please Critias, said that, in his judgment, Solon was not only the wisest of men but the noblest of poets.

私たちの一族の一人が、それが彼の本当の意見であったためか、あるいはクリティアスを喜ばせようと思ったためか、自分の判断ではソロンは最も賢い人間であるのみならず、最も高貴な詩人でもあると言った。

The old man, I well remember, brightened up at this, and said, smiling: "Yes, Amynander, if Solon had only, like other poets, made poetry the business of his life, and had completed the tale which he brought with him from Egypt, and had not been compelled, by reason of the factions and troubles which he found stirring in this country when he came home, to attend to other matters, in my opinion he would have been as famous as Homer, or Hesiod, or any poet."

老人は、私がよく覚えているが、これを聞いて顔を輝かせ、微笑みながらこう言った。「そうだ、アミュナンダーよ、もしソロンが他の詩人たちのように詩作を生涯の仕事とし、エジプトから持ち帰ったあの物語を完成させ、帰国した際にこの国で生じていた党派の争いや混乱のために他のことに関わらざるを得なくなっていなければ、私の意見では彼はホメロスやヘシオドス、あるいはいかなる詩人と同じくらい有名になっていたであろう。」

"And what was that poem about, Critias?" said the person who addressed him.

「その詩はどのような内容だったのですか、クリティアスよ？」と彼に話しかけた人物が言った。

Vocabulary

私: watashi — First-person pronoun meaning 'I' or 'me'.
は: wa — Topic-marking particle indicating the sentence topic.
年老い: toshioi — To grow old; aged in years.
た: ta — Past tense auxiliary verb marker.
男性: dansei — Male person; man.
から: kara — Particle meaning 'from' or 'because'.
聞い: kii — Conjunctive form of 'kiku'; to hear or listen.
古い: furui — Old; ancient; not new.
時代: jidai — Era, age, or period of time.
の: no — Possessive or nominalizing particle.
話: hanashi — Story, talk, or conversation.
を: wo — Object-marking particle for direct objects.
しよう: shiyou — Volitional form of 'suru'; let's do.
という: to iu — Quotative phrase meaning 'called' or 'known as'.
も: mo — Particle meaning 'also' or 'even'.
彼: kare — Third-person pronoun meaning 'he' or 'him'.
が: ga — Subject-marking particle.
言っ: ii — Conjunctive form of 'iu'; to say or speak.
よう: you — Auxiliary indicating appearance or intention.
に: ni — Particle indicating direction, location, or purpose.
当時: tōji — At that time; in those days.
ほぼ: hobo — Approximately; almost; nearly.
九十: kyūjū — The number ninety.
歳: sai — Counter for years of age.
で: de — Particle indicating means, location, or reason.
あり: ari — Conjunctive form of 'aru'; to be or exist.
約: yaku — Approximately; about a certain amount.
十: jū — The number ten.
あっ: a(tte) — Conjunctive form of 'aru'; being; existing.
だ: da — Copula meaning 'is' or 'are'.
その: sono — Demonstrative meaning 'that' or 'the said'.
日: hi — Day; sun; a specific date.
祭: matsuri — Festival; celebration; ceremonial event.
中: naka — Inside; middle; during an event.
青年: seinen — Youth; young man; adolescent male.
登録: tōroku — Registration; enrollment; official recording.
と: to — Particle meaning 'and', 'with', or quotative.
呼ば: yoba — Passive stem of 'yobu'; to be called.
れる: reru — Passive auxiliary verb suffix.
慣習: kanshū — Custom; convention; established social practice.
従っ: shitagat(te) — Conjunctive form of 'shitagau'; to follow or obey.
て: te — Conjunctive particle connecting clauses.
たち: tachi — Plural suffix for people or animate beings.
親: oya — Parent; father or mother.
朗読: rōdoku — Reading aloud; oral recitation of text.
対し: taishi — In regard to; towards; against.
賞: shō — Prize; award; recognition for achievement.
与え: atae — Conjunctive form of 'ataeru'; to give or award.
いくつ: ikutsu — How many; several; an indefinite number.
か: ka — Question particle or indefinite marker.
詩人: shijin — Poet; person who writes poetry.
詩: shi — Poem; poetry; verse.
少年: shōnen — Boy; young male youth.
よっ: yo(tte) — Conjunctive form of 'yoru'; by means of.
さ: sa — Nominalizing suffix or casual filler particle.
れ: re — Passive or potential auxiliary verb form.
多く: ōku — Many; much; a large number of.
者: mono — Person; one who does something.
歌っ: utat(te) — Conjunctive form of 'utau'; to sing or recite.
まだ: mada — Still; not yet; continuing state.
新しい: atarashii — New; fresh; recently made or discovered.
もの: mono — Thing; object; abstract matter.
一族: ichizoku — Clan; family lineage; kinship group.
一人: hitori — One person; alone; a single individual.
それ: sore — Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'that thing'.
本当: hontō — Truth; reality; genuinely true.
意見: iken — Opinion; view; personal perspective.
ため: tame — For the sake of; purpose; benefit.
ある: aru — To exist; to be; to have.
喜ば: yorokoba — Stem of 'yorokobu'; to please or delight.
せよ: seyo — Imperative form of 'suru'; do it; make happen.
う: u — Volitional or probabilistic auxiliary suffix.
思っ: omot(te) — Conjunctive form of 'omou'; to think or feel.
自分: jibun — Oneself; one's own self.
判断: handan — Judgment; decision; evaluation of a situation.
最も: mottomo — Most; extremely; to the greatest degree.
賢い: kashikoi — Wise; clever; intelligent.
人間: ningen — Human being; person; mankind.
み: mi — Nominalizing suffix indicating a quality or state.
なら: nara — Conditional particle meaning 'if' or 'in that case'.
ず: zu — Classical negative auxiliary; without doing.
高貴: kōki — Noble; dignified; of high social status.
な: na — Adjectival particle linking na-adjectives to nouns.
老人: rōjin — Old person; elderly man or woman.
よく: yoku — Well; often; skillfully; frequently.
覚え: oboe — Conjunctive form of 'oboeru'; to remember or memorize.
いる: iru — To exist; ongoing action auxiliary verb.
これ: kore — Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'this thing'.
顔: kao — Face; facial expression; countenance.
輝か: kagayaka — Stem of 'kagayaku'; to shine or brighten.
せ: se — Causative auxiliary form; to cause or let.
微笑み: hohoemi — Smile; gentle facial expression of happiness.
ながら: nagara — While doing; simultaneously performing two actions.
こう: kō — This way; like this; in such a manner.
そう: sō — That way; so; in that manner.
よ: yo — Sentence-final particle for emphasis or address.
もし: moshi — If; supposing; hypothetical conditional opener.
他: hoka — Other; another; different from this.
詩作: shisaku — Composition of poetry; writing poems.
生涯: shōgai — Lifetime; one's entire life span.
仕事: shigoto — Work; job; occupation; task.
し: shi — Conjunctive form of 'suru'; doing; and also.
持ち帰っ: mochikaeт(te) — Conjunctive of 'mochikaeru'; to bring something back.
あの: ano — Demonstrative meaning 'that' (distant) or 'those'.
物語: monogatari — Story; tale; narrative account.
完成: kansei — Completion; finishing; bringing to perfection.
帰国: kikoku — Returning to one's home country.
際: sai — Occasion; time; at the moment of.
この: kono — Demonstrative meaning 'this' (near speaker).
国: kuni — Country; nation; homeland.
生じ: shōji — Conjunctive of 'shōjiru'; to arise or occur.
い: i — Conjunctive form of 'iru'; existing or being.
党派: tōha — Political faction; party group; sect.
争い: arasoi — Conflict; dispute; quarrel; struggle.
や: ya — Particle meaning 'and' listing multiple items.
混乱: konran — Confusion; disorder; chaotic state.
こと: koto — Thing; matter; abstract fact or event.
関わら: kakawar(a) — Stem of 'kakawaru'; to be involved or concerned.
得: e — To obtain; can; be able to; potential.
なく: naku — Conjunctive negative form; without; not being.
なっ: nat(te) — Conjunctive of 'naru'; to become something.
なけれ: nakere — Conditional negative form; if not; unless.
ば: ba — Conditional particle meaning 'if' or 'when'.
いかなる: ikanaru — Whatever kind; no matter what; any sort.
同じ: onaji — Same; identical; equal to another.
くらい: kurai — About; approximately; to the extent of.
有名: yūmei — Famous; well-known; renowned.
あろ: aro — Volitional form of 'aru'; probably is; would be.
どの: dono — Which; what kind of (interrogative modifier).
内容: naiyō — Content; substance; what something contains.
だっ: dat(te) — Past conjunctive form of copula 'da'.
です: desu — Polite copula meaning 'is', 'am', or 'are'.
話しかけ: hanashikake — Addressing someone; initiating conversation with another.
人物: jinbutsu — Person; character; notable individual or figure.

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