Coniston — Volume 01 — Page 1
First I am to write a love-story of long ago, of a time some little while after General Jackson had got into the White House and had shown the world what a real democracy was.
まず私は、ジャクソン将軍がホワイトハウスに入り、真の民主主義とは何かを世界に示してからしばらく後の時代を舞台にした、遠い昔の恋物語を書くことにする。
The Era of the first six Presidents had closed, and a new Era had begun.
最初の六人の大統領の時代は幕を閉じ、新たな時代が始まっていた。
I am speaking of political Eras.
私が言っているのは政治的な時代のことである。
Certain gentlemen, with a pious belief in democracy, but with a firmer determination to get on top, arose,--and got in top.
民主主義への敬虔な信念を掲げながらも、頂点に立とうという強固な決意を持った一部の紳士たちが台頭し、そして実際に頂点に立った。
So many of these gentlemen arose in the different states, and they were so clever, and they found so many chinks in the Constitution to crawl through and steal the people's chestnuts, that the Era may be called the Boss-Era.
これらの紳士たちは各州で数多く台頭し、非常に狡猾で、憲法の抜け穴をくぐり抜けて民衆の利益を横取りする手段をいくつも見つけたため、この時代はボス時代と呼ぶことができるだろう。
After the Boss came along certain Things without souls, but of many minds, and found more chinks in the Constitution: bigger chinks, for the Things were bigger, and they stole more chestnuts.
ボスの後には、魂を持たないが多くの思惑を持つある種の存在が現れ、憲法にさらなる抜け穴を見つけた。その存在はより大きかったため抜け穴も大きく、より多くの利益を横取りした。
But I am getting far ahead of my love-story--and of my book.
しかし、私は恋物語から、そして本書の内容から、ずいぶん先走ってしまっている。
The reader is warned that this first love-story will, in a few chapters, come to an end: and not to a happy end--otherwise there would be no book.
読者には、この最初の恋物語が数章のうちに終わりを迎えること、そしてそれが幸福な結末ではないことをあらかじめ伝えておかねばならない――さもなければ、この本は存在しなかっただろう。
Lest he should throw the book away when he arrives at this page, it is only fair to tell him that there is another and a much longer love story later on, if he will only continue to read, in which, it is hoped, he may not be disappointed.
読者がその箇所に至って本を投げ出してしまわないよう、読み続けてさえくれれば、後にもう一つのさらに長い恋物語があり、そこでは失望させることのないようにと願っていることを、あらかじめ伝えておくのが公平というものであろう。
Vocabulary
- まず
- mazu — First of all; to begin with
- 私
- watashi — I; me; first-person singular pronoun
- は
- wa — Topic marker particle
- 将軍
- shōgun — General; military commander; shogun
- が
- ga — Subject marker particle
- に
- ni — Particle indicating location, direction, or time
- 入り
- iri — Entering; going into a place
- 真
- shin / ma — True; genuine; real
- の
- no — Possessive or nominalizing particle
- 民主主義
- minshu shugi — Democracy; system of democratic governance
- と
- to — And; with; quotation particle
- 何
- nani / nan — What; which thing
- か
- ka — Question marker particle; or; something
- を
- wo / o — Object marker particle
- 世界
- sekai — The world; the entire globe
- 示し
- shimeshi — Showing; indicating; demonstrating something
- て
- te — Conjunctive particle connecting verb phrases
- から
- kara — From; after; because
- しばらく
- shibaraku — For a while; for some time
- 後
- go / nochi / ato — After; later; behind
- 時代
- jidai — Era; age; historical period
- 舞台
- butai — Stage; setting; scene of events
- し
- shi — Conjunctive form of する (to do)
- た
- ta — Past tense auxiliary verb
- 遠い
- tōi — Far; distant; long ago
- 昔
- mukashi — Old times; long ago; the past
- 恋物語
- koi monogatari — Love story; romantic tale
- 書く
- kaku — To write; to compose text
- こと
- koto — Thing; fact; nominalizer for verbs
- する
- suru — To do; to perform an action
- 最初
- saisho — The first; the beginning; initially
- 六人
- rokunin — Six people; a group of six
- 大統領
- daitōryō — President; head of state
- 幕
- maku — Curtain; act; chapter of events
- 閉じ
- toji — Closing; shutting; bringing to an end
- 新た
- arata — New; fresh; renewed
- な
- na — Adjectival particle (na-adjective connector)
- 始まっ
- hajimatt- — Beginning; starting (stem form of 始まる)
- い
- i — Continuative auxiliary (from いる)
- 言っ
- itt- — Saying; stating (stem form of 言う)
- いる
- iru — To exist; to be (animate); ongoing action
- 政治
- seiji — Politics; political affairs
- 的
- teki — Suffix meaning '-ic', '-al', or '-like'
- で
- de — Particle indicating means, location, or cause
- ある
- aru — To exist; to be (inanimate)
- へ
- e — Directional particle meaning 'toward'
- 敬虔
- keiken — Piety; devoutness; religious reverence
- 信念
- shinnen — Belief; conviction; strong personal faith
- 掲げ
- kakage — Raising up; hoisting; advocating a cause
- ながら
- nagara — While; even though; simultaneous actions
- も
- mo — Also; too; even; as well
- 頂点
- chōten — Summit; apex; highest point
- 立とう
- tatō — Let us stand; volitional form of 立つ
- という
- to iu — Called; known as; the idea that
- 強固
- kyōko — Firm; solid; strong and unwavering
- 決意
- ketsui — Determination; resolve; firm decision
- 持っ
- mott- — Having; holding (stem form of 持つ)
- 一部
- ichibu — A part; a portion; some members
- 紳士
- shinshi — Gentleman; well-mannered refined man
- たち
- tachi — Plural suffix for people or living things
- 台頭
- taitō — Rise to prominence; emergence of power
- そして
- soshite — And then; and so; furthermore
- 実際
- jissai — In reality; actually; in practice
- 立っ
- tatt- — Standing up (stem form of 立つ)
- これら
- korera — These; these ones (plural demonstrative)
- 各州
- kakushū — Each state; every individual state
- 数多く
- kazuōku — Numerous; many; a large number of
- 非常
- hijō — Extremely; very; extraordinary degree
- 狡猾
- kōkatsu — Cunning; crafty; sly and scheming
- 憲法
- kenpō — Constitution; fundamental law of state
- 抜け穴
- nukeana — Loophole; escape route; hidden opening
- くぐり抜け
- kuguri nuke — Slipping through; exploiting a loophole
- 民衆
- minshū — The people; the masses; common citizens
- 利益
- rieki — Profit; benefit; advantage; gain
- 横取り
- yokodori — Snatching away; taking something unfairly
- 手段
- shudan — Means; method; way of doing something
- いくつ
- ikutsu — How many; several; a few things
- 見つけ
- mitsuke — Finding; discovering something
- ため
- tame — For the purpose of; for the sake of
- この
- kono — This (modifying a noun nearby)
- ボス
- bosu — Boss; leader; person in charge
- 呼ぶ
- yobu — To call; to name; to summon
- できる
- dekiru — To be able to; can; to come about
- だろう
- darō — Probably; I suppose; conjecture ending
- 魂
- tamashii — Soul; spirit; inner essence of a person
- 持た
- mota — Having; possessing (negative stem of 持つ)
- ない
- nai — Negative auxiliary; not; does not exist
- 多く
- ōku — Many; much; a large amount
- 思惑
- omowaku — Motive; expectation; hidden intention
- 持つ
- motsu — To hold; to have; to carry
- ある種
- aru shu — A certain kind; a particular type
- 存在
- sonzai — Existence; being; presence of something
- 現れ
- araware — Appearing; emerging; coming into view
- さらなる
- saranaru — Further; even more; additional beyond current
- その
- sono — That (modifier for nearby or mentioned noun)
- より
- yori — Than; more than; from (comparison particle)
- 大きかった
- ōkikatta — Was big; was large (past tense adjective)
- 大きく
- ōkiku — Largely; greatly; in a big manner
- しかし
- shikashi — However; but; nevertheless
- 本書
- honsho — This book; the present volume
- 内容
- naiyō — Content; subject matter; what is inside
- ずいぶん
- zuibun — Quite; considerably; rather a lot
- 先走っ
- sakibashitt- — Getting ahead of oneself; rushing ahead
- しまっ
- shimatt- — Ending up; doing something regrettably (auxiliary)
- 読者
- dokusha — Reader; person who reads a text
- 数章
- sūshō — Several chapters; a few chapters
- うち
- uchi — Within; among; inside a range
- 終わり
- owari — End; conclusion; finish
- 迎える
- mukaeru — To welcome; to meet; to reach an end
- それ
- sore — That; that thing (mid-distance demonstrative)
- 幸福
- kōfuku — Happiness; bliss; well-being
- 結末
- ketsumatsu — Ending; conclusion; final outcome of story
- あらかじめ
- arakajime — In advance; beforehand; ahead of time
- 伝え
- tsutae — Conveying; telling; passing information along
- おか
- oka — Doing in advance (stem of おく, auxiliary)
- ね
- ne — Sentence-final particle seeking agreement
- ば
- ba — Conditional particle meaning 'if/when'
- なら
- nara — If; in the case of (conditional form)
- さも
- samo — As if; in such a manner; seemingly so
- なけれ
- nakere — If not; unless (negative conditional stem)
- 本
- hon — Book; main; origin; counter for long objects
- なかっ
- nakatt- — Was not; did not exist (past negative stem)
- 箇所
- kasho — Place; passage; specific section of text
- 至っ
- itatt- — Reaching; arriving at a point
- 投げ出し
- nagedashi — Throwing aside; abandoning; giving up midway
- しまわ
- shimawa — Ending up doing (negative volitional stem of しまう)
- よう
- yō — In order to; so that; it seems like
- 読み続け
- yomi tsuzuke — Continuing to read; reading on without stopping
- さえ
- sae — Even; as long as; if only
- くれれ
- kurere — If you give/do (conditional of くれる)
- もう
- mō — Already; anymore; another; soon
- 一つ
- hitotsu — One; one thing; a single item
- さらに
- sara ni — Furthermore; even more; additionally
- 長い
- nagai — Long; lengthy in time or distance
- あり
- ari — There is; existing (classical/literary form)
- そこ
- soko — There; that place; that point
- 失望
- shitsubō — Disappointment; disillusionment; loss of hope
- さ
- sa — Nominalizing suffix; sentence filler particle
- せる
- seru — Causative auxiliary: to make/let someone do
- 願っ
- negatt- — Wishing; hoping; requesting earnestly
- おく
- oku — To do in advance; to leave as is
- 公平
- kōhei — Fairness; impartiality; equitable treatment
- もの
- mono — Thing; object; person; nominalizer
- あろう
- arō — Probably is; volitional form of ある
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