Coniston — Volume 01 — Page 4
Behind it is the long shed, and in front, rising out of the milkweed and the flowering thistle, the horse block of the first meeting-house, where many a pillion has left its burden in times bygone.
その後ろには長い小屋があり、前方にはトウワタと花咲くアザミの中からそびえ立つ、最初の集会所の馬乗り台がある。そこにはかつて多くのピリオンがその荷を降ろしたものだった。
Honest Jock Hallowell built that second meeting-house--was, indeed, still building it at the time of which we write.
正直者のジョック・ハロウェルが二番目の集会所を建てた――実際、私たちがここに記す時代においても、まだ建築中であった。
He had hewn every beam and king post in it, and set every plate and slip.
彼はその中のすべての梁と束柱を刻み、すべての桁材と細板を取り付けた。
And Jock Hallowell is the man who, unwittingly starts this chronicle.
そしてジョック・ハロウェルこそ、知らず知らずのうちにこの物語を始めることになった人物である。
At noon, on one of those madcap April days of that Coniston country, Jock descended from his work on the steeple to perceive the ungainly figure of Jethro Bass coming toward him across the green.
コニストン地方の向こう見ずな四月のある日の正午、ジョックは尖塔での作業から降りてきて、広場を横切って近づいてくるジェスロ・バスのぶかっこうな姿に気づいた。
Jethro was about thirty years of age, and he wore a coonskin cap even in those days, and trousers tacked into his boots.
ジェスロは三十歳前後で、当時からアライグマの毛皮の帽子をかぶり、ズボンをブーツの中に押し込んでいた。
He carried his big head bent forward, a little to one aide, and was not, at first sight, a prepossessing-looking person.
彼は大きな頭をやや前に傾け、少し横に向けて歩いており、一見したところ、見栄えの良い人物とは言えなかった。
As our story largely concerns him and we must get started somehow, it may as well be to fix a little attention on him.
私たちの物語は主に彼に関わるものであり、どこかから始めなければならない以上、しばらく彼に注目するのが良いだろう。
"Heigho!" said Jock, rubbing his hands on his leather apron.
「ヘイホー！」ジョックは革のエプロンに手をこすりつけながら言った。
"H-how be you, Jock?" said Jethro, stopping.
「ジ、ジョック、元気かい？」ジェスロは足を止めて言った。
"Heigho!" cried Jock, "what's this game of fox and geese you're a-playin' among the farmers?"
「ヘイホー！」ジョックは叫んだ。「農家の連中の間でやっているキツネとガチョウのゲームとはいったい何なんだ？」
"C-callate to git the steeple done before frost?" inquired Jethro, without so much as a smile.
「霜が降りる前に尖塔を完成さ、させるつもりかい？」ジェスロは笑いもせずに尋ねた。
"B-build it tight, Jock--b-build it tight."
「しっ、しっかり建てろよ、ジョック――しっ、しっかり建てろ。」
Vocabulary
- その
- sono — That (thing near the listener)
- 後ろ
- ushiro — Behind; the back side of something
- に
- ni — Particle indicating location, direction, or time
- は
- wa — Topic-marking particle in Japanese sentences
- 長い
- nagai — Long; extended in length or duration
- 小屋
- koya — Small hut, shed, or simple shelter
- が
- ga — Subject-marking particle; also marks contrast
- あり
- ari — Exists; there is (formal/literary form)
- 前方
- zenpō — Forward direction; the area ahead
- と
- to — And; with; quotation particle
- 花咲く
- hanasaku — Blooming; flowers blossoming openly
- の
- no — Possessive or noun-linking particle
- 中
- naka — Inside; among; the middle of something
- から
- kara — From; because; starting point particle
- そびえ
- sobie — Rising tall; towering up high
- 立つ
- tatsu — To stand; to rise up
- 最初
- saisho — First; the very beginning of something
- 集会所
- shūkaijo — Meeting hall; community gathering place
- ある
- aru — To exist; there is (inanimate things)
- そこ
- soko — There; that place previously mentioned
- かつて
- katsute — Once; formerly; in the past
- 多く
- ōku — Many; a large number or amount
- 荷
- ni — Load; cargo; burden carried
- を
- o — Object-marking particle in Japanese grammar
- 降ろし
- oroshi — Unloading; bringing something down
- た
- ta — Past tense auxiliary verb ending
- もの
- mono — Thing; person; fact (nominalizer)
- だっ
- da(tt-) — Was; past form of the copula だ
- 正直者
- shōjikimono — Honest person; someone of upright character
- 二番目
- nibanme — Second in order; the number-two position
- 建て
- tate — Building; construction (of a structure)
- 実際
- jissai — Actually; in reality; in practice
- 私たち
- watashitachi — We; us (first-person plural pronoun)
- ここ
- koko — Here; this place
- 記す
- shirusu — To write down; to record in text
- 時代
- jidai — Era; age; period of history
- おいて
- oite — In; at; within a context or time
- も
- mo — Also; too; even (inclusive particle)
- まだ
- mada — Still; not yet; as of now
- 建築中
- kenchikuchū — Currently under construction; being built now
- で
- de — At; by; particle indicating means or location
- あっ
- a(tt-) — Was; existed (contracted past of ある)
- 彼
- kare — He; him; that male person
- すべて
- subete — All; everything; entirely
- 梁
- hari — Beam; horizontal structural support in building
- 刻み
- kizami — Notching; carving joints in timber
- 取り付け
- toritsuke — Attaching; installing; fastening components
- そして
- soshite — And then; furthermore; connecting clauses
- こそ
- koso — Emphasis particle meaning 'precisely' or 'exactly'
- 知ら
- shira — Not knowing (base of 知る, to know)
- ず
- zu — Negative suffix meaning without doing something
- うち
- uchi — Within; while; among a group
- この
- kono — This (thing close to the speaker)
- 物語
- monogatari — Story; tale; narrative account
- 始める
- hajimeru — To begin; to start doing something
- こと
- koto — Thing; fact; act (nominalizer for verbs)
- なっ
- na(tt-) — Became; turned into (past of なる)
- 人物
- jinbutsu — Person; character; individual figure
- 地方
- chihō — Region; local area; district
- 向こう見ず
- mukōmizu — Reckless; rash; not looking ahead
- な
- na — Adjectival linking particle (na-adjective)
- 四月
- shigatsu — April; the fourth month of the year
- 日
- hi / nichi — Day; sun; date
- 正午
- shōgo — Noon; exactly twelve o'clock midday
- 作業
- sagyō — Work; task; operation being carried out
- 降り
- ori — Coming down; descending from a height
- て
- te — Connective particle linking sequential actions
- き
- ki — Came (past directional auxiliary with くる)
- 広場
- hiroba — Public square; open plaza or yard
- 横切っ
- yokogit(t-) — Crossed; went across a space
- 近づい
- chikazui — Approached; drew near to something
- くる
- kuru — To come; to approach the speaker
- ぶかっこう
- bukakkō — Ungainly; awkward-looking; clumsy appearance
- 姿
- sugata — Figure; appearance; form of a person
- 気づい
- kizui — Noticed; became aware of something
- 三十歳
- sanjussai — Thirty years old; age thirty
- 前後
- zengo — Around; approximately; before and after
- 当時
- tōji — At that time; back then; in those days
- 毛皮
- kegawa — Fur; animal pelt used for clothing
- 帽子
- bōshi — Hat; cap; headwear
- かぶり
- kaburi — Wearing on the head; putting on a hat
- ズボン
- zubon — Trousers; pants worn on the legs
- ブーツ
- būtsu — Boots; sturdy footwear covering the ankle
- 押し込ん
- oshikon — Tucked in; stuffed or crammed inside
- い
- i — Being; existing (continuative form of いる)
- 大きな
- ōkina — Big; large (attributive adjective form)
- 頭
- atama — Head; the top part of the body
- やや
- yaya — Slightly; somewhat; a little bit
- 前
- mae — Front; forward; before in space or time
- 傾け
- katamuke — Tilting; inclining to one side
- 少し
- sukoshi — A little; a small amount
- 横
- yoko — Side; sideways; horizontal direction
- 向け
- muke — Turning toward; directing something sideways
- 歩い
- arui — Walked; was walking along
- おり
- ori — Was doing (formal progressive auxiliary)
- 一見
- ikken — At first glance; on the surface
- し
- shi — Did; connecting verb (conjunctive form)
- ところ
- tokoro — Place; situation; point in time
- 見栄え
- mibare — Appearance; how good something looks
- 良い
- yoi — Good; fine; satisfactory
- 言え
- ie — Can say; able to call something (potential)
- なかっ
- naka(tt-) — Was not; did not exist (past negative)
- 主に
- omoni — Mainly; primarily; for the most part
- 関わる
- kakawaru — To be involved with; to relate to
- どこ
- doko — Where; what place (interrogative pronoun)
- か
- ka — Question particle or 'somewhere/some-' prefix
- 始め
- hajime — Beginning; start; to begin something
- なけれ
- nakere — If not; conditional negative (なければ)
- ば
- ba — Conditional particle meaning 'if'
- なら
- nara — If; given that; conditional form
- ない
- nai — Not; does not exist; negative form
- 以上
- ijō — More than; above; that being said
- しばらく
- shibaraku — For a while; for some time
- 注目
- chūmoku — Attention; notice; focusing one's gaze
- する
- suru — To do; to perform an action
- だろ
- daro — Probably; I suppose (volitional copula)
- う
- u — Volitional suffix expressing conjecture or intent
- 革
- kawa — Leather; animal hide used for goods
- エプロン
- epuron — Apron; protective garment worn over clothing
- 手
- te — Hand; arm (body part)
- こすりつけ
- kosurituke — Rubbing against; wiping hands on something
- ながら
- nagara — While doing; simultaneous action conjunction
- 言っ
- it(t-) — Said; spoke (past of 言う)
- 元気
- genki — Healthy; energetic; in good spirits
- かい
- kai — Casual question particle (masculine register)
- 足
- ashi — Foot; leg; step
- 止め
- tome — Stopping; bringing to a halt
- 叫ん
- sakebn- — Shouted; cried out loudly
- だ
- da — Is; copula indicating assertion or identity
- 農家
- nōka — Farmer; farming household
- 連中
- renchū — Group of people; those guys; the bunch
- 間
- aida / ma — Between; during; interval of time or space
- やっ
- ya(tt-) — Did; was doing (casual past of やる)
- いる
- iru — To be; to exist (animate subjects)
- キツネ
- kitsune — Fox; wild canine animal
- ガチョウ
- gachō — Goose; large domesticated waterfowl
- ゲーム
- gēmu — Game; activity played for entertainment
- いったい
- ittai — On earth; what in the world (emphasis)
- 何
- nani / nan — What; which thing (interrogative)
- ん
- n — Casual nominalizer or explanatory particle
- 霜
- shimo — Frost; frozen dew on cold surfaces
- 降りる
- oriru — To come down; to descend; to fall
- 完成さ
- kansei sa- — Completing; finishing construction (causative base)
- させる
- saseru — To make someone do; causative verb form
- つもり
- tsumori — Intention; plan; meaning to do something
- 笑い
- warai — Laugh; smile; laughter
- せず
- sezu — Without doing; negative of する (literary)
- 尋ね
- tazune — Asked; inquired; posed a question
- しっ
- shi(tt-) — Knew; came to know (past of 知る)
- しっかり
- shikkari — Firmly; solidly; properly; with care
- 建てろ
- tatero — Build it! Imperative command to construct
- よ
- yo — Sentence-final particle asserting or commanding
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