Crime and Punishment — Page 2

English → Japanese CHAPTER I Level 8/10

But to be stopped on the stairs, to be forced to listen to her trivial, irrelevant gossip, to pestering demands for payment, threats and complaints, and to rack his brains for excuses, to prevaricate, to lie--no, rather than that, he would creep down the stairs like a cat and slip out unseen.

しかし、階段で呼び止められ、彼女のつまらない、とりとめのない世間話を聞かされ、支払いを求めるしつこい要求や、脅し、苦情に耳を傾け、言い訳を懸命に考え、ごまかし、嘘をつかなければならない――いや、それよりはむしろ、猫のように階段をこっそり降りて、誰にも気づかれずに抜け出す方がましだ。

This evening, however, on coming out into the street, he became acutely aware of his fears.

しかしこの夕方、通りに出たとき、彼は自分の恐怖を鋭く意識した。

"I want to attempt a thing _like that_ and am frightened by these trifles," he thought, with an odd smile.

「あんなことをやろうとしておきながら、こんなつまらないことに怯えているとは」と彼は奇妙な微笑を浮かべながら思った。

"Hm... yes, all is in a man's hands and he lets it all slip from cowardice, that's an axiom.

「ふむ……そうだ、すべては人の手の中にある、それなのに臆病ゆえにすべてを取り逃がしてしまう、これは自明の理だ。

It would be interesting to know what it is men are most afraid of.

人間が最も恐れているものが何なのか、知ることができれば興味深い。

Taking a new step, uttering a new word is what they fear most.... But I am talking too much.

新しい一歩を踏み出すこと、新しい言葉を口にすること、それこそが彼らの最も恐れることだ……しかし私はしゃべりすぎている。

It's because I chatter that I do nothing.

くだらないことをしゃべっているから何もできないのだ。

Or perhaps it is that I chatter because I do nothing.

あるいは、何もしないからしゃべるのかもしれない。

I've learned to chatter this last month, lying for days together in my den thinking... of Jack the Giant-killer.

この一か月、自分の巣穴に何日も寝転がって……巨人殺しジャックのことを考えながら、くだらないおしゃべりを覚えてしまった。

Why am I going there now?

なぜ今そこへ行くのだろう？

Am I capable of _that_?

私にあんなことができるのだろうか？

Is _that_ serious?

あれは本気のことなのか？

It is not serious at all.

まったく本気ではない。

It's simply a fantasy to amuse myself; a plaything!

ただ自分を楽しませるための空想にすぎない、おもちゃのようなものだ！

Yes, maybe it is a plaything.

そうだ、もしかしたらそれはおもちゃなのかもしれない。

Vocabulary

しかし: shikashi — Conjunction meaning 'however' or 'but'.
階段: kaidan — Stairs or staircase in a building.
で: de — Particle indicating location, means, or cause.
呼び止め: yobitome — To stop and call out to someone.
られ: rare — Passive or potential verb suffix form.
彼女: kanojo — She, her, or girlfriend.
の: no — Possessive or nominalizing particle.
つまらない: tsumaranai — Boring, dull, or trivial.
とりとめ: toritome — Coherence or point; often used in 'とりとめない'.
ない: nai — Negative auxiliary; not existing or not doing.
世間話: sekenbana shi — Small talk or casual everyday conversation.
を: wo — Direct object particle marking the object of action.
聞かさ: kikasa — Causative stem of 'hear'; made to listen.
支払い: shiharai — Payment or settlement of money owed.
求める: motomeru — To seek, demand, or request something.
しつこい: shitsukoi — Persistent, pushy, or annoyingly insistent.
要求: yōkyū — Demand or request for something specific.
や: ya — Particle listing examples, similar to 'and/or'.
脅し: odoshi — Threat or intimidation directed at someone.
苦情: kujō — Complaint or grievance expressed to another.
に: ni — Particle indicating direction, time, or target.
耳: mimi — Ear; also used idiomatically for listening.
傾け: katamuke — To tilt or lend; 'lend an ear' to listen.
言い訳: iiwake — Excuse or justification for one's actions.
懸命: kenmei — Desperately or with all one's effort.
考え: kangae — Thought, idea, or way of thinking.
ごまかし: gomakashi — Deception, cover-up, or evasion of truth.
嘘: uso — Lie or falsehood told to deceive.
ば: ba — Conditional particle meaning 'if' or 'when'.
なら: nara — Conditional 'if it is the case that'.
いや: iya — No, or expression of refusal or correction.
それ: sore — That; refers to something near the listener.
より: yori — Comparative particle meaning 'than' or 'rather than'.
は: wa — Topic marker particle highlighting the subject.
むしろ: mushiro — Rather; preferring one option over another.
猫: neko — Cat; domestic feline animal.
よう: yō — Like, as if, or in the manner of.
こっそり: kossori — Secretly, stealthily, without being noticed.
降り: ori — To descend or come down, e.g. stairs.
て: te — Connective particle linking sequential actions.
誰: dare — Who; refers to an unspecified person.
も: mo — Also, even, or 'no one' in negative sentences.
気づか: kidzuka — Stem of 'to notice'; being aware of something.
ず: zu — Negative connective form; without doing something.
抜け出す: nukedasu — To slip away or escape from a situation.
方: hō — Direction or alternative; 'it is better to'.
が: ga — Subject marker particle or contrastive particle.
まし: mashi — Better or preferable compared to another option.
だ: da — Copula; plain form of 'is' or 'are'.
この: kono — This; demonstrative modifying a nearby noun.
夕方: yūgata — Evening or late afternoon time of day.
通り: tōri — Street, road, or in accordance with something.
出: de — To exit or go out; stem of 出る.
た: ta — Past tense auxiliary verb ending.
とき: toki — Time or moment when something occurs.
彼: kare — He, him, or boyfriend.
自分: jibun — Oneself; reflexive pronoun for self-reference.
恐怖: kyōfu — Fear, terror, or dread felt strongly.
鋭く: surudoku — Sharply, keenly, or acutely.
意識: ishiki — Consciousness, awareness, or sense of something.
あんな: anna — That kind of; refers to something distant or past.
こと: koto — Thing, matter, or fact (abstract noun).
やろう: yarō — Volitional of やる; let's do or intend to do.
と: to — Quotation particle or 'and/with' connector.
おき: Stem of おく; having done something in advance.
ながら: nagara — While doing; simultaneous action conjunction.
こんな: konna — This kind of; referring to current situation.
怯え: obiе — Fear, fright, or cowering in terror.
いる: iru — To exist or be (for animate beings).
奇妙: kimyō — Strange, peculiar, or mysterious in nature.
な: na — Adjectival copula connecting na-adjectives to nouns.
微笑: bishō — Smile or slight, gentle smile on face.
浮かべ: ukabe — To show or display an expression on face.
思っ: omot(te) — Thought; past connective of 思う (to think).
ふむ: fumu — Hmm; interjection expressing contemplation or agreement.
そう: sō — So, that way, or yes in agreement.
すべて: subete — Everything, all, or entirely without exception.
人: hito — Person or human being in general.
手: te — Hand; also means control or means of action.
中: naka — Inside, within, or in the middle of.
ある: aru — To exist or be (for inanimate things).
なの: nano — Explanatory sentence-ending particle (soft assertion).
臆病: okubyō — Cowardice or timidity; being excessively fearful.
ゆえ: yue — Because of; reason or cause (literary style).
取り逃がし: tori nigashi — To let slip away; miss capturing an opportunity.
しまう: shimau — To end up doing; often regrettable completion.
これ: kore — This; refers to something close to speaker.
自明: jimei — Self-evident or obvious without needing explanation.
理: ri — Reason, logic, or principle underlying truth.
人間: ningen — Human being or humanity in general.
最も: mottomo — Most; superlative adverb indicating highest degree.
恐れ: osore — Fear or dread; what one is afraid of.
もの: mono — Thing or that which; nominalizing expression.
何: nani — What; interrogative pronoun for unknown things.
か: ka — Question particle or 'some-' in compounds.
知る: shiru — To know or come to know something.
できれ: dekire — Conditional of できる; if one could do it.
興味深い: kyōmi bukai — Interesting or deeply fascinating to someone.
新しい: atarashii — New or fresh; recently made or begun.
一歩: ippo — One step; a single step forward or progress.
踏み出す: fumidasu — To step forward; to take a bold step.
言葉: kotoba — Word, language, or expression used in speech.
口: kuchi — Mouth; also refers to speaking or saying.
する: suru — To do; general-purpose action verb.
こそ: koso — Emphatic particle stressing the preceding word.
彼ら: karera — They or them (masculine or mixed group).
恐れる: osoreru — To fear or be afraid of something.
私: watashi — I or me; first-person pronoun.
しゃべり: shaberi — Chatting or talking; casual speech act.
すぎ: sugi — Too much; excessive degree of an action.
くだらない: kudaranai — Trivial, worthless, or utterly pointless.
から: kara — Because, from, or after (causal/temporal particle).
でき: deki — Stem of できる; ability or possibility.
しゃべる: shaberu — To talk, chat, or speak casually.
かも: kamo — Maybe, perhaps; expressing uncertainty or possibility.
一: ichi / hito — One; the number one or first.
月: tsuki / getsu — Month or moon.
巣穴: sugiana — Den, burrow, or lair of an animal.
何日: nannichi — How many days; an unspecified number of days.
寝転がっ: nekorogat(te) — Lying down sprawled; lounging lazily.
おしゃべり: oshaberi — Chatter or talkative person; chatting.
覚え: oboe — Memory or recollection; stem of 覚える (to learn).
なぜ: naze — Why; asking the reason for something.
今: ima — Now, currently, at this moment.
そこ: soko — There; that place near the listener.
へ: e — Direction particle indicating movement toward a place.
行く: iku — To go toward a destination.
だろう: darō — Probably; expressing conjecture or uncertainty.
できる: dekiru — To be able to; possibility or capability.
あれ: are — That over there; distal demonstrative pronoun.
本気: honki — Serious, genuine, or in earnest intention.
まったく: mattaku — Completely, utterly, or 'good grief' (exclamation).
ただ: tada — Just, merely, or only; nothing more.
楽しませる: tanoshimaseru — To amuse or entertain someone else.
ため: tame — For the sake of; purpose or benefit.
空想: kūsō — Fantasy, daydream, or idle imagination.
おもちゃ: omocha — Toy or plaything; something used for amusement.
もしかしたら: moshikashitara — Perhaps, possibly; expressing speculation about something.

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