Jane Eyre: An Autobiography — Page 3

English → Japanese BY THE AUTHOR PREFACE Level 7/10

Ahab did not like Micaiah, because he never prophesied good concerning him, but evil; probably he liked the sycophant son of Chenaanah better; yet might Ahab have escaped a bloody death, had he but stopped his ears to flattery, and opened them to faithful counsel.

アハブはミカヤを好まなかった。なぜならミカヤは彼について良いことを預言せず、悪いことしか預言しなかったからである。おそらくアハブはケナアナの子なるへつらい者の方を好んだのであろう。しかしアハブが諂いに耳を塞ぎ、誠実な忠告に耳を開いていたならば、血塗られた死を免れることができたかもしれない。

There is a man in our own days whose words are not framed to tickle delicate ears: who, to my thinking, comes before the great ones of society, much as the son of Imlah came before the throned Kings of Judah and Israel; and who speaks truth as deep, with a power as prophet-like and as vital—a mien as dauntless and as daring.

現代にも、繊細な耳をくすぐるために言葉を選ばない男がいる。私の考えでは、その男は社会の権貴の前に立つ様が、イムラの子がユダとイスラエルの王座に就く王たちの前に立ったのと同じようであり、預言者にも劣らぬ力と生命力をもって、同じく深い真実を語り、怯むことなく大胆な風貌を持つ者である。

Is the satirist of "Vanity Fair" admired in high places? I cannot tell; but I think if some of those amongst whom he hurls the Greek fire of his sarcasm, and over whom he flashes the levin-brand of his denunciation, were to take his warnings in time—they or their seed might yet escape a fatal Rimoth-Gilead.

『虚栄の市』の風刺家は高い地位にある者たちに称賛されているのだろうか。私には分からない。しかし、彼が猛烈な諷刺の炎を投げかけ、糾弾の稲妻を閃かせるその相手のうちの何人かが、彼の警告を時宜よく受け止めるならば、彼らあるいはその子孫は、致命的なラモテ・ギルアデを免れることができるかもしれないと私は思う。

Why have I alluded to this man? I have alluded to him, Reader, because I think I see in him an intellect profounder and more unique than his contemporaries have yet recognised; because I regard him as the first social regenerator of the day—as the very master of that working corps who would restore to rectitude the warped system of things; because I think no commentator on his writings has yet found the comparison that suits him, the terms which rightly characterise his talent.

なぜ私はこの男に言及したのか。読者よ、私が彼に言及したのは、同時代の人々がいまだ認識していない、より深くより独自な知性を彼の中に見出すと思うからであり、彼を現代における最初の社会改革者として、歪んだ世の仕組みを正道に立て直そうとする働き手たちの真の指導者として見ているからであり、彼の著作についていかなる評者も、彼にふさわしい比喩や、その才能を正しく特徴づける言葉をいまだ見つけていないと思うからである。

Vocabulary

は: wa — Topic marker particle in Japanese grammar.
を: wo — Object marker particle in Japanese grammar.
好ま: konoma — To like or favor something or someone.
なかった: nakatta — Past negative form; did not exist or happen.
なぜなら: nazenara — Because; introduces a reason or explanation.
彼: kare — He; third-person masculine pronoun.
について: ni tsuite — About; concerning a topic or person.
良い: yoi — Good; favorable or positive quality.
こと: koto — Thing; abstract noun nominalizer in Japanese.
預言: yogen — Prophecy; foretelling future events divinely.
せず: sezu — Without doing; negative conjunctive verb form.
悪い: warui — Bad; negative or unfavorable quality.
しか: shika — Only; nothing but, used with negation.
しなかった: shinakatta — Did not do; past negative of 'to do'.
から: kara — Because; from, indicating reason or origin.
で: de — Copula particle; at, by, or because of.
ある: aru — To exist; to be (for inanimate things).
おそらく: osoraku — Probably; perhaps, expressing likelihood or conjecture.
の: no — Possessive or linking particle in Japanese.
子: ko / musuko — Child; son or offspring of someone.
なる: naru — To become; to be named or called.
方: kata / hou — Person; direction or honorific reference to someone.
好ん: kokon — Favoring; liking or preferring something (conjunctive).
だ: da — Copula; plain form of 'to be' in Japanese.
あろう: arou — Probably is; volitional or conjectural form of 'aru'.
しかし: shikashi — However; but, indicating contrast or contradiction.
が: ga — Subject marker particle in Japanese grammar.
に: ni — Particle indicating direction, time, or indirect object.
耳: mimi — Ear; the organ used for hearing sounds.
塞ぎ: fusagi — Blocking; closing or plugging an opening tightly.
誠実: seijitsu — Sincere; honest and faithful in character.
な: na — Adjectival linking particle; connects na-adjective to noun.
忠告: chukoku — Advice; sincere counsel or earnest warning given.
開い: hirai — Opened; past conjunctive form of 'to open'.
て: te — Conjunctive particle connecting clauses or actions sequentially.
い: i — Auxiliary verb 'iru'; being or ongoing state.
たならば: ta naraba — If had done; conditional past hypothetical form.
れた: reta — Passive past suffix; was done to subject.
死: shi — Death; the end of life.
免れる: manukareru — To escape; to avoid or be spared from.
でき: deki — Can do; potential form of 'to be able'.
た: ta — Past tense suffix indicating completed action.
かも: kamo — Maybe; expresses possibility or uncertain speculation.
しれ: shire — Might; potential auxiliary used with 'kamo'.
ない: nai — Negative; not existing or not the case.
現代: gendai — Modern times; the present age or era.
も: mo — Also; too, inclusive particle in Japanese.
繊細: sensai — Delicate; sensitive or fine in nature.
くすぐる: kusuguru — To tickle; to flatter or stimulate someone pleasurably.
ため: tame — For the sake of; purpose or benefit.
言葉: kotoba — Words; language or expression used in speech.
選ば: eraba — Choosing; selecting words or options carefully.
男: otoko — Man; adult male person.
いる: iru — To exist; there is (for animate beings).
私: watashi — I; first-person singular pronoun in Japanese.
考え: kangae — Thought; idea or opinion one holds.
その: sono — That; demonstrative adjective referring to nearby thing.
社会: shakai — Society; a community or social structure.
前: mae — Before; in front of, spatially or temporally.
立つ: tatsu — To stand; to rise or appear before someone.
様: sama / you — Manner; way, or honorific suffix for names.
と: to — And; with, or quotation particle in Japanese.
王座: ouza — Throne; the seat of a royal ruler.
就く: tsuku — To assume a position; to take a seat.
王: ou — King; a male monarch or ruler.
たち: tachi — Plural suffix; indicates a group of people.
立った: tatta — Stood; past tense of 'to stand up'.
同じ: onaji — Same; identical or equivalent to another thing.
よう: you — Like; in the manner of, resembling something.
あり: ari — Being; conjunctive form of existential verb 'aru'.
預言者: yogensha — Prophet; one who speaks divine or prophetic messages.
劣ら: otora — Inferior; not falling short of, not less than.
ぬ: nu — Negative auxiliary; classical form meaning 'not'.
力: chikara — Power; strength or ability of a person.
生命力: seimeiryoku — Vitality; life force or living energy within.
もって: motte — With; having or using something as a means.
同じく: onajiku — Likewise; equally or in the same way.
深い: fukai — Deep; profound in meaning or physical depth.
真実: shinjitsu — Truth; genuine fact or sincere reality.
語り: katari — Narrating; telling or speaking a story or truth.
怯む: hirumu — To flinch; to shrink back from fear or pressure.
なく: naku — Without; negative conjunctive meaning lacking something.
大胆: daitan — Bold; daring or courageous in action.
風貌: fuubou — Appearance; overall look or bearing of a person.
持つ: motsu — To hold; to have or possess something.
者: mono / sha — Person; one who does or is something.
虚栄: kyoei — Vanity; empty pride or vain glory.
市: ichi / shi — Market; city or fair, a place of trade.
風刺家: fuushika — Satirist; one who uses satire to criticize society.
高い: takai — High; tall or expensive, elevated in status.
地位: chii — Status; social position or standing in society.
称賛: shousan — Praise; admiration or commendation for someone's achievement.
され: sare — Passive auxiliary; is done or was performed.
だろう: darou — Probably; conjecture or supposition about something.
か: ka — Question particle; turns sentence into a question.
分から: wakara — Not knowing; stem of 'to understand or know'.
猛烈: mouretsu — Fierce; intense or violent in degree.
諷刺: fuushi — Satire; using irony to expose or criticize folly.
炎: honoo — Flame; fire or burning passionate energy.
投げかけ: nagekake — Throwing at; directing or casting words toward someone.
糾弾: kyuudan — Denunciation; strongly condemning or censuring wrongdoing publicly.
稲妻: inazuma — Lightning; a flash of lightning in the sky.
閃か: hirameka — Flashing; causing lightning or insight to flash brilliantly.
せる: seru — Causative suffix; make or let someone do something.
相手: aite — Counterpart; the other party or opponent involved.
うち: uchi — Among; within a group or inside something.
何人: nannin — How many people; a number of individuals.
警告: keikoku — Warning; an alert or caution about danger.
よく: yoku — Well; skillfully or frequently in a positive way.
受け止める: ukeitomeru — To accept; to receive or take something seriously.
なら: nara — If; conditional particle introducing a hypothetical situation.
ば: ba — Conditional suffix; if or when something occurs.
彼ら: karera — They; third-person plural pronoun referring to people.
あるいは: aruiwa — Or; alternatively, introducing another possibility or option.
子孫: shison — Descendants; offspring or posterity of a person.
致命的: chimeiteki — Fatal; deadly or critically harmful in effect.
できる: dekiru — Can; to be able to do something.
思う: omou — To think; to feel or believe something.
なぜ: naze — Why; asking for the reason or cause.
この: kono — This; demonstrative adjective for nearby thing.
言及: genkyuu — Mention; a reference or allusion to something.
した: shita — Did; past tense of the verb 'to do'.
読者: dokusha — Reader; a person who reads a text.
よ: yo — Sentence-final particle expressing assertion or address.
同時代: dojidai — Contemporary era; the same period or generation.
人々: hitobito — People; many individuals or persons collectively.
いまだ: imada — Still; yet, indicating something has not yet occurred.
認識: ninshiki — Recognition; awareness or understanding of something.
し: shi — Conjunctive form; and, listing multiple reasons or actions.
より: yori — More than; comparative particle indicating degree.
深く: fukaku — Deeply; profoundly, adverb form of 'deep'.
独自: dokuji — Unique; original or distinctively one's own.
知性: chisei — Intellect; intelligence or intellectual capacity.
中: naka — Inside; within or in the middle of something.
見出す: midasu — To find; to discover or identify something new.
おける: okeru — In; at or within a particular context or place.
最初: saisho — First; the beginning or earliest point in time.
改革者: kaikakusha — Reformer; one who works to change or improve society.
して: shite — Doing; conjunctive form linking actions or roles.
歪ん: yugon — Distorted; warped or twisted out of proper shape.
世: yo — World; society or the age one lives in.
仕組み: shikumi — Structure; mechanism or system of how things work.
正道: seidou — Right path; the correct or righteous way forward.
立て直そう: tatenaoSOU — Let's rebuild; volitional form to reconstruct or restore.
する: suru — To do; general-purpose action verb in Japanese.
働き手: hatarakite — Worker; laborer or person who actively works.
真: shin / makoto — True; genuine or real, as in truth.
指導者: shidousha — Leader; one who guides or directs others.
見: mi — Seeing; stem of 'to see or look at'.
著作: chosaku — Written work; a literary or scholarly publication.
ついて: tsuite — About; concerning or following a topic closely.
いかなる: ikanaru — What kind of; whatever or whichever type.
評者: hyousha — Critic; a reviewer or commentator on works.
ふさわしい: fusawashii — Suitable; appropriate or fitting for a purpose.
比喩: hiyu — Metaphor; a figurative comparison or analogy used.
や: ya — And; listing particle connecting nouns loosely.
才能: sainou — Talent; natural ability or gifted skill.
正しく: tadashiku — Correctly; in a right or accurate manner.
特徴づける: tokuchoudzukeru — To characterize; to define or describe distinctive features.
見つけ: mitsuke — Finding; discovering or locating something searched for.

← Previous Next →

Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.

Create free account →