Light O' the Morning: The Story of an Irish Girl — Page 4
I have been two hours trying to get a wink of sleep, and just when I succeed you come in and wake me."
二時間もひと眠りしようとしていたのに、やっとうまくいったと思ったらあなたが入ってきて起こすんだから。」
"It's sorry I am to my heart's core," said Nora.
「本当に申し訳なく思っています」とノラは言った。
She went up to her mother, dropped on one knee, and looked with her rosy face into the worn and faded one of the elder woman.
彼女は母親のそばへ近づき、片膝をついて、薔薇色の顔を年老いた女の疲れ果てた色あせた顔へと向けた。
"Here I am, mammy," she said again, "your own little Nora; let me sit with you a bit--may I?"
「ここにいるわよ、お母さん」と彼女はまた言った。「あなたのかわいいノラよ。少しそばに座らせてね――いいでしょう？」
Mrs. O'Shanaghgan smiled faintly.
オシャナガン夫人はかすかに微笑んだ。
She looked all over the girl's slim figure, and finally her eyes rested on the laughing, lovely face.
彼女は少女のほっそりした体全体を眺め、ついにその目は笑顔の愛らしい顔に落ち着いた。
Then a cloud crossed her forehead, and her eyes became dim with tears.
やがて彼女の額に影が差し、目が涙でかすんだ。
"Have you heard the last thing, Nora?"
「最新のことを聞いた、ノラ？」
"There are so many last things, mother," said Nora.
「最新のことはたくさんありすぎて、お母さん」とノラは言った。
"But the very last.
「でも本当に最新のことよ。
Your father has to pay back the money which Squire Murphy of Cronane lent him.
お父さんはクロナンのマーフィー地主から借りたお金を返さなければならないの。
It is the queerest thing; but the mortgagee means to foreclose, as he calls it, within three months if that money is not paid in full.
実に奇妙なことだけれど、抵当権者はそのお金が全額支払われなければ、彼が言うところの抵当権を三ヶ月以内に実行するつもりなのよ。
I know well what it means."
それが何を意味するか、よくわかっているわ。」
Nora smiled.
ノラは微笑んだ。
She took her mother's hand in hers, and began to stroke it gently.
彼女は母親の手を自分の手の中に取り、そっと撫で始めた。
"I suppose," she said, "it means this.
「たぶん」と彼女は言った。「こういうことよ。
It means that we must part with a little more of the beloved land, every sod of which I love.
私が一つひとつの草の塊まで愛している大切な土地を、もう少し手放さなければならないということよ。
We certainly do seem to be getting poorer and poorer; but never mind--nothing will ever alter the fact that--"
確かに私たちはどんどん貧しくなっているようだけれど、でも気にしないで――どんなことがあっても変わらない事実があるわ――」
"That what, child?
「何が変わらないの、あなた？
Vocabulary
- 二
- ni — The number two.
- 時間
- jikan — Time; a period or duration of time.
- も
- mo — Particle meaning 'also' or 'even'.
- ひと眠り
- hitonemuris — A short nap or brief sleep.
- しよう
- shiyou — Volitional form of 'suru'; let's do.
- と
- to — Particle meaning 'and', 'with', or quotation marker.
- し
- shi — Stem form of 'suru'; to do.
- て
- te — Te-form connective particle linking verb phrases.
- い
- i — Stem of 'iru'; to exist or be (animate).
- た
- ta — Past tense auxiliary verb ending.
- の
- no — Possessive or nominalizing particle.
- に
- ni — Particle indicating direction, time, or purpose.
- やっと
- yatto — Finally; at last after much effort.
- うまく
- umaku — Skillfully; successfully; going well.
- いっ
- it- — Contracted form of 'iku'; to go.
- 思っ
- omot- — Te/past stem of 'omou'; to think.
- たら
- tara — Conditional form meaning 'if' or 'when'.
- あなた
- anata — You; second-person pronoun.
- が
- ga — Subject marker particle.
- 入っ
- hait- — Te/past stem of 'hairu'; to enter.
- き
- ki — Stem of 'kuru'; to come (in compounds).
- 起こす
- okosu — To wake someone up; to rouse.
- ん
- n — Colloquial nominalizer or explanatory particle.
- だ
- da — Copula; plain form of 'desu' meaning 'is/are'.
- から
- kara — Particle meaning 'because' or 'from'.
- 本当に
- hontou ni — Truly; really; sincerely.
- 申し訳
- moushiwake — Excuse; apology; justification for an error.
- なく
- naku — Negative adverbial form; without; not having.
- ます
- masu — Polite verb ending for present/future tense.
- は
- wa — Topic marker particle.
- 言っ
- it- — Te/past stem of 'iu'; to say.
- 彼女
- kanojo — She; her; girlfriend.
- 母親
- hahaoya — Mother; one's own mother.
- そば
- soba — Beside; near; close proximity to something.
- へ
- e — Directional particle meaning 'toward' or 'to'.
- 近づき
- chikazuki — Drawing near; approaching something or someone.
- 片膝
- katahiza — One knee; kneeling on a single knee.
- を
- wo — Object marker particle.
- つい
- tsui — Accidentally; unintentionally; just now.
- 薔薇色
- barairo — Rose color; rosy pink hue.
- 顔
- kao — Face; facial expression.
- 年老い
- toshioi — Aged; growing old; elderly state.
- 女
- onna — Woman; female person.
- 疲れ果て
- tsukarehate — Completely exhausted; worn out entirely.
- 色あせ
- Faded in color; grown pale or dull.
- 向け
- muke — Turned toward; directed at someone.
- ここ
- koko — Here; this place.
- いる
- iru — To exist; to be (animate beings).
- わ
- wa — Sentence-final particle indicating feminine assertion.
- よ
- yo — Sentence-final particle asserting or emphasizing information.
- お母さん
- okaasan — Mother; polite term of address for mother.
- また
- mata — Again; once more; also.
- かわいい
- kawaii — Cute; adorable; charming in appearance.
- 少し
- sukoshi — A little; a small amount.
- 座ら
- suwara — Stem of 'suwaru'; to sit down.
- せ
- se — Causative auxiliary stem; making someone do something.
- ね
- ne — Sentence-final particle seeking agreement or softening tone.
- いい
- ii — Good; fine; acceptable.
- でしょ
- desho — Colloquial form of 'deshou'; probably; isn't it?
- う
- u — Volitional ending; let's or probably.
- 夫人
- fujin — Madame; Mrs.; a married woman of status.
- かすか
- kasuka — Faint; slight; barely perceptible.
- 微笑ん
- hohoen- — Stem of 'hohoemu'; to smile gently.
- 少女
- shoujo — Young girl; a female child or teenager.
- ほっそり
- hossori — Slender; slim; delicately thin in build.
- 体
- karada — Body; physical form of a person.
- 全体
- zentai — The whole; entirety; overall.
- 眺め
- nagame — A view; gazing at; looking over something.
- その
- sono — That; the (demonstrative adjective before nouns).
- 目
- me — Eye; eyes; gaze.
- 笑顔
- egao — Smiling face; a smile.
- 愛らしい
- airashii — Lovely; charming; endearingly cute.
- 落ち着い
- ochitsui- — Stem of 'ochitsuku'; calm; composed; settled.
- やがて
- yagate — Before long; soon; eventually.
- 額
- hitai — Forehead; brow.
- 影
- kage — Shadow; shade; silhouette.
- 差し
- sashi — Stem of 'sasu'; to cast (light/shadow).
- 涙
- namida — Tears; teardrops from crying.
- で
- de — Particle indicating means, location of action, or cause.
- かすん
- kasun- — Stem of 'kasumu'; to blur; to grow hazy.
- 最新
- saishin — Latest; newest; most recent.
- こと
- koto — Thing; matter; fact (abstract noun).
- 聞い
- kii- — Te/past stem of 'kiku'; to hear or ask.
- たくさん
- takusan — Many; a lot; plenty.
- あり
- ari — Stem of 'aru'; to exist (inanimate).
- すぎ
- sugi — Too much; exceeding a proper amount.
- でも
- demo — But; however; even so.
- お父さん
- otousan — Father; polite term of address for father.
- 地主
- jinushi — Landowner; landlord who owns land.
- 借り
- kari — Borrowing; a debt or loan.
- お金
- okane — Money; funds; cash.
- 返さ
- kaesa — Negative/conditional stem of 'kaesu'; to return money.
- なけれ
- nakere — Conditional negative stem; if not done.
- ば
- ba — Conditional particle meaning 'if'.
- なら
- nara — Conditional copula meaning 'if it is'.
- ない
- nai — Negative auxiliary meaning 'not exist' or 'don't'.
- 実に
- jitsu ni — Indeed; truly; really (emphatic adverb).
- 奇妙
- kimyou — Strange; odd; peculiar; bizarre.
- な
- na — Adjectival particle connecting na-adjectives to nouns.
- けれど
- keredo — But; however; though (conjunctive).
- 全額
- zengaku — Full amount; total sum of money.
- 支払わ
- shiharawa — Stem of 'shiharau'; to pay in full.
- れ
- re — Passive/potential auxiliary verb stem.
- 彼
- kare — He; him; boyfriend.
- 言う
- iu — To say; to tell; to speak.
- ところ
- tokoro — Place; point in time; situation.
- 三
- san — The number three.
- ヶ月
- kagetsu — Months (counter for counting months).
- 以内
- inai — Within; inside a limit or boundary.
- 実行
- jikkou — Execution; carrying out a plan or action.
- する
- suru — To do; to perform an action.
- つもり
- tsumori — Intention; plan to do something.
- それ
- sore — That; that thing (mid-distance demonstrative).
- 何
- nani — What; which thing.
- 意味
- imi — Meaning; significance of a word or action.
- か
- ka — Question particle at sentence end.
- よく
- yoku — Well; often; clearly; thoroughly.
- わかっ
- wakat- — Te/past stem of 'wakaru'; to understand.
- 手
- te — Hand; hands.
- 自分
- jibun — Oneself; one's own self.
- 中
- naka — Inside; middle; among.
- 取り
- tori — Stem of 'toru'; to take; to pick up.
- そっと
- sotto — Gently; softly; quietly without disturbing.
- 撫で
- nade — Stem of 'naderu'; to stroke; to caress.
- 始め
- hajime — Beginning; start; to begin doing something.
- たぶん
- tabun — Probably; perhaps; most likely.
- こういう
- kouiu — This kind of; like this; such as this.
- 私
- watashi — I; me; first-person pronoun.
- 一つ
- hitotsu — One thing; one piece (general counter).
- ひとつ
- hitotsu — One; a single item (general counter).
- 草
- kusa — Grass; weeds; plants growing low.
- 塊
- katamari — Lump; clump; mass of something.
- まで
- made — Until; up to; as far as.
- 愛し
- aishi — Stem of 'aisu'; to love dearly.
- 大切
- taisetsu — Important; precious; cherished; valued.
- 土地
- tochi — Land; ground; a piece of property.
- もう
- mou — Already; anymore; soon; by now.
- 手放さ
- tebanasa — Stem of 'tebanasu'; to let go of; release.
- という
- to iu — Called; known as; meaning that.
- 確か
- tashika — Certain; sure; if I recall correctly.
- たち
- tachi — Plural suffix for people or animate beings.
- どんどん
- dondon — Rapidly; progressively; more and more.
- 貧しく
- mazushiku — Adverbial form of 'mazushii'; becoming poor.
- なっ
- nat- — Te/past stem of 'naru'; to become.
- よう
- you — Seeming; appearing; like; as if.
- 気
- ki — Feeling; spirit; mood; sense.
- しない
- shinai — Negative of 'suru'; do not do.
- どんな
- donna — What kind of; what sort of.
- あっ
- at- — Te/past stem of 'aru'; to exist (inanimate).
- 変わら
- kawara — Negative stem of 'kawaru'; to not change.
- 事実
- jijitsu — Fact; truth; actual circumstance.
- ある
- aru — To exist; to be; to have (inanimate).
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