Little Women — Page 1
"Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents," grumbled Jo, lying on the rug.
「プレゼントなしじゃ、クリスマスもクリスマスじゃないわ」とジョーは敷物の上に寝そべりながら不満を言った。
"It's so dreadful to be poor!" sighed Meg, looking down at her old dress.
「貧乏ってほんとうにいやだわ！」とメグは自分の古いドレスを見下ろしながらため息をついた。
"I don't think it's fair for some girls to have plenty of pretty things, and other girls nothing at all," added little Amy, with an injured sniff.
「かわいいものをたくさん持っている女の子がいる一方で、まったく何も持っていない女の子がいるなんて、不公平だと思う」と小さなエイミーが傷ついたように鼻をすすりながら付け加えた。
"We've got Father and Mother, and each other," said Beth contentedly from her corner.
「私たちにはお父さんとお母さんがいて、お互いがいるじゃない」とベスは自分の隅から満足そうに言った。
The four young faces on which the firelight shone brightened at the cheerful words, but darkened again as Jo said sadly, "We haven't got Father, and shall not have him for a long time."
暖炉の火に照らされた四つの若い顔は、その明るい言葉に輝いたが、ジョーが悲しそうに「お父さんはいないし、しばらくの間はいないままだわ」と言うと、また暗くなった。
She didn't say "perhaps never," but each silently added it, thinking of Father far away, where the fighting was.
彼女は「もしかしたら永遠に」とは言わなかったが、戦いの行われている遠い地にいるお父さんのことを思いながら、それぞれが心の中でその言葉を付け加えた。
Nobody spoke for a minute; then Meg said in an altered tone, "You know the reason Mother proposed not having any presents this Christmas was because it is going to be a hard winter for everyone; and she thinks we ought not to spend money for pleasure, when our men are suffering so in the army.
しばらく誰も口を開かなかった。それからメグが口調を変えて言った。「お母さんが今年のクリスマスにプレゼントをやめようと提案した理由はね、みんなにとって厳しい冬になるからなの。それに、私たちの男たちが戦場でこんなに苦しんでいるときに、娯楽のためにお金を使うべきではないとお母さんは思っているの。
We can't do much, but we can make our little sacrifices, and ought to do it gladly.
私たちにできることは多くないけれど、小さな犠牲を払うことはできるし、喜んでそうすべきだわ。
But I am afraid I don't," and Meg shook her head, as she thought regretfully of all the pretty things she wanted.
でも、私にはそれができそうにないわ」とメグは首を振りながら、欲しいと思っていたかわいいものすべてを残念そうに思い浮かべた。
"But I don't think the little we should spend would do any good. We've each got a dollar, and the army wouldn't be much helped by our giving that.
「でも、私たちが使うわずかなお金は何の役にも立たないと思うわ。それぞれ一ドルずつ持っているけど、それを渡したところで軍隊がそれほど助かるわけでもないし。
Vocabulary
- プレゼント
- purezento — A gift or present given to someone.
- なし
- nashi — Nothing; without; lacking something entirely.
- じゃ
- ja — Casual conjunction meaning 'then' or 'well then'.
- クリスマス
- kurisumasu — Christmas, the Christian holiday celebrated December 25th.
- も
- mo — Particle meaning 'also', 'too', or 'even'.
- ない
- nai — Negative form indicating something does not exist.
- わ
- wa — Sentence-ending particle expressing assertion, often feminine.
- と
- to — Particle meaning 'and', 'with', or quotation marker.
- は
- wa — Topic-marking particle indicating the sentence topic.
- 敷物
- shikimono — A rug, mat, or carpet laid on the floor.
- の
- no — Possessive or linking particle connecting nouns together.
- 上
- ue — Above, on top of, or upper surface of something.
- に
- ni — Particle indicating location, direction, time, or purpose.
- 寝そべり
- nesoberi — Lying sprawled out or stretched on a surface.
- ながら
- nagara — Conjunction meaning 'while' doing two things simultaneously.
- 不満
- fuman — Dissatisfaction, discontent, or a grievance expressed.
- を
- wo — Object-marking particle indicating the direct object.
- 言っ
- it(te) — Said; spoke; expressed verbally (stem of 言う).
- た
- ta — Past tense auxiliary verb indicating completed action.
- 貧乏
- binbou — Poverty; being poor or financially impoverished.
- って
- tte — Casual quotation or topic particle in spoken Japanese.
- ほんとう
- hontou — Truth; really; truly; genuinely so.
- いや
- iya — Unpleasant, disagreeable, or expressing dislike strongly.
- だ
- da — Copula meaning 'is' or 'am'; plain present form.
- 自分
- jibun — Oneself; one's own self or personal affairs.
- 古い
- furui — Old, aged, or worn out (for objects or things).
- ドレス
- doresu — A dress; a woman's one-piece garment.
- 見下ろし
- mikudoroshi — Looking down at something; gazing downward upon.
- ため息
- tameiki — A sigh; exhaling deeply from sadness or resignation.
- つい
- tsui — Unintentionally; reflexively; before one realizes it.
- かわいい
- kawaii — Cute, adorable, or charming in appearance.
- もの
- mono — Thing, object, or tangible item in general.
- たくさん
- takusan — Many, a lot, or a large quantity of something.
- 持っ
- mot(te) — Having or possessing something (stem of 持つ).
- て
- te — Te-form conjunctive particle connecting verbs or clauses.
- いる
- iru — To exist; to be (for animate beings); ongoing action.
- 女の子
- onnanoko — A girl; a young female child or person.
- が
- ga — Subject-marking particle highlighting the grammatical subject.
- 一方
- ippou — On the other hand; one side; meanwhile.
- で
- de — Particle indicating location of action, means, or cause.
- まったく
- mattaku — Completely, utterly, or absolutely; expressing strong emphasis.
- 何
- nani / naN — What; an interrogative pronoun asking about something.
- なんて
- nante — Such a thing as; expressing surprise or disparagement.
- 不公平
- fukouhei — Unfair, unjust, or inequitable treatment or situation.
- 思う
- omou — To think, feel, or consider something in one's mind.
- 小さな
- chiisana — Small, little, or tiny (attributive adjective form).
- 傷つい
- kizutsui(te) — Being hurt, wounded, or emotionally injured.
- よう
- you — Appearing as if; seeming like; resembling a state.
- 鼻
- hana — Nose; the facial organ used for smelling.
- すすり
- susuri — Sniffling; sniffing back tears or mucus softly.
- 付け加え
- tsukekuwae — Adding on; appending additional words or information.
- 私たち
- watashitachi — We; us; first-person plural pronoun.
- お父さん
- otousan — Father; a polite term for one's dad.
- お母さん
- okaasan — Mother; a polite term for one's mom.
- お互い
- otagai — Each other; mutually; one another between two parties.
- 隅
- sumi — A corner, nook, or edge of a room.
- から
- kara — From; because; starting point in space or reason.
- 満足
- manzoku — Satisfaction, contentment, or being pleased with something.
- そう
- sou — That way; appearing so; seeming like a certain state.
- 暖炉
- danro — A fireplace or hearth for warming a room.
- 火
- hi — Fire, flame, or a burning light source.
- 照らさ
- terasa — Being illuminated or lit up by light.
- 四つ
- yottsu — Four (things); the native Japanese counter for four.
- 若い
- wakai — Young, youthful, or of an early age.
- 顔
- kao — Face; one's facial features or expression.
- その
- sono — That (near listener); demonstrative modifier for nouns.
- 明るい
- akarui — Bright, light, or cheerful in mood or appearance.
- 言葉
- kotoba — Words, language, or an expression used in speech.
- 輝い
- kagayai(te) — Shining, gleaming, or glowing brightly with light.
- 悲し
- kanashi — Sad, sorrowful, or filled with grief (adjective stem).
- しばらく
- shibaraku — For a while; for some time; temporarily.
- 間
- aida / ma — A period of time; space between; interval or gap.
- まま
- mama — As is; remaining in a certain unchanged state.
- 言う
- iu — To say, speak, or utter words to someone.
- また
- mata — Again; also; once more; furthermore.
- 暗く
- kuraku — Darkly; becoming dark (adverbial form of 暗い).
- なっ
- nat(te) — Became; turned into (conjunctive stem of なる).
- 彼女
- kanojo — She, her; also used for girlfriend in Japanese.
- もしかしたら
- moshikashitara — Perhaps, possibly, or maybe (expressing uncertainty).
- 永遠
- eien — Eternity; forever; everlasting time without end.
- なかっ
- nakata — Past negative auxiliary; did not (plain past negative).
- 戦い
- tatakai — A battle, fight, or struggle between opposing forces.
- 行わ
- okonawa — Carried out, conducted, or performed (passive stem).
- 遠い
- tooi — Far, distant, or remote in space or time.
- 地
- chi / tochi — Land, earth, ground, or a place or region.
- こと
- koto — A thing, matter, fact, or abstract concept.
- 思い
- omoi — A thought, feeling, or emotion held in mind.
- それぞれ
- sorezore — Each; respectively; each one individually.
- 心
- kokoro — Heart, mind, spirit, or inner feelings.
- 中
- naka — Inside, within, or the middle of something.
- 誰
- dare — Who; an interrogative pronoun asking about a person.
- 口
- kuchi — Mouth; an opening used for speaking or eating.
- 開か
- hiraka — To open (passive/negative stem of 開く).
- それから
- sorekara — After that; then; and then next in sequence.
- 口調
- kuchoucho — Tone of voice; manner or style of speaking.
- 変え
- kae — Changing; altering something (conjunctive stem of 変える).
- 今年
- kotoshi — This year; the current calendar year.
- やめよう
- yameyou — Let's stop; let's quit doing something (volitional form).
- 提案
- teian — A proposal, suggestion, or recommendation to consider.
- 理由
- riyuu — A reason, cause, or grounds for something.
- ね
- ne — Sentence-ending particle seeking agreement or confirmation.
- みんな
- minna — Everyone, everybody, or all people together.
- とっ
- tot(te) — For; in regard to (conjunctive of とる or にとって).
- 厳しい
- kibishii — Strict, harsh, severe, or difficult in nature.
- 冬
- fuyu — Winter; the coldest season of the year.
- なる
- naru — To become; to turn into a new state.
- な
- na — Sentence-ending particle expressing emotion or prohibition.
- それ
- sore — That (thing near listener); a demonstrative pronoun.
- 男たち
- otokotachi — The men; a group of male people.
- 戦場
- senjou — A battlefield; a place where fighting occurs.
- こんな
- konna — This kind of; such a type of thing.
- 苦しん
- kurushinde — Suffering, being in pain or anguish (stem form).
- とき
- toki — A time, moment, or occasion when something occurs.
- 娯楽
- goraku — Entertainment, amusement, or recreational pleasure activities.
- ため
- tame — For the sake of; purpose; benefit or cause.
- お金
- okane — Money; currency used for buying goods or services.
- 使う
- tsukau — To use, spend, or employ something for a purpose.
- べき
- beki — Should; ought to; expressing moral obligation or duty.
- 思っ
- omot(te) — Thinking; feeling (conjunctive stem of 思う).
- できる
- dekiru — To be able to; can; to become possible.
- 多く
- ooku — Many, much, or a large amount of something.
- けれど
- keredo — But, however, although; a conjunctive concessive form.
- 犠牲
- gisei — A sacrifice; giving up something valuable for others.
- 払う
- harau — To pay; to brush away; to make a sacrifice.
- 喜ん
- yorokon(de) — Being glad or pleased; rejoicing happily (stem form).
- でも
- demo — But, however; even so; used for contrast or concession.
- 私
- watashi — I, me; first-person singular pronoun.
- でき
- deki — Can do; able to (conjunctive stem of できる).
- 首
- kubi — Neck; head; the part connecting head to body.
- 振り
- furi — Shaking or waving (a body part); nodding action.
- 欲しい
- hoshii — Wanting; desiring to have something very much.
- すべて
- subete — All, everything, or the entirety of something.
- 残念
- zannen — Regrettable, unfortunate, or disappointing; what a shame.
- 思い浮かべ
- omoiukabe — Calling to mind; picturing something in imagination.
- わずか
- wazuka — A small amount; only a little; mere or slight.
- 役
- yaku — A role, use, or function something serves.
- 立た
- tata — Standing; being useful (negative/conditional stem of 立つ).
- 一
- ichi / hito — One; the number 1; a single unit.
- ドル
- doru — Dollar; the US monetary currency unit.
- ずつ
- zutsu — Each; apiece; a distributional particle for equal portions.
- けど
- kedo — But, though; casual concessive conjunction in speech.
- 渡し
- watashi — Handing over; passing something to another person.
- ところ
- tokoro — Place, point, or a situation at a given moment.
- 軍隊
- guntai — Military troops; an army or armed forces unit.
- それほど
- sorehodo — That much; to that extent; so very much.
- 助かる
- tasukaru — To be saved, helped, or relieved from difficulty.
- わけ
- wake — Reason, meaning, or logical conclusion; 'that means...'.
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