Mother West Wind "Why" Stories — Page 10

English → Japanese Full Text Level 2/10

It was all because he was so dreadfully curious about other people's business, just as Peter Rabbit is now.

それもこれも、彼が他人のことにひどく詮索好きだったからで、ちょうど今のピーター・ラビットと同じです。

It seemed that he was just born to be curious and so, of course, to get into trouble.

彼はまるで詮索好きに生まれついたようで、だからもちろん、いつもトラブルに巻き込まれるのでした。

"One day word came to the Green Forest and to the Green Meadows that Old Mother Nature was coming to see how all the little meadow and forest people were getting along, to settle all the little troubles and fusses between them, and to find out who were and who were not obeying the orders she had given them when she had visited them last.

「ある日、緑の森と緑の草原に知らせが届きました。オールド・マザー・ネイチャーが、草原や森の小さな生き物たちがどのように暮らしているかを確かめ、彼らの間の小さないざこざや揉め事を解決し、前回訪れたときに与えた命令に従っているかどうかを調べにやって来るというのです。

My, my, my, such a hurrying and scurrying and worrying as there was!

まあまあまあ、なんとあわただしく、せかせかと、やきもきしたことでしょう！

You see, everybody wanted to look his best when Old Mother Nature arrived, Yes, Sir, everybody wanted to look his best.

みんな、オールド・マザー・ネイチャーが来たとき、できる限り見栄えよくしていたかったのです。そうです、みんな、できる限り見栄えよくしていたかったのです。

"There was the greatest changing of clothes you ever did see.

「それはもう、今まで見たこともないような、大がかりな着替えが行われました。

Old King Bear put on his blackest coat.

オールド・キング・ベアは、一番黒い上着を身につけました。

Mr. Coon and Mr. Mink and Mr. Otter sat up half the night brushing their suits and making them look as fine and handsome as they could.

クーンさんとミンクさんとカワウソさんは、夜中まで起きて自分たちの服をブラッシングし、できるかぎりきれいでりっぱに見えるようにしました。

Even Old Mr. Toad put on a new suit under his old one, and planned to pull the old one off and throw it away as soon as Old Mother Nature should arrive.

オールド・ミスター・トードでさえ、古い服の下に新しい服を着込んで、オールド・マザー・ネイチャーが到着したらすぐに古い服を脱ぎ捨てようと計画していました。

Then everybody began to fix up their homes and make them as neat and nice as they knew how--everybody but Mr. Rabbit.

それからみんなは、自分たちの家を整え、できるかぎりきれいで素敵にしようとし始めました――ミスター・ラビットを除いて。

"Now Mr. Rabbit was lazy.

「さて、ミスター・ラビットは怠け者でした。

Vocabulary

それ: sore — That thing (near the listener).
も: mo — Also; too; as well.
これ: kore — This thing (near the speaker).
彼: kare — He; him; that person (male).
が: ga — Subject marker particle in Japanese.
他人: tanin — Other people; strangers; others.
の: no — Possessive or nominalizing particle.
こと: koto — Thing; matter; fact (abstract).
に: ni — Particle indicating direction, location, or time.
ひどく: hidoku — Terribly; extremely; severely.
詮索好き: sensaku-zuki — Nosy; fond of prying into others' affairs.
だった: datta — Was; were (plain past copula).
から: kara — Because; from; since.
で: de — Particle indicating location of action or means.
ちょうど: choudo — Exactly; just; precisely.
今: ima — Now; the present moment.
と: to — And; with; quotation particle.
同じ: onaji — Same; identical; alike.
です: desu — Polite copula meaning 'is/are/am'.
は: wa — Topic marker particle in Japanese.
まるで: marude — Just like; as if; exactly as though.
生まれついた: umaretsuitta — Born with a natural tendency or trait.
よう: you — Seems like; appears to be; like.
だから: dakara — Therefore; so; that is why.
もちろん: mochiron — Of course; naturally; certainly.
いつも: itsumo — Always; usually; all the time.
トラブル: toraburu — Trouble; problem; difficulty.
巻き込まれる: makikoma reru — To get involved in; be drawn into trouble.
でした: deshita — Was; were (polite past copula).
ある日: aru hi — One day; a certain day.
緑: midori — Green color; greenery.
森: mori — Forest; woods; grove.
草原: sougen — Meadow; grassland; plain.
知らせ: shirase — Notice; news; message; notification.
届き: todoki — Arrived; reached (news or item delivered).
まし: mashi — Polite verb ending component (used with た).
た: ta — Past tense verb ending.
や: ya — And; or; listing particle (non-exhaustive).
小さな: chiisana — Small; little; tiny.
生き物: ikimono — Living creature; animal; organism.
たち: tachi — Plural suffix for people or creatures.
どの: dono — Which; what (modifying a noun).
暮らし: kurashi — Life; livelihood; way of living.
て: te — Te-form conjunction connecting verb phrases.
いる: iru — To exist; to be (animate beings).
か: ka — Question particle or embedded question marker.
を: wo — Direct object marker particle.
確かめ: tashikame — To check; confirm; verify something.
彼ら: karera — They; them (a group of people).
間: あいだ / あいだ (aida) — Between; among; interval of time or space.
いざこざ: izakoza — Quarrel; squabble; minor conflict.
揉め事: momegoto — Dispute; trouble; friction between parties.
解決: kaiketsu — Resolution; solution; settling a problem.
し: shi — Te-form of する; also 'and' conjunctive.
前回: zenkai — Last time; previous occasion.
訪れ: otozure — Visit; arrival; to come to a place.
とき: toki — Time; moment; when.
与え: atae — To give; grant; provide something.
命令: meirei — Order; command; instruction.
従っ: shitagat(te) — Obeying; following; in accordance with.
どう: dou — How; in what way.
調べ: shirabe — Investigation; inquiry; to look into.
やっ: yat(te) — Doing; managing (colloquial form of やって).
来る: kuru — To come; to arrive.
いう: iu — To say; to be called; named.
まあ: maa — Well; oh my; expression of mild surprise.
なんと: nanto — How; what a; expressing surprise or exclamation.
あわただしく: awatadashiku — Hurriedly; busily; in a flurry.
せかせか: sekaseka — Rushing about; fidgety; in a fussy hurry.
やきもき: yakimoki — Worried; anxious; fretful about something.
でしょう: deshou — Probably; right?; polite conjecture or tag.
みんな: minna — Everyone; all; everybody.
来: ki (from kuru) — Coming; arrived (stem form of 来る).
できる: dekiru — Can do; be able to; possible.
限り: kagiri — As much as possible; limit; extent.
見栄えよく: mibaeyoku — Looking impressive; appearing attractive or presentable.
い: i — Adjective or verb stem ending (copula).
たかった: takatta — Wanted to (past tense of たい desire form).
そう: sou — That's right; so; seems so.
もう: mou — Already; anymore; soon; now.
今まで: ima made — Until now; up to the present time.
見: mi (from miru) — Seeing; looking (stem form of 見る).
ない: nai — Not; does not exist; negative form.
な: na — Sentence-ending particle expressing emotion or emphasis.
大がかり: oogakari — Large-scale; elaborate; on a grand scale.
着替え: kigae — Change of clothes; getting changed.
行わ: okonawa — Carrying out; conducting; performing an action.
れ: re — Passive or potential verb suffix.
一番: ichiban — Number one; most; best; first.
黒い: kuroi — Black; dark-colored.
上着: uwagi — Jacket; coat; outer garment.
身: mi — Body; oneself; one's person.
つけ: tsuke — Attaching; wearing; putting on.
さん: san — Polite honorific title Mr./Ms./Mrs.
ミンク: Minku — Mink, a small semi-aquatic mammal.
カワウソ: kawauso — Otter; semi-aquatic river mammal.
夜中: yonaka — Midnight; the middle of the night.
まで: made — Until; up to; as far as.
起き: oki — Waking up; staying awake; getting up.
自分: jibun — Oneself; myself; yourself; one's own.
服: fuku — Clothes; clothing; garment.
ブラッシング: burashingu — Brushing (clothes, fur, hair).
かぎり: kagiri — As much as possible; to the limit.
きれい: kirei — Clean; pretty; beautiful; neat.
りっぱ: rippa — Splendid; fine; impressive; admirable.
見える: mieru — To be visible; to appear; to look like.
さえ: sae — Even; as long as; if only.
古い: furui — Old; aged; worn; not new.
下: shita — Under; below; beneath; lower.
新しい: atarashii — New; fresh; recent; modern.
着込ん: kikon(de) — Wearing many layers; putting on clothes.
到着: touchaku — Arrival; reaching a destination.
たら: tara — Conditional 'if/when' clause ending.
すぐ: sugu — Immediately; right away; soon.
脱ぎ捨てよう: nugisuteyou — Let's throw off; plan to discard clothing.
計画: keikaku — Plan; project; scheme; arrangement.
家: ie / uchi — House; home; dwelling.
整え: totonoe — To arrange; prepare; put in order.
素敵: suteki — Wonderful; lovely; splendid; great.
しよう: shiyou — Let's do; volitional form of する.
始め: hajime — Beginning; start; to begin something.
除い: nozoite — Except; excluding; leaving out.
さて: sate — Well then; now; by the way.
怠け者: namakemono — Lazy person; idler; sloth.
でし: deshi — Polite past auxiliary (partial form of でした).

← Previous Next →

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

Create free account →