Mother West Wind "Why" Stories — Page 12

English → Japanese Full Text Level 2/10

I'll help you, if I get through my own work in time,' shouted Mr. Woodchuck over his shoulder.

「自分の仕事が時間内に終われば、手伝ってあげるよ」とウッドチャック氏は肩越しに叫びました。

That gave Mr. Rabbit an idea.

それでウサギ氏はある考えを思いつきました。

He would ask all his neighbors to help him, and perhaps then he could get his house and garden in order by the time Old Mother Nature arrived.

近所の人たち全員に手伝いを頼めば、オールド・マザー・ネイチャーが来るまでに家と庭を片付けられるかもしれない、と思ったのです。

So Mr. Rabbit called on Mr. Skunk and Mr. Coon and Mr. Mink and Mr. Squirrel and Mr. Chipmunk, and all the rest of his neighbors, telling them of his trouble and asking them to help.

そこでウサギ氏はスカンク氏、アライグマ氏、ミンク氏、リス氏、シマリス氏、そしてその他の近所の人たち全員を訪ねて、自分の困りごとを話し、助けを求めました。

Now, in spite of the trouble Mr. Rabbit was forever making for other people by his dreadful curiosity and meddling with other people's affairs, all his neighbors had a warm place in their hearts for Mr. Rabbit, and they all promised that they would help him as soon as they had their own work finished.

ウサギ氏はひどい好奇心と他人の事への口出しで、いつも周りの人たちに迷惑をかけていましたが、それでも近所の人たちは皆、ウサギ氏に対して温かい気持ちを持っており、自分たちの仕事が終わり次第助けると約束してくれました。

Instead of hurrying home and getting to work himself, Mr. Rabbit stopped a while after each call and sat with his arms folded, watching the one he was calling on work.

ウサギ氏は急いで家に帰って自分で作業を始めるどころか、それぞれの家を訪ねるたびにしばらく立ち止まり、腕を組んで座ったまま、訪問先の人が働くのを眺めていました。

Mr. Rabbit was very fond of sitting with folded arms.

ウサギ氏は腕を組んで座っているのがとても好きでした。

It was very comfortable.

それはとても気持ちの良いことでした。

But this was no time to be doing it, and Mr. Skunk told him so.

しかし今はそんなことをしている場合ではなく、スカンク氏もそのことをウサギ氏に告げました。

'If you want the rest of us to help you, you'd better get things started yourself,' said old Mr. Skunk, carefully combing out his big, plumy tail.

「私たちに手伝ってほしければ、まず自分で始めた方がいいですよ」と老スカンク氏は大きくふさふさした尻尾を丁寧に梳かしながら言いました。

'That's right, Mr. Skunk! That's right!' said Mr.

「その通りです、スカンク氏！その通りです！」と氏は言いました。

Vocabulary

自分: jibun — Oneself; referring to one's own self.
の: no — Possessive or linking particle connecting nouns.
仕事: shigoto — Work, job, or occupation one performs.
が: ga — Subject marker particle indicating the grammatical subject.
時間: jikan — Time; a period or duration of time.
内: nai / uchi — Within; inside a boundary or time limit.
に: ni — Directional or locative particle indicating target or location.
終われ: owarre — Conditional form of 'to finish'; if it ends.
ば: ba — Conditional particle meaning 'if' or 'when'.
手伝っ: tetsudatte — Te-form of 'to help'; lend a hand to someone.
て: te — Te-form conjunctive particle connecting verb phrases.
あげる: ageru — To give; to do something for another person.
よ: yo — Sentence-ending particle asserting or emphasizing a statement.
と: to — Quotation particle; marks what someone said or thought.
氏: shi — Honorific title meaning Mr., Ms., or a named person.
は: wa — Topic marker particle indicating the sentence topic.
肩越し: katagoshi — Over one's shoulder; looking or calling over the shoulder.
叫び: sakebi — A shout or cry; to yell loudly at someone.
まし: mashi — Polite past auxiliary verb form used with た.
た: ta — Past tense auxiliary indicating a completed action.
それ: sore — That; referring to something previously mentioned.
で: de — Particle indicating means, location, or reason.
ウサギ: usagi — Rabbit; a small fluffy-eared hopping animal.
ある: aru — To exist; to have (for inanimate things or ideas).
考え: kangae — A thought, idea, or way of thinking.
を: wo / o — Object marker particle indicating the direct object.
思いつき: omoitsuki — A sudden idea or impulse; coming up with a thought.
近所: kinjo — Neighborhood; the area near where one lives.
人: hito / nin — Person or people; a human being.
たち: tachi — Plural suffix for people or animate beings.
全員: zen'in — All members; every single person in a group.
手伝い: tetsudai — Help or assistance offered to another person.
頼め: tanome — Imperative or potential form of 'to request help'.
来る: kuru — To come; to arrive at a place.
まで: made — Until; up to a point in time or space.
家: ie / ka — House, home; the place where one lives.
庭: niwa — Garden or yard surrounding a house.
片付け: katazuke — Tidying up; putting things in order or away.
られる: rareru — Potential or passive auxiliary verb form.
かも: kamo — Perhaps; expresses possibility or uncertainty.
しれ: shire — Part of かもしれない meaning 'might' or 'possibly'.
ない: nai — Negative auxiliary; does not exist or is not done.
思っ: omotte — Te-form of 'to think'; thinking or having a thought.
です: desu — Polite copula meaning 'is,' 'am,' or 'are'.
そこ: soko — There; that place near the listener.
アライグマ: araiguma — Raccoon; a masked nocturnal North American mammal.
リス: risu — Squirrel; a small bushy-tailed tree-climbing rodent.
シマリス: shimarisu — Chipmunk; a small striped ground-dwelling squirrel.
その: sono — That (noun modifier); referring to something contextually known.
他: hoka / ta — Other; the rest of a group or additional things.
訪ね: tazune — To visit; to call on someone at their place.
困り: komari — Trouble or difficulty one is experiencing.
ごと: goto — Suffix meaning 'matter' or 'thing'; a concern or issue.
話し: hanashi — Talk, story, or conversation shared with another.
助け: tasuke — Help or rescue; assistance given to someone in need.
求め: motome — To seek or request; asking for something needed.
ひどい: hidoi — Terrible, awful; very bad or cruel behavior.
好奇心: koukishin — Curiosity; a strong desire to know or learn.
他人: tanin — Others, strangers; people other than oneself.
事: koto — Thing, matter, or situation in an abstract sense.
へ: e — Directional particle meaning 'toward' or 'to'.
口出し: kuchidashi — Interfering in others' business; unsolicited meddling.
いつも: itsumo — Always, usually; at all times habitually.
周り: mawari — Surroundings; the people or area around oneself.
迷惑: meiwaku — Nuisance, trouble; causing inconvenience to others.
かけ: kake — To cause; to put burden or trouble on someone.
い: i — Colloquial or stem form of the verb 'to be'.
でも: demo — But, however; a conjunction showing contrast.
皆: mina / minna — Everyone, all people in a group.
対し: taishi — Toward; in relation or response to someone or something.
温かい: atatakai — Warm; having a gentle, kind, or warm feeling.
気持ち: kimochi — Feeling, emotion, or mood one experiences.
持っ: motte — Te-form of 'to hold or have'; possessing something.
おり: ori — Humble or literary form of 'to be' (いる).
終わり: owari — End or conclusion of something; finishing point.
次第: shidai — As soon as; depending on; upon completion of something.
助ける: tasukeru — To help, save, or rescue someone in need.
約束: yakusoku — Promise or appointment; a commitment to do something.
し: shi — Conjunctive verb form or particle listing reasons.
くれ: kure — To give or do for oneself; imperative of くれる.
急い: isoide — Te-form of 'to hurry'; rushing quickly somewhere.
帰っ: kaette — Te-form of 'to return home'; going back home.
作業: sagyou — Work, task, or operation being carried out.
始める: hajimeru — To begin or start something actively.
どころ: dokoro — Far from; not even close to doing something.
か: ka — Question particle or disjunctive 'or' in sentences.
それぞれ: sorezore — Each one respectively; every individual separately.
たび: tabi — Each time; whenever a certain event occurs.
しばらく: shibaraku — For a while; a short but noticeable period of time.
立ち止まり: tachidomari — Stopping in one's tracks; pausing while walking.
腕: ude — Arm; the upper limb of the human body.
組ん: kunde — Te-form of 'to fold or cross'; as in crossing arms.
座っ: suwatte — Te-form of 'to sit'; being in a seated position.
まま: mama — As-is; remaining in a certain unchanged state.
訪問: houmon — A visit; calling on someone formally or informally.
先: saki — Ahead, destination; the place one has visited.
働く: hataraku — To work; to labor or be employed at a task.
眺め: nagame — A view or gaze; looking at something from a distance.
いる: iru — To exist; to be (for animate beings).
とても: totemo — Very, extremely; to a great degree.
好き: suki — Like; having fondness or preference for something.
良い: yoi / ii — Good, fine; having positive quality or value.
こと: koto — Thing, fact, or abstract matter in a sentence.
しかし: shikashi — However, but; introduces a contrasting statement.
今: ima — Now, at this moment; the present time.
そんな: sonna — Such, that kind of; referring to a described situation.
場合: baai — Case, situation, or circumstance being considered.
なく: naku — Negative conjunctive form; not being or not having.
も: mo — Also, too, even; inclusive or additive particle.
告げ: tsuge — To tell, announce, or inform someone of something.
私: watashi — I, me; first-person singular pronoun.
ほしけれ: hoshikere — Conditional form of ほしい meaning 'if you want'.
まず: mazu — First of all; to begin with, before anything else.
始め: hajime — Beginning; the start of something or starting action.
方: hou / kata — Direction, way, or method of doing something.
いい: ii — Good, fine, okay; expressing approval or preference.
老: rou — Old, elderly; prefix indicating age or seniority.
大きく: ookiku — Largely, greatly; in a big way or to a large extent.
ふさふさ: fusafusa — Fluffy, bushy; describing thick soft fur or hair.
尻尾: shippo — Tail; the rear appendage of an animal.
丁寧: teinei — Polite, careful; showing courtesy and thoroughness.
梳かし: tokashi — Combing or brushing hair or fur smoothly.
ながら: nagara — While doing; simultaneous action conjunction.
言い: ii — Saying; stem form of 'to say' (言う).
通り: toori — As stated; in accordance with what was said.

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