Mother West Wind "Why" Stories — Page 15
III
三
WHY UNC' BILLY POSSUM PLAYS DEAD
アンク・ビリー・ポッサムがなぜ死んだふりをするのか
One thing puzzled Peter Rabbit and Johnny Chuck and Striped Chipmunk a great deal after they had come to know Unc' Billy Possum and his funny ways.
ピーター・ラビットとジョニー・チャックとシマリスは、アンク・ビリー・ポッサムとその奇妙な習性を知るようになってから、あることがずっと不思議でならなかった。
They had talked it over and wondered and wondered about it, and tried to understand it, and even had asked Unc' Billy about it.
彼らはそのことについて何度も話し合い、ずっと不思議に思い、理解しようとし、アンク・ビリーに直接聞いてさえみた。
Unc' Billy had just grinned and said that they would have to ask his mammy.
アンク・ビリーはにやりと笑って、自分のお母さんに聞かなければならないだろうと言うだけだった。
Of course they couldn't do that, and Unc' Billy knew they couldn't, for Unc' Billy's mammy had died long before he even thought of coming up from Ol' Virginny to the Green Forest and the Green Meadows where they lived.
もちろんそんなことはできなかったし、アンク・ビリーもできないことはわかっていた。なぜなら、アンク・ビリーのお母さんは、彼がオールド・ヴァージニアから彼らの住むグリーン・フォレストとグリーン・メドウズへやって来ることを思いつくずっと前に亡くなっていたからだ。
He said it just to tease them, and when he said it, he chuckled until they chuckled too, just as if it really were the best kind of a joke.
彼はただからかうためにそう言ったのだが、そう言うとくすくす笑い出し、まるでそれが本当に最高の冗談であるかのように、彼らも一緒に笑ってしまうのだった。
Now you know it always is the thing that you try and try to find out and can't find out that you most want to find out.
ご存知のように、どうしても知りたくてたまらないのは、いつだって何度試みても知ることができないことなのだ。
It was just so with Peter Rabbit and Johnny Chuck and Striped Chipmunk.
ピーター・ラビットとジョニー・チャックとシマリスにとっても、まさにそのとおりだった。
The more they talked about it, the more they wanted to know.
話せば話すほど、彼らはますます知りたくなった。
Why was it that Unc' Billy Possum played dead instead of trying to run away when he was surprised by his enemies?
アンク・ビリー・ポッサムはなぜ、敵に不意打ちをくらったとき、逃げようとする代わりに死んだふりをするのだろうか？
They always tried to run away.
彼らはいつも逃げようとしていた。
So did everybody else of their acquaintance excepting Unc' Billy Possum.
アンク・ビリー・ポッサムを除いて、彼らの知り合いは皆そうしていた。
Vocabulary
- 三
- san — The number three.
- が
- ga — Subject marker particle in Japanese grammar.
- なぜ
- naze — Why; for what reason.
- 死んだ
- shinda — Died; past tense of 'to die'.
- ふり
- furi — Pretense; acting as if something is true.
- を
- wo — Object marker particle in Japanese grammar.
- する
- suru — To do; general-purpose action verb.
- の
- no — Possessive or nominalizing particle.
- か
- ka — Question marker particle at sentence end.
- と
- to — And; with; quotation particle.
- シマリス
- shimarisu — Chipmunk; small striped rodent.
- は
- wa — Topic marker particle in Japanese grammar.
- その
- sono — That; referring to something near the listener.
- 奇妙
- kimyō — Strange; peculiar; unusual behavior or situation.
- な
- na — Adjectival linking particle for na-adjectives.
- 習性
- shūsei — Habit; instinctive behavioral tendency of an animal.
- 知る
- shiru — To know; to come to learn something.
- よう
- yō — Seems like; in order to; expressing manner.
- に
- ni — Direction, location, or purpose particle.
- なって
- natte — Became; te-form of 'to become'.
- から
- kara — From; because; since a point in time.
- ある
- aru — To exist; there is (for inanimate things).
- こと
- koto — Thing; fact; abstract matter or event.
- ずっと
- zutto — All along; continuously; for a long time.
- 不思議
- fushigi — Mystery; wonder; something hard to understand.
- で
- de — At; by means of; location or method particle.
- なら
- nara — If; conditional form expressing a hypothetical situation.
- なかった
- nakatta — Was not; past negative form of 'aru/iru'.
- 彼ら
- karera — They; them; third-person plural pronoun.
- について
- ni tsuite — About; regarding; concerning a topic.
- 何度
- nando — How many times; multiple times.
- も
- mo — Also; too; even; as many as.
- 話し合い
- hanashiai — Discussion; mutual conversation to reach understanding.
- 思い
- omoi — Thought; feeling; strong emotion or intention.
- 理解
- rikai — Understanding; comprehension of meaning or situation.
- しよう
- shiyō — Let's do; volitional form of 'suru'.
- し
- shi — And; listing reasons or actions in sequence.
- 直接
- chokusetsu — Directly; without intermediary; straightforwardly.
- 聞い
- kiī — Asked; listened; te-stem form of 'kiku'.
- て
- te — Te-form connective particle linking verb phrases.
- さえ
- sae — Even; as far as; expressing an extreme case.
- み
- mi — Try; short stem of 'miru' meaning to try doing.
- た
- ta — Past tense auxiliary; indicates completed action.
- にやり
- niyari — Grinning; smirking slyly with a knowing expression.
- 笑っ
- waratt(e) — Laughed; smiled; te-stem form of 'warau'.
- 自分
- jibun — Oneself; myself; reflexive pronoun.
- お母さん
- okāsan — Mother; polite term for one's or another's mother.
- 聞か
- kika — Ask; negative or conditional stem of 'kiku'.
- なけれ
- nakere — Must; conditional stem of negative auxiliary 'nai'.
- ば
- ba — If; conditional particle for hypothetical situations.
- ない
- nai — Not; negative auxiliary or adjective.
- だろう
- darō — Probably; I suppose; expressing conjecture.
- 言う
- iu — To say; to tell; to express in words.
- だけ
- dake — Only; just; nothing more than.
- だった
- datta — Was; past tense of the copula 'da'.
- もちろん
- mochiron — Of course; naturally; without doubt.
- そんな
- sonna — Such; that kind of; like that.
- でき
- deki — Can do; be possible; stem of 'dekiru'.
- わかっ
- wakatt(e) — Understood; realized; te-stem of 'wakaru'.
- い
- i — Exist; be (for animate things); auxiliary stem.
- 彼
- kare — He; him; third-person masculine pronoun.
- 住む
- sumu — To live; to reside in a place.
- へ
- e — Toward; directional particle indicating destination.
- やって
- yatte — Doing; te-form of 'yaru'; coming/going actively.
- 来る
- kuru — To come; to arrive at a location.
- 思いつく
- omoitsuku — To think of; to come up with an idea.
- 前
- mae — Before; in front of; prior to an event.
- 亡くなっ
- nakunatt(e) — Passed away; died; polite past of 'nakunaru'.
- だ
- da — Is; plain-form copula expressing assertion.
- ただ
- tada — Just; merely; only; free of charge.
- かう
- kau — To buy; to keep a pet; to provoke.
- ため
- tame — For the sake of; in order to; purpose.
- そう
- sō — So; that way; it seems so; agreement.
- 言った
- itta — Said; told; past tense of 'to say'.
- くすくす
- kusukusu — Giggling; soft suppressed laughter sound.
- 笑い
- warai — Laughter; smile; the act of laughing.
- 出し
- dashi — Started; burst out; stem of 'dasu' as auxiliary.
- まるで
- marude — Just like; as if; completely resembling something.
- それ
- sore — That; referring to something near the listener.
- 本当
- hontō — True; real; genuine; truly.
- 最高
- saikō — Best; greatest; highest; supreme.
- 冗談
- jōdan — Joke; jest; humorous remark.
- 一緒
- issho — Together; at the same time; jointly.
- しまう
- shimau — To end up doing; to finish; completive auxiliary.
- ご存知
- gozonji — You know; polite expression for another's knowledge.
- どうして
- dōshite — Why; how; for what reason.
- 知り
- shiri — Know; stem form of 'shiru' (to know).
- たく
- taku — Want to; desiderative auxiliary stem 'tai'.
- たまら
- tamara — Unbearable; can't stand it; irresistibly compelled.
- いつ
- itsu — When; at what time; interrogative time word.
- だって
- datte — Even; because; but; colloquial explanatory particle.
- 試み
- kokoromi — Attempt; trial; an effort to try something.
- とって
- totte — For; taking; te-form of 'toru'; regarding someone.
- まさに
- masani — Exactly; precisely; just as expected.
- とおり
- tōri — Just as; in the same way; as stated.
- 話せ
- hanase — Can speak; potential or imperative stem of 'hanasu'.
- 話す
- hanasu — To speak; to talk; to tell someone something.
- ほど
- hodo — To the extent that; about; approximately.
- ます
- masu — Polite verb ending for present or future tense.
- なった
- natta — Became; past tense of 'naru' (to become).
- 敵
- teki — Enemy; foe; opponent; adversary.
- 不意打ち
- fuiuchi — Surprise attack; caught off guard suddenly.
- くらった
- kuratta — Received a blow; was hit; got struck.
- とき
- toki — When; time; moment; occasion.
- 逃げよう
- nigeyō — Let's escape; volitional form of 'to flee'.
- 代わり
- kawari — Instead; substitute; replacement for something else.
- 除い
- nozoi — Excluding; except for; te-stem of 'nozoku'.
- 知り合い
- shiriai — Acquaintance; someone one knows personally.
- 皆
- mina — Everyone; all; everybody together.
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