Mother West Wind "Why" Stories — Page 35

English → Japanese Full Text Level 2/10

He found that he no longer had to run for a safe hiding-place when he met Mr. Wolf or Mr. Lynx or Mr. Panther.

彼は、オオカミさんやオオヤマネコさんやヒョウさんに出会っても、もはや安全な隠れ場所へ逃げる必要がないことに気づいた。

They just snarled at him and passed without offering to touch him.

彼らはただ彼に向かってうなり声をあげ、手出しもせずに通り過ぎるだけだった。

So Mr. Skunk grew very independent and went where he pleased when he pleased.

そこでスカンクさんはすっかり自由気ままになり、行きたい時に行きたい場所へ出かけるようになった。

And, because he no longer had to run from his enemies, he got out of the habit of running.

そして、もはや敵から逃げる必要がなくなったので、走るという習慣を失っていった。

Then he made a discovery.

そして彼はあることを発見した。

He watched those of his neighbors who were forever hurrying about looking for food, hurrying because all the time there was great fear upon them that an enemy might be near, hurrying because each was fearful that his neighbor would get more than he.

彼は、絶えず食べ物を探して急ぎ回っている近所の者たちを観察した。彼らが急ぐのは、敵が近くにいるかもしれないという大きな恐怖が常にあるからであり、また隣人が自分より多く食べ物を得てしまうのではないかと恐れているからでもあった。

It wasn't long before Mr. Skunk saw that in their hurry they overlooked a great deal.

スカンクさんはすぐに、彼らが急ぐあまり多くのものを見落としていることに気づいた。

In fact, by just following after them slowly, he found all he wanted to eat.

実際、ただゆっくりと彼らの後をついていくだけで、食べたいものを十分に見つけることができた。

"So Mr. Skunk began to grow fat.

「こうしてスカンクさんは太り始めた。

His neighbors, who were having hard work to make a living, grew envious, and said unkind things about him, and hinted that he must be stealing, or he never could have so much to eat.

生活のために懸命に働いていた近所の者たちは羨ましがり、彼について意地悪なことを言い、盗みをしているに違いない、そうでなければあんなに食べ物があるはずがないとほのめかした。

But Mr. Skunk didn't mind.

しかしスカンクさんは気にしなかった。

He went right on about his business.

彼はそのまま自分のやるべきことを続けた。

He never worried, because, you know, he feared nobody.

彼は決して心配しなかった。なぜなら、ご存知のように、彼は誰も恐れていなかったからだ。

And he never hurried, because he found that it paid best to go slowly.

そして彼は決して急がなかった。ゆっくり進むことが最も得策だとわかっていたからだ。

In that way he never missed any of the good things that his hurrying, worrying neighbors did.

そのようにして彼は、急いで心配ばかりしている隣人たちが見逃してしまうような良いものを、一つも取り逃がすことがなかった。

Vocabulary

彼: kare — He; third-person masculine pronoun.
は: wa — Topic marker particle in Japanese sentences.
オオカミ: ookami — Wolf; large wild canine predator.
さん: san — Honorific suffix meaning Mr., Mrs., Ms.
や: ya — Particle listing examples, meaning 'and' or 'or'.
オオヤマネコ: ooyamaneko — Lynx; wild cat species with tufted ears.
ヒョウ: hyou — Leopard; large spotted wild cat.
に: ni — Particle indicating direction, location, or time.
出会っ: deatt(e) — Encountered; met someone or something unexpectedly.
て: te — Conjunctive particle connecting verb phrases together.
も: mo — Particle meaning 'also,' 'too,' or 'even.'
もはや: mohaya — No longer; not anymore; already past that point.
安全: anzen — Safety; being free from danger or harm.
な: na — Adjectival copula linking na-adjectives to nouns.
隠れ: kakure — Hiding; concealing oneself from others.
場所: basho — Place; location where something exists or happens.
へ: e — Particle indicating direction of movement toward something.
逃げる: nigeru — To flee; to run away from danger.
必要: hitsuyou — Necessity; something required or needed.
が: ga — Subject marker particle in Japanese grammar.
ない: nai — Negation; not existing or not the case.
こと: koto — Thing; fact; nominalizer for verb phrases.
気づい: kidzui(ta) — Realized; became aware of something.
た: ta — Past tense auxiliary verb ending.
彼ら: karera — They; third-person plural pronoun.
ただ: tada — Just; merely; simply; only that.
向かっ: mukatt(e) — Faced; headed toward; turned in a direction.
うなり: unari — Growl; low threatening sound made by animals.
声: koe — Voice; sound produced by a living creature.
を: wo — Object marker particle indicating direct object.
あげ: age — Raised; gave; produced (a sound or action).
手出し: tedashi — Interference; meddling; attacking or touching another.
せ: se — Causative or negative auxiliary verb form.
ず: zu — Classical negative verb ending meaning 'without doing.'
通り過ぎる: toorисугиру — Pass by; go past without stopping.
だけ: dake — Only; just; nothing more than that.
だっ: datt(a) — Past form of copula 'da'; was; were.
そこ: soko — There; that place nearby referred to.
で: de — Particle indicating location of action or means.
スカンク: sukanku — Skunk; small animal that sprays foul odor.
すっかり: sukkari — Completely; entirely; thoroughly changed or done.
自由: jiyuu — Freedom; liberty; being unrestricted or unrestrained.
気まま: kimama — Carefree; self-indulgent; doing as one pleases.
なり: nari — Became; turning into a new state.
行き: iki — Going; heading toward a destination.
たい: tai — Want to; expresses desire to do something.
時: toki — Time; moment; when something occurs.
出かける: dekakeru — To go out; to leave home for somewhere.
よう: you — Manner; way; it seems; resemblance or appearance.
なっ: natt(a) — Became; changed into a certain state.
そし: soshi(te) — And then; furthermore; connecting sequential events.
敵: teki — Enemy; foe; opponent or adversary.
から: kara — From; because; particle of origin or reason.
なくなっ: nakunatt(a) — Disappeared; ceased to exist; was lost.
の: no — Possessive or nominalizing particle.
走る: hashiru — To run; to move quickly on foot.
と: to — Particle meaning 'and,' 'with,' or quotation marker.
いう: iu — To say; to call; to be called.
習慣: shuukan — Habit; custom; regularly practiced behavior.
失っ: ushinatt(a) — Lost; was deprived of something valuable.
いっ: itt(a) — Went; moved away to somewhere.
ある: aru — To exist; to be; to have (inanimate).
発見: hakken — Discovery; finding something previously unknown.
し: shi — Did; conjunctive verb form connecting clauses.
絶えず: taezu — Constantly; without ceasing; continuously.
食べ物: tabemono — Food; things that can be eaten.
探し: sagashi — Searching; looking for something desired.
急ぎ: isogi — Hurrying; moving quickly with urgency.
回っ: mawatt(e) — Went around; circled; moved about an area.
いる: iru — To exist; to be present (animate beings).
近所: kinjo — Neighborhood; nearby area where one lives.
者: mono — Person; one who does something; fellow.
たち: tachi — Plural suffix for people or living things.
観察: kansatsu — Observation; carefully watching and studying something.
急ぐ: isogu — To hurry; to rush; to act quickly.
近く: chikaku — Nearby; close; in the vicinity of something.
か: ka — Question marker particle or uncertainty indicator.
しれ: shire — Might be; perhaps; possibility expression.
大きな: ookina — Large; big; great in size or extent.
恐怖: kyoufu — Terror; intense fear or dread.
常: tsune — Always; constantly; at all times.
あり: ari — Exists; there is; classical form of aru.
また: mata — Also; again; furthermore; in addition.
隣人: rinjin — Neighbor; person living near one's home.
自分: jibun — Oneself; myself; yourself; one's own self.
より: yori — Than; more than; comparison particle.
多く: ooku — Many; much; a large amount of something.
得: e — Gain; obtain; acquire something beneficial.
しまう: shimau — To end up doing; complete an action regrettably.
恐れ: osore — Fear; apprehension; dread of something.
あっ: att(a) — There was; existed; occurred (past tense).
すぐ: sugu — Immediately; soon; right away; very close.
あまり: amari — Too much; excessively; not very (with negative).
もの: mono — Thing; object; something tangible or abstract.
見落とし: miотоши — Overlooked; failed to notice something.
実際: jissai — Actually; in reality; in practice.
ゆっくり: yukkuri — Slowly; leisurely; taking one's time.
後: ato — After; later; behind; remainder.
つい: tsui — Unintentionally; just; inadvertently doing something.
いく: iku — To go; to proceed; to continue doing.
食べ: tabe — Eating; consuming food.
十分: juubun — Sufficient; enough; adequately; plenty.
見つける: mitsukeru — To find; to discover; to locate something.
でき: deki — Can do; able to; capable of something.
こう: kou — Like this; in this way; thus.
太り: futori — Getting fat; gaining weight; becoming plump.
始め: hajime — Beginning; start; the commencement of something.
生活: seikatsu — Life; daily living; one's lifestyle or livelihood.
ため: tame — For the sake of; purpose; benefit; result.
懸命: kenmei — Earnestly; with all one's might; desperately.
働い: hatarai(ta) — Worked; labored; put in effort.
い: i — Continuous state of being; present progressive marker.
羨ましがり: urayamashigari — Envying others; feeling jealous of someone else.
意地悪: ijiwaru — Mean; spiteful; unkind behavior toward others.
言い: ii — Saying; uttering words or making remarks.
盗み: nusumi — Stealing; theft; taking what belongs to others.
違い: chigai — Difference; discrepancy; being different from another.
そう: sou — So; that way; it seems; I see.
なけれ: nakere — If not; conditional negative form.
ば: ba — Conditional particle meaning 'if' or 'when.'
あんな: anna — That kind of; such as that (distant reference).
はず: hazu — Should be; supposed to; expected outcome.
ほのめかし: honomekashi — Hinted; insinuated; suggested indirectly.
しかし: shikashi — However; but; nevertheless; contrasting conjunction.
気: ki — Mind; spirit; feeling; attention; mood.
なかっ: nakatt(a) — Was not; did not exist (past negative).
その: sono — That; the (referring to something nearby).
まま: mama — As is; unchanged; remaining in same state.
やる: yaru — To do; to perform; to give (casual).
べき: beki — Should; ought to; moral or logical obligation.
続け: tsuzuke — Continued; kept on doing without stopping.
決し: kesshi(te) — Never; absolutely not; decisively.
心配: shinpai — Worry; anxiety; concern about something.
なぜなら: nazenara — Because; the reason being; for this reason.
ご存知: gozonji — Honorific form of knowing; you know; aware.
誰: dare — Who; which person; someone unspecified.
だ: da — Copula; is; informal form of 'desu.'
急が: isoga — Hurries; rushes (negative or conditional base form).
進む: susumu — To advance; to proceed forward; to progress.
最も: mottomo — Most; extremely; the greatest degree.
得策: tokusaku — Best policy; wise strategy; advantageous course of action.
わかっ: wakatt(a) — Understood; realized; comprehended something clearly.
急い: isoi(de) — Hurried; rushed; in a hasty manner.
ばかり: bakari — Only; just; nothing but; approximately.
見逃し: minogashi — Missed; overlooked; failed to catch sight of.
良い: yoi — Good; fine; excellent; favorable quality.
一つ: hitotsu — One; a single item or thing.
取り逃がす: torinigasu — To let escape; to miss catching something.

← Previous Next →

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

Create free account →