Mother West Wind "Why" Stories — Page 49

English → Japanese Full Text Level 2/10

Now there were a few animals, of whom old Mr. Muskrat, the grandfather a thousand times removed of Jerry Muskrat, was one, who learned to walk and run on dry land, but who still loved the water," continued Grandfather Frog.

「さて、乾いた陸地を歩いたり走ったりすることを覚えたが、それでも水が大好きだった動物が何匹かいて、ジェリー・マスクラットの何千代も前のご先祖様にあたる年老いたマスクラットさんもその一匹でした」と、カエルじいさんは続けました。

"One day Old Mother Nature found Mr. Muskrat sitting on a rock, looking very mournful.

「ある日、自然の母上様がマスクラットさんを見つけると、彼は岩の上に座って、とても悲しそうな顔をしていました。

"'What's the matter, Mr. Muskrat?' she asked.

「『どうしたのですか、マスクラットさん？』と彼女は尋ねました。

"Mr. Muskrat looked very much ashamed as he finally owned up that he was envious of his cousins and some of the other animals, because they had such fine houses on the land.

「マスクラットさんはとても恥ずかしそうな顔をしながら、ついに白状しました。いとこたちや他のいくつかの動物たちが陸地に立派な家を持っているのがうらやましかったのです。

"'Then why don't you build you a fine house on the land?' asked Old Mother Nature.

「『それなら、なぜ陸地に立派な家を建てないのですか？』と自然の母上様は尋ねました。

"Mr. Muskrat hesitated. 'I--I--love the water too well to want to stay on land all the time,' said he, 'and--and--well, I was put in the water in the first place, and I ought to be contented with what I have got and make the best of it.'

「マスクラットさんはためらいました。『ぼ、ぼくは水がとても好きなので、ずっと陸地にいたいとは思えないんです』と彼は言いました。『そ、それに、ええと、そもそもぼくは水の中に置かれたのだから、今あるものに満足して、精一杯うまくやっていくべきなんです。』

"Old Mother Nature was so pleased with Mr.

「自然の母上様はマスクラットさんのことがとても気に入って、

Vocabulary

さて: sate — Well; now then; used to shift topic or begin.
乾い: kawai — Dry; lacking moisture (stem of 乾く).
陸地: rikuchi — Land; dry ground as opposed to sea.
歩い: arui — Walked; stem form of 歩く (to walk).
たり: tari — Particle listing multiple actions among others.
走っ: hashit(te) — Ran; conjunctive form of 走る (to run).
する: suru — To do; general-purpose action verb.
こと: koto — Thing; fact; nominalizer for verb phrases.
覚え: oboe — Memory; recollection; remembering something.
それでも: soredemo — Even so; nevertheless; despite that fact.
水: mizu — Water; fresh liquid water.
大好き: daisuki — Love very much; extremely fond of something.
動物: doubutsu — Animal; living creature that is not a plant.
何匹: nanbiki — How many (small animals); counter for animals.
マスクラット: masukuratto — Muskrat; semi-aquatic North American rodent.
何千代: nanchitose — Many thousands of generations; countless ages ago.
前: mae — Before; in front; ago (time or space).
ご先祖様: go-senzo-sama — Honorable ancestor; respectful term for forebear.
あたる: ataru — To correspond to; to be equivalent to someone.
年老い: toshioi — Aged; grown old (stem of 年老いる).
さん: san — Honorific suffix for people; Mr./Ms./Mrs.
その: sono — That (near listener); demonstrative adjective.
一匹: ippiki — One small animal; counter for one creature.
カエル: kaeru — Frog; common amphibian living near water.
じいさん: jiisan — Old man; grandfather; elderly male person.
続け: tsuzuke — Continued; kept on (stem of 続ける).
ある日: aru hi — One day; a certain day (narrative opener).
自然: shizen — Nature; the natural world; spontaneous.
母上様: hahaue-sama — Honorable mother; very respectful term for mother.
見つける: mitsukeru — To find; to discover something or someone.
彼: kare — He; him; that man (third person male).
岩: iwa — Rock; large stone; boulder.
上: ue — Above; on top of; upper position.
座っ: suwat(te) — Sat; sitting (conjunctive form of 座る).
とても: totemo — Very; extremely; quite (degree adverb).
悲し: kanashi — Sad; sorrowful; feeling grief (adjective stem).
そう: sou — Seeming; appearing to be; looks like.
顔: kao — Face; facial expression; countenance.
どう: dou — How; in what way; what's the matter.
です: desu — Polite copula; is/am/are (formal speech).
彼女: kanojo — She; her; girlfriend (third person female).
尋ね: tazune — Asked; inquired (stem of 尋ねる).
恥ずかし: hazukashi — Embarrassed; ashamed; feeling bashful (adjective stem).
ながら: nagara — While doing; although; simultaneous action particle.
ついに: tsuini — Finally; at last; in the end.
白状: hakujou — Confession; admitting the truth about something.
いとこ: itoko — Cousin; child of one's parent's sibling.
たち: tachi — Plural suffix for people or animate beings.
や: ya — And; listing particle for non-exhaustive list.
他: hoka — Other; another; the rest; different ones.
いくつか: ikutsuka — Several; some; a few (indefinite quantity).
立派: rippa — Fine; splendid; magnificent; impressive.
家: ie — House; home; household; dwelling.
持っ: mot(te) — Has; holds; possesses (conjunctive of 持つ).
いる: iru — To be; to exist (animate beings present).
うらやまし: urayamashi — Envious; jealous; wishing one had the same.
なら: nara — If; in that case; conditional conjunction.
なぜ: naze — Why; for what reason; what cause.
建て: tate — Build; construct (stem of 建てる).
ない: nai — Not; negative form; does not exist.
ためらい: tamerai — Hesitation; wavering; reluctance to act.
ぼく: boku — I; me (informal male first-person pronoun).
好き: suki — Like; fond of; to love something.
ずっと: zutto — Always; continuously; all along; far more.
たい: tai — Want to do; desire to perform an action.
思え: omoe — Think; feel; conditional stem of 思う.
言い: ii — Said; speak (stem form of 言う).
ええと: eeto — Umm; well; hesitation filler word.
そもそも: somosomo — In the first place; to begin with; originally.
中: naka — Inside; middle; among; within something.
置か: oka — Placed; put (passive stem of 置く).
から: kara — Because; from; since (cause or origin).
今: ima — Now; at this moment; currently.
ある: aru — To exist; there is/are (inanimate objects).
もの: mono — Thing; object; matter; nominalizer.
満足: manzoku — Satisfaction; contentment; being fully pleased.
精一杯: seiippai — With all one's effort; to the fullest extent.
うまく: umaku — Well; skillfully; successfully (adverb form).
やっ: yat(te) — Do; manage (conjunctive form of やる).
いく: iku — To go; to proceed forward (direction verb).
べき: beki — Should; ought to; must (obligation form).
気: ki — Spirit; feeling; mind; mood; energy.
入っ: hait(te) — Entered; went into (conjunctive of 入る).

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