Mother West Wind "Why" Stories — Page 67
Now it happened that curled up on a little grassy tussock, taking an early morning sun-bath, lay little Mr. Greensnake.
さて、小さな草の茂みの上に丸くなって、朝の日光浴をしていたのは、小さなグリーンスネークさんでした。
Of course Peter Rabbit and Johnny Chuck were not afraid of him.
もちろん、ピーター・ラビットとジョニー・チャックは彼を怖がっていませんでした。
If it had been Mr. Rattlesnake or Mr. Gophersnake, it would have been different.
もしラトルスネークさんやゴーファースネークさんだったら、話は違っていたでしょう。
But from little Mr. Greensnake there was nothing to fear, and sometimes, just for fun, Peter would jump right over him.
でも、小さなグリーンスネークさんからは怖いものは何もなく、ときどきピーターはただの遊びで彼の上をひょいと飛び越えることがありました。
When he did that, Peter always winked good-naturedly.
そうするとき、ピーターはいつも気さくにウインクをしました。
But Mr. Greensnake never winked back.
でも、グリーンスネークさんは決してウインクを返しませんでした。
Instead he would raise his head, run his tongue out at Peter, and hiss in what he tried to make a very fierce and angry manner.
そのかわりに、彼は頭を持ち上げ、ピーターに向かって舌を出し、とても獰猛で怒っているように見せようとしてシューッと音を立てるのでした。
Then Peter would laugh and wink at him again.
するとピーターは笑って、また彼にウインクするのでした。
But never once did Mr. Greensnake wink back.
でも、グリーンスネークさんは一度もウインクを返しませんでした。
[Illustration: He would make no reply, save to run out his tongue at them.]
【挿絵：彼は彼らに舌を出す以外、何の返事もしませんでした。】
Peter was thinking of this as he and Johnny Chuck stretched out in a sunny spot to get their breath and rest.
ピーターはこのことを考えながら、ジョニー・チャックと一緒に日当たりのよい場所に伸びをして息を整え、休んでいました。
He had never thought of it before, but now that he had noticed it, he couldn't remember that he ever had seen little Mr. Greensnake wink, nor any of Mr. Greensnake's relatives.
今まで考えたことがなかったのですが、気がついてみると、小さなグリーンスネークさんが、あるいはグリーンスネークさんの親戚の誰かがウインクをしたのを見たことがあるとは思い出せませんでした。
He mentioned the matter to Johnny Chuck.
彼はそのことをジョニー・チャックに話しました。
"That's so," replied Johnny thoughtfully.
「そうだね」とジョニーは考え深げに答えました。
"I never have seen any of them wink, either.
「僕も彼らのどれかがウインクするのを見たことがないよ。
Do you suppose they can wink?"
彼らはウインクできるのかな？」
"Let's go ask Mr. Greensnake," said Peter.
「グリーンスネークさんに聞きに行こう」とピーターは言いました。
Up they hopped and raced over to the grassy tussock where Mr.
二人はぴょんと跳び上がり、グリーンスネークさんがいる草の茂みへと駆けていきました。
Vocabulary
- さて
- sate — Well, now; used to introduce a new topic
- 小さな
- chiisana — Small, little; attributive adjective form
- 草
- kusa — Grass, weeds, plants growing on the ground
- の
- no — Possessive or linking particle in Japanese
- 茂み
- shigemi — Thicket, bush, dense growth of plants
- 上
- ue — Above, on top of, upper position
- に
- ni — Particle indicating location, direction, or time
- 丸く
- maruku — Roundly, in a round shape or curl
- なっ
- nat(te) — Became; conjunctive form of なる
- て
- te — Conjunctive particle connecting verb phrases
- 朝
- asa — Morning, the early part of the day
- 日光浴
- nikkōyoku — Sunbathing, basking in sunlight
- を
- wo — Object marker particle in Japanese grammar
- し
- shi — Doing; conjunctive form of する
- い
- i — Continuative form of いる (to be/exist)
- た
- ta — Past tense auxiliary verb in Japanese
- は
- wa — Topic marker particle in Japanese grammar
- さん
- san — Honorific title equivalent to Mr., Ms., etc.
- で
- de — Particle indicating location of action or means
- もちろん
- mochiron — Of course, naturally, certainly
- と
- to — And; particle connecting nouns or quoting speech
- 彼
- kare — He, him; third-person masculine pronoun
- 怖がっ
- kowagat(te) — Being afraid, feeling scared of something
- ませ
- mase — Polite negative auxiliary verb component
- ん
- n — Negative ending or explanatory sentence-final particle
- もし
- moshi — If, supposing; introduces conditional hypothetical sentences
- や
- ya — And, or; particle listing examples among others
- だっ
- dat(tara) — Were; past copula in conditional context
- ら
- ra — Conditional suffix indicating 'if it were'
- 話
- hanashi — Story, talk, conversation, matter at hand
- 違っ
- chigat(te) — Differs, is different; conjunctive form of 違う
- でしょ
- desho — Probably, right; seeking agreement or expressing conjecture
- う
- u — Volitional or presumptive auxiliary verb ending
- でも
- demo — But, however; conjunction showing contrast or concession
- から
- kara — From, because; particle indicating cause or origin
- 怖い
- kowai — Scary, frightening, fearful
- もの
- mono — Thing, object; nominalizer expressing reason or feeling
- 何
- nani — What, nothing; interrogative or indefinite pronoun
- も
- mo — Also, too; emphatic particle meaning 'even, any'
- なく
- naku — Without, not being; conjunctive negative form
- ときどき
- tokidoki — Sometimes, occasionally, from time to time
- ただ
- tada — Just, simply, only, merely
- 遊び
- asobi — Play, fun, game, amusement
- ひょい
- hyoi — Lightly, nimbly; onomatopoeia for a quick hop
- 飛び越える
- tobikōeru — To jump over, leap across something
- こと
- koto — Thing, fact; nominalizer for verb phrases
- が
- ga — Subject marker particle in Japanese grammar
- あり
- ari — There is/are; conjunctive form of ある
- まし
- mashi — Polite past auxiliary verb component with した
- そう
- sō — So, that way, like that, it seems
- する
- suru — To do, to perform an action
- とき
- toki — Time, moment, when something happens
- いつも
- itsumo — Always, usually, at all times
- 気さく
- kisaku — Friendly, easygoing, affable, good-natured
- ウインク
- uinku — Wink; closing one eye as a gesture
- 決し
- kesshi(te) — Never; used with negative to mean absolutely not
- 返し
- kaeshi — Returning, replying; conjunctive form of 返す
- その
- sono — That, the; demonstrative adjective modifying nouns
- かわり
- kawari — Instead, in place of, substitute, exchange
- 頭
- atama — Head, the uppermost part of a body
- 持ち上げ
- mochiage — Lifting up, raising; conjunctive form of 持ち上げる
- 向かっ
- mukat(te) — Facing toward, heading in a direction
- 舌
- shita — Tongue; the organ inside the mouth
- 出し
- dashi — Putting out, extending; conjunctive form of 出す
- とても
- totemo — Very, extremely, quite, really
- 獰猛
- dōmō — Ferocious, fierce, savage, brutal
- 怒っ
- okot(te) — Being angry, enraged; conjunctive form of 怒る
- いる
- iru — To be, to exist; used for animate beings
- よう
- yō — Appears to be, seems like; similarity expression
- 見せよ
- miseyō — Show, pretend; volitional form of 見せる
- 音
- oto — Sound, noise, a thing that is heard
- 立てる
- tateru — To make a sound, to stand something up
- でし
- deshi — Polite copula past form component (でした)
- 笑っ
- warат(te) — Laughing; conjunctive form of 笑う
- また
- mata — Again, also, moreover, furthermore
- 一度
- ichido — Once, one time, on one occasion
- 挿絵
- sashie — Illustration, picture inserted in a book
- 彼ら
- karera — They, them; third-person plural pronoun
- 出す
- dasu — To put out, produce, emit, take out
- 以外
- igai — Other than, except for, besides
- 返事
- henji — Reply, response, answer to someone
- この
- kono — This; demonstrative adjective for nearby things
- 考え
- kangae — Thought, idea, thinking, consideration
- ながら
- nagara — While doing, even though; simultaneous action particle
- 一緒
- issho — Together, at the same time, jointly
- 日当たり
- hiatari — Sunny spot, exposure to sunlight
- よい
- yoi — Good, fine, nice, favorable
- 場所
- basho — Place, location, spot, area
- 伸び
- nobi — Stretching, extending; conjunctive form of 伸びる
- 息
- iki — Breath, breathing, respiration
- 整え
- totoroe — Arranging, getting ready; conjunctive form of 整える
- 休ん
- yasum(de) — Resting; conjunctive form of 休む
- 今まで
- ima made — Until now, up to this point, so far
- なかっ
- nakat(ta) — Was not; past negative conjunctive form
- です
- desu — Polite copula meaning 'is, am, are'
- 気
- ki — Mind, spirit, feeling, attention, mood
- つい
- tsui — Accidentally, unintentionally, just now
- みる
- miru — To try doing; used after て-form of verbs
- あるいは
- aruiwa — Or, alternatively, perhaps, on the other hand
- 親戚
- shinseki — Relative, family relation, kin
- 誰か
- dareka — Someone, somebody, anyone
- 見
- mi — Seeing, looking; conjunctive form of 見る
- ある
- aru — To exist, to be; used for inanimate things
- 思い出せ
- omoidase — Can recall, remember; potential/imperative of 思い出す
- 話し
- hanashi — Speaking, talking; conjunctive form of 話す
- だ
- da — Copula, plain form of です meaning 'is, am, are'
- ね
- ne — Sentence-final particle seeking agreement or confirmation
- 深げ
- fukage — Appearing deep or thoughtful in manner
- 答え
- kotae — Answer, reply, response to a question
- 僕
- boku — I, me; first-person pronoun used by males
- どれ
- dore — Which one; interrogative pronoun among multiple options
- か
- ka — Question marker particle; also means 'or, some'
- ない
- nai — Does not exist, is not; negative adjective form
- よ
- yo — Sentence-final particle asserting information to listener
- できる
- dekiru — Can do, be able to, be possible
- な
- na — Sentence-final particle expressing emotion or seeking agreement
- 聞き
- kiki — Listening, asking; conjunctive form of 聞く
- 行こ
- ikō — Let's go; volitional form of 行く
- 言い
- ii — Saying; conjunctive form of 言う
- 二人
- futari — Two people, a pair, both of them
- ぴょん
- pyon — Boing, hop; onomatopoeia for a light jump
- 跳び上がり
- tobiagari — Jumping up, leaping upward; conjunctive form
- へ
- e — Toward, to; directional particle indicating destination
- 駆け
- kake — Running, dashing; conjunctive form of 駆ける
- いき
- iki — Going; conjunctive form of 行く (also breath)
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