Mother West Wind "Why" Stories — Page 73
You will never wink again, for you and your children and your children's children forever will have no eyelids, that all the world may know that those who make a wrong use of the things given them shall have them taken away.'
お前は二度とウインクすることはできない。お前と、お前の子どもたち、そしてその子どもたちの子どもたちは、永遠にまぶたを持つことができない。与えられたものを間違った使い方をする者からは、それが取り上げられるということを、世界中の者が知るがよい。」
"And now you know why little Mr. Greensnake cannot wink at you; he hasn't any eyelids to wink with" finished Grandfather Frog.
「これで、小さなミスター・グリーンスネークがあなたにウインクできない理由がわかったでしょう。ウインクするためのまぶたがないのですから」とグランドファーザー・フロッグは話を締めくくった。
Peter Rabbit drew a long breath.
ピーター・ラビットは深く息を吸った。
"Thank you, oh, thank you ever so much, Grandfather Frog," he said.
「ありがとうございます、ああ、本当にどうもありがとうございます、グランドファーザー・フロッグ」と彼は言った。
"Will you tell us next time why Bobby Coon wears rings on his tail?"
「次回は、ボビー・クーンがなぜしっぽに輪模様をつけているのか教えていただけますか？」
"Perhaps," replied Grandfather Frog.
「たぶんね」とグランドファーザー・フロッグは答えた。
XI
十一
WHY BOBBY COON HAS RINGS ON HIS TAIL
ボビー・クーンのしっぽに輪模様がある理由
Peter Rabbit would give Grandfather Frog no peace.
ピーター・ラビットはグランドファーザー・フロッグをまったく休ませなかった。
Every day Peter visited the Smiling Pool to tease Grandfather Frog for a story--for one particular story.
毎日ピーターはスマイリング・プールを訪れ、グランドファーザー・フロッグに話をせがんだ――ある特定の話を。
He wanted to know why it is that Bobby Coon wears rings on his tail.
彼は、ボビー・クーンがなぜしっぽに輪模様をつけているのかを知りたかった。
You see, Peter had admired Bobby Coon's tail for a long time.
というのも、ピーターはずっとボビー・クーンのしっぽに憧れていたのだ。
Peter has such a funny little tail himself, just a little white bunch of cotton, that such a handsome tail as Bobby Coon's sometimes stirs just a wee bit of envy in Peter's heart.
ピーター自身のしっぽはとても滑稽な小さなもので、ただの小さな白い綿の塊のようなものだから、ボビー・クーンのような立派なしっぽは、ピーターの心にほんの少しの羨望を呼び起こすこともあった。
But it wasn't envy so much as curiosity that prompted Peter to tease for that story.
しかし、ピーターがその話をせがむように促したのは、羨望というよりも好奇心だった。
Bobby Coon's tail is very handsome, you know.
ボビー・クーンのしっぽはとても立派なのだ。
It has beautiful rings of black and gray, and Peter didn't know of any other tail at all like it.
それには黒とグレーの美しい輪模様があり、ピーターはそれに似たしっぽを他にまったく知らなかった。
Vocabulary
- お前
- omae — Informal/rough second-person pronoun meaning 'you'.
- は
- wa — Topic-marking particle indicating the sentence topic.
- 二度と
- nido to — Never again; not a second time.
- ウインク
- uinku — A wink; closing one eye as a gesture.
- する
- suru — To do; general-purpose action verb.
- こと
- koto — Thing; nominalizer turning verbs into nouns.
- でき
- deki — Can; be able to (stem form of できる).
- ない
- nai — Negative auxiliary; not; does not exist.
- と
- to — Quotation or connective particle meaning 'and/that'.
- の
- no — Possessive or nominalizing particle.
- 子ども
- kodomo — Child; children; young person.
- たち
- tachi — Plural suffix for people or animate beings.
- そして
- soshite — And then; furthermore; connecting events or ideas.
- その
- sono — That; the (referring to something near listener).
- 永遠
- eien — Eternity; forever; everlasting time.
- に
- ni — Direction, time, or purpose particle.
- まぶた
- mabuta — Eyelid; the skin covering the eye.
- を
- wo — Object-marking particle for direct objects.
- 持つ
- motsu — To hold; to have; to possess.
- が
- ga — Subject-marking particle; also indicates contrast.
- 与え
- atae — Give; grant; bestow (stem form of 与える).
- られ
- rare — Passive or potential auxiliary verb suffix.
- た
- ta — Past tense auxiliary; indicates completed action.
- もの
- mono — Thing; object; something tangible or abstract.
- 間違っ
- machigat(te) — Wrong; mistaken (conjunctive form of 間違う).
- 使い方
- tsukaikata — Way of using; how to use something.
- 者
- mono / sha — Person; one who does something; individual.
- から
- kara — From; because; starting point or cause.
- それ
- sore — That; referring to something near the listener.
- 取り上げ
- toriage — Take away; pick up; confiscate something.
- られる
- rareru — Passive or potential verb ending; can be done.
- いう
- iu — To say; to call; to be called.
- 世界中
- sekaijuu — Throughout the world; all over the world.
- 知る
- shiru — To know; to learn; to find out.
- よい
- yoi — Good; fine; all right; favorable.
- これ
- kore — This; referring to something near the speaker.
- で
- de — At; by means of; with (location or means particle).
- 小さな
- chiisana — Small; little; tiny (prenominal adjective form).
- あなた
- anata — You; polite second-person pronoun.
- 理由
- riyuu — Reason; cause; explanation for something.
- わかっ
- wakat(te) — Understand; realize (conjunctive form of わかる).
- でしょ
- desho — Right?; probably; seeking agreement or confirmation.
- う
- u — Volitional suffix; let's; probably (verb ending).
- ため
- tame — For the sake of; in order to; purpose.
- です
- desu — Polite copula; is/am/are in formal speech.
- 話
- hanashi — Story; talk; conversation; tale.
- 締めくくっ
- shimekukut(te) — Wrap up; conclude; bring to a close.
- 深く
- fukaku — Deeply; profoundly (adverb form of 深い).
- 息
- iki — Breath; breathing; respiration.
- 吸っ
- sut(te) — Inhale; breathe in; suck (conjunctive form).
- ありがとう
- arigatou — Thank you; expression of gratitude.
- ござい
- gozai — Formal auxiliary verb stem; polite existence form.
- ます
- masu — Polite present/future tense verb ending.
- ああ
- aa — Ah; oh; expression of realization or emotion.
- 本当
- hontou — Really; truly; indeed; the truth.
- どうも
- doumo — Thanks; somehow; very much (versatile expression).
- 彼
- kare — He; him; third-person male pronoun.
- 言っ
- it(te) — Said; spoke (conjunctive form of 言う).
- 次回
- jikai — Next time; the following occasion or episode.
- なぜ
- naze — Why; for what reason; interrogative adverb.
- しっぽ
- shippo — Tail; an animal's tail.
- 輪
- wa — Ring; circle; loop; band.
- 模様
- moyou — Pattern; design; markings on a surface.
- つけ
- tsuke — Attach; put on; mark (stem of つける).
- て
- te — Conjunctive particle connecting verb phrases.
- いる
- iru — To be; to exist (for animate beings).
- か
- ka — Question-marking particle at sentence end.
- 教え
- oshie — Teach; tell; inform (stem of 教える).
- いただけ
- itadake — Could you give/do (humble potential form).
- たぶん
- tabun — Probably; perhaps; most likely.
- ね
- ne — Right?; seeking agreement; sentence-final particle.
- 答え
- kotae — Answer; response; solution to a question.
- 十一
- juuichi — Eleven; the number eleven.
- ある
- aru — To exist; there is/are (for inanimate things).
- まったく
- mattaku — Completely; utterly; not at all (with negative).
- 休ま
- yasuma — Rest; take a break (negative stem of 休む).
- せ
- se — Causative auxiliary stem; make/let someone do.
- なかっ
- nakat(te) — Was not; did not (past negative auxiliary stem).
- 毎日
- mainichi — Every day; daily; each day.
- プール
- puuru — Swimming pool; loanword from English.
- 訪れ
- otozure — Visit; come; arrive (stem of 訪れる).
- せがん
- segan — Begged; pleaded persistently (past stem of せがむ).
- だ
- da — Informal copula; is/am/are (plain style).
- 特定
- tokutei — Specific; particular; identifying something precisely.
- 知り
- shiri — Know; learn (conjunctive stem of 知る).
- たかっ
- takat(te) — Wanted to (past conjunctive of たい desiderative).
- という
- to iu — Called; known as; the fact that.
- も
- mo — Also; too; even (inclusive particle).
- ずっと
- zutto — All along; continuously; for a long time.
- 憧れ
- akogare — Longing; admiration; yearning for something/someone.
- い
- i — Continuative stem of いる; being; existing.
- 自身
- jishin — Oneself; itself; one's own self.
- とても
- totemo — Very; extremely; quite; very much.
- 滑稽な
- kokkei na — Funny; comical; ridiculous; absurd.
- ただ
- tada — Just; merely; only; simply.
- 白い
- shiroi — White; pale in color.
- 綿
- wata — Cotton; fluff; soft fibrous material.
- 塊
- katamari — Lump; chunk; mass; clump of something.
- よう
- you — Like; similar to; appears to be (comparative).
- 立派
- rippa — Splendid; fine; admirable; impressive.
- 心
- kokoro — Heart; mind; spirit; inner feelings.
- ほん
- hon — A little; just a bit (prefix as in ほんの少し).
- 少し
- sukoshi — A little; a small amount; slightly.
- 羨望
- senbou — Envy; admiring desire for what others have.
- 呼び
- yobi — Call; summon; evoke (stem of 呼ぶ).
- 起こす
- okosu — Cause; stir up; wake; bring about.
- あっ
- a(t) — Oh!; Ah!; exclamation of sudden realization.
- しかし
- shikashi — However; but; nevertheless; on the other hand.
- せがむ
- segamu — To pester; to beg; to persistently implore.
- 促し
- unagashi — Urging; prompting; encouraging someone to act.
- より
- yori — Than; from; more than (comparative particle).
- 好奇心
- koukishin — Curiosity; eager desire to know or learn.
- だっ
- dat(te) — Was; were (plain past copula conjunctive form).
- 黒
- kuro — Black; dark color.
- グレー
- guree — Gray; loanword from English.
- 美しい
- utsukushii — Beautiful; lovely; aesthetically pleasing.
- あり
- ari — Exist; there is; have (stem of ある).
- 似
- ni — Resemble; look like (stem of 似る).
- 他
- hoka — Other; another; the rest; elsewhere.
- 知ら
- shira — Not know; unaware (negative stem of 知る).
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