Mother West Wind "Why" Stories — Page 74
Somehow, he felt right down deep in his heart that there must be a reason for those rings, just as there is a reason for his own long ears and long legs.
なぜか、彼は心の奥底で、あの縞模様には理由があるに違いないと感じていました。ちょうど、自分の長い耳と長い足に理由があるように。
The more he thought about it, the more he felt that he simply must know, and the only way he could find out was from Grandfather Frog, who is very old and very wise.
考えれば考えるほど、どうしても知らなければならないと感じ、それを知る唯一の方法は、とても年老いてとても賢いカエルのおじいさんに聞くことだけでした。
So he teased and he teased until finally Grandfather Frog promised him that on the next afternoon he would tell Peter why Bobby Coon has rings on his tail.
そこで彼はせがんで、せがみ続け、ついにカエルのおじいさんは、翌日の午後にボビー・クーンのしっぽに縞模様がある理由をピーターに話してあげると約束しました。
Peter hurried away to tell all the little meadow and forest people, and the next afternoon they were all on hand on the bank of the Smiling Pool to hear the story about Bobby Coon's tail.
ピーターは急いで駆けて行き、草原や森の小さな仲間たち全員に知らせ、翌日の午後には、みんなが笑顔の池のほとりに集まって、ボビー・クーンのしっぽの話を聞きました。
"Chug-a-rum!" began Grandfather Frog, smoothing down his white and yellow waistcoat.
「チャガラム！」カエルのおじいさんは、白と黄色のチョッキをなでつけながら話し始めました。
"Chug-a-rum! Some folks seem to think that what they do doesn't matter to anybody but themselves.
「チャガラム！自分のすることは自分以外の誰にも関係ないと思っている人がいるようです。
That was the way with old Mr. Rabbit, who lived a long time ago when the world was young.
それが、世界がまだ若かった遠い昔に生きていた、ウサギの旦那のやり方でした。
He thought he could make all the trouble he pleased by his dreadful curiosity, and if he was found out, no one would suffer but himself.
彼は、自分のひどい好奇心で好き勝手に厄介ごとを起こしても、もし見つかったとしても、自分以外は誰も苦しまないと思っていたのです。
But it wasn't so.
しかし、そうではありませんでした。
Here is Peter Rabbit, his grandchild a thousand times removed, with long legs and long ears, and the bad habit of curiosity, all because old Mr. Rabbit had a bad habit and didn't try to overcome it.
こちらのピーター・ラビットは、そのウサギの旦那から幾世代も後の子孫ですが、長い足と長い耳を持ち、好奇心という悪い癖を受け継いでいます。それもすべて、昔のウサギの旦那が悪い癖を持ちながら、それを直そうとしなかったからなのです。
Vocabulary
- なぜか
- naze ka — For some reason; somehow, without clear explanation
- 彼
- kare — He; him; that person (male)
- は
- wa — Topic-marking particle indicating the subject
- 心
- kokoro — Heart; mind; inner feelings
- の
- no — Possessive or linking particle connecting nouns
- 奥底
- okusoko — The very depths; innermost part of something
- で
- de — Particle indicating location, means, or context
- あの
- ano — That (over there); referring to something mutually known
- 縞模様
- shima moyō — Striped pattern; design with parallel stripes
- に
- ni — Particle indicating direction, location, or target
- 理由
- riyū — Reason; cause; explanation for something
- が
- ga — Subject-marking particle; also indicates contrast
- ある
- aru — To exist; to be (for inanimate things)
- 違いない
- chigai nai — Must be; no doubt; certainly true
- と
- to — Particle meaning 'and', 'with', or quotation marker
- 感じ
- kanji — Feeling; sense; impression of something
- て
- te — Te-form conjunctive particle connecting verb phrases
- い
- i — Stem of iru; indicates ongoing action or state
- まし
- mashi — Polite past auxiliary verb stem form
- た
- ta — Past tense auxiliary verb ending
- ちょうど
- chōdo — Exactly; just; precisely at that moment
- 自分
- jibun — Oneself; one's own self
- 長い
- nagai — Long; lengthy in size or duration
- 耳
- mimi — Ear; ears of a person or animal
- 足
- ashi — Leg; foot; lower limb
- よう
- yō — Like; as if; resembling something
- 考えれ
- kangaere — Conditional form of 'to think/consider'
- ば
- ba — Conditional particle meaning 'if' or 'when'
- 考える
- kangaeru — To think; to consider; to ponder
- ほど
- hodo — The more; to the extent of; about
- どうしても
- dōshitemo — No matter what; absolutely; by all means
- 知ら
- shira — Stem of shiru; to know (negative base)
- なけれ
- nakere — Conditional negative auxiliary form
- なら
- nara — Conditional 'if'; assuming that something is true
- ない
- nai — Negative auxiliary; does not exist or not
- それ
- sore — That; that thing (near the listener)
- を
- wo — Object-marking particle indicating direct object
- 知る
- shiru — To know; to find out; to learn
- 唯一
- yuiitsu — The only one; unique; sole method or thing
- 方法
- hōhō — Method; way; means of doing something
- とても
- totemo — Very; extremely; quite (intensifier)
- 年老い
- toshioi — Aged; grown old; elderly in years
- 賢い
- kashikoi — Wise; clever; intelligent
- カエル
- kaeru — Frog; common pond or tree frog
- おじいさん
- ojīsan — Grandfather; old man; elderly male
- 聞く
- kiku — To listen; to hear; to ask someone
- こと
- koto — Thing; matter; fact; nominalized verb form
- だけ
- dake — Only; just; nothing but
- そこで
- sokode — So; therefore; thereupon; at that point
- せがん
- segan — Past stem of segamu; to pester, beg persistently
- せがみ
- segami — Conjunctive form of segamu; persistently begging
- 続け
- tsuzuke — Continued; kept doing (conjunctive form)
- ついに
- tsui ni — Finally; at last; in the end
- 翌日
- yokujitsu — The following day; the next day
- 午後
- gogo — Afternoon; PM hours of the day
- しっぽ
- shippo — Tail; the tail of an animal
- 話し
- hanashi — Story; talk; conversation; speaking
- あげる
- ageru — To give; to do something for someone
- 約束
- yakusoku — Promise; appointment; agreement made
- し
- shi — Conjunctive form of suru; and/also (listing)
- 急い
- isoide — In a hurry; rushing; hastily (te-form)
- 駆け
- kake — Running; dashing; sprinting off somewhere
- 行き
- iki — Going; heading toward a destination
- 草原
- sōgen — Grassland; meadow; open grassy field
- や
- ya — And; listing particle for non-exhaustive list
- 森
- mori — Forest; woods; wooded area
- 小さな
- chīsana — Small; little; tiny (prenominal adjective)
- 仲間
- nakama — Friends; companions; fellow members of group
- たち
- tachi — Plural suffix for people or animate beings
- 全員
- zen'in — All members; everyone; entire group present
- 知らせ
- shirase — Notice; informing; letting someone know
- みんな
- minna — Everyone; all of them; everybody
- 笑顔
- egao — Smiling face; a smile; happy expression
- 池
- ike — Pond; small body of still water
- ほとり
- hotori — By the side of; edge of water or place
- 集まっ
- atsumatte — Gathered; assembled (te-form of atsumaru)
- 話
- hanashi — Story; tale; conversation; talk
- 聞き
- kiki — Listening; hearing (conjunctive stem form)
- 白
- shiro — White; the color white
- 黄色
- kiiro — Yellow; the color yellow
- チョッキ
- chokki — Vest; waistcoat; sleeveless jacket garment
- なでつけ
- nadetsuke — Smoothing down; stroking flat with hand
- ながら
- nagara — While doing; simultaneously performing two actions
- 始め
- hajime — Beginning; start; to begin something
- する
- suru — To do; to perform an action
- 以外
- igai — Other than; except for; besides
- 誰
- dare — Who; which person; anyone
- も
- mo — Also; too; even; (with negative) nobody/nothing
- 関係
- kankei — Relationship; connection; relevance between things
- 思っ
- omotte — Thinking; believing (te-form of omou)
- いる
- iru — To be; to exist (animate beings)
- 人
- hito — Person; people; human being
- です
- desu — Polite copula meaning 'is/are/am'
- 世界
- sekai — World; the entire world; realm
- まだ
- mada — Still; not yet; as of now
- 若かっ
- wakakatta — Was young; past form of wakai (young)
- 遠い
- tōi — Far; distant; remote in space or time
- 昔
- mukashi — Long ago; old times; the past
- 生き
- iki — Living; being alive (conjunctive stem form)
- ウサギ
- usagi — Rabbit; hare; bunny
- 旦那
- danna — Master; husband; mister (respectful address)
- やり方
- yarikata — Way of doing; method; approach to something
- ひどい
- hidoi — Terrible; awful; cruel; harsh
- 好奇心
- kōkishin — Curiosity; inquisitive desire to know things
- 好き勝手
- suki katte — Doing as one pleases; self-indulgent behavior
- 厄介ごと
- yakkaigoto — Trouble; nuisance; bothersome problem or affair
- 起こし
- okoshi — Causing; bringing about (conjunctive stem form)
- もし
- moshi — If; in case; supposing that
- 見つかっ
- mitsukatte — Being found; getting caught (te-form)
- 苦しま
- kurushima — Suffering; in pain (negative/conditional base)
- しかし
- shikashi — However; but; nevertheless
- そう
- sō — So; that way; like that
- では
- dewa — Well then; in that case; however
- あり
- ari — Existing; being (conjunctive form of aru)
- ん
- n — Negative contraction of nai; colloquial negation
- こちら
- kochira — This side; here; this one (polite)
- その
- sono — That; the (near listener); demonstrative adjective
- から
- kara — From; because; since; after
- 幾
- iku — How many; several; a number of (generations)
- 世代
- sedai — Generation; an age group of people
- 後
- go / nochi — After; later; subsequent time period
- 子孫
- shison — Descendants; offspring; posterity
- 持ち
- mochi — Having; holding; carrying (conjunctive stem)
- という
- to iu — Called; known as; which is said to be
- 悪い
- warui — Bad; wrong; poor quality; unfavorable
- 癖
- kuse — Habit; tendency; quirk; bad habit
- 受け継い
- uketsui — Inherited; passed down (conjunctive te-form base)
- ます
- masu — Polite present/future verb ending
- すべて
- subete — All; everything; entirely without exception
- 直そう
- naosō — Let's fix; volitional form of naosu (to correct)
- なかっ
- nakatta — Past negative form; was not; did not exist
- な
- na — Sentence-final particle for emphasis or prohibition
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