Mother West Wind "Why" Stories — Page 76
He still remembered the mustard and tried to fool himself into thinking that he was simply spiting Old Mother Nature, but right down in his heart he knew that even if he should be told that never again would there be mustard in his food, he would wash it just the same.
彼はまだマスタードのことを覚えていて、単に大自然をやり込めているだけだと自分に言い聞かせようとしていたが、心の底では、もし二度と食べ物にマスタードが入ることはないと告げられたとしても、同じように洗うだろうということを知っていた。
"One day, as he sat beside the Laughing Brook eating his supper, he noticed that while his food had been washed clean, his hands were dirty.
「ある日、笑い川のほとりに座って夕食を食べていると、食べ物はきれいに洗われているのに、自分の手が汚れていることに気がついた。
They spoiled his supper.
それが夕食を台無しにした。
Yes, Sir, they spoiled his supper.
そう、本当に、夕食を台無しにしてしまったのだ。
"'What good does it do to wash my food, if I eat it out of dirty hands?' said Mr. Coon to himself, and he hurried to a quiet little pool to give them a good scrubbing.
「『汚い手で食べるなら、食べ物を洗っても何の意味があるんだ？』とクーン氏は心の中でつぶやき、急いで静かな小さな水たまりへ行って手をしっかりとこすり洗いした。
Then he washed his face and brushed his coat.
それから顔を洗い、毛並みを整えた。
'Now I feel better, and I know my supper will taste better,' said he.
『これで気分がよくなった。夕食もきっとおいしく感じられるだろう』と彼は言った。
"From that time he began to be particular, very particular, about keeping himself clean, until finally there was no one on the Green Meadows or in the Green Forest quite so neat as Mr. Coon.
「それ以来、彼は清潔を保つことにこだわるようになり、とてもこだわるようになって、ついには緑の野原にも緑の森にも、クーン氏ほど小ぎれいな者はいなくなった。
"Now at this time Mr. Coon had a very plain tail.
「さて、このころクーン氏はとても地味なしっぽを持っていた。
It was all of one color, a grayish white, not at all pretty.
それは全体が一色で、灰白色であり、まったく美しくなかった。
Mr. Coon used to think a great deal about that tail and wish and wish that it was handsome.
クーン氏はそのしっぽのことをよくよく考えては、美しければよいのにと何度も何度も願っていた。
Sometimes he used to envy Mr. Fox his beautiful red tail with its black and white tip.
ときには、黒と白の先端を持つキツネ氏の美しい赤いしっぽをうらやましく思うこともあった。
Vocabulary
- 彼
- kare — He; third-person masculine pronoun
- は
- wa — Topic-marking particle indicating subject of sentence
- まだ
- mada — Still; not yet; continuing state
- の
- no — Possessive or nominalizing particle linking nouns
- こと
- koto — Thing; fact; abstract concept or matter
- を
- wo — Object-marking particle indicating direct object
- 覚え
- oboe — Remember; memorize; recall something learned
- て
- te — Connective particle linking sequential actions
- い
- i — Auxiliary indicating ongoing or resultant state
- 単に
- tan ni — Simply; merely; just; nothing more than
- 大自然
- daishizen — Great nature; the natural world in entirety
- いる
- iru — To be; to exist (animate beings)
- だけ
- dake — Only; just; nothing but; limited to
- だ
- da — Copula; informal 'is/are' at sentence end
- と
- to — Quotation particle; 'that'; also 'and/with'
- 自分
- jibun — Oneself; one's own self or identity
- に
- ni — Direction/location/indirect object particle
- 言い聞かせ
- iikikase — Tell oneself; persuade; convince through words
- よう
- yō — Appear to; seem; volitional auxiliary form
- し
- shi — Conjunctive form; listing reasons or actions
- た
- ta — Past tense auxiliary; indicates completed action
- が
- ga — Subject marker; also conjunctive 'but/however'
- 心
- kokoro — Heart; mind; inner feelings or spirit
- 底
- soko — Bottom; depths; the very base of something
- で
- de — Location/means particle; 'at/by/with/in'
- もし
- moshi — If; supposing; in the event that
- 二度
- nido — Twice; two times; a second time
- 食べ物
- tabemono — Food; something to eat; edible items
- 入る
- hairu — Enter; go in; be included inside something
- ない
- nai — Negative auxiliary; does not; there is not
- 告げ
- tsuge — Tell; inform; announce; deliver a message
- られ
- rare — Passive or potential auxiliary verb ending
- も
- mo — Also; too; even; as well as
- 同じ
- onaji — Same; identical; not different from another
- 洗う
- arau — Wash; clean with water; rinse off
- だろう
- darō — Probably; I suppose; conjecture or supposition
- という
- to iu — Called; known as; meaning that
- 知っ
- shit(te) — Know; be aware of; have knowledge of
- ある
- aru — Exist; there is/are (inanimate); a certain
- 日
- hi — Day; sun; a particular day
- ほとり
- hotori — Bank; side; vicinity of a river or lake
- 座っ
- suwat(te) — Sit; be seated; take a sitting position
- 夕食
- yūshoku — Dinner; evening meal; supper
- 食べ
- tabe — Eat; consume food; have a meal
- る
- ru — Plain present/future tense verb ending
- きれい
- kirei — Clean; beautiful; pretty; neat and tidy
- 洗わ
- arawa — Washed; negative/passive base form of arau
- れ
- re — Passive/potential auxiliary suffix for verbs
- 手
- te — Hand; hands as a body part
- 汚れ
- yogore — Dirt; filth; to become dirty or soiled
- 気
- ki — Spirit; feeling; mind; mood; attention
- つい
- tsui — Notice; also: unintentionally; just now
- それ
- sore — That; that thing; referring to something nearby
- 台無し
- dainashi — Ruined; spoiled; wasted; undone completely
- そう
- sō — So; like that; seems that way
- 本当
- hontō — True; real; genuine; really; truly
- しまっ
- shimat(te) — End up doing; regrettably complete an action
- 汚い
- kitanai — Dirty; filthy; unclean; messy
- 食べる
- taberu — To eat; consume food or a meal
- なら
- nara — If; in that case; conditional conjunction
- 洗っ
- aratt(e) — Washed; te-form of arau meaning to wash
- 何
- nani — What; which; used in questions about things
- 意味
- imi — Meaning; significance; sense; purpose
- ん
- n — Explanatory or questioning sentence-final particle
- 氏
- shi — Mr.; formal suffix for a person's name
- 中
- naka — Inside; middle; among; within something
- つぶやき
- tsubuyaki — Murmur; mutter; whisper to oneself softly
- 急い
- isoi — Hurried; rushed; moved quickly somewhere
- 静か
- shizuka — Quiet; calm; peaceful; not noisy
- な
- na — Adjectival copula suffix for na-adjectives
- 小さな
- chīsana — Small; little; tiny (prenominal adjective form)
- 水たまり
- mizutamari — Puddle; small pool of accumulated water
- へ
- e — Directional particle indicating movement toward
- 行っ
- it(te) — Went; te-form of iku meaning to go
- しっかり
- shikkari — Firmly; thoroughly; with care and strength
- こすり
- kosuri — Scrubbing; rubbing; friction cleaning action
- 洗い
- arai — Washing; the act of cleaning with water
- から
- kara — From; after; because; starting point particle
- 顔
- kao — Face; facial features; one's countenance
- 整え
- totonoе — Arrange; tidy; put in good order
- これ
- kore — This; this thing; referring to something near
- 気分
- kibun — Feeling; mood; how one feels currently
- よく
- yoku — Well; often; thoroughly; adverb of yoi
- なっ
- nat(te) — Became; te-form of naru meaning to become
- きっと
- kitto — Surely; certainly; definitely; without doubt
- おいしく
- oishiku — Deliciously; in a tasty manner; adverb form
- 感じ
- kanji — Feel; sense; feeling or impression of something
- られる
- rareru — Can; be able to; passive/potential auxiliary
- 言っ
- it(te) — Said; te-form of iu meaning to say
- 以来
- irai — Since; ever since; from that time onward
- 清潔
- seiketsu — Clean; hygienic; sanitary; free from dirt
- 保つ
- tamotsu — Maintain; keep; preserve a condition or state
- こだわる
- kodawaru — Be particular about; insist on; fixate on
- なり
- nari — Became; conjunctive form of naru
- とても
- totemo — Very; extremely; quite; very much so
- ついに
- tsui ni — Finally; at last; in the end
- 緑
- midori — Green; the color green; greenery
- 野原
- nohara — Field; meadow; open grassy plain
- 森
- mori — Forest; woods; dense cluster of trees
- ほど
- hodo — To the extent that; about; as much as
- 者
- mono — Person; one who; individual with a trait
- いなく
- inaku — Not existing; negative of iru (animate)
- さて
- sate — Well; now then; transitional discourse word
- この
- kono — This; prenominal demonstrative for nearby things
- ころ
- koro — Time; around; about that period or era
- 地味
- jimi — Plain; dull; modest; unshowy in appearance
- しっぽ
- shippo — Tail; an animal's tail
- 持っ
- mot(te) — Held; having; te-form of motsu
- 全体
- zentai — Whole; entire; overall; the full body
- 一色
- isshoku — Single color; one uniform hue throughout
- あり
- ari — There is/are; existing; conjunctive of aru
- まったく
- mattaku — Completely; entirely; utterly; not at all
- 美しく
- utsukushiku — Beautifully; adverb form of utsukushii
- なかっ
- nakat(ta) — Was not; past negative of nai/aru
- その
- sono — That; prenominal demonstrative for things nearby
- 考え
- kangae — Thought; idea; thinking; one's opinion
- ば
- ba — Conditional particle meaning 'if/when'
- よい
- yoi — Good; fine; acceptable; favorable
- 何度
- nando — How many times; many times; repeatedly
- 願っ
- negat(te) — Wished; prayed; hoped for something earnestly
- とき
- toki — Time; moment; when; occasion or instance
- 黒
- kuro — Black; the color black
- 白
- shiro — White; the color white
- 先端
- sentan — Tip; end point; the very front or top
- 持つ
- motsu — Hold; have; carry; possess something
- キツネ
- kitsune — Fox; the animal fox; also a trickster figure
- 美しい
- utsukushii — Beautiful; lovely; gorgeous in appearance
- 赤い
- akai — Red; the color red
- うらやましく
- urayamashiku — Enviously; with jealousy; adverb of urayamashii
- 思う
- omou — Think; feel; believe; consider something
- あっ
- a(tte) — Oh; exclamation of sudden realization or surprise
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