Mother West Wind "Why" Stories — Page 84
Now yo' know that way down in Ol' Virginny where Ah done come from, mah fam'ly done got the habit of sitting on the tops of chimneys in the wintertime to warm their toes."
さて、わしが来たオールド・ヴァージニアの奥深くでは、わしの家族は冬になると煙突の上に座って足先を温める習慣がついておったんじゃ。」
"Why, I thought it was warm down south!" interrupted Peter Rabbit.
「まあ、南の方は暖かいんじゃないかと思っていたけど！」とピーター・ラビットが口を挟んだ。
"So it is, Brer Rabbit! So it is!" Ol' Mistah Buzzard hastened to say.
「そうじゃとも、ブレア・ラビット！そうじゃとも！」とオールド・ミスター・バザードは急いで言った。
"But yo' see, ol' Jack Frost try to come down there sometimes, an' he cool the air off a right smart lot before he turn tail an' run back where he belong.
「じゃがな、オールド・ジャック・フロストが時々そこへ下りてこようとしてな、しっぽを巻いてもといた場所へ逃げ帰る前に、あたりの空気をすっかり冷やしてしまうんじゃ。
So we-uns sit on the chimney-tops whenever ol' Jack Frost gets to straying down where he have no business.
だからわしらは、オールド・ジャック・フロストが来るはずのない場所をうろつきに来るたびに、煙突の上に座るんじゃ。
Yo' see, if we-uns keep our toes warm, we-uns are warm all over.
わかるかの、足先を温めておけば、体中が温まるんじゃ。
"One day this no 'count, trifling cousin of Grandpap Buzzard get cold in his feet.
「ある日、グランドパップ・バザードのどうしようもない、いいかげんないとこが足を冷やしてしまってな。
He look 'round right smart fo' a chimney fo' to warm his toes, an' pretty soon he see one where he never been before.
そいつは足先を温めるための煙突をすばやくあちこち探し回って、やがて今まで行ったことのない場所に一本見つけたんじゃ。
It was on a lil ol' house, a lil ol' tumble-down house.
それは小さなボロ屋、小さなおんぼろの家についていたんじゃ。
Mistah Buzzard fly right over an' sit on that chimney-top fo' to warm his toes.
ミスター・バザードはすぐに飛んでいって、足先を温めようとその煙突の上に座ったんじゃ。
Of course he right smart curious about that lil ol' tumble-down house and who live there.
もちろんそいつは、あのおんぼろの小さな家と、そこに誰が住んでいるかがすごく気になったんじゃ。
He hear somebody inside talking to theirself, but he can't hear what they say, jes' a mumbling sound that come up the chimney to him.
中で誰かが独り言を言っているのが聞こえたが、何を言っているかはわからなくて、ただもごもごした音が煙突を通って聞こえてくるだけじゃった。
"He listen an' listen.
「そいつは聞いて、また聞いた。
Vocabulary
- さて
- sate — Well; now; used to shift topic or begin speaking
- わし
- washi — I; me; old masculine first-person pronoun
- が
- ga — Subject marker particle
- 来た
- kita — Came; arrived; past tense of come
- の
- no — Possessive or nominalizing particle
- 奥深く
- okufukaku — Deep inside; far into the depths of
- で
- de — At; in; by means of; location/means particle
- は
- wa — Topic marker particle
- 家族
- kazoku — Family; one's household members
- 冬
- fuyu — Winter; the cold season
- に
- ni — To; at; in; direction or time particle
- なる
- naru — To become; to come to be
- と
- to — And; with; quotation particle
- 煙突
- entotsu — Chimney; smokestack on a building
- 上
- ue — Above; on top; upper position
- 座っ
- suwat(te) — Sitting; seated; conjunctive form of sit
- て
- te — Conjunctive particle connecting verb phrases
- 足先
- ashisaki — Tips of the feet; toes
- を
- wo — Direct object marker particle
- 温める
- atatameru — To warm up; to heat something
- 習慣
- shūkan — Habit; custom; regular practice
- つい
- tsui — Inadvertently; before one knows it
- た
- ta — Past tense auxiliary verb marker
- ん
- n — Explanatory or softening sentence-ending particle
- じゃ
- ja — Dialectal copula; it is; that is
- まあ
- maa — Well; oh; expresses mild surprise or resignation
- 南
- minami — South; the southern direction
- 方
- hō — Direction; side; way; alternative
- 暖かい
- atatakai — Warm; pleasantly heated temperature
- ない
- nai — Not; negation; does not exist
- か
- ka — Question particle; or; whether
- 思っ
- omot(te) — Thinking; thought; conjunctive form of think
- い
- i — Auxiliary verb: continuing state; being
- けど
- kedo — But; though; however; colloquial conjunction
- 口
- kuchi — Mouth; opening; entrance
- 挟ん
- hasan(de) — Inserted; interjected; sandwiched something in
- だ
- da — Copula; is; it is; plain form
- そう
- sō — That's right; so; indeed; that way
- とも
- tomo — Of course; certainly; indeed; emphatic agreement
- 急い
- isoi(de) — Hurrying; rushing; in a hurry
- 言っ
- it(te) — Said; spoke; conjunctive form of say
- な
- na — Sentence-ending particle; emphasis or prohibition
- 時々
- tokidoki — Sometimes; occasionally; from time to time
- そこ
- soko — There; that place nearby
- へ
- e — To; toward; directional particle
- 下り
- ori(te) — Coming down; descending; going downward
- こよう
- koyō — Let's come; volitional form of come
- し
- shi — And; listing reasons; conjunctive particle
- しっぽ
- shippo — Tail; animal's tail appendage
- 巻い
- maite — Wrapped; coiled; curled around something
- もと
- moto — Original place; source; base; origin
- 場所
- basho — Place; location; spot; area
- 逃げ帰る
- nigekaeru — To flee back; to run home in retreat
- 前
- mae — Before; in front; prior to
- あたり
- atari — Around; vicinity; approximately that area
- 空気
- kūki — Air; atmosphere; mood
- すっかり
- sukkari — Completely; entirely; thoroughly; all the way
- 冷やし
- hiyashi — Cooling; chilling; making cold
- しまう
- shimau — To end up doing; to finish; completion auxiliary
- だから
- dakara — Therefore; so; that is why
- 来る
- kuru — To come; to arrive
- はず
- hazu — Should be; expected to; supposed to
- うろつき
- urotsuki — Wandering; loitering; roaming about restlessly
- たびに
- tabi ni — Every time; whenever; each time that
- 座る
- suwaru — To sit; to take a seat
- わかる
- wakaru — To understand; to know; to realize
- 温め
- atatame — Warming; heating up; noun/stem form
- おけ
- oke — Do and keep; imperative of おく; leave done
- ば
- ba — If; conditional particle
- 体中
- karadajū — Throughout the body; the whole body
- 温まる
- atatamaru — To become warm; to warm up intransitively
- ある
- aru — There is; to exist; to have (inanimate)
- 日
- hi — Day; sun; a particular day
- どう
- dō — How; in what way; what sort
- しよう
- shiyō — Let's do; volitional form of do
- も
- mo — Also; too; even; as well particle
- いいかげん
- iikagen — Irresponsible; halfhearted; about enough already
- いとこ
- itoko — Cousin; relative of the same generation
- 足
- ashi — Foot; leg; feet
- しまっ
- shimat(te) — Ended up; put away; conjunctive completion form
- そいつ
- soitsu — That guy; that one; that fellow (informal)
- ため
- tame — For; for the sake of; in order to
- すばやく
- subayaku — Quickly; swiftly; with agility
- あちこち
- achikochi — Here and there; various places; all around
- 探し回っ
- sagashimawat(te) — Searched around; looked everywhere for something
- やがて
- yagate — Before long; soon; eventually; in time
- 今
- ima — Now; the present moment
- まで
- made — Until; up to; as far as
- 行っ
- it(te) — Went; going; conjunctive form of go
- こと
- koto — Thing; fact; matter; nominalizer
- 一本
- ippon — One long thin object; one piece
- 見つけ
- mitsuke — Found; discovered; located something searched for
- それ
- sore — That; that thing; it
- 小さな
- chiisana — Small; little; tiny (prenominal adjective form)
- ボロ
- boro — Worn-out; tattered; ragged; in poor condition
- 屋
- ya — Shop; house; suffix for building or person
- おんぼろ
- onboro — Dilapidated; falling apart; very run-down
- 家
- ie — House; home; dwelling; family
- すぐに
- sugu ni — Immediately; right away; at once
- 飛ん
- ton(de) — Flying; jumped; conjunctive form of fly
- いっ
- it(te) — Went; went along; colloquial conjunctive form
- 温めよう
- atatameyō — Let's warm up; volitional form of warm
- その
- sono — That; the (prenominal demonstrative adjective)
- もちろん
- mochiron — Of course; naturally; certainly; obviously
- あの
- ano — That (over there); prenominal demonstrative
- 誰
- dare — Who; which person
- 住ん
- sun(de) — Living; residing; conjunctive form of live
- いる
- iru — To be; to exist (animate beings)
- すごく
- sugoku — Very; extremely; incredibly; awfully
- 気に
- ki ni — On one's mind; bothering; concerned about
- なっ
- nat(te) — Became; conjunctive form of become
- 中
- naka — Inside; within; middle; among
- 誰か
- dareka — Someone; somebody; a certain person
- 独り言
- hitorigoto — Talking to oneself; muttering; monologue
- 聞こえ
- kikoete — Could be heard; audible; sounds like
- 何
- nani — What; something; anything
- わから
- wakara(nai) — Cannot understand; do not know; unclear
- なく
- naku — Without; not being; negation conjunctive form
- ただ
- tada — Just; only; merely; simply
- もごもご
- mogomogo — Mumbling; muffled speaking; murmuring indistinctly
- 音
- oto — Sound; noise; audio
- 通っ
- tōt(te) — Passing through; going through; commuting
- くる
- kuru — To come; coming toward speaker
- だけ
- dake — Only; just; merely; that much
- 聞い
- kiite — Listened; heard; conjunctive form of listen
- また
- mata — Again; also; moreover; once more
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