Mother West Wind "Why" Stories — Page 104
If you wanted to know about Spotty the Turtle, why didn't you come earlier?"
「スポッティ亀のことを知りたいなら、なぜもっと早く来なかったのじゃ？」
All the time there was a twinkle in the big, goggly eyes of Grandfather Frog.
その間ずっと、カエルじいさんの大きな飛び出した目はきらきらと輝いていた。
Peter was so surprised that he couldn't find his tongue.
ピーターはあまりにも驚いて、言葉が出てこなかった。
He hadn't said a word to any one about Spotty, so how could Grandfather Frog know what he had come for?
スポッティのことは誰にも一言も話していなかったのに、カエルじいさんはどうして自分が何のために来たのかを知っているのだろう？
For a long time he had had a great deal of respect for Grandfather Frog, who, as you know, is very old and very wise, but now Peter felt almost afraid of him.
ピーターはずっと前からカエルじいさんをとても尊敬していた。ご存知の通り、カエルじいさんはとても年老いてとても賢いのだが、今ピーターはじいさんをほとんど怖いとさえ感じた。
You see, it seemed to Peter as if Grandfather Frog had read his very thoughts.
というのも、ピーターにはカエルじいさんが自分の心の中を読んだかのように思えたのだ。
"I--I didn't know you were waiting. Truly I didn't," stammered Peter.
「わ、わたし、じいさんが待っているとは知らなかったんです。本当に知らなかったんです」とピーターはどもりながら言った。
"If I had, I would have been here long ago. If you please, how did you know that I was coming and what I was coming for?"
「もし知っていたら、ずっと前にここに来ていました。おじいさん、どうして私が来ることと、何のために来るのかをご存知だったのですか？」
"Never mind how I knew. I know a great deal that I don't tell, which is more than some folks can say," replied Grandfather Frog.
「どうして知ったかなど気にするな。わしは話さないことをたくさん知っておる。それは一部の者には真似できないことじゃ」とカエルじいさんは答えた。
Peter wondered if he meant him, for you know Peter is a great gossip.
ピーターはそれが自分のことを指しているのかと思った。ご存知の通り、ピーターはとてもおしゃべりだからだ。
But he didn't say anything, because he didn't know just what to say, and in a minute Grandfather Frog began the story Peter so much wanted.
しかし彼は何も言わなかった。何を言えばいいのかわからなかったからだ。そしてすぐにカエルじいさんはピーターがとても聞きたがっていた話を始めた。
"Of course you know, without me telling you, that there is a reason for Spotty's carrying his house around with him, because there is a reason for everything in this world.
「もちろん、わしが言わなくても知っておるじゃろうが、スポッティが家を持ち歩いているのには理由がある。この世のすべてのことには理由があるからのう。
Vocabulary
- 亀
- kame — Turtle or tortoise.
- の
- no — Possessive or nominalizing particle.
- こと
- koto — Thing, matter, or fact (abstract).
- を
- wo — Object-marking particle indicating direct object.
- 知り
- shiri — To know; stem form of shiru.
- たい
- tai — Expresses desire or want to do something.
- なら
- nara — Conditional particle meaning 'if' or 'in that case'.
- なぜ
- naze — Why; asking for a reason or cause.
- もっと
- motto — More; to a greater degree or extent.
- 早く
- hayaku — Early or quickly; adverbial form of hayai.
- 来
- ki — Come; stem form of kuru.
- なかった
- nakatta — Past negative form; did not do something.
- じゃ
- ja — Informal contraction of de wa; 'well then'.
- その間
- sono aida — During that time; meanwhile; in that interval.
- ずっと
- zutto — Continuously; all along; the whole time.
- カエル
- kaeru — Frog; amphibian that lives near water.
- じい
- jii — Old man; informal prefix for grandfather figure.
- さん
- san — Honorific suffix for names meaning Mr/Mrs/Ms.
- 大きな
- ookina — Big, large; prenominal adjective form.
- 飛び出した
- tobidashita — Jumped out; bulged or popped outward suddenly.
- 目
- me — Eye; organ of sight.
- は
- wa — Topic-marking particle indicating subject of sentence.
- きらきら
- kirakira — Sparkling, glittering; shining brightly with light.
- と
- to — Particle meaning 'and', 'with', or quotation marker.
- 輝いていた
- kagayaite ita — Was shining, gleaming; past progressive of kagayaku.
- あまりにも
- amari ni mo — Too much; excessively; way too (something).
- も
- mo — Also, too; inclusive particle adding emphasis.
- 驚いて
- odoroite — Being surprised; te-form of odoroku (to be surprised).
- 言葉
- kotoba — Word, language, speech; verbal expression.
- が
- ga — Subject-marking particle; also marks contrast or emphasis.
- 出て
- dete — Coming out; te-form of deru (to come out).
- 誰
- dare — Who; interrogative pronoun for a person.
- に
- ni — Particle indicating direction, location, or indirect object.
- 一言
- hitokoto — A single word or brief remark.
- 話して
- hanashite — Speaking, telling; te-form of hanasu.
- どうして
- doushite — Why; how come; asking reason or cause.
- 自分
- jibun — Oneself; reflexive pronoun for self-reference.
- 何
- nani — What; interrogative pronoun for things or matters.
- ため
- tame — For the purpose of; for the sake of.
- 来た
- kita — Came; past tense form of kuru (to come).
- か
- ka — Question-marking particle at end of sentence.
- 知って
- shitte — Knowing; te-form of shiru (to know).
- いる
- iru — To exist (animate); auxiliary for progressive tense.
- だろう
- darou — Probably; expressing conjecture or supposition.
- 前
- mae — Before; front; previous time or position.
- から
- kara — From; because; particle indicating origin or reason.
- とても
- totemo — Very; extremely; greatly intensifying an adjective.
- 尊敬
- sonkei — Respect, esteem; holding someone in high regard.
- して
- shite — Doing; te-form of suru (to do).
- ご存知
- gozonji — Honorific expression meaning 'you know' or 'as known'.
- 通り
- toori — As (expected); street; way; according to.
- 年老いて
- toshioite — Having grown old; aged; te-form of toshioiru.
- 賢い
- kashikoi — Wise, clever, intelligent; having great wisdom.
- だ
- da — Copula; plain form of 'to be' in Japanese.
- 今
- ima — Now; the present moment in time.
- ほとんど
- hotondo — Almost, nearly; for the most part.
- 怖い
- kowai — Scary, frightening; feeling fear or dread.
- さえ
- sae — Even; particle emphasizing an extreme or surprising case.
- 感じた
- kanjita — Felt; past tense of kanjiru (to feel/sense).
- という
- to iu — Called; known as; expressing what something is named.
- 心
- kokoro — Heart, mind, spirit; inner feelings or thoughts.
- 中
- naka — Inside, within; the middle or interior.
- 読ん
- yon — Read; conjunctive form of yomu (to read).
- よう
- you — Seems like; way of doing; expressing appearance or manner.
- 思え
- omoe — Think, feel; potential/conditional stem of omou.
- た
- ta — Past tense auxiliary verb marker.
- わ
- wa — Sentence-final particle adding soft emphasis (feminine).
- わたし
- watashi — I, me; first-person pronoun (polite/neutral).
- 待って
- matte — Waiting; te-form of matsu (to wait).
- 知ら
- shira — Not knowing; negative stem of shiru (to know).
- ん
- n — Informal negative or explanatory sentence-final particle.
- です
- desu — Polite copula meaning 'to be' in Japanese.
- 本当
- hontou — True, real, genuine; expressing something truthful.
- どもり
- domori — Stuttering, stammering; speaking with hesitation or repetition.
- ながら
- nagara — While doing; simultaneous action particle.
- 言った
- itta — Said; past tense of iu (to say).
- もし
- moshi — If; hypothetical conditional opener.
- たら
- tara — If/when; conditional form expressing completed condition.
- ここ
- koko — Here; this place nearby the speaker.
- 来て
- kite — Coming; te-form of kuru (to come).
- まし
- mashi — Conditional past auxiliary; would have done something.
- おじい
- ojii — Grandpa; informal affectionate term for old man.
- 私
- watashi — I, me; first-person pronoun (standard form).
- 来る
- kuru — To come; basic motion verb toward speaker.
- だった
- datta — Was; past tense of da (plain copula).
- 知った
- shitta — Came to know; past tense of shiru.
- など
- nado — Et cetera; and so on; listing particle.
- 気
- ki — Spirit, feeling, mind; used in many expressions.
- する
- suru — To do; most common action verb in Japanese.
- な
- na — Sentence-final particle expressing emotion or mild prohibition.
- わし
- washi — I, me; old man's first-person pronoun (archaic).
- 話さ
- hanasa — Speak; negative stem of hanasu (to speak/tell).
- ない
- nai — Negative auxiliary; does not, is not.
- たくさん
- takusan — Many, a lot, plenty; large quantity of something.
- おる
- oru — To be, to exist (animate); dialectal/humble form.
- それ
- sore — That; demonstrative pronoun for mid-distance objects.
- 一部
- ichibu — A part, a portion; one section of whole.
- 者
- mono — Person, one who; referring to a person.
- 真似
- mane — Imitation, mimicry; copying someone's behavior.
- でき
- deki — Can do; stem of dekiru (to be able).
- 答えた
- kotaeta — Answered; past tense of kotaeru (to answer).
- 指して
- sashite — Pointing at; te-form of sasu (to point).
- 思った
- omotta — Thought; past tense of omou (to think).
- おしゃべり
- oshaberi — Chatter, talkative; chatting or chatty person.
- しかし
- shikashi — However, but; conjunction expressing contrast.
- 彼
- kare — He, him; third-person masculine pronoun.
- 言わ
- iwa — Say; negative stem of iu (to say).
- 言え
- ie — Can say; potential stem of iu (to say).
- ば
- ba — Conditional particle meaning 'if' (general condition).
- いい
- ii — Good, fine, okay; expressing approval or sufficiency.
- わから
- wakara — Not understand; negative stem of wakaru.
- そして
- soshite — And then; furthermore; connecting sequential actions.
- すぐ
- sugu — Soon, immediately, right away; with no delay.
- 聞き
- kiki — Listening, asking; stem of kiku (to listen/ask).
- たがって
- tagatte — Wanting to; eagerly desiring; te-form of tagaru.
- 話
- hanashi — Story, talk, conversation; spoken communication.
- 始めた
- hajimeta — Began, started; past tense of hajimeru.
- もちろん
- mochiron — Of course, naturally, certainly; obvious affirmation.
- なく
- naku — Without; adverbial negative form of nai.
- て
- te — Te-form conjunctive particle connecting clauses or actions.
- ろう
- rou — Probably; volitional/presumptive auxiliary (plain form).
- 家
- ie — House, home; place where one lives.
- 持ち歩いて
- mochiaruite — Carrying around; walking with something in hand.
- 理由
- riyuu — Reason, cause, grounds for something.
- ある
- aru — To exist (inanimate); to have; there is.
- この世
- kono yo — This world; the present life we live in.
- すべて
- subete — Everything, all; the entirety of something.
- のう
- nou — Sentence-final particle expressing contemplation or emphasis (elderly speech).
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