Mother West Wind "Why" Stories — Page 106

English → Japanese Full Text Level 2/10

But presently Mr. Turtle discovered that the big people were eating the little people whenever they could catch them, and that he wasn't safe a minute when on shore, and not always safe in the water," continued Grandfather Frog.

しかしやがて、カメさんは、大きな生き物たちが小さな生き物たちを捕まえるたびに食べているということ、そして岸の上では一瞬たりとも安全ではなく、水の中でも必ずしも安全ではないということを知りました」とカエルおじいさんは続けました。

"He had two or three very narrow escapes, and these set him to thinking.

「彼は二、三度、非常に危ないところを逃げのびましたが、それが彼に考えさせるきっかけとなりました。

He was too slow and awkward to run or to fight.

彼は走ったり戦ったりするには遅すぎて不器用すぎました。

The only thing he could do was to keep out of sight as much as possible.

彼にできることといえば、できるだけ人目につかないようにすることだけでした。

So he learned to swim with only his head out of water, and sometimes with only the end of his nose out of water.

そこで彼は、頭だけを水面に出して泳ぐことを覚え、時には鼻の先だけを水面に出して泳ぐようにもなりました。

When he went on land, he would cover himself with mud, and then when he heard anybody coming, he would lie perfectly still, with his legs and his tail and his head drawn in just as close as possible, so that he looked for all the world like just a little lump of brown earth.

陸に上がった時は、泥で体を覆い、誰かが来る音を聞いた時には、足も尻尾も頭もできるだけ縮めて、まったく動かずに横たわりました。そうすると、まるで茶色い土のかたまりのように見えたのです。

"One day he had crawled under a piece of bark to rest and at the same time keep out of sight of any who might happen along.

「ある日、彼は一枚の木の皮の下に潜り込んで休憩し、同時にたまたま通りかかるかもしれない者の目に触れないようにしていました。

When he got ready to go on his way, he found that the piece of bark had caught on his back, and that he was carrying it with him.

さあ出発しようとした時、木の皮が背中に引っかかっていて、それを背負ったまま歩いていることに気づきました。

At first he was annoyed and started to shake it off.

最初は煩わしく思い、振り落とそうとしました。

Before he succeeded, he heard someone coming, so he promptly drew in his head and legs and tail.

しかしそれが成功する前に、誰かが来る音を聞いたので、すぐさま頭と足と尻尾を縮め込みました。

It was Mr.

それは〇〇さんでした。

Vocabulary

しかし: shikashi — Conjunction meaning 'however' or 'but'.
やがて: yagate — Adverb meaning 'before long' or 'eventually'.
カメ: kame — Turtle or tortoise.
さん: san — Honorific suffix used after a person's name.
は: wa — Topic-marking particle indicating the sentence topic.
大きな: ookina — Adjective meaning 'large' or 'big'.
生き物: ikimono — Living creature or living being.
たち: tachi — Plural suffix for people or animate beings.
が: ga — Subject-marking particle indicating the grammatical subject.
小さな: chiisana — Adjective meaning 'small' or 'little'.
を: wo — Object-marking particle indicating the direct object.
捕まえる: tsukamaeru — To catch or to capture something.
たびに: tabi ni — Expression meaning 'every time' or 'whenever'.
食べ: tabe — Stem form of 'taberu', to eat.
て: te — Conjunctive particle connecting verb phrases sequentially.
いる: iru — Auxiliary verb indicating ongoing action or state.
という: to iu — Quotative expression meaning 'called' or 'that'.
こと: koto — Noun meaning 'thing', 'fact', or 'matter'.
そして: soshite — Conjunction meaning 'and then' or 'moreover'.
岸: kishi — Riverbank, shore, or coast.
の: no — Possessive or linking particle connecting nouns.
上: ue — Noun meaning 'above', 'on top of', or 'upper'.
で: de — Particle indicating location of action or means.
一瞬: isshun — A single moment; an instant.
たりとも: tari tomo — Expression meaning 'not even' emphasizing minimal quantity.
安全: anzen — Safety; being free from danger.
なく: naku — Negative conjunctive form of 'nai', meaning 'without being'.
水: mizu — Water.
中: naka — Inside, within, or middle.
も: mo — Particle meaning 'also', 'too', or 'even'.
必ずしも: kanarazu shimo — Adverb meaning 'not necessarily' (used with negation).
ない: nai — Negative auxiliary indicating something does not exist or occur.
知り: shiri — Stem form of 'shiru', to know or learn.
まし: mashi — Polite past tense auxiliary stem.
た: ta — Past tense auxiliary verb ending.
と: to — Particle meaning 'and', 'with', or quotation marker.
カエル: kaeru — Frog.
おじいさん: ojiisan — Old man or grandfather.
続け: tsuzuke — Stem form of 'tsuzukeru', to continue.
彼: kare — Third-person pronoun meaning 'he' or 'him'.
二: ni — The number two.
三度: sando — Three times; on three occasions.
非常に: hijou ni — Adverb meaning 'extremely' or 'very much'.
危ない: abunai — Adjective meaning 'dangerous' or 'risky'.
ところ: tokoro — Place, situation, or point in time.
逃げのび: nigenobi — Stem form of 'nigenobiru', to escape and survive.
それ: sore — Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'that' or 'it'.
に: ni — Particle indicating direction, location, or indirect object.
考え: kangae — Thought, idea; stem form of 'kangaeru', to think.
させる: saseru — Causative auxiliary verb meaning 'to make' or 'to let'.
きっかけ: kikkake — Trigger, opportunity, or starting point for something.
なり: nari — Conjunctive form of 'naru', meaning 'to become'.
走っ: hashit(te) — Conjunctive form of 'hashiru', to run.
たり: tari — Particle listing actions as representative examples.
戦っ: tatakат(te) — Conjunctive form of 'tatakau', to fight or battle.
する: suru — To do; general-purpose action verb.
遅すぎ: ososugi — Too slow; excessively slow.
不器用: bukiyou — Clumsy, unskillful, or awkward.
すぎ: sugi — Suffix meaning 'too much' or 'excessively'.
できる: dekiru — To be able to do; to be possible.
いえ: ie — Conditional stem; or 'house/home' as a noun.
ば: ba — Conditional particle meaning 'if' or 'when'.
だけ: dake — Limiting particle meaning 'only' or 'just'.
人目: hitome — Other people's eyes; public attention or notice.
つか: tsuka — Stem of 'tsuku', to attach or be noticed.
よう: you — Auxiliary expressing resemblance or intention.
でし: deshi — Polite copula stem before 'ta' (past polite form).
そこで: sokode — Conjunction meaning 'so', 'therefore', or 'thereupon'.
頭: atama — Head; the upper part of the body.
水面: suimen — Water surface; the top surface of water.
出し: dashi — Stem form of 'dasu', to put out or extend.
泳ぐ: oyogu — To swim.
覚え: oboe — Stem of 'oboeru', to learn or memorize something.
時: toki — Time, moment, or occasion.
鼻: hana — Nose.
先: saki — Tip, point, or ahead.
陸: riku — Land; dry ground as opposed to water.
上がっ: agat(te) — Conjunctive form of 'agaru', to go up or come ashore.
泥: doro — Mud or dirt.
体: karada — Body; the physical form of a living being.
覆い: ooi — Stem of 'oou', to cover or conceal something.
誰か: dareka — Someone; an unspecified person.
来る: kuru — To come.
音: oto — Sound or noise.
聞い: kii(te) — Conjunctive form of 'kiku', to hear or listen.
足: ashi — Foot or leg.
尻尾: shippo — Tail of an animal.
縮め: chijime — Stem of 'chijimeru', to shrink or pull in.
まったく: mattaku — Adverb meaning 'completely', 'entirely', or 'not at all'.
動か: ugoka — Stem of 'ugoku', to move.
ず: zu — Classical negative auxiliary meaning 'without doing'.
横たわり: yokotawari — Stem of 'yokotawaru', to lie flat or stretch out.
そう: sou — Adverb or auxiliary meaning 'so', 'that way', or 'seems like'.
まるで: marude — Adverb meaning 'just like' or 'as if'.
茶色い: chairoi — Adjective meaning 'brown' in color.
土: tsuchi — Soil, earth, or ground.
かたまり: katamari — Lump, chunk, or clump of something.
見え: mie — Stem of 'mieru', to be visible or appear.
です: desu — Polite copula meaning 'is', 'am', or 'are'.
ある: aru — To exist (for inanimate things); a certain.
日: hi — Day or sun.
一枚: ichimai — One flat thin object (counter for sheets, leaves).
木: ki — Tree or wood.
皮: kawa — Bark, skin, or peel.
下: shita — Below, under, or beneath.
潜り込ん: mogurikon(de) — Conjunctive form of 'mogurikomu', to sneak or slip under.
休憩: kyuukei — Rest, break, or recess.
し: shi — Conjunctive form of 'suru'; also lists reasons.
同時に: douji ni — At the same time; simultaneously.
たまたま: tamatama — Adverb meaning 'by chance' or 'coincidentally'.
通りかかる: toorikakaru — To happen to pass by a place.
かも: kamo — Particle expressing possibility or uncertainty.
しれ: shire — Stem of 'shireru', used in 'kamoshirenai' (might be).
者: mono — Person or one who does something.
目: me — Eye.
触れ: fure — Stem of 'fureru', to touch or come into contact.
い: i — Stem of 'iru'; present in conjunctive usage.
さあ: saa — Interjection meaning 'well', 'come on', or 'now then'.
出発: shuppatsu — Departure; setting off on a journey.
しよう: shiyou — Volitional form of 'suru', meaning 'let's do'.
背中: senaka — Back (of the body).
引っかかっ: hikkakat(te) — Conjunctive form of 'hikkakaru', to get caught on something.
背負っ: seot(te) — Conjunctive form of 'seou', to carry on one's back.
まま: mama — State or condition left as is; 'as it is'.
歩い: arui(te) — Conjunctive form of 'aruku', to walk.
気づき: kizuki — Stem of 'kizuku', to notice or become aware.
最初: saisho — The beginning; at first; the very start.
煩わしく: wazurawashiku — Adverbial form of 'wazurawashii', meaning troublesome or annoying.
思い: omoi — Stem of 'omou', to think or feel; thought.
振り落とそう: furiotosou — Volitional form of 'furiotos u', to shake off something.
成功: seikou — Success; achieving a desired result.
前: mae — Before, in front of, or previous.
すぐさま: sugusama — Adverb meaning 'immediately' or 'right away'.

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