Mother West Wind "Why" Stories — Page 115
In those days he had a tail very much like the tail of Jerry Muskrat.
その頃、彼はジェリー・マスクラットのしっぽによく似たしっぽを持っていました。
It was very useful when he was swimming, but it was of no use at all at any other time.
それは泳いでいるときにはとても役に立ちましたが、それ以外の時にはまったく役に立ちませんでした。
Sometimes he tried to brace himself with it--when he was sitting up to cut trees, and found it of no help.
木を切るために座ったとき、彼はそれで体を支えようとしましたが、何の助けにもならないとわかりました。
But he didn't complain; he just kept right on working, and only stopped to rest when his legs ached so that he had to.
しかし彼は不平を言わず、ただひたすら働き続け、足がどうしても痛くなったときだけ休みました。
"He was working just as usual one day when Old Mother Nature came along to see how he was getting on.
「ある日、彼がいつものように働いていると、老いたる自然の母が彼の様子を見にやって来ました。
She saw the new dam and the new pond, and she asked Mr. Beaver who had made them.
彼女は新しいダムと新しい池を見て、ビーバーさんに誰がそれらを作ったのかと尋ねました。
He told her that he had and explained why.
彼は自分が作ったと告げ、その理由を説明しました。
Old Mother Nature was greatly pleased, but she didn't say so.
老いたる自然の母はとても喜びましたが、そうは言いませんでした。
She just passed the time of day with him and then sat down to watch him cut a tree.
彼女はただ彼と世間話をしてから、彼が木を切るのを見ようと腰を下ろしました。
She saw him try to brace himself with his useless tail, and she saw him stop to rest his tired legs.
彼女は彼が役に立たないしっぽで体を支えようとするのを見て、また疲れた足を休めるために立ち止まるのを見ました。
"'That looks to me like pretty hard work,' said Old Mother Nature.
「『それはかなり大変な仕事のように見えますね』と老いたる自然の母は言いました。
"'So it is,' replied Mr. Beaver, stretching first one leg and then another.
「『そうなんです』とビーバーさんは答え、片足ずつ順番に伸ばしました。
'But things worth having are worth working for,' and with that he began cutting again.
『でも、手に入れる価値のあるものは、努力する価値があります』と言って、彼は再び切り始めました。
"'You ought to have something to sit on,' said Old Mother Nature, her eyes twinkling.
「『何か座るものがあるといいですね』と老いたる自然の母は目を輝かせながら言いました。
"Mr. Beaver grinned. '
「ビーバーさんはにやりと笑いました。『
Vocabulary
- その
- sono — That (modifies a noun nearby).
- 頃
- koro — Around that time; approximate period.
- 彼
- kare — He; him; that male person.
- は
- wa — Topic marker particle in Japanese sentences.
- マスクラット
- masukuratto — Muskrat; a semi-aquatic North American rodent.
- の
- no — Possessive or linking particle between nouns.
- しっぽ
- shippo — Tail of an animal.
- に
- ni — Particle indicating direction, location, or target.
- よく
- yoku — Often; well; frequently.
- 似
- ni — Resemble; be similar to something.
- た
- ta — Past tense auxiliary verb ending.
- を
- o — Object marker particle in Japanese sentences.
- 持っ
- mot(te) — Have; hold; possess something.
- て
- te — Te-form connector linking verb clauses together.
- い
- i — Auxiliary indicating ongoing state or action.
- まし
- mashi — Polite past auxiliary verb form.
- それ
- sore — That; that thing (mid-distance referent).
- 泳い
- oyoi(de) — Swimming; moving through water (verb stem).
- で
- de — Particle indicating means, location, or te-form.
- いる
- iru — To be; exist (for animate beings).
- とき
- toki — When; at the time of something.
- とても
- totemo — Very; extremely; quite useful.
- 役
- yaku — Role; use; service; function.
- 立ち
- tachi — Standing; being useful (verb stem).
- が
- ga — Subject marker particle; but (conjunctive).
- 以外
- igai — Except; other than; besides something.
- 時
- toki — Time; moment; occasion.
- まったく
- mattaku — Completely; utterly; not at all (negative).
- ませ
- mase — Polite negative auxiliary verb component.
- ん
- n — Negative or explanatory sentence-ending particle.
- でし
- deshi — Polite copula past tense auxiliary form.
- 木
- ki — Tree; wood; timber.
- 切る
- kiru — To cut; to chop; to sever.
- ため
- tame — For the purpose of; in order to.
- 座っ
- suwat(te) — Sitting down; being seated (verb stem).
- 体
- karada — Body; physical body of a person.
- 支えよ
- sasaeyo — Support; prop up; hold steady (volitional).
- う
- u — Volitional ending expressing intention or suggestion.
- と
- to — And; with; quotation particle in Japanese.
- し
- shi — Do; and also (conjunctive verb form).
- 何
- nani / nan — What; nothing (in negative contexts).
- 助け
- tasuke — Help; assistance; aid to someone.
- も
- mo — Also; too; even; not either (negative).
- なら
- nara — If; in the case of; conditional.
- ない
- nai — Not; negative adjective or verb ending.
- わかり
- wakari — Understanding; comprehension (verb stem form).
- しかし
- shikashi — However; but; nevertheless; yet.
- 不平
- fuhei — Complaint; dissatisfaction; grievance.
- 言わ
- iwa — Say; speak; utter (verb stem).
- ず
- zu — Without doing; negative conjunctive verb form.
- ただ
- tada — Just; simply; merely; only.
- ひたすら
- hitasura — Earnestly; devotedly; single-mindedly; persistently.
- 働き
- hataraki — Work; labor; function (verb stem noun).
- 続け
- tsuzuke — Continue; keep doing something (verb stem).
- 足
- ashi — Foot; leg; lower limb.
- どうして
- dōshite — Why; how; for what reason.
- 痛く
- itaku — Painfully; in a hurting manner (adverb).
- なっ
- nat(te) — Became; turned into (verb stem form).
- だけ
- dake — Only; just; limited to that.
- 休み
- yasumi — Rest; break; holiday; day off.
- ある
- aru — There is; exist (inanimate); a certain.
- 日
- hi / nichi — Day; sun; daytime.
- いつも
- itsumo — Always; usually; as always.
- よう
- yō — Like; as if; in the manner of.
- 働い
- hatarai(de) — Working; laboring (verb te-form stem).
- 老い
- oi — Aging; growing old; elderly state.
- たる
- taru — Classical attributive copula meaning 'being that.'
- 自然
- shizen — Nature; the natural world; naturally.
- 母
- haha — Mother; one's own mother.
- 様子
- yōsu — Appearance; state; situation; condition.
- 見
- mi — See; look; observe (verb stem).
- やっ
- yat(te) — Do; come (colloquial verb stem form).
- 来
- ki (kuru) — Come; arrive; approach (verb stem).
- 彼女
- kanojo — She; her; girlfriend.
- 新しい
- atarashii — New; fresh; novel; recent.
- ダム
- damu — Dam; barrier built across a waterway.
- 池
- ike — Pond; small body of still water.
- ビーバー
- bībā — Beaver; dam-building semi-aquatic rodent.
- さん
- san — Honorific title; Mr., Mrs., Ms.
- 誰
- dare — Who; which person.
- それら
- sorera — Those things; those (plural referent).
- 作っ
- tsukut(te) — Made; built; created (verb stem form).
- か
- ka — Question particle; or; whether.
- 尋ね
- tazune — Ask; inquire; question someone about something.
- 自分
- jibun — Oneself; myself; yourself; one's own.
- 告げ
- tsuge — Tell; inform; announce; notify someone.
- 理由
- riyū — Reason; cause; grounds for something.
- 説明
- setsumei — Explanation; description; account of something.
- 喜び
- yorokobi — Joy; delight; happiness; gladness.
- そう
- sō — So; that way; like that; yes.
- 言い
- ii — Say; speak; tell (verb stem form).
- 世間話
- sekenbanashi — Small talk; casual everyday conversation.
- から
- kara — From; because; after; since.
- 見よ
- miyo — Look; see (imperative or volitional form).
- 腰
- koshi — Waist; lower back; hips.
- 下ろし
- oroshi — Lower; let down; set down something.
- 立た
- tata — Stand; rise up (verb stem form).
- する
- suru — To do; to perform; to make.
- また
- mata — Again; also; moreover; additionally.
- 疲れ
- tsukare — Tiredness; fatigue; exhaustion.
- 休める
- yasumeru — Rest; allow to rest; give relief.
- 立ち止まる
- tachitomaru — Stop; come to a halt; pause walking.
- かなり
- kanari — Quite; considerably; fairly; rather much.
- 大変
- taihen — Very; tough; difficult; hard work.
- な
- na — Sentence-ending particle; adjective linking form.
- 仕事
- shigoto — Work; job; task; occupation.
- 見え
- mie — Appear; seem; look like something (stem).
- ます
- masu — Polite verb ending for present/future tense.
- ね
- ne — Sentence-ending particle seeking agreement or confirmation.
- です
- desu — Polite copula meaning 'is' or 'am.'
- 答え
- kotae — Answer; reply; response to a question.
- 片足
- kataashi — One leg; one foot; single limb.
- ずつ
- zutsu — Each; at a time; one by one.
- 順番
- junban — Order; turn; sequence; in rotation.
- 伸ばし
- nobashi — Stretch; extend; elongate (verb stem form).
- でも
- demo — But; even so; however; or something.
- 手
- te — Hand; arm; means; way.
- 入れる
- ireru — Put in; insert; include; invest effort.
- 価値
- kachi — Value; worth; merit of something.
- もの
- mono — Thing; object; something; person (nominalizer).
- 努力
- doryoku — Effort; hard work; endeavor; striving.
- あり
- ari — There is; exist; have (classical/stem form).
- 言っ
- it(te) — Said; said and (verb te-form stem).
- 再び
- futatabi — Again; once more; a second time.
- 切り
- kiri — Cutting; chopping (verb stem noun form).
- 始め
- hajime — Beginning; start; commence doing something.
- 座る
- suwaru — Sit down; take a seat.
- いい
- ii — Good; fine; nice; acceptable.
- 目
- me — Eye; eyesight; look; gaze.
- 輝か
- kagayaka — Shine; sparkle; gleam (verb stem form).
- せ
- se — Causative auxiliary form; make or let do.
- ながら
- nagara — While doing; simultaneously; even though.
- にやり
- niyari — Grinning; smirking; a sly smile.
- 笑い
- warai — Laugh; laughter; smile; grin.
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