Mother West Wind "Why" Stories — Page 116
It would be very nice,' he confessed, 'but I never waste time wishing for things I haven't got and can't get,' and went right on cutting.
「それはとても素晴らしいことでしょう」と彼は打ち明けました。「でも私は、持っていないものや手に入らないものを望んで時間を無駄にすることは決してしません」と言って、そのまま切り続けました。
"The next morning when he awoke, he had the greatest surprise of his life.
「翌朝、目が覚めると、彼は生涯最大の驚きを経験しました。
He had a new tail!
彼には新しい尻尾が生えていたのです！
It was broad and thick and flat.
それは幅広く、厚く、平らでした。
It wasn't like any tail he had ever seen or heard of.
それは彼がこれまで見たことも聞いたこともないような尻尾でした。
At first he didn't know how to manage it, but when he tried to swim, he found that it was even better than his old tail for swimming.
最初はどう扱えばいいかわかりませんでしたが、泳いでみると、古い尻尾よりも泳ぐのにずっと適していることがわかりました。
He hurried over to begin his day's work, and there he made another discovery; his new tail was just the most splendid brace!
彼は急いでその日の仕事を始めに行くと、そこでまた新たな発見をしました。新しい尻尾は、まさに最高の支えになったのです！
It was almost like a stool to sit on, and he could work all day long without tiring his legs.
それはまるで腰かけるための椅子のようで、脚を疲れさせることなく一日中働くことができました。
Then was Mr. Beaver very happy, and to show how happy he was, he worked harder than ever.
そのときビーバーさんはとても幸せで、その喜びを示すために、これまで以上に一生懸命働きました。
Later, he found that his new tail was just what he needed to pat down the mud with which he covered the roof of his house.
その後、新しい尻尾は、家の屋根を覆うのに使う泥を叩き固めるのにまさにぴったりであることもわかりました。
"'Why,' he cried, 'I believe it is the most useful tail in all the world!'
「『まあ』と彼は叫びました。『これは世界中で一番役に立つ尻尾に違いない！』
"And then he wished with all his might that Old Mother Nature would return so that he might thank her for it.
「そして彼は、大自然の母が戻ってきて、そのお礼を言えるようにと、心の底から願いました。
And that," concluded Grandfather Frog, "is how Mr. Beaver came by his broad tail.
そしてそれが」とカエルのおじいさんは締めくくりました。「ビーバーさんが幅広い尻尾を手に入れた経緯なのです。
You see, Old Mother Nature always helps those who help themselves.
ほら、大自然の母はいつも、自ら助けようとする者を助けてくれるのですよ。
Vocabulary
- それ
- sore — That; refers to something near the listener.
- は
- wa — Topic marker particle indicating the sentence topic.
- とても
- totemo — Very; extremely; used to intensify adjectives.
- 素晴らしい
- subarashii — Wonderful; magnificent; splendid; amazing.
- こと
- koto — Thing; fact; matter; abstract noun nominalizer.
- でしょう
- deshō — Probably; right?; expresses conjecture or confirmation.
- と
- to — Quotation particle; and; with; if.
- 彼
- kare — He; him; that person (male).
- 打ち明け
- uchiake — Confess; reveal; disclose one's true feelings.
- でも
- demo — But; however; even so; yet.
- 私
- watashi — I; me; first-person singular pronoun.
- 持っ
- motte — Have; hold; possess; carry (te-form).
- いない
- inai — Not have; not exist; negative of iru.
- もの
- mono — Thing; object; something tangible or abstract.
- や
- ya — And; or; listing particle among items.
- 手
- te — Hand; handle; means; way of doing.
- 入ら
- haira — Enter; come in; be obtained (stem form).
- ない
- nai — Negative auxiliary; not; does not exist.
- 望ん
- nozonde — Wish for; desire; hope for something.
- 時間
- jikan — Time; hours; a period of time.
- 無駄
- muda — Waste; useless; futile; pointless effort.
- する
- suru — Do; perform; make; general action verb.
- 決して
- kesshite — Never; by no means; not at all.
- 言っ
- itte — Said; spoke; told (te-form of iu).
- その
- sono — That; the; demonstrative adjective near listener.
- まま
- mama — As is; unchanged; leaving things that way.
- 切り
- kiri — Cut; cutting; end; limit; suffix.
- 続け
- tsuzuke — Continue; keep doing; go on doing.
- 翌朝
- yokuasa — The next morning; following morning.
- 目
- me — Eye; sight; vision; point of view.
- 覚める
- sameru — Wake up; become awake; come to senses.
- 生涯
- shōgai — Lifetime; one's whole life; entire lifespan.
- 最大
- saidai — Greatest; largest; maximum; biggest.
- 驚き
- odoroki — Surprise; astonishment; shock; amazement.
- 経験
- keiken — Experience; undergo; go through something.
- 新しい
- atarashii — New; fresh; novel; recent.
- 尻尾
- shippo — Tail; an animal's tail.
- 生え
- hae — Grow; sprout; come in (of hair or plants).
- です
- desu — Polite copula; is; am; are.
- 幅広く
- habahiroku — Widely; broadly; spanning a wide range.
- 厚く
- atsuku — Thickly; deeply; with great thickness.
- 平ら
- taira — Flat; level; even; smooth surface.
- これ
- kore — This; this thing; near the speaker.
- まで
- made — Until; up to; as far as.
- 見
- mi — See; look; watch (stem form of miru).
- も
- mo — Also; too; even; neither; either.
- 聞い
- kiite — Heard; listened; asked (te-form of kiku).
- よう
- yō — Like; as if; seem; manner; way.
- 最初
- saisho — First; beginning; at the start.
- どう
- dō — How; in what way; what should be done.
- 扱え
- atsukaeru — Can handle; able to deal with; manage.
- ば
- ba — Conditional particle meaning if or when.
- いい
- ii — Good; fine; okay; nice.
- か
- ka — Question particle; or; whether.
- わかり
- wakari — Understand; comprehend; become clear.
- 泳い
- oyoide — Swam; swimming (te-form of oyogu).
- みる
- miru — Try doing; see; look (auxiliary or verb).
- 古い
- furui — Old; aged; not new; antiquated.
- より
- yori — Than; from; more than; compared to.
- 泳ぐ
- oyogu — Swim; move through water by swimming.
- ずっと
- zutto — Much more; far; all along; continuously.
- 適し
- tekishi — Suited; appropriate; fit for a purpose.
- いる
- iru — Exist; be present; stay (animate beings).
- 急い
- isoide — Hurried; rushed; in a hurry (te-form).
- その日
- sono hi — That day; on that particular day.
- 仕事
- shigoto — Work; job; occupation; task.
- 始め
- hajime — Begin; start; beginning of something.
- 行く
- iku — Go; head toward; proceed somewhere.
- そこ
- soko — There; that place; over there.
- また
- mata — Again; also; and; once more.
- 新た
- arata — New; fresh; renewed; another discovery.
- 発見
- hakken — Discovery; finding; detection of something new.
- まさに
- masani — Exactly; precisely; truly; indeed.
- 最高
- saikō — Best; greatest; highest; superb.
- 支え
- sasae — Support; prop up; hold up something.
- なっ
- natte — Became; turned into (te-form of naru).
- まるで
- marude — Just like; as if; completely resembling.
- 腰かける
- koshikakeru — Sit down; take a seat; perch on.
- ため
- tame — For; for the sake of; in order to.
- 椅子
- isu — Chair; seat; stool.
- 脚
- ashi — Leg; foot; limb of a person or object.
- 疲れ
- tsukare — Tiredness; fatigue; become tired.
- させる
- saseru — Cause to do; make someone do something.
- なく
- naku — Without; not having; absence of something.
- 一日中
- ichinichijū — All day long; throughout the entire day.
- 働く
- hataraku — Work; labor; be employed; toil.
- でき
- deki — Can do; be able to; be possible.
- とき
- toki — Time; moment; when; occasion.
- ビーバー
- bībā — Beaver; semi-aquatic rodent known for dam-building.
- さん
- san — Polite honorific suffix for names or titles.
- 幸せ
- shiawase — Happiness; good fortune; blessed feeling.
- 喜び
- yorokobi — Joy; delight; gladness; pleasure.
- 示す
- shimesu — Show; indicate; demonstrate; express.
- 以上
- ijō — More than; exceeding; no more to say.
- 一生懸命
- isshōkenmei — With all one's effort; very hard; earnestly.
- 働き
- hataraki — Work; labor; function; one's efforts.
- その後
- sonogo — After that; afterward; subsequently.
- 家
- ie — House; home; family; dwelling.
- 屋根
- yane — Roof; the top covering of a building.
- 覆う
- ōu — Cover; spread over; envelop; conceal.
- 使う
- tsukau — Use; make use of; employ; utilize.
- 泥
- doro — Mud; dirt; clay; wet soil.
- 叩き
- tataki — Hit; strike; knock; pound; patting.
- 固める
- katameru — Harden; solidify; firm up; reinforce.
- ぴったり
- pittari — Perfectly fitting; exactly right; snugly.
- ある
- aru — Exist; there is; have (inanimate objects).
- まあ
- mā — Well; oh my; expression of mild surprise.
- 叫び
- sakebi — Shout; scream; cry out; exclaim.
- 世界中
- sekaijū — Throughout the world; all over the world.
- 一番
- ichiban — Number one; most; best; first place.
- 役
- yaku — Use; role; service; being useful.
- 立つ
- tatsu — Stand; rise; be useful; serve a purpose.
- 違い
- chigai — Difference; discrepancy; without a doubt.
- そして
- soshite — And then; and; after that; furthermore.
- 大自然
- daishizen — Great nature; the natural world; Mother Nature.
- 母
- haha — Mother; one's own mother.
- 戻っ
- modotte — Returned; came back (te-form of modoru).
- お礼
- orei — Thanks; gratitude; expression of appreciation.
- 言える
- ieru — Can say; be able to express; say.
- 心
- kokoro — Heart; mind; spirit; feelings; soul.
- 底
- soko — Bottom; depths; base; from the heart.
- から
- kara — From; because; since; after.
- 願い
- negai — Wish; hope; desire; prayer; request.
- カエル
- kaeru — Frog; amphibian living near water.
- おじいさん
- ojiisan — Grandfather; old man; elderly gentleman.
- 締めくくり
- shimekukuri — Conclusion; wrap-up; final summary of story.
- 幅広い
- habahiroi — Wide; broad; spanning a large range.
- 入れ
- ire — Put in; insert; place inside something.
- 経緯
- keii — Circumstances; background; how things came about.
- ほら
- hora — Look; hey; see; drawing attention to something.
- いつ
- itsu — When; what time; at what point.
- 自ら
- mizukara — Oneself; by oneself; personally; on one's own.
- 助けよう
- tasukeyō — Let's help; intend to help; volitional form.
- 者
- mono — Person; one who; individual with a trait.
- 助け
- tasuke — Help; aid; assistance; rescue.
- くれる
- kureru — Give (to me/us); do a favor for speaker.
- よ
- yo — Sentence-ending particle asserting or informing.
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