On the Method of Zadig: Essay #1 from "Science and Hebrew Tradition" — Page 5
I noticed the track of an animal in the sand, and it was easy to see that it was that of a small dog.
私は砂の上に動物の足跡を認め、それが小さな犬のものであることは容易にわかった。
Long faint streaks upon the little elevations of sand between the footmarks convinced me that it was a she dog with pendent dugs, showing that she must have had puppies not many days since.
足跡の間の砂の小さな盛り上がりに残された長くかすかな筋から、それが垂れ下がった乳房を持つ雌犬であり、ほんの数日前に子犬を産んだに違いないことが確信できた。
Other scrapings of the sand, which always lay close to the marks of the forepaws, indicated that she had very long ears;
前脚の跡のすぐそばに必ず見られる砂の他の引っかき傷は、その犬が非常に長い耳を持っていることを示していた。
and, as the imprint of one foot was always fainter than those of the other three, I judged that the lady dog of our august Queen was, if I may venture to say so, a little lame.
そして、一本の足の跡が常に他の三本よりも薄かったことから、我らが畏れ多き女王陛下の愛犬は、あえて申し上げるならば、少々足が不自由であると判断した。
'With respect to the horse of the King of Kings, permit me to observe that, wandering through the paths which traverse the wood, I noticed the marks of horse-shoes.
「王の王の御馬についてでございますが、申し上げますと、森を横切る小道をさまよいながら、私は蹄鉄の跡に気がつきました。
They were all equidistant.
それらはすべて等間隔でした。
In a narrow alley, only seven feet wide, the dust upon the trunks of the trees was a little disturbed at three feet and a half from the middle of the path.
幅わずか七フィートの狭い小道で、木の幹の埃が道の中央から三フィート半のところで少し乱れていました。
Vocabulary
- 私
- watashi — First-person singular pronoun meaning 'I' or 'me'.
- は
- wa — Topic-marking particle indicating the sentence topic.
- 砂
- suna — Sand; granular material found on beaches or deserts.
- の
- no — Possessive or linking particle connecting nouns.
- 上
- ue — Above, top, or on the surface of something.
- に
- ni — Particle indicating location, direction, or time.
- 動物
- dōbutsu — Animal; any living creature that is not a plant.
- 足跡
- ashiato — Footprint or track left behind by a person or animal.
- を
- wo — Object-marking particle indicating the direct object.
- 認め
- mitome — To recognize, acknowledge, or notice something.
- それ
- sore — That; refers to something near the listener.
- が
- ga — Subject-marking particle identifying the grammatical subject.
- 小さな
- chiisana — Small, little; describing something of minor size.
- 犬
- inu — Dog; common domesticated canine animal.
- もの
- mono — Thing, object, or matter; something tangible or abstract.
- で
- de — Particle indicating means, location of action, or reason.
- ある
- aru — To exist or to be; existential verb for inanimate things.
- こと
- koto — Fact, matter, or thing; nominalizes verbs and clauses.
- 容易
- yōi — Easy, simple; without difficulty or effort.
- わかった
- wakatta — Past tense of 'wakaru'; understood or figured out.
- 間
- ma / aida — Space, interval, or period between two points.
- 盛り上がり
- moriagari — A raised area or swelling; buildup or elevation.
- 残された
- nokosareta — Left behind; remaining after others have gone.
- 長く
- nagaku — Lengthily, for a long time or distance.
- かすかな
- kasukana — Faint, feeble, barely perceptible trace or sign.
- 筋
- suji — Line, stripe, streak, or muscle; a thin mark.
- から
- kara — From; particle indicating origin, cause, or starting point.
- 垂れ下がった
- taresagatta — Hung down, drooped, or dangled from above.
- 持つ
- motsu — To hold, carry, or possess something.
- ほんの
- hon'no — Just, merely, only a little; emphasizes smallness.
- 数日前
- suujitsumae — A few days ago; several days in the past.
- 子犬
- koinu — Puppy; a young or baby dog.
- 産んだ
- unda — Gave birth to; delivered offspring.
- 違いない
- chigainai — Must be; no doubt, certainly the case.
- 確信
- kakushin — Conviction, certainty; firm belief or confidence.
- できた
- dekita — Was able to; managed to accomplish something.
- 跡
- ato — Mark, trace, or track left by something or someone.
- すぐ
- sugu — Immediately, soon, or right beside something.
- そば
- soba — Near, beside, or close to something or someone.
- 必ず
- kanarazu — Without fail, certainly, always without exception.
- 見られる
- mirareru — Can be seen; passive form of 'to see'.
- 他
- hoka — Other, another, different; something beyond the current.
- その
- sono — That; demonstrative adjective referring to a nearby thing.
- 非常
- hijō — Extremely, very; an unusual or extraordinary degree.
- 長い
- nagai — Long in length or duration; not short.
- 耳
- mimi — Ear; the organ of hearing on an animal or person.
- 持って
- motte — Holding, carrying; te-form of 'motsu'.
- いる
- iru — To be; existential verb for animate beings.
- 示して
- shimeshite — Showing, indicating; te-form of 'shimesu'.
- いた
- ita — Past tense of 'iru'; was existing or was doing.
- そして
- soshite — And then, furthermore; connecting two clauses or ideas.
- 一本
- ippon — One long thin object; counter for sticks or limbs.
- 足
- ashi — Foot or leg; lower limb used for walking.
- 常
- tsune — Always, usually, normally; a constant or regular state.
- 三本
- sanbon — Three long thin objects; counter for rods or limbs.
- より
- yori — Than; comparative particle showing a standard of comparison.
- も
- mo — Also, even, too; inclusive or emphatic particle.
- 薄かった
- usukatta — Was thin, faint, or light; past tense of 'usui'.
- 女王
- joō — Queen; female monarch or ruler of a kingdom.
- 陛下
- heika — Your Majesty; honorific title for a monarch.
- 愛犬
- aiken — Beloved dog; one's cherished pet dog.
- あえて
- aete — Daring to, venturing to do something bold.
- 申し上げる
- mōshiageru — To humbly say or report; humble form of 'iu'.
- なら
- nara — If, supposing; conditional particle for hypothetical situations.
- ば
- ba — Conditional particle meaning 'if' or 'when'.
- 少々
- shōshō — A little, slightly; a small or modest amount.
- 不自由
- fujiyū — Inconvenient, disabled, or restricted in movement.
- と
- to — Particle meaning 'and', 'with', or quotation marker.
- 判断
- handan — Judgment, decision; assessment based on reasoning.
- した
- shita — Past tense of 'suru'; did or performed an action.
- 王
- ō — King; male monarch or ruler of a kingdom.
- つい
- tsuite — About, regarding, concerning; used with 'ni tsuite'.
- て
- te — Te-form conjunctive particle linking verbs or clauses.
- ございます
- gozaimasu — Polite copula meaning 'there is' or 'it is'.
- 申し上げます
- mōshiagemasu — Humbly report or tell; polite humble speech verb.
- 森
- mori — Forest or woods; dense area of trees.
- 横切る
- yokogiru — To cross, traverse, or cut across something.
- 小道
- komichi — Small path, narrow lane, or footpath.
- さまよい
- samayoi — Wandering, roaming; moving without a clear destination.
- ながら
- nagara — While doing; simultaneous action conjunction particle.
- 気
- ki — Notice, spirit, or feeling; mental or emotional sense.
- つきました
- tsukimashita — Noticed, arrived, or became attached; past polite form.
- それら
- sorera — Those (plural); refers to multiple previously mentioned things.
- すべて
- subete — All, everything, entirely; without exception.
- でした
- deshita — Past tense polite copula; was or were.
- 幅
- haba — Width, breadth; horizontal measurement of something.
- わずか
- wazuka — Only, merely, a tiny amount; very small quantity.
- 七
- nana / shichi — Seven; the number 7.
- フィート
- fīto — Feet; unit of length approximately 30.5 centimeters each.
- 狭い
- semai — Narrow, confined, cramped; limited in width or space.
- 木
- ki — Tree or wood; a large woody plant.
- 幹
- miki — Trunk of a tree; main central stem of a tree.
- 埃
- hokori — Dust; fine dry particles of matter or dirt.
- 道
- michi — Road, path, way; a route for traveling.
- 中央
- chūō — Center, middle; the central point or area.
- 三
- san — Three; the number 3.
- 半
- han — Half; one of two equal portions of something.
- ところ
- tokoro — Place, spot, or point; a location or situation.
- 少し
- sukoshi — A little, slightly; a small amount or degree.
- 乱れて
- midarete — Disturbed, disordered, disheveled; in a messy state.
- いました
- imashita — Past polite form of 'iru'; was there or was doing.
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