Piccolissima — Page 10
Piccolissima, from her education, resembled the flies a little too much to boast of her perseverance.
ピッコリッシマは、その育ちのせいで、ハエに少し似すぎていて、忍耐力を誇ることができなかった。
So she gave up her project.
そこで彼女は自分の計画を諦めた。
While bending her small head over these eyes, she distinguished, at the bottom of these crystals, a moving dark spot, and thousands of little Piccolissimas, one after the other, smiled upon her from these little mirrors.
その目の上に小さな頭を傾けながら、彼女はそれらの水晶の奥に動く黒い点を見分け、何千もの小さなピッコリッシマたちが次々とその小さな鏡から彼女に微笑みかけた。
O, wonderful! these thousands of crystal groups on each side of the head were not all; a triangle of three diamonds crowned the forehead of the fly.
おお、素晴らしい！頭の両側にある何千もの水晶の集まりだけではなかった。三つのダイヤモンドからなる三角形がハエの額を飾っていた。
Piccolissima did not know the name they give to these small eyes, nor that a writer on the subject had said, that the diadem of the fly outshines that of queens, but she could not refrain from saying aloud, "O, my little friend, pray tell me what you do with so many eyes?"
ピッコリッシマはこれらの小さな目に付けられた名前を知らなかったし、その分野のある著述家がハエの王冠は女王のそれをも凌ぐと述べたことも知らなかったが、声に出して言わずにはいられなかった。「おお、小さなお友達よ、どうかそんなにたくさんの目で何をするのか教えてください。」
"What do I do with them, indeed! why, I look," answered the fly, a little vexed at being disturbed in his repast.
「それらで何をするかって！そりゃ、見るのさ」とハエは食事の邪魔をされて少し苛立ちながら答えた。
"Are there not fingers, nails, pins, pincers, jaws, claws, beaks, which menace me on every side?
「指、爪、針、ピンセット、顎、鉤爪、くちばしといったものが四方八方から私を脅かしているではないか。
Do I not want eyes to see at a distance, and eyes to see near?
遠くを見る目と近くを見る目が必要ではないか。
And do you not know that my head is better put on than yours, which cannot turn to all points of the compass?"
そして、あらゆる方向に向けることのできないあなたの頭より、私の頭の方がよくできているということを知らないのか。」
"What! can you look behind you without turning your head?"
「何と！頭を回さずに後ろを見ることができるのか。」
Vocabulary
- は
- wa — Topic marker particle indicating the subject.
- その
- sono — That; referring to something near the listener.
- 育ち
- sodachi — Upbringing; how one was raised or grew up.
- の
- no — Possessive or nominalizing particle linking nouns.
- せい
- sei — Fault; cause attributed to something negative.
- で
- de — Particle indicating means, location, or reason.
- ハエ
- hae — Housefly; a common flying insect.
- に
- ni — Particle indicating direction, location, or target.
- 少し
- sukoshi — A little; a small amount or degree.
- 似
- ni — Resemblance; to look or be similar to.
- すぎ
- sugi — Too much; excess beyond an appropriate degree.
- て
- te — Te-form connective particle linking verb phrases.
- い
- i — Auxiliary verb indicating ongoing or resultant state.
- 忍耐力
- nintairyoku — Patience; the ability to endure difficulties calmly.
- を
- wo — Object marker particle indicating direct object.
- 誇る
- hokoru — To boast or take pride in something.
- こと
- koto — Thing; nominalizer turning verbs into noun phrases.
- が
- ga — Subject marker particle; also marks contrast or emphasis.
- でき
- deki — To be able to; possibility or capability.
- なかった
- nakatta — Past negative form; was not able to do.
- そこで
- sokode — So; therefore; as a result of that situation.
- 彼女
- kanojo — She; her; also used to mean girlfriend.
- 自分
- jibun — Oneself; one's own self or perspective.
- 計画
- keikaku — Plan; a scheme or arrangement made in advance.
- 諦め
- akirame — Giving up; resignation or abandonment of a goal.
- た
- ta — Past tense auxiliary verb marker in Japanese.
- 目
- me — Eye; the organ of sight.
- 上
- ue — Above; upper; on top of something.
- 小さな
- chiisana — Small; tiny; of little size or scale.
- 頭
- atama — Head; the top part of the body.
- 傾け
- katamuke — To tilt or incline something to one side.
- ながら
- nagara — While doing; simultaneous action conjunction.
- それら
- sorera — Those (plural); referring to multiple things nearby.
- 水晶
- suishō — Crystal; clear quartz or glass-like mineral.
- 奥
- oku — Deep inside; the innermost or back part.
- 動く
- ugoku — To move; to shift position or be in motion.
- 黒い
- kuroi — Black; dark in color.
- 点
- ten — Dot; point; a small mark or spot.
- 見分け
- miwake — To distinguish; to tell apart different things.
- 何千
- nanzen — Thousands; many thousands of something.
- も
- mo — Also; even; as many as (emphasis particle).
- たち
- tachi — Plural suffix for people or living things.
- 次々と
- tsugitsugi to — One after another; in rapid succession.
- と
- to — And; with; quotation particle in Japanese.
- 鏡
- kagami — Mirror; a reflective surface showing one's image.
- から
- kara — From; because; starting point particle.
- 微笑みかけ
- hohoemigage — To smile at someone; to direct a smile toward.
- おお
- oo — Oh!; exclamation of surprise or admiration.
- 素晴らしい
- subarashii — Wonderful; magnificent; truly impressive or splendid.
- 両側
- ryōgawa — Both sides; either side of something.
- ある
- aru — To exist; to be present (for inanimate things).
- 集まり
- atsumari — Gathering; a group or collection of things/people.
- だけ
- dake — Only; just; limited to that amount or thing.
- 三つ
- mittsu — Three things; the number three (native counting).
- ダイヤモンド
- daiyamondo — Diamond; precious gemstone or the shape.
- なる
- naru — To become; to turn into something.
- 三角形
- sankakkei — Triangle; a three-sided geometric shape.
- 額
- hitai — Forehead; the area above the eyebrows.
- 飾っ
- kazatte — To decorate; to adorn with ornaments.
- これら
- korera — These (plural); referring to multiple nearby things.
- 付け
- tsuke — To attach; to affix something onto something else.
- られた
- rareta — Passive past tense; was done to the subject.
- 名前
- namae — Name; the word used to identify someone/something.
- 知ら
- shira — To know; base of shiranai (not knowing).
- し
- shi — And; listing reasons or actions in sequence.
- 分野
- bunya — Field; area of study or expertise.
- 著述家
- chojutsuka — Author; writer who composes literary or scholarly works.
- 王冠
- ōkan — Crown; a royal headpiece worn by monarchs.
- 女王
- joō — Queen; a female monarch or ruler.
- それ
- sore — That; referring to something near the listener.
- 凌ぐ
- shinogi — To surpass; to outdo or withstand something.
- 述べ
- nobe — To state; to express or describe in words.
- 声
- koe — Voice; sound produced by speaking or singing.
- 出し
- dashi — To produce; to put out or emit something.
- 言わ
- iwa — To say; base form of iu (to speak).
- ず
- zu — Without doing; negative conjunctive verb ending.
- られ
- rare — Passive or potential auxiliary verb form.
- お
- o — Honorific prefix adding politeness to nouns.
- 友達
- tomodachi — Friend; a person with whom one has friendship.
- よ
- yo — Sentence-ending particle asserting or informing listener.
- どうか
- dōka — Please; somehow; expressing a polite request.
- そんな
- sonna — Such; that kind of; of that sort.
- たくさん
- takusan — Many; a lot; a large quantity or number.
- 何
- nani — What; which thing; interrogative pronoun.
- する
- suru — To do; to perform an action.
- か
- ka — Question particle placed at end of sentences.
- 教え
- oshie — To teach; to inform or instruct someone.
- ください
- kudasai — Please (give me); polite request for something.
- って
- tte — Casual quotation particle; they said that…
- そりゃ
- sorya — Of course; naturally; colloquial that is obvious.
- 見る
- miru — To see; to look at; to watch.
- さ
- sa — Casual sentence-ending particle asserting a statement.
- 食事
- shokuji — Meal; the act of eating food.
- 邪魔
- jama — Obstacle; interruption; something that gets in the way.
- れ
- re — Passive verb ending; being acted upon by another.
- 苛立ち
- iradachi — Irritation; a feeling of annoyance or frustration.
- 答え
- kotae — Answer; a response or reply to a question.
- 指
- yubi — Finger; one of the digits on a hand.
- 爪
- tsume — Nail; claw; the hard covering on fingers.
- 針
- hari — Needle; pin; a thin sharp pointed instrument.
- ピンセット
- pinsetto — Tweezers; a small tool for gripping tiny objects.
- 顎
- ago — Jaw; chin; the lower part of the face.
- 鉤爪
- kagizume — Hook claw; a curved sharp talon or claw.
- くちばし
- kuchibashi — Beak; bill; the pointed mouth of a bird.
- いった
- itta — Went; said; past tense of iku or iu.
- もの
- mono — Thing; object; something tangible or abstract.
- 四方八方
- shihōhappō — Every direction; all around; from all sides.
- 私
- watashi — I; me; first-person singular pronoun.
- 脅かし
- odokashi — Threatening; intimidating; making someone feel threatened.
- いる
- iru — To be; to exist (for animate beings).
- ない
- nai — Not; negation auxiliary indicating something does not exist.
- 遠く
- tooku — Far away; at a distant place or distance.
- 近く
- chikaku — Near; close by; in the vicinity of.
- 必要
- hitsuyō — Necessity; something required or needed.
- そして
- soshite — And then; and; connecting sentences or ideas.
- あらゆる
- arayuru — Every; all; each and every possible thing.
- 方向
- hōkō — Direction; the way something faces or moves.
- 向ける
- mukeru — To turn toward; to point or direct at something.
- あなた
- anata — You; second-person pronoun in Japanese.
- より
- yori — Than; more than; comparative particle.
- 方
- kata / hō — Person (polite); direction; way of doing something.
- よく
- yoku — Often; well; frequently or skillfully.
- いう
- iu — To say; to tell; to express in words.
- 何と
- nanto — How; what; expressing surprise or exclamation.
- 回さ
- mawasa — To turn; to rotate; to spin something around.
- 後ろ
- ushiro — Behind; the back side or rear direction.
- できる
- dekiru — To be able to; to be capable of doing.
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