Pride and Prejudice — Page 15

English → Japanese Preface Level 7/10

I sometimes wish that the exigencies of the story had permitted Miss Austen to unite these personages, and thus at once achieve a notable mating and soothe poor Mrs. Bennet's anguish over the entail.

私はときに、物語の必然性がオースティン嬢にこれらの人物たちを結びつけることを許していたならば、と思うことがある。そうすれば、注目すべき縁組みを一挙に実現しつつ、哀れなベネット夫人の限嗣相続をめぐる苦悩をも慰められたであろうに。

The Bingleys and the Gardiners and the Lucases, Miss Darcy and Miss de Bourgh, Jane, Wickham, and the rest, must pass without special comment, further than the remark that Charlotte Lucas (her egregious papa, though delightful, is just a little on the thither side of the line between comedy and farce) is a wonderfully clever study in drab of one kind, and that Wickham (though something of Miss Austen's hesitation of touch in dealing with young men appears) is a not much less notable sketch in drab of another.

ビングリー家の人々、ガーディナー家の人々、ルーカス家の人々、ダーシー嬢、ド・バーグ嬢、ジェイン、ウィッカム、そしてその他の登場人物たちは、特別な論評なしに通り過ぎてもらわなければならない。ただし、シャーロット・ルーカス（彼女の途方もない父親は、愉快ではあるものの、喜劇とファルスの境界線のあちら側にほんの少しはみ出している）が、ある種の地味さにおいて驚くほど巧みに描かれた人物であること、そしてウィッカム（オースティン嬢が若い男性を扱う際のためらいがちなタッチが多少見られるものの）が、別の種の地味さにおいてそれに劣らず注目すべきスケッチであること、は付け加えておきたい。

Only genius could have made Charlotte what she is, yet not disagreeable; Wickham what he is, without investing him either with a cheap Don Juanish attractiveness or a disgusting rascality.

天才のみが、シャーロットをあのような人物として、しかも不快感を与えることなく描き出すことができたであろう。そしてウィッカムを、安っぽいドン・ファン的な魅力も、嫌悪感を催す悪党ぶりも纏わせることなく、あのような人物として描き出すことができたであろう。

But the hero and the heroine are not tints to be dismissed.

しかし、主人公と女主人公は、一言で片付けられるような色合いの人物ではない。

Darcy has always seemed to me by far the best and most interesting of Miss Austen's heroes; the only possible competitor being Henry Tilney, whose part is so slight and simple that it hardly enters into comparison.

ダーシーは、私には常にオースティン嬢の男性主人公の中で断然最も優れた、最も興味深い人物と思われてきた。唯一の競合候補はヘンリー・ティルニーであるが、彼の役割はあまりにも軽く単純であるため、ほとんど比較の対象にならない。

It has sometimes, I believe, been urged that his pride is unnatural at first in its expression and later in its yielding, while his falling in love at all is not extremely probable.

彼の誇りは、最初の表れ方においても、後にそれが和らぐ様子においても不自然であり、そもそも彼が恋に落ちること自体、あまり蓋然性がないと、これまで主張されることがあったと私は思う。

Here again I cannot go with the objectors.

この点においても、私は異論を唱える人々に同意することができない。

Vocabulary

私: watashi — First-person pronoun meaning 'I' or 'me'.
は: wa — Topic-marking particle indicating the sentence topic.
とき: toki — Time, moment, or occasion when something occurs.
に: ni — Particle indicating location, direction, time, or purpose.
物語: monogatari — Story, tale, or narrative of events.
の: no — Possessive or linking particle connecting nouns.
必然性: hitsuzensei — Necessity, inevitability, or logical compulsion.
が: ga — Subject-marking particle highlighting the grammatical subject.
嬢: jō — Miss; title for a young unmarried woman.
これら: korera — These; plural demonstrative pronoun for nearby items.
人物: jinbutsu — Person, character, or individual figure in a story.
たち: tachi — Plural suffix indicating a group of people.
を: wo — Object-marking particle indicating the direct object.
結びつける: musubitsukeru — To connect, link, or tie things together.
こと: koto — Thing, fact, or act; nominalizer for verbs.
許して: yurushite — Permitting or allowing; te-form of 'yurushi'.
い: i — Auxiliary verb stem indicating ongoing or resultant state.
た: ta — Past tense auxiliary verb indicating completed action.
なら: nara — Conditional conjunction meaning 'if' or 'provided that'.
ば: ba — Conditional particle meaning 'if' attached to verb forms.
と: to — Quotation or conjunction particle meaning 'that' or 'and'.
思う: omou — To think, feel, or believe something.
ある: aru — To exist or be; existential verb for inanimate things.
そう: sō — So, thus; indicating agreement or that manner.
すれ: sure — Conditional stem of 'suru' meaning 'to do'.
注目: chūmoku — Attention, notice; paying special heed to something.
べき: beki — Should, ought to; expressing moral or logical obligation.
縁組み: engumi — Marriage arrangement, adoption, or formal alliance between families.
一挙: ikkyо̄ — All at once; in a single stroke or action.
実現: jitsugen — Realization, actualization, or making something come true.
しつつ: shitsutsu — While doing; simultaneous action conjunctive expression.
哀れ: aware — Pitiful, pathetic, or evoking compassion and sorrow.
な: na — Adjectival copula particle linking na-adjectives to nouns.
夫人: fujin — Mrs., Madam; respectful title for a married woman.
相続: sōzoku — Inheritance; the legal succession of property or title.
めぐる: meguru — To revolve around, concern, or relate to something.
苦悩: kunō — Anguish, suffering, or deep mental distress.
も: mo — Also, too; inclusive particle meaning 'as well'.
慰め: nagusamе — Consolation, comfort, or solace given to someone.
られ: rare — Passive or potential auxiliary verb suffix.
であろう: de arō — Probably is; expressing conjecture or supposition.
家: ke / ie — Family, household, or the name of a family.
人々: hitobito — People, persons; plural of 'hito' (person).
そして: soshite — And then, and also; conjunction connecting sequential elements.
その他: sonota — Others, the rest; referring to remaining unspecified items.
登場: tōjō — Appearance, entrance; a character appearing on stage.
特別: tokubetsu — Special, particular, extraordinary; standing out from ordinary.
論評: ronpyō — Commentary, critique, or critical review of something.
なし: nashi — Without, none; indicating absence or lack of something.
通り過ぎ: tōrisugі — Passing by or through without stopping.
て: te — Te-form conjunctive particle connecting sequential actions.
もらわ: morawa — Stem of 'morau'; to receive a favor from someone.
なけれ: nakere — Conditional negative stem meaning 'must' or 'have to'.
ない: nai — Negative auxiliary indicating something does not exist or occur.
ただし: tadashi — However, provided that; introducing an exception or condition.
彼女: kanojo — She, her; third-person singular feminine pronoun.
途方もない: tohōmonai — Outrageous, absurd, or beyond all reason and bounds.
父親: chichioya — Father; one's male parent.
愉快: yukai — Pleasant, amusing, cheerful; causing delight or amusement.
で: de — Particle indicating means, location of action, or reason.
もの: mono — Thing, object; nominalizer expressing a general concept.
喜劇: kigeki — Comedy; a dramatic work intended to be humorous.
境界線: kyōkaisen — Boundary line, border, or dividing line between areas.
あちら: achira — Over there; distal demonstrative pronoun for distant things.
側: gawa / soba — Side, direction, or proximity to something.
ほんの: honnо — Just a little, merely; emphasizing smallness of degree.
少し: sukoshi — A little, a small amount of something.
はみ出し: hamidashi — Sticking out, overflowing beyond a defined boundary.
いる: iru — To be, to exist; existential verb for animate beings.
種: tane / shurui — Kind, sort, type, or variety of something.
地味: jimi — Plain, modest, subdued; lacking flashiness or showiness.
さ: sa — Nominalizing suffix turning adjectives into abstract nouns.
驚く: odoroku — To be surprised, astonished, or startled by something.
ほど: hodo — To the extent of, as much as; degree marker.
巧み: takumi — Skillful, clever, or dexterous handling of something.
描か: egaka — Stem of 'egaku'; to draw, depict, or portray.
れ: re — Passive auxiliary verb suffix; indicates receiving an action.
若い: wakai — Young; being in an early stage of life.
男性: dansei — Male, man; referring to persons of male gender.
扱う: atsukau — To handle, deal with, or treat a subject.
際: sai — Occasion, time, or moment when something takes place.
ためらい: tamerai — Hesitation, reluctance, or wavering before taking action.
がち: gachi — Tendency toward; suffix meaning prone to something negative.
多少: tashō — More or less, somewhat, to some extent.
見ら: mira — Passive stem of 'miru'; to be seen or observed.
別: betsu — Different, separate, another; distinct from what was mentioned.
それ: sore — That; medial demonstrative pronoun for nearby things.
劣ら: otora — Stem of 'otoru'; to be inferior or fall behind.
ず: zu — Negative conjunctive suffix meaning 'without doing'.
スケッチ: sukecchi — Sketch; a brief artistic or literary character study.
付け加え: tsukekuwae — To add on, append, or supplement with more.
おき: oki — Stem of 'oku'; to do something in advance.
たい: tai — Desiderative auxiliary expressing desire or wish to do.
天才: tensai — Genius; a person of extraordinary intellectual or creative ability.
のみ: nomi — Only, alone; restrictive particle meaning nothing but.
あの: ano — That (over there); distal demonstrative adjective.
よう: yō — Like, as if; expressing resemblance or manner of action.
として: toshite — As, in the capacity of; indicating a role or status.
しかも: shikamo — Moreover, furthermore; adding an emphatic additional point.
不快感: fukaikan — Feeling of discomfort, unpleasantness, or displeasure.
与える: ataeru — To give, provide, or bestow something to someone.
なく: naku — Without; negative conjunctive form of 'nai'.
描き出す: egakidasu — To bring out in depiction; portray vividly in detail.
でき: deki — Stem of 'dekiru'; to be able to or possible.
安っぽい: yasuppoi — Cheap-looking, tawdry, or lacking genuine quality or depth.
的: teki — Suffix meaning '-like', '-ish', or 'pertaining to'.
魅力: miryoku — Charm, appeal, or attractive quality of a person.
嫌悪感: ken'okan — Feeling of disgust, revulsion, or strong aversion.
催す: moyōsu — To arouse, induce, or cause a feeling or event.
悪党: akutō — Villain, scoundrel, or wicked rogue.
ぶり: buri — Manner of, style of; suffix indicating behavior or appearance.
纏わせる: matowaseru — To cloak around, wrap with, or envelop in something.
しかし: shikashi — However, but; conjunction indicating contrast or exception.
主人公: shujinkō — Hero, protagonist; the main male character of a story.
女主人公: onna shujinkō — Heroine; the main female character of a story.
一言: hitokoto — A single word or brief remark.
片付け: katazuke — Settling, disposing of, or tidying up a matter.
られる: rareru — Passive/potential auxiliary; can be done or is done to.
色合い: iroai — Hue, tinge, nuance, or shade of color or character.
常: tsune — Always, usually, ordinary; a constant or habitual state.
中: naka / chū — Inside, among, in the middle of something.
断然: danzen — Definitely, by far, decisively; expressing clear superiority.
最も: mottomo — Most; superlative adverb indicating the highest degree.
優れ: sugure — Stem of 'sugureru'; to excel, be superior or outstanding.
興味深い: kyōmi bukai — Deeply interesting, intriguing, or fascinating to engage with.
思わ: omowa — Negative stem of 'omou'; to think or consider.
唯一: yuiitsu — The only one, sole, unique among all others.
競合: kyōgō — Competition, rivalry, or being in contention with another.
候補: kōho — Candidate, contender, or nominee for a position.
彼: kare — He, him; third-person singular masculine pronoun.
役割: yakuwari — Role, part, or function assigned to a person.
あまり: amari — Too much, excessively, or not very (with negatives).
軽く: karuku — Lightly, slightly; adverb from 'karui' meaning light.
単純: tanjun — Simple, simplistic, or lacking complexity and depth.
ため: tame — For the sake of, because of, or in order to.
ほとんど: hotondo — Almost, mostly, nearly all; close to entirely.
比較: hikaku — Comparison; the act of comparing two or more things.
対象: taishō — Target, subject, or object of consideration or action.
誇り: hokori — Pride, self-respect; sense of dignity or honor.
最初: saisho — First, beginning; the earliest point or starting stage.
表れ: araware — Manifestation, appearance, or expression of something.
方: kata / hō — Way, direction, manner, or person (polite usage).
後: ato / nochi — After, later, behind; referring to a subsequent time.
和らぐ: yawaragu — To soften, ease, or become milder over time.
様子: yōsu — Appearance, state, situation, or manner of something.
不自然: fushizen — Unnatural, artificial, or forced; lacking naturalness.
あり: ari — Stem of 'aru'; existence or being in formal contexts.
そもそも: somosomo — In the first place, to begin with; fundamentally speaking.
恋: koi — Romantic love, longing; passionate affection for another.
落ちる: ochiru — To fall; used as 'fall in love' with 'koi ni'.
自体: jitai — Itself, in itself; emphasizing the thing itself.
これ: kore — This; proximal demonstrative pronoun for nearby things.
まで: made — Until, up to, as far as; indicating extent or limit.
主張: shuchō — Claim, assertion, or insistence on a particular point.
この: kono — This; proximal demonstrative adjective modifying a noun.
点: ten — Point, aspect, or specific matter under consideration.
異論: iron — Objection, dissent, or a differing opinion on something.
唱える: tonaeru — To advocate, raise, or put forward an objection or claim.
同意: dōi — Agreement, consent, or accord with another's opinion.
する: suru — To do; the most fundamental action verb in Japanese.

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