Spoon River Anthology — Page 5

English → Japanese Full Text Level 4/10

That is my husband who, by secret cruelty

あれは私の夫、秘められた残酷さによって、

Never to be told, robbed me of my youth and my beauty;

決して語られることのない残酷さで、私の若さと美しさを奪った夫。

Till at last, wrinkled and with yellow teeth,

ついには、しわだらけになり、歯は黄ばみ、

And with broken pride and shameful humility,

誇りは打ち砕かれ、恥ずべき卑屈さをまとい、

I sank into the grave.

私は墓へと沈んでいった。

But what think you gnaws at my husband's heart?

しかし、夫の心をむしばむものが何だと思う？

The face of what I was, the face of what he made me!

かつての私の顔、彼が私をそうさせた顔だ！

These are driving him to the place where I lie.

それが彼を、私の眠る場所へと追い立てている。

In death, therefore, I am avenged.

それゆえ、死において、私は復讐を果たした。

Fletcher McGee

フレッチャー・マクギー

She took my strength by minutes,

彼女は刻一刻と私の力を奪い、

She took my life by hours,

時間をかけて私の命を奪っていった。

She drained me like a fevered moon

彼女は私を、熱に浮かされた月のように干上がらせ、

That saps the spinning world.

回転する世界から力を吸い取るように。

The days went by like shadows,

日々は影のように過ぎ去り、

The minutes wheeled like stars.

時の刻みは星のように旋回した。

She took the pity from my heart,

彼女は私の心から憐れみを奪い、

And made it into smiles.

それを微笑みへと変えてしまった。

She was a hunk of sculptor's clay,

彼女は彫刻家の粘土の塊だった。

My secret thoughts were fingers:

私の秘めた思いは指であった。

They flew behind her pensive brow

それらは彼女の物思いにふける額の奥へと飛び込み、

And lined it deep with pain.

深く苦しみの刻み目を刻んだ。

They set the lips, and sagged the cheeks,

それらは唇を固め、頬をたるませ、

And drooped the eye with sorrow.

悲しみで目をうつむかせた。

My soul had entered in the clay,

私の魂は粘土の中に入り込み、

Fighting like seven devils.

七つの悪魔のように暴れ回った。

It was not mine, it was not hers;

それは私のものでも、彼女のものでもなかった。

She held it, but its struggles

彼女はそれを抱えていたが、その葛藤が、

Modeled a face she hated,

彼女が憎んだ顔を形作り、

And a face I feared to see.

そして私が見ることを恐れた顔を作り出した。

I beat the windows, shook the bolts.

私は窓を叩き、閂を揺さぶった。

I hid me in a corner

私は隅に身を隠した。

And then she died and haunted me,

そして彼女は死に、私に取り憑き、

And hunted me for life.

生涯にわたって私を追い続けた。

Vocabulary

あれ: are — That thing over there; used as a pronoun.
は: wa — Topic marker particle in Japanese grammar.
私: watashi — First-person pronoun meaning 'I' or 'me'.
の: no — Possessive or nominalizing particle in Japanese.
夫: otto — One's own husband in a marriage.
秘め: hime — To conceal or keep something secret inside.
られ: rare — Passive or potential verb auxiliary suffix.
た: ta — Past tense auxiliary verb ending in Japanese.
残酷: zankoku — Cruelty; being brutal or merciless toward others.
さ: sa — Nominalizing suffix turning adjectives into nouns.
に: ni — Particle indicating direction, location, or cause.
よっ: yot(te) — By means of; due to; because of something.
て: te — Conjunctive verb form connecting sequential actions.
決し: kesshi — Absolutely; never (used in negative constructions).
語ら: katara — To speak of or narrate; tell a story.
れる: reru — Passive voice auxiliary verb suffix in Japanese.
こと: koto — Thing; fact; nominalizer for verb phrases.
ない: nai — Negative auxiliary; does not exist or happen.
で: de — Particle indicating place, means, or cause.
若: waka — Youth; being young in age or spirit.
と: to — Particle meaning 'and', 'with', or quotation marker.
美し: utsukushi — Beautiful; aesthetically pleasing in appearance.
を: wo — Object marker particle indicating direct object.
奪っ: ubat(te) — To snatch away; steal or rob someone of something.
つい: tsui — Unintentionally; before one realizes; just recently.
しわ: shiwa — Wrinkle on skin or fabric; crease.
だらけ: darake — Covered in or full of something undesirable.
なり: nari — Becoming; to turn into a certain state.
歯: ha — Tooth; one of the teeth in one's mouth.
黄ばみ: kibami — Yellowing; discoloration to a yellow hue.
誇り: hokori — Pride; a sense of dignity or self-respect.
打ち砕か: uchikudaka — To smash or shatter completely into pieces.
れ: re — Passive verb suffix; part of passive conjugation.
恥ず: hazu — To feel ashamed; experiencing shame or embarrassment.
べき: beki — Should; ought to; expressing moral obligation.
卑屈: hikutsu — Servility; groveling or self-deprecating behavior.
まとい: matoi — To wrap around or be enveloped in something.
墓: haka — Grave; burial site for a deceased person.
へ: e — Directional particle indicating movement toward something.
沈ん: shizun — To sink or submerge into a deeper place.
いっ: it(te) — Going; conjunctive form of the verb 'iku'.
しかし: shikashi — However; but; expressing contrast or contradiction.
心: kokoro — Heart; mind; inner emotional or spiritual self.
むしばむ: mushibamu — To eat away at; corrode or decay gradually.
もの: mono — Thing; object; that which exists or occurs.
が: ga — Subject marker particle in Japanese grammar.
何: nani — What; an interrogative pronoun asking about things.
だ: da — Copula; plain form of 'to be' in Japanese.
思う: omou — To think; to feel or believe something internally.
かつて: katsute — Once; formerly; in the past at some time.
顔: kao — Face; one's facial appearance or expression.
彼: kare — He; him; a third-person male pronoun.
そう: sō — So; that way; expressing agreement or resemblance.
せ: se — Causative verb stem; making someone do something.
それ: sore — That; referring to something near the listener.
眠る: nemuru — To sleep; to be in a sleeping state.
場所: basho — Place; location; a specific spot or area.
追い立て: oitate — To drive away; chase or push someone out.
いる: iru — To exist; to be present (animate beings).
ゆえ: yue — Therefore; because of; for that reason.
死: shi — Death; the end of life; dying.
おい: oi — Hey; informal interjection calling someone's attention.
復讐: fukushū — Revenge; act of retaliating against someone wrongfully.
果たし: hatashi — To carry out; accomplish or fulfill a goal.
彼女: kanojo — She; her; a third-person female pronoun.
刻: koku — Moment; a unit of time; an instant.
一刻: ikkoku — One moment; every instant; a brief span of time.
力: chikara — Strength; power; ability or physical force.
奪い: ubai — Stealing; taking away forcibly from someone.
時間: jikan — Time; a period or duration of time.
かけ: kake — Spending or taking time; partway through something.
命: inochi — Life; one's vital existence or lifespan.
熱: netsu — Heat; fever; intense warmth or passion.
浮かさ: ukasa — To cause to float; make something rise up.
月: tsuki — Moon; also the month in Japanese calendar.
よう: yō — Like; as if; in the manner of something.
干上がら: hiagara — To dry up completely; evaporate or become parched.
回転: kaiten — Rotation; spinning or revolving around an axis.
する: suru — To do; general-purpose action verb in Japanese.
世界: sekai — World; the entire earth or a domain of existence.
から: kara — From; out of; indicating origin or cause.
吸い取る: suitori — To suck out; absorb or drain away completely.
日々: hibi — Days; day by day; daily life or routine.
影: kage — Shadow; shade; silhouette or dark reflection.
過ぎ去り: sugisari — To pass by; go away; elapse as time does.
時: toki — Time; moment; a particular point in time.
刻み: kizami — Carving; engraving; marking in small increments.
星: hoshi — Star; a celestial body visible in the night sky.
旋回: senkai — Circling; revolving or wheeling around a point.
し: shi — Conjunctive verb form; connecting multiple actions or reasons.
憐れみ: awaremi — Pity; compassion or sympathy felt for someone.
微笑み: hohoemi — A smile; gentle or soft facial expression of warmth.
変え: kae — To change; alter or transform into something else.
しまっ: shimat(te) — To end up doing; completing an action regrettably.
彫刻家: chōkokuka — Sculptor; an artist who creates three-dimensional works.
粘土: nendo — Clay; soft moldable material used for sculpting.
塊: katamari — Lump; mass; a clump of material together.
だっ: dat(te) — Past tense copula; it was; plain past of 'da'.
思い: omoi — Thought; feeling; deep emotion or longing inside.
指: yubi — Finger; one of the digits on a hand.
あっ: at(te) — Being; existing; conjunctive form of 'aru'.
それら: sorera — Those things; plural pronoun referring to multiple items.
物思い: monoomoi — Deep contemplation; brooding or pensive reflection.
ふける: fukeru — To indulge in; be absorbed deeply in thought.
額: hitai — Forehead; the part of the face above eyebrows.
奥: oku — Depth; interior; the innermost part of something.
飛び込み: tobikomi — Diving in; jumping suddenly into a place.
深く: fukaku — Deeply; to a great depth or intensity.
苦しみ: kurushimi — Suffering; pain or anguish experienced emotionally.
刻み目: kizamime — Notch; a carved groove or incision mark.
刻ん: kizan — To carve or engrave into a surface deeply.
唇: kuchibiru — Lips; the fleshy edges of one's mouth.
固め: katame — To harden; firm up or set something solid.
頬: hoho — Cheek; the fleshy side of one's face.
たるま: taruma — To sag or droop; lose firmness or tautness.
悲しみ: kanashimi — Sadness; sorrow; deep emotional grief or mourning.
目: me — Eye; the organ used for seeing.
うつむか: utsumuka — To hang one's head down; look downward sadly.
魂: tamashii — Soul; spirit; the essence of a living being.
中: naka — Inside; the interior or middle of something.
入り込み: irikomi — To enter deeply into; infiltrate a space.
七つ: nanatsu — Seven; the number seven as a counted unit.
悪魔: akuma — Demon; devil; an evil supernatural being.
暴れ: abare — To rampage; act violently or out of control.
回っ: mawat(te) — Going around; revolving or moving in a circle.
も: mo — Also; too; even; additive particle in Japanese.
なかっ: nacat(te) — Did not exist; past negative of 'nai'.
抱え: kakae — To hold or carry; bear a burden or problem.
い: i — Being; existing; stem of 'iru' verb.
その: sono — That; demonstrative adjective modifying a nearby noun.
葛藤: kattō — Inner conflict; psychological struggle between opposing feelings.
憎ん: nikun — To hate; feel strong aversion or hostility toward.
形作り: katachizukuri — Shaping; forming something into a particular form.
そし: soshi — And then; thereupon; connecting events in sequence.
見る: miru — To see; to look at or observe something.
恐れ: osore — Fear; dread; a feeling of terror or apprehension.
作り出し: tsukuridashi — To create; produce or generate something new.
窓: mado — Window; an opening in a wall for light.
叩き: tataki — Knocking; striking or hitting a surface repeatedly.
閂: kannuki — Bolt; a bar used to lock a door.
揺さぶっ: yusabut(te) — To shake vigorously; rattle or jostle something forcefully.
隅: sumi — Corner; a secluded angle or edge of a room.
身: mi — One's body; oneself; personal existence or being.
隠し: kakushi — Hiding; concealing something from others' view.
死に: shini — Dying; relating to death; toward death.
取り憑き: toritsuki — To haunt; possess or cling obsessively to someone.
生涯: shōgai — Lifetime; one's entire life from birth to death.
わたっ: watat(te) — Spanning across; extending throughout a period of time.
追い続け: oitsuzuke — To keep pursuing; continue chasing without stopping.

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