Spoon River Anthology — Page 6

English → Japanese Full Text Level 4/10

Robert Fulton Tanner

ロバート・フルトン・タナー

If a man could bite the giant hand

もし人が、その巨大な手に噛みつくことができるなら、

That catches and destroys him,

彼を捕らえ、滅ぼすその手に、

As I was bitten by a rat

あの日、ネズミに噛まれた私のように、

While demonstrating my patent trap,

私の特許トラップを実演していたときに、

In my hardware store that day.

あの日の金物屋で。

But a man can never avenge himself

しかし人は決して復讐することができない、

On the monstrous ogre Life.

怪物のような鬼、人生に対して。

You enter the room—that's being born;

あなたは部屋に入る――それが生まれるということだ；

And then you must live—work out your soul,

そして生きなければならない――魂を働かせなければならない、

Aha! the bait that you crave is in view:

ああ！あなたが切望する餌が見えてくる：

A woman with money you want to marry,

結婚したい金持ちの女、

Prestige, place, or power in the world.

名声、地位、あるいは世の中での権力。

But there's work to do and things to conquer—

しかしすべき仕事があり、征服すべきものがある――

Oh, yes! the wires that screen the bait.

ああ、そうだ！餌を隠す金網が。

At last you get in—but you hear a step:

ついに中に入る――しかし足音が聞こえる：

The ogre, Life, comes into the room,

鬼、人生が部屋へ入ってくる、

(He was waiting and heard the clang of the spring)

（彼は待ち構えていて、バネの音を聞いていた）

To watch you nibble the wondrous cheese,

あなたが素晴らしいチーズをかじるのを見るために、

And stare with his burning eyes at you,

燃えるような目であなたをじっと見つめ、

And scowl and laugh, and mock and curse you,

顔をしかめて笑い、あなたをあざけり呪い、

Running up and down in the trap,

罠の中を行ったり来たりしながら、

Until your misery bores him.

あなたの苦しみが彼を退屈させるまで。

Cassius Hueffer

カシウス・ヒュッファー

They have chiseled on my stone the words:

彼らは私の墓石にこう刻んだ：

"His life was gentle, and the elements so mixed in him

「彼の人生は穏やかで、その気質はかくも調和していたので、

That nature might stand up and say to all the world,

自然が立ち上がって全世界に告げるほどだった、

This was a man."

これぞ一人の人間であったと。」

Those who knew me smile

私を知る者たちは微笑む、

As they read this empty rhetoric.

この空虚な美辞麗句を読みながら。

My epitaph should have been:

私の墓碑銘はこうあるべきだった：

"Life was not gentle to him,

「人生は彼に穏やかではなく、

And the elements so mixed in him

その気質はかくも混ざり合っていたので、

That he made warfare on life

彼は人生に戦いを挑んだ、

In the which he was slain.

そしてその戦いの中で彼は討たれた。」

Vocabulary

もし: moshi — If; used to introduce a conditional clause.
人: hito — Person; human being.
が: ga — Subject marker particle in Japanese grammar.
その: sono — That; referring to something near the listener.
巨大: kyodai — Enormous; gigantic in size or scale.
な: na — Adjectival linking particle connecting na-adjectives to nouns.
手: te — Hand; the part of the body at the end of the arm.
に: ni — Directional or target particle indicating location or recipient.
噛みつく: kamitsuku — To bite at; to snap at with teeth.
こと: koto — Thing; act; nominalizer turning verbs into noun phrases.
できる: dekiru — To be able to; to be capable of doing something.
なら: nara — If; conditional particle expressing a hypothetical situation.
彼: kare — He; him; third-person masculine pronoun.
を: wo — Object marker particle indicating the direct object.
捕らえ: torae — Catch; seize; apprehend someone or something.
滅ぼす: horobosu — To destroy; to ruin; to bring to annihilation.
あの: ano — That (over there); referring to something distant.
日: hi — Day; a specific day or the sun.
ネズミ: nezumi — Mouse; rat; a small rodent.
噛ま: kama — Bitten (stem form of 噛む, to bite).
れた: reta — Passive past auxiliary indicating something was done to subject.
私: watashi — I; me; first-person singular pronoun.
の: no — Possessive or linking particle connecting nouns.
よう: yō — Like; similar to; resembling something.
特許: tokkyo — Patent; an official license granting exclusive rights.
トラップ: torappu — Trap; a device designed to catch animals.
実演: jitsuen — Demonstration; live performance or practical showing.
し: shi — Conjunctive verb form linking actions or clauses.
て: te — Conjunctive particle connecting sequential or related actions.
い: i — Stem of いる (iru); to be; to exist (animate).
た: ta — Past tense auxiliary verb indicating completed action.
とき: toki — Time; moment; when something occurs.
金物屋: kanamono-ya — Hardware store; shop selling metal tools and goods.
で: de — Particle indicating location of action or means used.
しかし: shikashi — However; but; used to introduce a contrasting statement.
は: wa — Topic marker particle highlighting the sentence topic.
決して: kesshite — Never; by no means (used with negative verb forms).
復讐: fukushū — Revenge; vengeance; retaliating against a wrongdoer.
する: suru — To do; general-purpose action verb.
でき: deki — Stem of できる; to be able; capability form.
ない: nai — Not; negative auxiliary indicating absence or inability.
怪物: kaibutsu — Monster; creature; frightening supernatural being.
鬼: oni — Demon; ogre; a fearsome supernatural creature in folklore.
人生: jinsei — Life; one's life as experienced from birth to death.
対して: taishite — Against; toward; in relation to something.
あなた: anata — You; second-person singular pronoun.
部屋: heya — Room; an enclosed space within a building.
入る: hairu — To enter; to go into a room or space.
それ: sore — That; referring to something near the listener.
生まれる: umareru — To be born; to come into existence.
と: to — And; with; quotation particle or conditional connector.
いう: iu — To say; to be called; used in explanatory expressions.
だ: da — Copula; informal form of です meaning 'is' or 'am'.
そして: soshite — And then; and; connecting sequential events or ideas.
生き: iki — Live (stem form of 生きる); to be alive.
なけれ: nakere — Must; conditional negative stem used in obligation expressions.
ば: ba — Conditional particle meaning 'if' or 'when'.
魂: tamashii — Soul; spirit; the inner essence of a person.
働かせ: hatarakase — Make work; cause to labor; causative of 働く.
ああ: aa — Ah; oh; exclamation expressing emotion or realization.
切望: setsubō — Longing; earnest desire; yearning strongly for something.
餌: esa — Bait; food used to lure animals into a trap.
見え: mie — Appear; become visible (stem of 見える).
くる: kuru — To come; auxiliary indicating action moving toward speaker.
結婚: kekkon — Marriage; the union of two people as spouses.
たい: tai — Want to; expresses desire to perform an action.
金持ち: kanemochi — Rich person; someone who has a lot of money.
女: onna — Woman; female person.
名声: meisei — Fame; reputation; being widely known and acclaimed.
地位: chii — Status; position; one's standing in society.
あるいは: aruiwa — Or; alternatively; used to present another option.
世の中: yo no naka — The world; society; the way the world works.
権力: kenryoku — Power; authority; the ability to control others.
べき: beki — Should; ought to; indicating moral obligation or expectation.
仕事: shigoto — Work; job; occupation or task to be done.
あり: ari — There is; exist (classical or conjunctive form of ある).
征服: seifuku — Conquest; subjugation; overcoming and taking control.
もの: mono — Thing; object; something that exists or is desired.
ある: aru — To exist; to have; there is (for inanimate things).
そう: sō — So; that way; indicating agreement or similarity.
隠す: kakusu — To hide; to conceal something from view.
金網: kanaami — Wire mesh; metal netting used in traps or fences.
ついに: tsuini — Finally; at last; after a long wait or effort.
中: naka — Inside; middle; within a space or container.
足音: ashioto — Footsteps; the sound made while walking.
聞こえる: kikoeru — Can be heard; to be audible to the ears.
へ: e — To; toward; directional particle indicating destination.
入っ: hait- — Entered (conjunctive stem of 入る, to enter).
待ち構え: machikamae — Lie in wait; be ready and waiting to act.
いて: ite — Being; conjunctive form of いる indicating ongoing state.
バネ: bane — Spring; a coiled elastic device that snaps when triggered.
音: oto — Sound; noise made by an object or action.
聞い: kii- — Heard; conjunctive stem of 聞く (to listen or hear).
素晴らしい: subarashii — Wonderful; magnificent; exceptionally good or impressive.
チーズ: chīzu — Cheese; a dairy product often used as trap bait.
かじる: kajiru — To gnaw; to nibble on something with teeth.
見る: miru — To see; to look at; to watch something.
ため: tame — For the purpose of; in order to achieve something.
燃える: moeru — To burn; to be on fire; to blaze with intensity.
目: me — Eye; the organ of sight.
じっと: jitto — Fixedly; motionlessly; staring or staying perfectly still.
見つめ: mitsume — Stare; gaze intently at something or someone.
顔: kao — Face; the front of a person's head.
しかめ: shikame — Grimace; scowl; to contort the face in displeasure.
笑い: warai — Laughter; a laugh; the act of laughing.
あざけり: azakeri — Mockery; scorn; ridiculing someone with contempt.
呪い: noroi — Curse; a spell wishing harm upon someone.
罠: wana — Trap; a snare set to catch prey.
行っ: it- — Gone (conjunctive stem of 行く, to go).
たり: tari — Listing particle indicating repeated or alternating actions.
来: ki — Come (stem of 来る); motion toward a location.
ながら: nagara — While; simultaneously doing two actions at once.
苦しみ: kurushimi — Suffering; anguish; intense pain or distress.
退屈: taikutsu — Boredom; tedium; a state of being uninterested.
さ: sa — Nominalizing suffix turning adjectives into abstract nouns.
せる: seru — Causative auxiliary making someone do something.
まで: made — Until; up to; indicating a limit in time or space.
彼ら: karera — They; them; third-person plural pronoun.
墓石: boseki — Gravestone; tombstone; a stone marking a burial place.
こう: kō — Like this; in this way; thus.
刻ん: kizан- — Carved; engraved (stem of 刻む, to engrave).
穏やか: odayaka — Calm; gentle; peaceful in nature or demeanor.
気質: kishitsu — Temperament; disposition; a person's natural character.
かく: kaku — Thus; so; in this manner (literary/classical usage).
も: mo — Also; even; too; inclusive particle adding emphasis.
調和: chōwa — Harmony; accord; peaceful balance among elements.
自然: shizen — Nature; the natural world; also meaning naturally/spontaneously.
立ち上がっ: tachiagat- — Rose up; stood up (stem of 立ち上がる).
全: zen — All; entire; whole; every part of something.
世界: sekai — World; the entire earth and all its inhabitants.
告げる: tsugeru — To tell; to announce; to inform someone of something.
ほど: hodo — To the extent that; about; approximately or so much that.
だっ: dat- — Was; past conjunctive form of だ (copula).
これ: kore — This; referring to something near the speaker.
ぞ: zo — Emphatic sentence-final particle asserting something strongly.
一人: hitori — One person; alone; a single individual.
人間: ningen — Human being; humankind; a person as distinct from animals.
あっ: at- — Was (past conjunctive stem of ある); existed.
知る: shiru — To know; to come to know; to learn of something.
者: mono — Person; one who does something; a certain individual.
たち: tachi — Plural suffix for people indicating a group of persons.
微笑む: hohoemu — To smile; to give a gentle, warm smile.
この: kono — This; referring to something close to the speaker.
空虚: kūkyo — Emptiness; hollowness; lacking substance or meaning.
美辞麗句: bijireiku — Flowery words; empty flattery; ornate but hollow phrases.
読み: yomi — Reading; the act of reading text.
墓碑銘: bohimei — Epitaph; an inscription written on a tombstone.
なく: naku — Without; lacking; negative conjunctive form of ない.
混ざり合っ: mazariat- — Mixed together; blended (stem of 混ざり合う).
戦い: tatakai — Battle; fight; conflict between opposing forces.
挑ん: idon- — Challenged; took on a fight (stem of 挑む).
討た: uta- — Struck down; defeated (passive stem of 討つ).
れ: re — Passive auxiliary indicating the subject was acted upon.

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