The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African: Written By Himself — Page 7
The first division contains the married men, who in their dances frequently exhibit feats of arms, and the representation of a battle.
最初の部には既婚男性が属しており、彼らは踊りの中で武芸の妙技や戦闘の再現をしばしば披露する。
To these succeed the married women, who dance in the second division.
これに続くのが第二の部の既婚女性たちであり、彼女たちがそこで踊る。
The young men occupy the third; and the maidens the fourth.
若者たちは第三の部を占め、乙女たちは第四の部を占める。
Each represents some interesting scene of real life, such as a great achievement, domestic employment, a pathetic story, or some rural sport; and as the subject is generally founded on some recent event, it is therefore ever new.
それぞれの部は、偉大な功績、家庭での仕事、哀切な物語、あるいは田舎の遊びなど、実生活の興味深い場面を表現しており、題材はたいてい最近の出来事に基づいているため、常に新鮮である。
This gives our dances a spirit and variety which I have scarcely seen elsewhere[B].
このことが我々の踊りに、他ではほとんど見たことのない活気と多様性をもたらしている。
We have many musical instruments, particularly drums of different kinds, a piece of music which resembles a guitar, and another much like a stickado.
我々はさまざまな楽器を持っており、特に種々の太鼓、ギターに似た楽器、そしてスティカドーによく似た楽器がある。
These last are chiefly used by betrothed virgins, who play on them on all grand festivals.
後者の楽器はもっぱら婚約中の乙女たちによって用いられ、彼女たちはあらゆる盛大な祭りの際にそれを奏でる。
As our manners are simple, our luxuries are few.
我々の風俗は質素であるため、贅沢品は少ない。
The dress of both sexes is nearly the same.
男女ともに衣服はほぼ同じである。
It generally consists of a long piece of callico, or muslin, wrapped loosely round the body, somewhat in the form of a highland plaid.
それは一般に、キャラコあるいはモスリンの長い布を、ハイランドのプレードに似た形で体にゆったりと巻きつけたものである。
This is usually dyed blue, which is our favourite colour.
これはたいてい青く染められており、青は我々の最も好む色である。
It is extracted from a berry, and is brighter and richer than any I have seen in Europe.
その色はある実から取り出されるもので、私がヨーロッパで見たどの青よりも鮮やかで深みがある。
Besides this, our women of distinction wear golden ornaments; which they dispose with some profusion on their arms and legs.
これに加えて、我々の身分ある女性たちは黄金の装飾品を身につけており、それを腕や脚にかなり豊富に飾っている。
Vocabulary
- 最初
- saisho — First, the beginning of something
- の
- no — Possessive or descriptive particle
- 部
- bu — Section, group, or division
- に
- ni — Particle indicating direction, location, or time
- は
- wa — Topic-marking particle in Japanese sentences
- 既婚
- kikon — Being married, having a spouse
- 男性
- dansei — Male person, man
- が
- ga — Subject-marking particle in Japanese
- 属し
- zokushi — Belonging to a group or category
- て
- te — Conjunctive verb form connecting actions
- おり
- ori — Formal form of 'to be' or 'to exist'
- 彼ら
- karera — They, a group of people (masculine)
- 踊り
- odori — Dance, the act of dancing
- 中
- naka — Inside, within, among something
- で
- de — Particle indicating place or means of action
- 武芸
- bugei — Martial arts, military skills and techniques
- 妙技
- myōgi — Remarkable skill, wonderful feat or technique
- や
- ya — Particle listing examples, 'and' or 'or'
- 戦闘
- sentō — Battle, combat, fighting
- 再現
- saigen — Reproduction, reenactment of an event
- を
- wo — Object-marking particle in Japanese sentences
- しばしば
- shibashiba — Often, frequently, repeatedly
- 披露
- hirō — Showing off, displaying, presenting to others
- する
- suru — To do, to perform an action
- これ
- kore — This, referring to something nearby
- 続く
- tsuzuku — To continue, to follow, to go on
- 第二
- daini — Second, the second in order
- 女性
- josei — Female person, woman
- たち
- tachi — Plural suffix for people or animals
- あり
- ari — There is, exists (classical/formal form)
- 彼女
- kanojo — She, her; also girlfriend
- そこ
- soko — There, that place nearby
- 踊る
- odoru — To dance, to perform a dance
- 若者
- wakamono — Young person, youth
- 第三
- daisan — Third, the third in order
- 占め
- shime — Occupying, taking up a portion
- 乙女
- otome — Maiden, young unmarried girl
- 第四
- daishi — Fourth, the fourth in order
- 占める
- shimeru — To occupy, to take up a share
- それぞれ
- sorezore — Each respectively, each one individually
- 偉大
- idai — Great, grand, magnificent achievement
- な
- na — Adjectival particle linking noun-adjectives
- 功績
- kōseki — Achievement, merit, distinguished service
- 家庭
- katei — Home, household, family life
- 仕事
- shigoto — Work, job, occupation
- 哀切
- aisetsu — Sorrowful, deeply touching, pathos
- 物語
- monogatari — Story, tale, narrative
- あるいは
- aruiwa — Or, alternatively, either
- 田舎
- inaka — Countryside, rural area, hometown
- 遊び
- asobi — Play, amusement, recreation
- など
- nado — Etc., and so on, and the like
- 実生活
- jisseikkatsu — Real life, actual everyday living
- 興味深い
- kyōmifukai — Interesting, fascinating, deeply engaging
- 場面
- bamen — Scene, situation, setting in a story
- 表現
- hyōgen — Expression, representation, depiction
- し
- shi — Conjunctive verb form connecting clauses
- 題材
- daizai — Subject matter, theme, material for art
- たいてい
- taitei — Usually, mostly, in most cases
- 最近
- saikin — Recently, lately, in recent times
- 出来事
- dekigoto — Event, happening, incident
- 基づい
- motozui — Based on, grounded in something
- いる
- iru — To be, to exist (animate beings)
- ため
- tame — Because of, for the purpose of
- 常に
- tsuneni — Always, constantly, at all times
- 新鮮
- shinsen — Fresh, novel, new and invigorating
- ある
- aru — To be, to exist (inanimate things)
- この
- kono — This (modifying a nearby noun)
- こと
- koto — Thing, fact, matter (abstract noun)
- 我々
- wareware — We, us (formal or literary usage)
- 他
- hoka — Other, another, elsewhere
- ほとんど
- hotondo — Almost, mostly, nearly all
- 見た
- mita — Saw, past tense of 'to see'
- ない
- nai — Not, negation of existence or action
- 活気
- kakki — Vitality, energy, liveliness
- と
- to — And, with; quotation particle
- 多様性
- tayōsei — Diversity, variety, multiplicity
- もたらし
- motarashi — Bringing about, producing a result
- さまざま
- samazama — Various, diverse, many kinds of
- 楽器
- gakki — Musical instrument
- 持っ
- motte — Having, holding, carrying something
- 特に
- toku ni — Especially, particularly, notably
- 種々
- shuju — Various kinds, many sorts, diverse types
- 太鼓
- taiko — Drum, Japanese percussion instrument
- ギター
- gitā — Guitar, stringed musical instrument
- 似た
- nita — Resembling, similar to something
- そして
- soshite — And then, furthermore, and also
- よく
- yoku — Often, well, frequently
- 後者
- kōsha — The latter of two things mentioned
- もっぱら
- moppara — Exclusively, solely, entirely devoted to
- 婚約
- kon'yaku — Engagement, betrothal to be married
- よって
- yotte — By means of, due to, therefore
- 用い
- mochii — To use, to employ, to apply
- られ
- rare — Passive or potential verb suffix
- あらゆる
- arayuru — All, every, any kind of
- 盛大
- seidai — Grand, magnificent, large-scale celebration
- 祭り
- matsuri — Festival, celebration, ceremony
- 際
- sai — Occasion, time, moment of an event
- それ
- sore — That, referring to something nearby
- 奏でる
- kanaderu — To play music, to perform an instrument
- 風俗
- fūzoku — Customs, manners, social practices
- 質素
- shisso — Simple, modest, frugal lifestyle
- 贅沢品
- zeitakuhin — Luxury goods, extravagant items
- 少ない
- sukunai — Few, scarce, not many
- 男女
- danjo — Men and women, both sexes
- とも
- tomo — Both, together, alike
- 衣服
- ifuku — Clothing, garments, attire
- ほぼ
- hobo — Almost, approximately, nearly
- 同じ
- onaji — Same, identical, equal
- 一般
- ippan — General, common, ordinary
- 長い
- nagai — Long, lengthy in size or time
- 布
- nuno — Cloth, fabric, textile material
- 形
- katachi — Shape, form, figure of something
- 体
- karada — Body, physical form of a person
- ゆったり
- yuttari — Loosely, comfortably, in a relaxed manner
- 巻きつけ
- makitsuke — Wrapping around, winding something around
- た
- ta — Past tense auxiliary verb suffix
- もの
- mono — Thing, object, something material
- 青く
- aoku — In a blue manner, turning blue
- 染め
- some — Dyeing, coloring fabric or material
- 青
- ao — Blue, the color blue
- 最も
- mottomo — Most, the highest degree of something
- 好む
- konomu — To prefer, to like, to favor
- 色
- iro — Color, hue, shade
- その
- sono — That (modifying a noun at distance)
- 実
- mi — Fruit, berry, seed of a plant
- から
- kara — From, because, since
- 取り出さ
- toridasa — Taking out, extracting from something
- れる
- reru — Passive voice verb suffix
- 私
- watashi — I, me, first-person pronoun
- ヨーロッパ
- yōroppa — Europe, the European continent
- どの
- dono — Which, what kind of (modifying noun)
- より
- yori — Than, more than, compared to
- も
- mo — Also, too, even, as well
- 鮮やか
- azayaka — Vivid, brilliant, bright in color
- 深み
- fukami — Depth, deepness, richness of color
- 加え
- kuwae — Adding, including, in addition to
- 身分
- mibun — Social status, rank, position in society
- 黄金
- ōgon — Gold, golden, precious metal
- 装飾品
- sōshokuhin — Ornaments, decorative accessories, jewelry
- 身につけ
- mi ni tsuke — Wearing on the body, adorning oneself
- 腕
- ude — Arm, also skill or ability
- 脚
- ashi — Leg, foot, lower limb
- かなり
- kanari — Considerably, fairly, quite a lot
- 豊富
- hōfu — Abundant, plentiful, rich in supply
- 飾っ
- kazatte — Decorating, adorning, embellishing something
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