The Prince — Page 15
Machiavelli was undoubtedly a man of great observation, acuteness, and industry; noting with appreciative eye whatever passed before him, and with his supreme literary gift turning it to account in his enforced retirement from affairs.
マキャベリは疑いなく、卓越した観察力、鋭敏さ、そして勤勉さを持った人物であり、目の前を過ぎるものすべてを鑑賞眼をもって記録し、その比類なき文学的才能をもって、政務からの余儀なき引退の中でそれを活かした。
He does not present himself, nor is he depicted by his contemporaries, as a type of that rare combination, the successful statesman and author, for he appears to have been only moderately prosperous in his several embassies and political employments.
彼は自らをそのように示してもおらず、また同時代の人々によってもそのように描かれてはいない。すなわち、成功した政治家と著述家という稀な組み合わせの典型としてではなく、というのも彼はいくつかの使節団や政治的任務において、ほどほどの成果しか収めなかったようだからである。
He was misled by Catherina Sforza, ignored by Louis XII, overawed by Cesare Borgia; several of his embassies were quite barren of results; his attempts to fortify Florence failed, and the soldiery that he raised astonished everybody by their cowardice.
彼はカテリーナ・スフォルツァに惑わされ、ルイ十二世には無視され、チェーザレ・ボルジアには圧倒された。彼の使節団のいくつかはまったく成果を上げられず、フィレンツェを要塞化しようとする試みは失敗し、彼が徴募した兵士たちはその臆病さによって皆を驚かせた。
In the conduct of his own affairs he was timid and time-serving; he dared not appear by the side of Soderini, to whom he owed so much, for fear of compromising himself; his connection with the Medici was open to suspicion, and Giuliano appears to have recognized his real forte when he set him to write the "History of Florence," rather than employ him in the state.
自身の事柄の処理においては臆病で日和見的であり、自らの立場を危うくすることを恐れて、多大な恩義を受けたソデリーニのそばに姿を現す勇気すらなかった。メディチ家との関係は疑惑の余地があり、ジュリアーノは彼を国政に用いるよりも『フィレンツェ史』の執筆に充てたとき、彼の真の強みを見抜いていたように思われる。
And it is on the literary side of his character, and there alone, that we find no weakness and no failure.
そして彼の性格の文学的な側面においてのみ、われわれは弱点も失敗も見出さないのである。
Although the light of almost four centuries has been focused on _The Prince_, its problems are still debatable and interesting, because they are the eternal problems between the ruled and their rulers.
ほぼ四世紀にわたる光が『君主論』に注がれてきたにもかかわらず、その問題は今なお議論の余地があり興味深い。なぜならそれらは、支配される者と支配する者との間の永遠の問題だからである。
Vocabulary
- は
- wa — Topic marker particle indicating the subject of discussion.
- 疑い
- utagai — Doubt, suspicion, or uncertainty about something.
- なく
- naku — Without; negative conjunctive form of 'nai'.
- 卓越
- takuetsu — Excellence, superiority, or outstanding distinction above others.
- した
- shita — Past tense of 'suru'; did, or adjectival past form.
- 観察力
- kansatsuryoku — Power of observation; ability to notice and analyze details.
- 鋭敏
- eibin — Keen, sharp, or highly sensitive perception or awareness.
- さ
- sa — Suffix nominalizing adjectives to express a degree or quality.
- そして
- soshite — And then; conjunction connecting related ideas or events.
- 勤勉
- kinben — Diligence, industriousness, or hard-working attitude.
- を
- wo — Object marker particle indicating the direct object.
- 持っ
- motte (mots-) — Conjunctive/stem form of 'motsu'; to have or possess.
- た
- ta — Past tense auxiliary indicating completed action.
- 人物
- jinbutsu — Person, figure, or notable individual of significance.
- で
- de — Copula conjunctive or particle indicating means or location.
- あり
- ari — Conjunctive form of 'aru'; to be or exist.
- 目
- me — Eye; also used metaphorically for viewpoint or attention.
- の
- no — Possessive or linking particle connecting nouns.
- 前
- mae — In front of; before in space or time.
- 過ぎる
- sugiru — To pass by; to go too far or exceed.
- もの
- mono — Thing, object, or matter; nominalizer in certain contexts.
- すべて
- subete — All, everything, or the entirety of something.
- 鑑賞眼
- kanshōgan — Discerning eye for appreciating art, literature, or quality.
- もっ
- motte (mots-) — Conjunctive form of 'motsu'; possessing or using something.
- て
- te — Conjunctive particle connecting verbs or clauses sequentially.
- 記録
- kiroku — Record, documentation, or written account of events.
- し
- shi — Conjunctive form of 'suru'; do, and also listing conjunction.
- その
- sono — That; demonstrative adjective referring to previously mentioned thing.
- 比類
- hirui — Comparison; used in 'hiru naki' meaning unrivaled or peerless.
- なき
- naki — Classical negative adjective meaning without or lacking.
- 文学
- bungaku — Literature; the field of written artistic works.
- 的
- teki — Suffix meaning '-ic' or '-al', creating adjectival nouns.
- 才能
- sainō — Talent, gift, or natural ability in a field.
- 政務
- seimu — Government affairs, official administrative duties and work.
- から
- kara — From; particle indicating origin, reason, or starting point.
- 余儀
- yogi — Used in 'yogi naku'; forced, compelled, having no choice.
- 引退
- intai — Retirement or withdrawal from a position or activity.
- 中
- naka / chū — Inside, among, or during; middle of a situation.
- それ
- sore — That; pronoun referring to something previously mentioned.
- 活か
- ikashi (ikasu stem) — To make use of, utilize, or put to good use.
- 彼
- kare — He; third-person masculine pronoun referring to a man.
- 自ら
- mizukara — Oneself; by one's own hand or initiative.
- よう
- yō — Appearance, manner; auxiliary expressing likeness or intention.
- に
- ni — Particle indicating direction, location, purpose, or agent.
- 示し
- shimeshi — Conjunctive form of 'shimesu'; to show or demonstrate.
- も
- mo — Also, too; particle indicating inclusion or emphasis.
- おら
- ora — Stem of 'oru'; be (humble/dialectal), archaic continuative form.
- ず
- zu — Classical negative auxiliary; without doing, not doing.
- また
- mata — Also, again, or furthermore; conjunction adding information.
- 同時代
- dōjidai — Same era or contemporary period; contemporaneous time.
- 人々
- hitobito — People; plural form referring to multiple individuals.
- よっ
- yotte (yoru stem) — By means of; conjunctive of 'yoru', indicating agent or cause.
- 描か
- egaka — Stem form of 'egaku'; to draw, depict, or portray.
- れ
- re — Passive or potential auxiliary verb suffix.
- い
- i — Continuative form of 'iru'; to be (existing, ongoing state).
- ない
- nai — Negative auxiliary; not, does not exist or happen.
- すなわち
- sunawachi — That is, namely; clarifying conjunction introducing an explanation.
- 成功
- seikō — Success, achievement, or accomplishment of a goal.
- 政治家
- seijika — Politician, statesman, or person engaged in politics.
- と
- to — And; quotation particle or conjunctive listing particle.
- 著述家
- chojutsuka — Author or writer who produces scholarly or literary works.
- という
- to iu — Called, known as; quotation phrase defining or naming something.
- 稀
- mare — Rare, uncommon, or infrequent occurrence.
- な
- na — Adjectival copula linking na-adjectives to nouns.
- 組み合わせ
- kumiawase — Combination, pairing, or matching of two or more things.
- 典型
- tenkei — Typical example, archetype, or representative model.
- いくつ
- ikutsu — How many; several, a number of things or items.
- か
- ka — Question particle; or, some (with indefinite pronouns).
- 使節団
- shisetsudan — Diplomatic mission or delegation sent to represent a state.
- や
- ya — And (among others); listing particle implying non-exhaustive list.
- 政治
- seiji — Politics, government, or political affairs and activity.
- 任務
- ninmu — Mission, duty, or assigned task or responsibility.
- おい
- oite (oku stem / ni oite) — At, in, regarding; used in 'ni oite' indicating context or location.
- ほどほど
- hodohodo — Moderate, so-so; just enough without excess.
- 成果
- seika — Results, outcome, or fruits of effort or work.
- しか
- shika — Only; particle used with negative to mean 'nothing but'.
- 収め
- osame — Conjunctive form of 'osameru'; to achieve or attain results.
- なかっ
- nakatta (stem) — Past negative stem; was not, did not exist.
- だ
- da — Copula; plain form of 'desu', meaning 'is' or 'are'.
- ある
- aru — To exist, to be; existential verb for inanimate things.
- 惑わ
- madowashi (madowasu stem) — To bewilder, mislead, or confuse someone.
- 十二
- jūni — Twelve; the number 12.
- 世
- sei — Generation or reign; used with royalty to indicate succession.
- 無視
- mushi — Ignoring, disregarding, or paying no attention to something.
- 圧倒
- attō — To overwhelm, overpower, or be dominated by something.
- まったく
- mattaku — Completely, entirely, or absolutely; used for emphasis.
- 上げ
- age — Conjunctive form of 'ageru'; to raise, produce, or achieve.
- られ
- rare — Passive or potential auxiliary; being done to, or can do.
- 要塞化
- yōsaika — Fortification; the process of making something into a fortress.
- しよ
- shiyo (shiyou stem) — Volitional stem of 'suru'; let's do, attempt to do.
- う
- u — Volitional auxiliary; expressing intention or suggestion to act.
- する
- suru — To do; the most common action verb in Japanese.
- 試み
- kokoromi — Attempt, trial, or effort to accomplish something.
- 失敗
- shippai — Failure, mistake, or unsuccessful attempt at something.
- が
- ga — Subject marker particle; also adversative conjunction meaning 'but'.
- 徴募
- chōbo — Recruitment or conscription of soldiers or members.
- 兵士
- heishi — Soldier, military personnel, or armed fighter.
- たち
- tachi — Plural suffix for people or animate beings.
- 臆病
- okubyō — Cowardice, timidity, or lack of courage or boldness.
- 皆
- mina / minna — Everyone, all people; referring to a whole group.
- 驚か
- odoroka — Stem of 'odokasu/odorokasu'; to surprise or astonish others.
- せ
- se — Causative auxiliary suffix; making or letting someone do something.
- 自身
- jishin — Oneself, one's own self; used for emphasis of identity.
- 事柄
- kotogara — Matter, affair, or issue; a particular subject or situation.
- 処理
- shori — Handling, processing, or dealing with a matter or task.
- 日和見
- hiyorimi — Opportunism; waiting to see which way the wind blows.
- 立場
- tachiba — Standpoint, position, or one's place in a situation.
- 危うく
- ayauku — Dangerously, precariously; barely or narrowly avoiding something.
- こと
- koto — Thing, fact, or matter; nominalizer for verb phrases.
- 恐れ
- osore — Fear, apprehension, or dread of something happening.
- 多大
- tadai — Great, enormous, or very large in amount or degree.
- 恩義
- on'gi — Obligation, debt of gratitude, or moral indebtedness.
- 受け
- uke — Conjunctive form of 'ukeru'; to receive or accept something.
- そば
- soba — Beside, near, or close to someone or something.
- 姿
- sugata — Figure, form, appearance, or visible shape of a person.
- 現す
- arawasu — To show, reveal, or make one's appearance visible.
- 勇気
- yūki — Courage, bravery, or boldness to face difficulty.
- すら
- sura — Even; particle emphasizing an extreme or unexpected case.
- 家
- ke / ie — House, family, or household; used for noble families.
- 関係
- kankei — Relationship, connection, or involvement between people or things.
- 疑惑
- giwaku — Suspicion, doubt, or mistrust regarding someone's intentions.
- 余地
- yochi — Room, margin, or space left for something to exist.
- 国政
- kokusei — National politics, state affairs, or government administration.
- 用いる
- mochiiru — To use, employ, or make use of something or someone.
- より
- yori — Than; from; comparative or origin particle.
- 史
- shi — History; chronicles or historical records.
- 執筆
- shippitsu — Writing, authoring, or the act of composing a text.
- 充て
- ate — Conjunctive of 'ateru'; to allocate, devote, or assign to.
- とき
- toki — Time, moment, or occasion when something occurs.
- 真
- shin / makoto — True, genuine, or real; used for authentic quality.
- 強み
- tsuyomi — Strength, strong point, or advantage one possesses.
- 見抜い
- minui — Conjunctive of 'minuku'; to see through or discern clearly.
- 思わ
- omowa — Stem of 'omou'; to think, feel, or believe something.
- れる
- reru — Passive or potential auxiliary verb ending.
- 性格
- seikaku — Character, personality, or personal nature of an individual.
- 側面
- sokumen — Aspect, side, or facet of a character or situation.
- のみ
- nomi — Only, solely, or exclusively; limiting particle.
- われわれ
- wareware — We, us; first-person plural pronoun.
- 弱点
- jakuten — Weak point, weakness, or vulnerability in something or someone.
- 見出さ
- miidasa — Stem of 'miidasu'; to find, discover, or identify something.
- ほぼ
- hobo — Almost, nearly, or approximately; close to a complete state.
- 四
- shi / yon — Four; the number 4.
- 世紀
- seiki — Century; a period of one hundred years.
- わたる
- wataru — To span, extend over, or cover a range or period.
- 光
- hikari — Light, brightness, or illumination; metaphorically, attention or focus.
- 君主論
- Kunshūron — The Prince; Machiavelli's famous political treatise on rulership.
- 注が
- sosoga — Stem of 'sosogu'; to pour into, direct, or concentrate attention.
- き
- ki — Classical perfective auxiliary or conjunctive suffix.
- かかわら
- kakawarazu (stem) — Stem of 'kakawarazu'; regardless of, despite, notwithstanding.
- 問題
- mondai — Problem, issue, or question requiring attention or discussion.
- 今
- ima — Now, currently, or at the present time.
- なお
- nao — Still, yet, or even now; indicates continuance of a state.
- 議論
- giron — Argument, debate, or discussion of a topic or issue.
- 興味深い
- kyōmibukāi — Interesting, intriguing, or deeply fascinating to consider.
- なぜ
- naze — Why; interrogative asking for a reason or cause.
- なら
- nara — If, in that case; conditional or contextual conjunction.
- それら
- sorera — Those; plural pronoun for previously mentioned things.
- 支配
- shihai — Control, domination, or rule over people or territory.
- 者
- sha / mono — Person, one who; suffix indicating a person with a role.
- 間
- aida / ma / kan — Between, among, or during a span of time or space.
- 永遠
- eien — Eternity, forever, or something lasting without end.
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