The Republic — Page 13

English → Japanese INTRODUCTION AND ANALYSIS. Level 9/10

Now in ancient writings, and indeed in literature generally, there remains often a large element which was not comprehended in the original design.

古代の著作において、そして実際に文学全般において、当初の設計には含まれていなかった大きな要素が残されていることが多い。

For the plan grows under the author's hand; new thoughts occur to him in the act of writing; he has not worked out the argument to the end before he begins.

なぜなら、計画は著者の手の下で育っていくものであり、執筆の過程で新たな考えが浮かび上がり、著者は書き始める前に論旨を最後まで練り上げているわけではないからである。

The reader who seeks to find some one idea under which the whole may be conceived, must necessarily seize on the vaguest and most general.

全体を包括するような何らかの一つの考えを見出そうとする読者は、必然的に最も漠然とした最も一般的なものに飛びつかざるを得ない。

Thus Stallbaum, who is dissatisfied with the ordinary explanations of the argument of the Republic, imagines himself to have found the true argument 'in the representation of human life in a State perfected by justice, and governed according to the idea of good.'

そのためシュタルバウムは、『国家』の論旨についての通常の説明に満足できず、「正義によって完成され、善のイデアに従って統治される国家における人間の生の描写」の中に真の論旨を見出したと自ら思い込んでいる。

There may be some use in such general descriptions, but they can hardly be said to express the design of the writer.

このような一般的な記述にはある程度の有用性があるかもしれないが、それが著者の意図を表現しているとはほとんど言えない。

The truth is, that we may as well speak of many designs as of one; nor need anything be excluded from the plan of a great work to which the mind is naturally led by the association of ideas, and which does not interfere with the general purpose.

真実を言えば、一つの意図について語るのと同様に多くの意図について語ってもよいのであり、観念の連想によって精神が自然に導かれ、かつ全体的な目的を妨げないような偉大な作品の計画から、何かを除外する必要はないのである。

What kind or degree of unity is to be sought after in a building, in the plastic arts, in poetry, in prose, is a problem which has to be determined relatively to the subject-matter.

建築において、造形芸術において、詩において、散文において、いかなる種類あるいは程度の統一性が求められるべきかという問題は、題材との関係において決定されなければならない問題である。

Vocabulary

古代: kodai — Ancient times; relating to antiquity.
の: no — Possessive or attributive particle.
著作: chosaku — Written work; literary or scholarly composition.
において: ni oite — In; at; regarding a context or place.
そして: soshite — And then; furthermore; connecting ideas.
実際: jissai — In reality; actually; in practice.
に: ni — Particle indicating direction, time, or purpose.
文学: bungaku — Literature; the study of written works.
全般: zenpan — Overall; general; covering everything broadly.
当初: tōsho — Initially; at the beginning; at the outset.
設計: sekkei — Design; plan; blueprint for a project.
には: ni wa — Particle combination indicating topic with emphasis.
含まれて: fukumarete — Being included; contained within something.
いなかった: inakatta — Was not present; did not exist there.
大きな: ōkina — Large; big; significant in scale.
要素: yōso — Element; component; factor in a whole.
が: ga — Subject marker particle in Japanese grammar.
残されて: nokosarete — Being left behind; remaining; preserved.
いる: iru — To be; exists; indicates ongoing state.
こと: koto — Thing; fact; nominalizer for verb phrases.
多い: ōi — Many; numerous; there are a lot.
なぜなら: nazenara — Because; the reason being; for that reason.
計画: keikaku — Plan; project; organized scheme of action.
は: wa — Topic marker particle in Japanese grammar.
著者: chosha — Author; writer of a literary work.
手: te — Hand; means; control or agency.
下: shita — Under; below; beneath something or authority.
で: de — Particle indicating place, means, or context.
育って: sodatte — Growing; developing; being nurtured over time.
いく: iku — To go; indicates progression or continuation.
もの: mono — Thing; object; something with inherent nature.
であり: de ari — Is; being; formal copula connecting clauses.
執筆: shippitsu — Writing; act of composing a text.
過程: katei — Process; course of events or development.
新たな: arata na — New; fresh; newly arising ideas or things.
考え: kangae — Thought; idea; opinion formed mentally.
浮かび上がり: ukabiagari — Emerging; surfacing; rising up into awareness.
書き始める: kakihajimeru — To begin writing; start composing a text.
前: mae — Before; in front of; prior to something.
論旨: ronshi — Argument; main point of a thesis.
を: wo — Object marker particle in Japanese grammar.
最後: saigo — Last; final; the very end of something.
まで: made — Until; up to; as far as something.
練り上げて: neriagete — Refining thoroughly; polishing an idea carefully.
わけ: wake — Reason; meaning; it means that therefore.
では: de wa — In that case; well then; as for that.
ない: nai — Not; negative form indicating absence or negation.
から: kara — From; because; starting point or reason.
である: de aru — Is; formal copula expressing a state.
全体: zentai — Whole; entirety; the complete body of something.
包括: hōkatsu — Encompassing; comprehensive inclusion of everything.
する: suru — To do; to perform; general-purpose verb.
よう: yō — Like; as if; in a manner that.
な: na — Adjectival particle linking noun modifiers.
何らか: naniraka — Some kind of; some sort of something.
一つ: hitotsu — One; a single item or unit.
見出そう: midasō — Trying to find; seeking to discover something.
と: to — And; with; quotation or companion particle.
読者: dokusha — Reader; person who reads a text.
必然的: hitsuzen-teki — Necessarily; inevitably; by logical compulsion.
最も: mottomo — Most; the highest degree of something.
漠然: bakuzen — Vague; obscure; not clearly defined.
した: shita — Did; past tense form of する.
一般的: ippan-teki — General; common; applicable broadly to most.
飛びつか: tobitsuka — Jumping at; eagerly seizing upon something.
ざる: zaru — Classical negative auxiliary; cannot help but.
得ない: enai — Cannot; unable to avoid doing something.
そのため: sono tame — Therefore; for that reason; consequently.
国家: kokka — State; nation; Plato's Republic as text.
について: ni tsuite — About; concerning; regarding a topic.
通常: tsūjō — Usually; normally; under ordinary circumstances.
説明: setsumei — Explanation; description; clarification of something.
満足: manzoku — Satisfaction; contentment; being fully pleased.
できず: dekizu — Unable to do; without being able to.
正義: seigi — Justice; righteousness; moral correctness.
によって: ni yotte — By means of; through; owing to something.
完成: kansei — Completion; perfection; fully finished state.
され: sare — Passive form; being done or made.
善: zen — Good; goodness; virtue or moral good.
イデア: idea — Idea; Platonic Form; ideal essence of things.
従って: shitagatte — Therefore; accordingly; following a principle.
統治: tōchi — Governance; rule; administration of a state.
される: sareru — To be done; passive voice marker.
における: ni okeru — In; within; at a given place or context.
人間: ningen — Human being; person; mankind in general.
生: sei / shō — Life; living; existence of a person.
描写: byōsha — Depiction; description; portrayal of something.
中: naka — Inside; among; in the middle of.
真: shin — Truth; genuine; real essence of something.
見出した: miidashita — Found; discovered; identified something within.
自ら: mizukara — Oneself; personally; by one's own effort.
思い込んで: omoikonde — Firmly believing; convinced of something mistakenly.
この: kono — This; referring to something nearby or mentioned.
記述: kijutsu — Description; account; written statement of facts.
ある: aru — To exist; there is; a certain something.
程度: teido — Degree; extent; level of something.
有用性: yūyōsei — Usefulness; utility; practical value of something.
かも: kamo — Perhaps; might be; expressing uncertainty.
しれない: shirenai — May not know; might possibly be true.
それ: sore — That; it; referring to something mentioned.
意図: ito — Intention; purpose; what one aims to do.
表現: hyōgen — Expression; representation; conveying ideas outwardly.
して: shite — Doing; te-form of する connecting actions.
ほとんど: hotondo — Almost; nearly; hardly any remainder.
言え: ie — Can say; it can be said that.
真実: shinjitsu — Truth; reality; what is genuinely factual.
言えば: ieba — Speaking of; if we say; to put it.
語る: kataru — To tell; to speak; to narrate something.
同様: dōyō — Similarly; in the same way or manner.
多く: ōku — Many; much; a large number or amount.
語って: katatte — Telling; speaking; narrating in an ongoing way.
も: mo — Also; too; even; inclusive particle.
よい: yoi — Good; fine; acceptable; it is okay.
観念: kannen — Concept; idea; notion held in the mind.
連想: rensō — Association; mental connection between ideas.
精神: seishin — Spirit; mind; mental faculty or consciousness.
自然: shizen — Natural; nature; occurring without artificial force.
導かれ: michibikaره — Being led; guided; directed toward something.
かつ: katsu — And; moreover; at the same time simultaneously.
全体的: zentai-teki — Overall; holistic; pertaining to the whole.
目的: mokuteki — Goal; purpose; objective one aims for.
妨げ: samatage — Obstacle; hindrance; something that impedes progress.
偉大: idai — Great; magnificent; outstanding in importance.
作品: sakuhin — Work; piece; artistic or literary creation.
何か: nanika — Something; anything; some unspecified thing.
除外: jogai — Exclusion; leaving out; omitting from consideration.
必要: hitsuyō — Necessary; required; something that must exist.
建築: kenchiku — Architecture; building; construction of structures.
造形: zōkei — Plastic arts; shaping form; visual artistic creation.
芸術: geijutsu — Art; fine arts; creative aesthetic expression.
詩: shi — Poetry; poem; verse literary form.
散文: sanbun — Prose; non-poetic written language or text.
いかなる: ikanaru — Whatever; any kind of; no matter what.
種類: shurui — Type; kind; category or variety of things.
あるいは: arui wa — Or; alternatively; either one of two options.
統一性: tōitsusei — Unity; cohesion; the quality of being unified.
求め: motome — Seeking; demanding; requesting something needed.
られる: rareru — Passive or potential auxiliary verb form.
べき: beki — Should; ought to; expressing obligation or expectation.
か: ka — Question particle; or; expressing uncertainty.
という: to iu — Called; which is said to be; named.
問題: mondai — Problem; question; issue requiring resolution.
題材: daizai — Subject matter; theme; material of a work.
との: to no — With; between; relational particle combination.
関係: kankei — Relationship; connection; relevance between things.
決定: kettei — Decision; determination; settling a matter definitively.
なければ: nakereba — If not; unless; must do something.
なら: nara — If; in that case; conditional particle.

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