The Scarlet Letter — Page 6

English → Japanese Full Text Level 8/10

In my native town of Salem, at the head of what, half a century ago, in the days of old King Derby, was a bustling wharf,—but which is now burdened with decayed wooden warehouses, and exhibits few or no symptoms of commercial life; except, perhaps, a bark or brig, half-way down its melancholy length, discharging hides; or, nearer at hand, a Nova Scotia schooner, pitching out her cargo of firewood,—at the head, I say, of this dilapidated wharf, which the tide often overflows, and along which, at the base and in the rear of the row of buildings, the track of many languid years is seen in a border of unthrifty grass,—here, with a view from its front windows adown this not very enlivening prospect, and thence across the harbor, stands a spacious edifice of brick.

私の故郷セイラムの町に、半世紀前、老ダービー王の時代には賑わいを見せていた波止場の突端があるが、今やそこは朽ちかけた木造の倉庫に占められ、商業の活気をほとんど、あるいはまったく感じさせない。ただ、その物悲しい長さの半ばあたりで獣皮を荷揚げする帆船やブリッグが見られるか、あるいはもっと手近なところに薪の積み荷を投げ出しているノバスコシアのスクーナーが見えるくらいのものだ。潮がしばしば溢れ出るこの荒廃した波止場の突端に、そして建物の列の根元と裏手に沿って、貧相な草の縁取りの中に長い倦怠の歳月の跡が刻まれているその場所に、正面の窓からこのさして気の晴れない眺めを、そしてその先に港を見渡す位置として、広々としたレンガ造りの建物が建っている。

From the loftiest point of its roof, during precisely three and a half hours of each forenoon, floats or droops, in breeze or calm, the banner of the republic; but with the thirteen stripes turned vertically, instead of horizontally, and thus indicating that a civil, and not a military post of Uncle Sam's government is here established.

その屋根の最も高い頂点からは、毎朝の正確に三時間半の間、風が吹いても凪いでも、共和国の旗が翻るか垂れ下がっている。ただし、十三本の縞は横向きではなく縦向きになっており、それによってここに置かれているのは軍の拠点ではなく、アンクル・サムの政府の文民的な拠点であることが示されている。

Its front is ornamented with a portico of half a dozen wooden pillars, supporting a balcony, beneath which a flight of wide granite steps descends towards the street.

正面には六本ほどの木製の柱からなるポルティコが設けられてバルコニーを支えており、その下から幅広い花崗岩の階段が通りへと下りている。

Vocabulary

私: watashi — First-person pronoun meaning 'I' or 'me'.
の: no — Possessive or linking particle connecting nouns.
故郷: kokyō — One's hometown or birthplace.
町: machi — Town or neighborhood district.
に: ni — Particle indicating location, direction, or time.
半: han — Half; prefix meaning halfway or semi-.
世紀: seiki — Century; a period of one hundred years.
前: mae — Before; in front of; ago in time.
老: rō — Old; aged; prefix indicating advanced age.
王: ō — King; monarch; ruler of a kingdom.
時代: jidai — Era, age, or period of history.
は: wa — Topic-marking particle highlighting the subject.
賑わい: nigiwai — Bustle, liveliness, or thriving activity.
を: o — Object-marking particle indicating direct object.
見せ: mise — To show; to display (stem form of 見せる).
て: te — Conjunctive particle connecting sequential actions.
い: i — Auxiliary verb stem indicating ongoing state.
た: ta — Past tense auxiliary verb suffix.
波止場: hatoba — Wharf or pier for docking ships.
突端: totten — Tip or extreme end of a structure.
が: ga — Subject-marking particle indicating grammatical subject.
ある: aru — To exist; to be (for inanimate things).
今: ima — Now; the present moment or time.
や: ya — Particle expressing emphasis or listing items.
そこ: soko — There; that place nearby or just mentioned.
朽ち: kuchi — To rot or decay (stem of 朽ちる).
かけ: kake — Partially; in the process of doing something.
木造: mokuzō — Wooden construction; built from timber.
倉庫: sōko — Warehouse or storage facility for goods.
占め: shime — To occupy or take up space (stem form).
られ: rare — Passive auxiliary indicating something is done to subject.
商業: shōgyō — Commerce or trade; business activities.
活気: kakki — Vitality, energy, or lively atmosphere.
ほとんど: hotondo — Almost; hardly; nearly all or none.
あるいは: arui wa — Or; alternatively; either one option or another.
まったく: mattaku — Completely; utterly; not at all (with negation).
感じ: kanji — Feeling or sense; to feel something (noun/stem).
させ: sase — Causative auxiliary making someone cause something.
ない: nai — Negative auxiliary; does not or is not.
ただ: tada — However; merely; only; just.
その: sono — That; the (demonstrative adjective for nearby things).
物悲しい: monoganaashii — Melancholy; quietly sad or wistfully sorrowful.
長さ: nagasa — Length; the measurement of something's extent.
半ば: nakaba — Middle; halfway point of something.
あたり: atari — Around; approximately; in the vicinity of.
で: de — Particle indicating location of action or means.
荷揚げ: niage — Unloading cargo from a ship to shore.
する: suru — To do; versatile verb indicating action.
帆船: hansen — Sailing ship propelled by wind and sails.
見: mi — To see or look (stem form of 見る).
られる: rareru — Passive/potential auxiliary; can be seen or done.
か: ka — Question particle; or; expressing uncertainty.
もっと: motto — More; to a greater degree or extent.
手近: tejika — Nearby; close at hand; readily accessible.
な: na — Adjectival particle linking na-adjectives to nouns.
ところ: tokoro — Place; spot; point in time or situation.
薪: maki — Firewood; logs cut for burning as fuel.
積み荷: tsumini — Cargo or load stacked aboard a vessel.
投げ出し: nagedashi — Tossing out; dumping cargo carelessly overboard.
いる: iru — To be; to exist (animate beings, ongoing action).
見える: mieru — To be visible; to appear in sight.
くらい: kurai — About; approximately; to the extent that.
もの: mono — Thing; object; used for emphasis or explanation.
だ: da — Copula; informal form of 'is' or 'are'.
潮: shio — Tide; saltwater; the sea's rising and falling.
しばしば: shibashiba — Often; frequently; repeatedly occurring.
溢れ出る: afurederu — To overflow; to spill out abundantly.
この: kono — This; demonstrative adjective for nearby things.
荒廃: kōhai — Devastation; ruin; state of decay and neglect.
し: shi — Conjunctive form linking clauses or listing reasons.
そして: soshite — And then; furthermore; connecting sequential ideas.
建物: tatemono — Building; structure; any constructed edifice.
列: retsu — Row, line, or series of objects.
根元: nemoto — Base; root; the bottom or foundation of something.
と: to — Particle meaning 'and', 'with', or quotation marker.
裏手: urate — The back side or rear of a place.
沿って: sotte — Along; following the line or edge of something.
貧相: hinsō — Shabby; poor-looking; meager in appearance.
草: kusa — Grass; weeds; low-growing vegetation.
縁取り: fuchidori — Bordering; edging; framing along a perimeter.
中: naka — Inside; among; middle of something.
長い: nagai — Long; extended in length or duration.
倦怠: kentai — Languor; weariness; tedious sense of inactivity.
歳月: saigetsu — Years and months; the passage of time.
跡: ato — Trace; mark; remnant left behind.
刻ま: kizama — To carve or engrave (stem of 刻む).
れ: re — Passive suffix attached to verb stem.
場所: basho — Place; location; specific spot or area.
正面: shōmen — Front; directly facing side of a structure.
窓: mado — Window; an opening in a wall for light.
から: kara — From; because; starting point in space or time.
さして: sashite — Particularly; especially (often used in negatives).
気: ki — Spirit; feeling; mood; energy or attention.
晴れ: hare — Clear weather; cheerful; bright atmosphere.
眺め: nagame — View; scenery; the act of gazing at something.
先: saki — Ahead; beyond; tip or further point.
港: minato — Harbor or port where ships dock.
見渡す: miwatasu — To look out over; to survey a wide view.
位置: ichi — Position; location; where something is situated.
として: to shite — As; in the capacity of; regarded as.
広々: hirobiro — Spacious; wide and open; expansive feeling.
レンガ: renga — Brick; fired clay block used in construction.
造り: tsukuri — Construction style; the way something is built.
建っ: tatt- — To stand; to be built (stem of 建つ).
屋根: yane — Roof; the top covering of a building.
最も: mottomo — Most; the superlative degree of an adjective.
高い: takai — High; tall; expensive (depending on context).
頂点: chōten — Peak; apex; the highest point of something.
毎朝: maiasa — Every morning; each day at morning time.
正確: seikaku — Accurate; precise; exactly correct.
三: san — Three; the number 3.
時間: jikan — Time; a period or duration of hours.
間: aida / ma — Interval; between; during a span of time.
風: kaze — Wind; breeze; air movement outdoors.
吹い: fui- — To blow (wind); stem of 吹く in conjunctive.
も: mo — Also; even; too; inclusive particle.
凪い: nagi- — Calm (of wind/sea); lull; becoming still.
共和国: kyōwakoku — Republic; a nation governed by elected representatives.
旗: hata — Flag; banner; emblematic cloth on a pole.
翻る: hirugaeru — To flutter; to wave; to flip in the wind.
垂れ下がっ: taresagatt- — To hang down; to droop (stem/past stem form).
ただし: tadashi — However; provided that; with the exception that.
十三: jūsan — Thirteen; the number 13.
本: hon — Counter for long thin objects; also means book.
縞: shima — Stripe; a band of contrasting color or pattern.
横向き: yokomuki — Horizontal orientation; facing or lying sideways.
なく: naku — Without; not being so (conjunctive negative form).
縦向き: tatemuki — Vertical orientation; facing or arranged upright.
なっ: natt- — Became; turned into (stem of なる in past).
おり: ori — Auxiliary indicating a continuing state of being.
それ: sore — That; referring to something previously mentioned.
よって: yotte — Therefore; by means of; due to this reason.
ここ: koko — Here; this place; the current location.
置か: oka- — To place; to put (stem of 置く, passive base).
軍: gun — Military; army; armed forces.
拠点: kyoten — Base; stronghold; key operational location.
政府: seifu — Government; the ruling administrative body of a nation.
文民: bunmin — Civilian; a non-military person or official.
的: teki — Suffix meaning '-like', '-ish', or '-related'.
こと: koto — Thing; fact; nominalizer turning verb phrases to nouns.
示さ: shimesa- — To show; to indicate (stem of 示す, passive base).
六本: roppon — Six (long thin objects); six poles or columns.
ほど: hodo — About; to the extent of; approximately.
木製: mokusei — Made of wood; wooden in material.
柱: hashira — Pillar; column; vertical structural support.
なる: naru — To become; to consist of; forming something.
設け: mōke- — To establish; to provide; to install (stem form).
バルコニー: barukonī — Balcony; an elevated platform projecting from a building.
支え: sasae- — To support; to hold up (stem of 支える).
下: shita / shimo — Below; underneath; the lower part of something.
幅広い: habahiroi — Wide; broad; having a large width or range.
花崗岩: kakōgan — Granite; a hard, coarse-grained igneous rock.
階段: kaidan — Staircase; steps leading up or down a structure.
通り: tōri — Street; road; or 'as stated/expected'.
へ: e — Directional particle meaning toward or to.
下り: kudari — Descent; going down; downward direction.

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