The Scarlet Letter — Page 9
Another figure in the scene is the outward-bound sailor in quest of a protection; or the recently arrived one, pale and feeble, seeking a passport to the hospital.
その場面に登場するもう一人の人物は、身分証明書を求めて外航する船乗りか、あるいは最近到着したばかりの、顔色も悪く体も弱った、病院への入院許可証を求める船乗りである。
Nor must we forget the captains of the rusty little schooners that bring firewood from the British provinces; a rough-looking set of tarpaulins, without the alertness of the Yankee aspect, but contributing an item of no slight importance to our decaying trade.
また、イギリス領の植民地から薪を運んでくる錆びた小型スクーナー船の船長たちのことも忘れてはならない。彼らはいかにも荒々しい風体の船乗りたちで、ヤンキーのような機敏さはないが、我々の衰退しつつある交易に決して軽視できない一翼を担っている。
Cluster all these individuals together, as they sometimes were, with other miscellaneous ones to diversify the group, and, for the time being, it made the Custom-House a stirring scene.
こうした人々を、時にそうであったように、他の雑多な人々と一緒に集めてグループに変化を加えると、しばらくの間、税関はにぎやかな光景を呈した。
More frequently, however, on ascending the steps, you would discern—in the entry, if it were summer time, or in their appropriate rooms, if wintry or inclement weather—a row of venerable figures, sitting in old-fashioned chairs, which were tipped on their hind legs back against the wall.
しかしより頻繁には、階段を上ると、夏であれば玄関の間に、冬や荒天のときにはそれぞれの部屋に、後ろ足を壁に寄りかからせて傾けた古風な椅子に腰かけた、威厳ある人物たちの列が目に入るのであった。
Oftentimes they were asleep, but occasionally might be heard talking together, in voices between speech and a snore, and with that lack of energy that distinguishes the occupants of almshouses, and all other human beings who depend for subsistence on charity, on monopolized labor, or anything else, but their own independent exertions.
彼らはたいていの場合眠っていたが、時折、話し声とも鼾ともつかぬ声でひそひそと語り合っているのが聞こえることもあった。そこには、救貧院の住人や、慈善や独占された労働、あるいはそれ以外の何かに生計を頼り、自らの自立した努力によって生きていない人間すべてに共通する、あの気力の欠如が漂っていた。
These old gentlemen—seated, like Matthew, at the receipt of customs, but not very liable to be summoned thence, like him, for apostolic errands—were Custom-House officers.
これらの老紳士たちは、マタイのように税関の徴収所に座ってはいたが、彼のように使徒としての使命のために呼び出される可能性はほとんどなく、税関の役人たちであった。
Vocabulary
- その
- sono — That (thing or topic previously mentioned).
- 場面
- bamen — Scene, situation, or setting in a story.
- に
- ni — Particle indicating location, direction, or time.
- 登場
- tōjō — Appearance or entrance of a character or person.
- する
- suru — To do; general-purpose action verb.
- もう
- mō — Already; another; one more.
- 一人
- hitori — One person; alone.
- の
- no — Possessive or nominalizing particle.
- 人物
- jinbutsu — Person, character, or figure of note.
- は
- wa — Topic-marking particle in Japanese grammar.
- 身分
- mibun — Social status, identity, or one's standing.
- 証明書
- shōmeisho — Certificate or document proving identity or qualification.
- を
- wo — Object-marking particle indicating direct object.
- 求め
- motome — Seeking, requesting, or demanding something.
- て
- te — Conjunctive particle connecting verb phrases.
- 船乗り
- funanori — Sailor or seafarer who works on ships.
- か
- ka — Question particle; or (indicating alternatives).
- ある
- aru — To exist; to be (for inanimate things).
- 最近
- saikin — Recently; lately; in the near past.
- 到着
- tōchaku — Arrival at a destination or place.
- し
- shi — Conjunctive form of suru; and/furthermore (particle).
- た
- ta — Past tense auxiliary verb marker.
- ばかり
- bakari — Just (did something); only; nothing but.
- 顔色
- kaoiro — Complexion; facial color indicating health or mood.
- も
- mo — Also; too; even (inclusive particle).
- 悪く
- waruku — Badly; poorly; in a worsened manner.
- 体
- karada — Body; physical condition or physique.
- 弱っ
- yowatte — Having become weak or debilitated physically.
- 病院
- byōin — Hospital; medical facility for treating patients.
- へ
- e — Directional particle meaning toward or to.
- 入院
- nyūin — Hospitalization; being admitted to a hospital.
- 許可証
- kyokashō — Permit or license granting official permission.
- 求める
- motomeru — To seek, request, or demand something.
- で
- de — Particle indicating location of action or means.
- また
- mata — Also; again; furthermore; in addition.
- イギリス
- Igirisu — England or Britain (loanword).
- 領
- ryō — Territory or possession governed by a country.
- 植民地
- shokuminchi — Colony; territory controlled by a foreign power.
- から
- kara — From; because; starting point particle.
- 薪
- maki — Firewood; wood used as fuel for burning.
- 運ん
- hakonde — Carrying or transporting goods from one place.
- くる
- kuru — To come; to arrive (directional auxiliary verb).
- 錆び
- sabi — Rust; oxidation on metal surfaces.
- 小型
- kogata — Small-sized; compact in scale or dimension.
- 船
- fune — Ship or boat used for water travel.
- 船長
- senchō — Ship captain; commander of a vessel.
- たち
- tachi — Plural suffix for people or animate beings.
- こと
- koto — Thing; matter; fact (nominalizer).
- 忘れ
- wasure — Forgetting; failure to remember something.
- なら
- nara — If; in the case of (conditional particle).
- ない
- nai — Negation; does not exist or is not.
- 彼ら
- karera — They; those people (third-person plural).
- いかに
- ikani — How; in what manner; to what extent.
- 荒々しい
- araara shii — Rough, wild, or fierce in appearance or manner.
- 風体
- fūtei — Appearance, look, or manner of a person.
- ヤンキー
- yankī — Yankee; American (loanword, sometimes rough connotation).
- よう
- yō — Like;似ている; resembling something or someone.
- な
- na — Adjectival particle linking na-adjective to noun.
- 機敏
- kibin — Agile, quick-witted, and alert in response.
- さ
- sa — Nominalizing suffix turning adjective into noun.
- が
- ga — Subject-marking particle in Japanese grammar.
- 我々
- wareware — We; us (formal or literary first-person plural).
- 衰退
- suitai — Decline, decay, or deterioration over time.
- つつ
- tsutsu — While doing; progressive action conjunction.
- 交易
- kōeki — Trade; commerce; exchange of goods between parties.
- 決して
- kesshite — Never; by no means (used with negatives).
- 軽視
- keishi — Disregard, belittlement, or looking down upon something.
- でき
- deki — Can do; able to (potential verb form).
- 一翼
- ichiyoku — One wing; playing a part in something.
- 担っ
- ninatte — Bearing or shouldering a role or responsibility.
- いる
- iru — To be; to exist (for animate beings).
- こう
- kō — This way; like this; thus (demonstrative adverb).
- した
- shita — Did; past tense of suru (to do).
- 人々
- hitobito — People; folks; various individuals collectively.
- 時に
- toki ni — Sometimes; at times; occasionally.
- そう
- sō — So; that way; like that (demonstrative).
- あっ
- atte — Being; existing (te-form of aru).
- 他
- hoka — Other; another; the rest.
- 雑多
- zatta — Miscellaneous, varied, or mixed assortment of things.
- と
- to — And; with; quotation particle.
- 一緒
- issho — Together; in the same place or group.
- 集め
- atsume — Gathering or collecting things or people together.
- グループ
- gurūpu — Group; a collection of people or things.
- 変化
- henka — Change, variation, or transformation over time.
- 加える
- kuwaeru — To add or include something to something else.
- しばらく
- shibaraku — For a while; a short period of time.
- 間
- aida / ma — Between; during; interval of time or space.
- 税関
- zeikan — Customs office; border inspection for goods.
- にぎやか
- nigiyaka — Lively, bustling, or cheerfully animated place.
- 光景
- kōkei — Scene, spectacle, or view observed visually.
- 呈し
- teishi — Presenting or displaying a certain appearance.
- しかし
- shikashi — However; but; nevertheless (conjunctive transition).
- より
- yori — More than; from; comparative particle.
- 頻繁
- hinpan — Frequent, repeated, or occurring many times.
- 階段
- kaidan — Staircase or steps in a building.
- 上る
- noboru — To go up; to climb stairs or slope.
- 夏
- natsu — Summer; the warm season of the year.
- あれ
- are — That (thing over there); a demonstrative pronoun.
- ば
- ba — Conditional particle meaning if or when.
- 玄関
- genkan — Entrance hall or doorway of a building.
- 冬
- fuyu — Winter; the cold season of the year.
- や
- ya — And (listing particle); or; casual conjunction.
- 荒天
- kōten — Stormy or severe weather conditions at sea.
- とき
- toki — Time; moment; when something occurs.
- それぞれ
- sorezore — Each; respectively; individually among several things.
- 部屋
- heya — Room; enclosed space in a building.
- 後ろ
- ushiro — Behind; the back side of something.
- 足
- ashi — Foot; leg; lower limb of the body.
- 壁
- kabe — Wall; vertical surface of a room or building.
- 寄りかから
- yorikakara — Leaning against something for support.
- せ
- se — Causative or let-form verb ending.
- 傾け
- katamuke — Tilting or leaning something to one side.
- 古風
- kofū — Old-fashioned or antique in style or manner.
- 椅子
- isu — Chair; seat for one person to sit.
- 腰かけ
- koshikake — Seat; perch; sitting lightly on something.
- 威厳
- igen — Dignity, majesty, or imposing authority in bearing.
- 列
- retsu — Row or line of people or things.
- 目
- me — Eye; sight; a point of view.
- 入る
- hairu — To enter; to go into a place.
- たいてい
- taitei — Usually; mostly; in most cases.
- 場合
- baai — Case; situation; circumstance or occasion.
- 眠っ
- nemuite — Sleeping; being in a state of sleep.
- い
- i — Continuative form of iru (to be/exist).
- 時折
- tokiori — Occasionally; from time to time; now and then.
- 話し声
- hanashigoe — Sound of talking; voice heard while speaking.
- 鼾
- ibiki — Snoring; noisy breathing during sleep.
- ぬ
- nu — Classical negative auxiliary (modern: ない).
- 声
- koe — Voice; sound produced by a person speaking.
- ひそひそ
- hisohiso — Whispering; speaking in a hushed secretive tone.
- 語り合っ
- katariaite — Conversing together; mutually talking with someone.
- 聞こえる
- kikoeru — To be audible; to be heard naturally.
- そこ
- soko — There; that place (mid-distance location).
- 住人
- jūnin — Resident or inhabitant of a place.
- 慈善
- jizen — Charity; benevolence; philanthropic giving to others.
- 独占
- dokusen — Monopoly; exclusive control or possession of something.
- れ
- re — Passive or potential verb suffix in Japanese.
- 労働
- rōdō — Labor; work; physical or mental effort.
- それ
- sore — That (thing); mid-distance demonstrative pronoun.
- 以外
- igai — Other than; except for; besides something.
- 何か
- nanika — Something; anything; some unspecified thing.
- 生計
- seikei — Livelihood; means of earning a living.
- 頼り
- tayori — Relying on; depending on something or someone.
- 自ら
- mizukara — Oneself; by one's own initiative or effort.
- 自立
- jiritsu — Independence; self-reliance; standing on one's own.
- 努力
- doryoku — Effort; hard work toward achieving a goal.
- よっ
- yotte — By means of; through; due to (te-form).
- 生き
- iki — Living; being alive (stem form of ikiru).
- 人間
- ningen — Human being; person; humankind in general.
- すべて
- subete — All; everything; entirely without exception.
- 共通
- kyōtsū — Common; shared among multiple people or things.
- あの
- ano — That (over there); distant demonstrative adjective.
- 気力
- kiryoku — Willpower, energy, or mental drive to act.
- 欠如
- ketsujo — Lack, absence, or deficiency of something needed.
- 漂っ
- tadayotte — Drifting or floating; having a lingering quality.
- これら
- korera — These (plural); referring to nearby multiple things.
- 座っ
- suwatte — Sitting; being seated in a position.
- 彼
- kare — He; him; third-person masculine pronoun.
- 使徒
- shito — Apostle; a disciple sent on a mission.
- 使命
- shimei — Mission; duty; a calling or purpose to fulfill.
- ため
- tame — For the sake of; in order to; purpose.
- 呼び出さ
- yobiidasa — Being summoned or called out for a purpose.
- れる
- reru — Passive auxiliary verb suffix (to be done to).
- 可能性
- kanōsei — Possibility; likelihood; chance of something occurring.
- ほとんど
- hotondo — Almost; mostly; nearly all or none.
- なく
- naku — Without; not having; negation connective form.
- 役人
- yakunin — Government official; public servant or bureaucrat.
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