The Souls of Black Folk — Page 4

English → Japanese Full Text Level 8/10

they say, I know an excellent colored man in my town;

彼らはこう言う、「私の町には素晴らしい黒人の男性がいる」と。

or, I fought at Mechanicsville; or, Do not these Southern outrages make your blood boil?

あるいは、「私はメカニクスヴィルで戦った」と言う。あるいは、「この南部の蛮行は、あなたの血を沸き立たせないか？」と言う。

At these I smile, or am interested, or reduce the boiling to a simmer, as the occasion may require.

そのような言葉に対して、私は微笑んだり、興味を示したり、あるいは沸騰を煮立ちに抑えたりする。場合に応じて。

To the real question, How does it feel to be a problem? I answer seldom a word.

しかし、本当の問い、「問題であるとはどのような感覚か？」に対しては、私はほとんど何も答えない。

And yet, being a problem is a strange experience,—peculiar even for one who has never been anything else, save perhaps in babyhood and in Europe.

それでも、問題であるということは奇妙な経験だ。——おそらく幼少期やヨーロッパを除いて、ずっとそうであり続けてきた者にとってさえも、特異な体験である。

It is in the early days of rollicking boyhood that the revelation first bursts upon one, all in a day, as it were.

その啓示が最初に訪れるのは、はしゃぎ盛りの少年時代の初期のことで、いわばある一日のうちに一気に訪れるのだ。

I remember well when the shadow swept across me.

私はその影が自分の上を通り過ぎたときのことをよく覚えている。

I was a little thing, away up in the hills of New England, where the dark Housatonic winds between Hoosac and Taghkanic to the sea.

私はまだ幼く、ニューイングランドの丘の上の方にいた。そこでは暗いハウサトニック川がフーサックとタグカニックの間を縫って海へと流れている。

In a wee wooden schoolhouse, something put it into the boys' and girls' heads to buy gorgeous visiting-cards—ten cents a package—and exchange.

小さな木造の校舎の中で、何かのきっかけで、男の子たちも女の子たちも、豪華な名刺を買って——一袋十セント——交換しようという気になった。

The exchange was merry, till one girl, a tall newcomer, refused my card,—refused it peremptorily, with a glance.

その交換は楽しく進んでいたが、ある一人の背の高い転入生の女の子が、私の名刺を断った。——一瞥をもって、有無を言わせず断ったのだ。

Then it dawned upon me with a certain suddenness that I was different from the others; or like, mayhap, in heart and life and longing, but shut out from their world by a vast veil.

そのとき、私は他の者たちとは違うのだということが、ある種の突然さをもって私に悟られた。あるいは、心においても、生においても、憧れにおいても、もしかしたら同じなのかもしれないが、広大なヴェールによって彼らの世界から締め出されているのだと。

Vocabulary

彼ら: karera — They; third-person plural pronoun referring to people.
は: wa — Topic marker particle indicating the sentence's subject.
こう: kou — Like this; in this way or manner.
言う: iu — To say; to speak or utter words.
私: watashi — I; first-person singular pronoun.
の: no — Possessive or linking particle connecting nouns.
町: machi — Town; a small urban or local community area.
に: ni — Directional or locative particle indicating place or target.
素晴らしい: subarashii — Wonderful; excellent or truly impressive.
黒人: kokujin — Black person; person of African descent.
男性: dansei — Male person; adult man.
が: ga — Subject marker particle highlighting the grammatical subject.
いる: iru — To exist; to be present (animate beings).
と: to — Quotation particle; also means 'and' or 'with'.
あるいは: aruiwa — Or; alternatively; on the other hand.
で: de — Particle indicating location of action or means used.
戦った: tatakatta — Fought; past tense of 戦う, to battle or fight.
た: ta — Past tense auxiliary verb ending in Japanese.
この: kono — This; demonstrative adjective for nearby nouns.
南部: nanbu — The South; southern region or area.
蛮行: bankou — Barbaric act; savage or brutal behavior.
あなた: anata — You; second-person singular pronoun.
血: chi — Blood; the red bodily fluid.
を: wo — Object marker particle indicating direct object.
沸き立たせ: wakitatase — To make boil up; to stir up or excite emotions.
ない: nai — Negation auxiliary; does not or is not.
か: ka — Question marker particle ending interrogative sentences.
その: sono — That; demonstrative adjective for nearby or mentioned nouns.
ような: you na — Such; like that kind of thing or manner.
言葉: kotoba — Words; language or an expression spoken.
対して: taishite — Toward; in response to or against something.
微笑んだり: hohoeandari — Smiling; listing smiling as one of several actions.
興味: kyoumi — Interest; curiosity or fascination toward something.
示したり: shimeshitari — Showing; listing showing as one of several actions.
沸騰: futtou — Boiling; reaching boiling point, used metaphorically for excitement.
煮立ち: nitachi — Coming to a boil; simmering or bubbling up.
抑え: osae — Suppressing; holding back or restraining something.
する: suru — To do; general-purpose action verb.
場合: baai — Case; situation or circumstance.
応じ: ouji — Responding; acting in accordance with a situation.
しかし: shikashi — However; but; a conjunction indicating contrast.
本当: hontou — True; real; genuine or actual.
問い: toi — Question; inquiry or something asked.
問題: mondai — Problem; issue or matter requiring attention.
ある: aru — To exist; to be present (inanimate things).
どの: dono — Which; interrogative adjective asking which one.
感覚: kankaku — Sense; feeling or perception experienced physically or mentally.
ほとんど: hotondo — Almost; nearly; mostly or for the most part.
何も: nanimo — Nothing; not anything at all.
答え: kotae — Answer; response or solution to a question.
それ: sore — That; demonstrative pronoun for something previously mentioned.
いうこと: iu koto — The fact that; nominalizing a verbal statement.
奇妙: kimyou — Strange; odd or peculiar in nature.
経験: keiken — Experience; personal encounter or lived through event.
だ: da — Copula; informal equivalent of 'is' or 'are'.
おそらく: osoraku — Probably; perhaps or most likely.
幼少期: youshoki — Early childhood; the period of being very young.
除いて: nozoite — Excluding; except for or apart from something.
ずっと: zutto — All along; continuously or for a long time.
そう: sou — So; that way or in that manner.
あり続け: aritsudzuke — Continuing to be; remaining in a state persistently.
者: mono — Person; one who does something or belongs to a group.
とって: totte — For; from the perspective or standpoint of someone.
さえ: sae — Even; emphasizing an unexpected or extreme case.
特異: tokui — Peculiar; unique or distinctively unusual.
体験: taiken — Personal experience; a lived or firsthand encounter.
啓示: keiji — Revelation; a divine or sudden disclosure of truth.
最初: saisho — First; the beginning or earliest point.
訪れる: otozureru — To visit; to come or arrive at a place.
はしゃぎ: hashagi — Frolicking; being lively and playfully excited.
盛り: sakari — Peak; height of activity or prime time.
少年時代: shounen jidai — Boyhood; the period of being a young boy.
初期: shoki — Early stage; beginning period of something.
いわば: iwaba — So to speak; in other words or as it were.
一日: ichinichi — One day; a single day or all day long.
うち: uchi — Within; inside or among a period or group.
一気に: ikki ni — All at once; in one breath or swiftly.
影: kage — Shadow; shade or a dark silhouette.
自分: jibun — Oneself; reflexive pronoun referring to the self.
上: ue — Above; over or on top of something.
通り過ぎ: toori sugi — Passing by; going past or through something.
とき: toki — Time; moment or occasion when something happens.
よく: yoku — Well; often or frequently.
覚え: oboe — Memory; remembering or recollection of something.
まだ: mada — Still; yet or not yet.
幼く: osanaku — Young; being very little or childlike in age.
丘: oka — Hill; a small elevated landform.
方: kata / hou — Direction; side or way toward something.
そこ: soko — There; that place previously mentioned.
暗い: kurai — Dark; dim or lacking in light.
川: kawa — River; a large natural flowing body of water.
間: aida / ma — Between; the space or interval separating two things.
縫って: nutte — Threading through; weaving between or among things.
海: umi — Sea; a large body of salt water.
へ: e — Directional particle indicating movement toward a destination.
流れ: nagare — Flow; current or stream of water.
小さな: chiisana — Small; little or tiny in size.
木造: mokuzou — Wooden construction; built from wood.
校舎: kousha — School building; the structure housing a school.
中: naka — Inside; within or in the middle of something.
何か: nanika — Something; some unspecified thing or matter.
きっかけ: kikkake — Trigger; opportunity or starting point for something.
男の子: otokonoko — Boy; a young male child.
たち: tachi — Plural suffix for people or animate beings.
女の子: onnnanoko — Girl; a young female child.
豪華: gouka — Luxurious; gorgeous or lavishly extravagant.
名刺: meishi — Business card; a small card with personal information.
買って: katte — Buying; having purchased something.
一袋: hitofukuro — One bag; a single packet or bag of something.
交換: koukan — Exchange; trading or swapping things with each other.
しよう: shiyou — Let's do; volitional form suggesting an action together.
気: ki — Mind; feeling, spirit, or mood.
なった: natta — Became; past tense of なる, to become.
楽しく: tanoshiku — Enjoyably; in a fun or pleasant manner.
進んで: susunde — Progressing; going forward or advancing willingly.
一人: hitori — One person; a single individual.
背が高い: se ga takai — Tall; having a high stature or height.
転入生: ten'nyuusei — Transfer student; a student who newly joins a school.
断って: kotowatte — Refusing; having declined or turned something down.
一瞥: ippetsu — A glance; a quick or brief look at something.
もって: motte — Holding; using or with something in hand.
有無を言わせず: umu wo iwasezu — Without allowing objection; not permitting any argument.
他: hoka — Other; another or different from what was mentioned.
違う: chigau — Different; to differ or be wrong.
種: shuu / tane — Kind; sort, type, or species of something.
突然: totsuzen — Suddenly; all at once without warning.
悟られ: satora re — Being realized; made to understand or perceive something.
心: kokoro — Heart; mind or inner emotional spirit.
おいて: oite — In; within or in the context of something.
生: sei / nama — Life; living or raw and unprocessed.
憧れ: akogare — Longing; admiration or yearning for something distant.
もしかしたら: moshikashitara — Perhaps; maybe or possibly under some circumstances.
同じ: onaji — Same; identical or equal to something else.
広大: koudai — Vast; expansive or immensely wide in scope.
ヴェール: veeru — Veil; a covering that conceals or obscures something.
よって: yotte — By means of; due to or because of something.
世界: sekai — World; the entire earth or a particular realm.
から: kara — From; starting point or reason/cause particle.
締め出された: shimekida sa reta — Shut out; excluded or locked out from something.

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