The Souls of Black Folk — Page 6
After the Egyptian and Indian, the Greek and Roman, the Teuton and Mongolian, the Negro is a sort of seventh son, born with a veil, and gifted with second-sight in this American world,—a world which yields him no true self-consciousness, but only lets him see himself through the revelation of the other world.
エジプト人とインド人、ギリシャ人とローマ人、チュートン人とモンゴル人の後に、黒人はいわば七番目の息子であり、ヴェールをまとって生まれ、このアメリカの世界において第二の視力を授けられている。——それは彼に真の自己意識をもたらさず、ただ別の世界の啓示を通してのみ自分自身を見させる世界である。
It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one's self through the eyes of others, of measuring one's soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity.
これは奇妙な感覚である——この二重意識、常に他者の目を通して自分自身を見るというこの感覚、嘲りと憐れみの入り混じった目で眺める世界の物差しによって自らの魂を測るというこの感覚は。
One ever feels his twoness,—an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder.
人は常に自らの二重性を感じる——アメリカ人であり、黒人であること。二つの魂、二つの思想、和解されぬ二つの葛藤、一つの黒い肉体の中で相争う二つの理想——その頑強な力だけが、それを引き裂かれることから守っている。
The history of the American Negro is the history of this strife,—this longing to attain self-conscious manhood, to merge his double self into a better and truer self.
アメリカの黒人の歴史はこの葛藤の歴史である——自覚ある人間性を獲得し、二重の自己をより良く、より真実の自己へと統合することへの憧れの歴史である。
In this merging he wishes neither of the older selves to be lost.
この統合において、彼はいずれの古い自己も失われることを望まない。
He would not Africanize America, for America has too much to teach the world and Africa.
彼はアメリカをアフリカ化しようとは思わない。なぜならアメリカは世界とアフリカに教えるべきことをあまりにも多く持っているからである。
He would not bleach his Negro soul in a flood of white Americanism, for he knows that Negro blood has a message for the world.
彼は白いアメリカニズムの洪水の中に黒人の魂を漂白しようとも思わない。なぜなら彼は、黒人の血が世界へのメッセージを持っていることを知っているからである。
He simply wishes to make it possible for a man to be both a Negro and an American, without being cursed and spit upon by his fellows, without having the doors of Opportunity closed roughly in his face.
彼はただ、一人の人間が黒人であると同時にアメリカ人でもあることができるように、仲間から呪われ唾をかけられることなく、機会の扉を目の前で無残に閉ざされることなく、そうあることを可能にしたいと願っているだけである。
Vocabulary
- エジプト人
- Ejiputo-jin — A person from Egypt; an Egyptian.
- と
- to — And; with; connecting nouns or clauses.
- インド人
- Indo-jin — A person from India; an Indian.
- ギリシャ人
- Girisha-jin — A person from Greece; a Greek.
- ローマ人
- Rōma-jin — A person from Rome; a Roman.
- モンゴル人
- Mongoru-jin — A person from Mongolia; a Mongolian.
- の
- no — Possessive or attributive particle linking nouns.
- 後
- nochi / ato — After; later; subsequent to something.
- に
- ni — Particle indicating location, time, or direction.
- 黒人
- Kokujin — A Black person; person of African descent.
- は
- wa — Topic-marking particle highlighting the subject.
- いわば
- iwaba — So to speak; in a manner of speaking.
- 七番目
- nana-banme — The seventh; seventh in order or rank.
- 息子
- musuko — Son; one's male child.
- で
- de — Particle indicating means, location of action, or state.
- あり
- ari — Is; exists; formal connective form of ある.
- ヴェール
- vēru — A veil; a thin covering worn over the face.
- を
- wo / o — Object-marking particle indicating direct object.
- まとって
- matotte — Wearing; draped in; wrapped with something.
- 生まれ
- umare — Born; coming into existence at birth.
- この
- kono — This; referring to something near the speaker.
- アメリカ
- Amerika — America; the United States of America.
- 世界
- sekai — The world; society; a domain or realm.
- おいて
- oite — In; at; within a particular context or place.
- 第二
- dai-ni — Second; the second in order or rank.
- 視力
- shiryoku — Eyesight; visual acuity; the power of seeing.
- 授け
- sazuke — Granted; bestowed; given as a gift or ability.
- られ
- rare — Passive auxiliary indicating receiving an action.
- て
- te — Conjunctive particle connecting sequential actions.
- いる
- iru — To be; to exist; indicates ongoing state or action.
- それ
- sore — That; refers to something previously mentioned.
- 彼
- kare — He; him; third-person masculine pronoun.
- 真
- shin / ma — True; genuine; real; authentic.
- 自己意識
- jiko-ishiki — Self-consciousness; awareness of one's own existence.
- もたらさ
- motarasa — Bring about; cause; produce a result (stem form).
- ず
- zu — Negative auxiliary; without doing; not doing.
- ただ
- tada — Only; merely; just; nothing more than.
- 別
- betsu — Separate; different; another; distinct.
- 啓示
- keiji — Revelation; divine disclosure of hidden truth.
- 通し
- tōshi — Through; by means of; via something.
- のみ
- nomi — Only; exclusively; nothing but.
- 自分
- jibun — Oneself; one's own self; first-person reflexive.
- 自身
- jishin — Oneself; one's very self; emphatic reflexive pronoun.
- 見
- mi — See; look; observe (stem or combining form).
- させる
- saseru — Causative verb ending; make or let someone do.
- ある
- aru — To be; to exist; there is something.
- これ
- kore — This; refers to something close to the speaker.
- 奇妙
- kimyō — Strange; peculiar; odd; curious sensation or thing.
- な
- na — Adjectival particle linking na-adjectives to nouns.
- 感覚
- kankaku — Sensation; feeling; sense; perception of something.
- 二重意識
- nijū-ishiki — Double consciousness; awareness split between two identities.
- 常
- tsune / jō — Always; constantly; ordinary; usual state.
- 他者
- tasha — The other; another person; someone outside oneself.
- 目
- me — Eye; eyes; one's gaze or viewpoint.
- 見る
- miru — To see; to look at; to observe.
- いう
- iu — To say; to call; to refer to as.
- 嘲り
- azakeri — Mockery; ridicule; scornful laughter or contempt.
- 憐れみ
- awaremi — Pity; compassion; feeling of sympathy for another.
- 入り混じった
- irimajita — Mixed together; intermingled; blended of different elements.
- 眺める
- nagameru — To gaze at; to look at from a distance.
- 物差し
- monosaши / monosashi — Ruler; measuring stick; a standard of measurement.
- よって
- yotte — By means of; due to; therefore; consequently.
- 自ら
- mizukara — Oneself; by oneself; personally; of one's own accord.
- 魂
- tamashii — Soul; spirit; one's inner essence or being.
- 測る
- hakaru — To measure; to gauge; to assess something's extent.
- 人
- hito / jin — Person; human being; people in general.
- 二重性
- nijūsei — Duality; double nature; having two contrasting aspects.
- 感じる
- kanjiru — To feel; to sense; to perceive emotionally.
- アメリカ人
- Amerika-jin — An American person; citizen of the United States.
- こと
- koto — Thing; fact; matter; nominalizes a verb phrase.
- 二つ
- futatsu — Two things; a pair; the number two (objects).
- 思想
- shisō — Thought; ideology; philosophical idea or belief.
- 和解
- wakai — Reconciliation; settlement; resolution of conflict.
- さ
- sa — Suffix nominalizing adjectives; indicates degree or state.
- れ
- re — Passive/potential auxiliary verb suffix form.
- ぬ
- nu — Classical negative auxiliary; not; without (archaic).
- 葛藤
- kattō — Inner conflict; struggle; psychological tension between opposing forces.
- 一つ
- hitotsu — One thing; a single item; the number one.
- 黒い
- kuroi — Black; dark-colored; describing something black.
- 肉体
- nikutai — The body; the flesh; the physical human form.
- 中
- naka / chū — Inside; within; the middle or interior of something.
- 相
- ai / sō — Mutually; together; aspect; appearance; phase.
- 争う
- arasou — To struggle; to compete; to fight or contend.
- 理想
- risō — Ideal; an aspiration or perfect standard sought.
- その
- sono — That; referring to something near the listener.
- 頑強
- gankyō — Stubbornness; tenacity; firm and unyielding strength.
- 力
- chikara — Strength; power; force; ability or energy.
- だけ
- dake — Only; just; limited to; nothing more than.
- が
- ga — Subject-marking particle; but; however (conjunctive).
- 引き裂か
- hikisaka — Torn apart; ripped asunder (stem of 引き裂く).
- れる
- reru — Passive or potential auxiliary verb suffix.
- から
- kara — From; because; after; indicating reason or origin.
- 守っ
- mamotte — Protected; guarded; kept safe (te-form of 守る).
- 歴史
- rekishi — History; the recorded past events of humanity.
- 自覚
- jikaku — Self-awareness; consciousness of one's own situation.
- 人間性
- ningенsei / ningensei — Humanity; human nature; the quality of being human.
- 獲得
- kakutoku — Acquisition; attainment; gaining something through effort.
- し
- shi — Conjunctive form of する; and; also lists reasons.
- 二重
- nijū — Double; twofold; dual; consisting of two layers.
- 自己
- jiko — Self; one's own self; the ego or identity.
- より
- yori — Than; from; more than; comparative particle.
- 良く
- yoku — Well; better; good; adverb form of 良い.
- 真実
- shinjitsu — Truth; reality; what is genuinely true or real.
- へ
- e — Toward; to; directional particle indicating destination.
- 統合
- tōgō — Integration; unification; merging into a coherent whole.
- する
- suru — To do; to perform; general-purpose action verb.
- 憧れ
- akogare — Longing; yearning; aspiration toward something admired.
- いずれ
- izure — Either; eventually; sooner or later; whichever.
- 古い
- furui — Old; ancient; aged; not new or recent.
- も
- mo — Also; too; even; additive or emphatic particle.
- 失わ
- ushinawa — Lost; deprived of (stem form of 失う).
- 望ま
- nozoma — Desired; wished for (stem form of 望む).
- ない
- nai — Not; does not exist; negative auxiliary or adjective.
- アフリカ化
- Afurika-ka — Africanization; process of becoming or making African.
- しよう
- shiyō — Let's do; volitional form of する; intend to do.
- 思わ
- omowa — Think; consider (negative stem form of 思う).
- なぜなら
- nazenara — Because; the reason being; used to introduce explanation.
- アフリカ
- Afurika — Africa; the continent of Africa.
- 教える
- oshieru — To teach; to tell; to instruct someone.
- べき
- beki — Should; ought to; expressing obligation or expectation.
- あまりに
- amari ni — Too much; excessively; far too greatly.
- 多く
- ōku — Many; much; a large amount or number.
- 持っ
- motte — Having; holding; possessing (te-form of 持つ).
- 白い
- shiroi — White; light-colored; describing something white.
- 洪水
- kōzui — Flood; inundation; an overwhelming surge of something.
- 漂白
- hyōhaku — Bleaching; whitening; stripping of color or identity.
- 血
- chi — Blood; lineage; hereditary connection or ancestry.
- メッセージ
- messēji — Message; a communication conveyed to someone.
- 知っ
- shitte — Knowing; being aware of (te-form of 知る).
- 一人
- hitori — One person; alone; by oneself.
- 人間
- ningen — Human being; person; humanity in general.
- 同時
- dōji — Simultaneously; at the same time; concurrent.
- できる
- dekiru — To be able to; can do; to become possible.
- よう
- yō — In order to; seems like; expresses manner or aim.
- 仲間
- nakama — Companion; fellow; member of the same group.
- 呪わ
- norowa — Cursed; bewitched (stem form of 呪う).
- 唾
- tsuba — Saliva; spit; spittle expelled from the mouth.
- かけ
- kake — Spat upon; applied to (stem of かける in this context).
- られる
- rareru — Passive auxiliary; to be subjected to an action.
- なく
- naku — Without; not having; negative connective adverb form.
- 機会
- kikai — Opportunity; chance; occasion to do something.
- 扉
- tobira — Door; gate; an entrance or opening to somewhere.
- 前
- mae — Before; in front of; prior to something.
- 無残
- muzan — Cruel; merciless; pitiless; ruthlessly tragic.
- 閉ざさ
- tozasa — Shut; closed off (stem form of 閉ざす).
- そう
- sō — So; like that; it seems; in that way.
- 可能
- kanō — Possible; feasible; capable of being done.
- たい
- tai — Want to; desire to do something (desiderative suffix).
- 願っ
- negatte — Wishing; hoping; desiring earnestly (te-form of 願う).
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