Walden, and On The Duty Of Civil Disobedience — Page 10
Age is no better, hardly so well, qualified for an instructor as youth, for it has not profited so much as it has lost.
老齢は、教師としての資格において、青春よりも優れているどころか、ほとんど同等でさえない。なぜなら、老齢は失ったものほどには得ていないからだ。
One may almost doubt if the wisest man has learned any thing of absolute value by living.
最も賢い人間でさえ、生きることによって絶対的な価値のある何かを学んだのかどうか、ほとんど疑わしいと思えるほどだ。
Practically, the old have no very important advice to give the young, their own experience has been so partial, and their lives have been such miserable failures, for private reasons, as they must believe; and it may be that they have some faith left which belies that experience, and they are only less young than they were.
実際のところ、老人たちが若者に与えられる重要な忠告などほとんどない。彼らの経験はあまりにも偏っており、その人生は、彼ら自身が認めざるを得ないように、個人的な事情によってみじめな失敗に終わってきた。そして、その経験を裏切るような信念がまだ残っているのかもしれず、彼らはかつてよりも若くないというだけのことだ。
I have lived some thirty years on this planet, and I have yet to hear the first syllable of valuable or even earnest advice from my seniors.
私はこの地球上で三十年ほど生きてきたが、年長者たちから価値ある、あるいは真剣な忠告の一言すら聞いたためしがない。
They have told me nothing, and probably cannot tell me any thing to the purpose.
彼らは私に何も語ってくれなかったし、おそらく要を得たことは何も語れないだろう。
Here is life, an experiment to a great extent untried by me; but it does not avail me that they have tried it.
ここに人生がある。それは私にとってほとんど試みられていない実験だ。しかし、彼らがそれを試みたからといって、私には何の役にも立たない。
If I have any experience which I think valuable, I am sure to reflect that this my Mentors said nothing about.
もし私が価値あると思う経験を持っているとすれば、それは私の師たちが何も語らなかったことについてだと、きっと気づくだろう。
One farmer says to me, "You cannot live on vegetable food solely, for it furnishes nothing to make bones with;" and so he religiously devotes a part of his day to supplying his system with the raw material of bones; walking all the while he talks behind his oxen, which, with vegetable-made bones, jerk him and his lumbering plough along in spite of every obstacle.
ある農夫が私に言う。「野菜だけでは生きていけない。骨を作るものが何も含まれていないからだ」と。そして彼は信心深く、一日の一部を骨の原料を体に補給することに捧げる。その間ずっと彼は牛の後ろを歩きながら話しているのだが、その牛は野菜で作られた骨で、あらゆる障害をものともせず、彼とその重々しい鋤を引っ張っていくのだ。
Vocabulary
- 老齢
- rōrei — Old age; advanced years of life
- は
- wa — Topic marker particle in Japanese grammar
- 教師
- kyōshi — Teacher; instructor at a school
- として
- toshite — As; in the role or capacity of
- の
- no — Possessive or linking particle
- 資格
- shikaku — Qualification; credential; eligibility for something
- において
- ni oite — In; at; regarding a particular context
- 青春
- seishun — Youth; the springtime of one's life
- より
- yori — Than; compared to something else
- も
- mo — Also; even; too (particle)
- 優れ
- sugure — Excel; be superior or outstanding
- て
- te — Conjunctive particle connecting verb phrases
- いる
- iru — To be; ongoing state or action
- どころか
- doko ro ka — Far from; on the contrary
- か
- ka — Question marker particle; or
- ほとんど
- hotondo — Almost; nearly; mostly
- 同等
- dōtō — Equality; being on the same level
- で
- de — At; by; with; connective particle
- さえ
- sae — Even; so much as (emphasis particle)
- ない
- nai — Not; negation of verbs and adjectives
- なぜなら
- nazenara — Because; the reason being that
- 失っ
- ushinat- — Lost; to have lost something (stem)
- た
- ta — Past tense auxiliary verb marker
- もの
- mono — Thing; object; something abstract or concrete
- ほど
- hodo — To the extent of; as much as
- に
- ni — To; at; in; directional or locative particle
- 得
- e/uru — To gain; obtain; acquire something
- から
- kara — Because; from; since
- だ
- da — Copula; informal 'to be'
- 最も
- mottomo — Most; the greatest degree of something
- 賢い
- kashikoi — Wise; intelligent; clever
- 人間
- ningen — Human being; person; mankind
- 生きる
- ikiru — To live; to be alive
- こと
- koto — Thing; fact; act (nominalizer)
- によって
- ni yotte — By means of; due to; through
- 絶対
- zettai — Absolute; unconditional; definitely
- 的
- teki — Suffix meaning '-ic' or '-al'; relating to
- な
- na — Adjectival copula linking na-adjectives to nouns
- 価値
- kachi — Value; worth; importance of something
- ある
- aru — To exist; there is; to have
- 何か
- nanika — Something; anything; some kind of thing
- を
- wo — Object marker particle for direct objects
- 学ん
- manан- — Learned; studied (stem of 学ぶ)
- どう
- dō — How; in what way
- 疑わしい
- utagawashii — Doubtful; suspicious; questionable
- と
- to — And; with; quotation particle
- 思える
- omoeru — Seems; can think; appears to be
- 実際
- jissai — Actually; in reality; in practice
- ところ
- tokoro — Place; point; situation; the fact that
- 老人
- rōjin — Elderly person; old man or woman
- たち
- tachi — Plural suffix for people and groups
- が
- ga — Subject marker particle; but
- 若者
- wakamono — Young person; youth; young people
- 与え
- atae- — Give; provide; grant to someone
- られる
- rareru — Passive or potential auxiliary verb
- 重要
- jūyō — Important; significant; crucial
- 忠告
- chūkoku — Advice; warning; counsel given to someone
- など
- nado — Etc.; and so on; such things as
- 彼ら
- karera — They; them (referring to people)
- 経験
- keiken — Experience; personal knowledge from events
- あまりに
- amari ni — Too much; excessively; overly
- 偏っ
- katayot- — Biased; one-sided; skewed (stem)
- おり
- ori — Formal form of いる; being; existing
- その
- sono — That; those (near listener)
- 人生
- jinsei — Life; one's life journey or experience
- 自身
- jishin — Oneself; themselves; one's own self
- 認め
- mitome- — Acknowledge; admit; recognize something
- よう
- yō — Seems like; way of doing; manner
- 個人
- kojin — Individual; personal; private person
- 事情
- jijō — Circumstances; situation; personal reasons
- みじめ
- mijime — Miserable; wretched; pitiful state
- 失敗
- shippai — Failure; mistake; unsuccessful attempt
- 終わっ
- owat- — Ended; finished; concluded (stem)
- そして
- soshite — And then; and; furthermore
- 裏切る
- uragiru — To betray; to go back on beliefs
- 信念
- shinnen — Belief; conviction; firm principle
- まだ
- mada — Still; not yet; remaining
- 残っ
- nokoт- — Remained; left behind (stem)
- しれ
- shire- — May; might; perhaps (from 知れる)
- ず
- zu — Negative conjunctive; without doing
- かつて
- katsute — Once; formerly; in the past
- 若く
- wakaku — Young; being young (adverbial form)
- という
- to iu — Called; known as; the fact that
- だけ
- dake — Only; just; merely
- 私
- watashi — I; me; first-person pronoun
- この
- kono — This (near speaker)
- 地球
- chikyū — Earth; the planet we live on
- 上
- ue/jō — Above; on; upon; on top of
- 三十
- sanjū — Thirty; the number 30
- 年
- nen/toshi — Year; years of time
- 生き
- iki- — Living; to live (stem form)
- 年長
- nenchō — Senior; older in age or rank
- 者
- mono/sha — Person; one who does something
- あるいは
- arui wa — Or; alternatively; perhaps
- 真剣
- shinken — Serious; earnest; genuine effort
- 一言
- hitokoto — One word; a single remark or phrase
- すら
- sura — Even; not even (emphasis particle)
- 聞い
- kii- — Listened; heard (stem of 聞く)
- ため
- tame — For the sake of; because; purpose
- し
- shi — And; also; reason-listing conjunction
- 何
- nani/nan — What; anything; something
- 語っ
- katot- — Spoke; narrated; told (stem)
- くれ
- kure- — Give (to me); do for me
- なかっ
- nakaт- — Was not; did not (negative past stem)
- おそらく
- osoraku — Probably; perhaps; most likely
- 要
- yō/i — Need; necessity; essential
- 語れ
- katare- — Can speak; speak! (potential/imperative)
- だろ
- daro- — Probably; I suppose (volitional copula)
- ここ
- koko — Here; this place
- それ
- sore — That; it (near listener)
- にとって
- ni totte — For; from the perspective of someone
- 試み
- kokoromi — Attempt; trial; endeavor
- られ
- rare- — Passive/potential auxiliary (stem)
- 実験
- jikken — Experiment; test; practical trial
- しかし
- shikashi — However; but; nevertheless
- 役
- yaku — Use; role; service; function
- 立た
- tata- — Stand; be useful (stem of 立つ)
- もし
- moshi — If; in case; supposing that
- 思う
- omou — To think; to feel; to believe
- 持っ
- mot- — Hold; have; possess (stem)
- すれ
- sure- — Do; if one does (conditional stem)
- ば
- ba — If; conditional particle
- 師
- shi — Master; teacher; mentor
- 語ら
- katara- — Speak; tell; narrate (stem)
- について
- ni tsuite — About; concerning; regarding
- きっと
- kitto — Surely; certainly; without doubt
- 気づく
- kidzuku — To notice; to realize; to become aware
- 農夫
- nōfu — Farmer; peasant; agricultural worker
- 言う
- iu — To say; to tell; to speak
- 野菜
- yasai — Vegetables; edible plants
- 骨
- hone — Bone; skeleton; framework
- 作る
- tsukuru — To make; to create; to produce
- 含ま
- fukuma- — Include; contain; encompass (stem)
- 彼
- kare — He; him; that person (male)
- 信心
- shinjin — Faith; piety; religious devotion
- 深く
- fukaku — Deeply; profoundly (adverbial form)
- 一日
- ichinichi — One day; all day long
- 一部
- ichibu — A part; a portion of something
- 原料
- genryō — Raw material; ingredient; source material
- 体
- karada — Body; physical form; constitution
- 補給
- hokyū — Supply; replenishment; resupply
- する
- suru — To do; to perform; to make happen
- 捧げる
- sasageru — To dedicate; to offer; to devote
- 間
- aida/ma — While; during; between; interval
- ずっと
- zutto — All along; continuously; the whole time
- 牛
- ushi — Cow; bull; cattle; ox
- 後ろ
- ushiro — Behind; back; rear side
- 歩き
- aruki- — Walking; walk (stem of 歩く)
- ながら
- nagara — While doing; simultaneously; even though
- 話し
- hanashi- — Speaking; talking (stem of 話す)
- 作ら
- tsukura- — Make; produce (negative/passive stem)
- あらゆる
- arayuru — All; every; any kind of
- 障害
- shōgai — Obstacle; disability; hindrance; barrier
- とも
- tomo — Even if; both; together with
- 重々しい
- omoomoshii — Heavy; solemn; grave; ponderous
- 引っ張っ
- hippat- — Pulled; dragged; tugged (stem)
- いく
- iku — To go; to proceed; to continue on
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →