White nights, and other stories — Page 7

English → Japanese Full Text Level 7/10

If I chanced to meet a long procession of waggoners walking lazily with the reins in their hands beside waggons loaded with regular mountains of furniture, tables, chairs, ottomans and sofas and domestic utensils of all sorts, frequently with a decrepit cook sitting on the top of it all, guarding her master's property as though it were the apple of her eye; or if I saw boats heavily loaded with household goods crawling along the Neva or Fontanka to the Black River or the Islands--the waggons and the boats were multiplied tenfold, a hundredfold, in my eyes.

もし私が、家具や、テーブル、椅子、長椅子、ソファ、あらゆる種類の家財道具を山のように積んだ荷馬車の脇を、手綱を手にのろのろと歩く御者たちの長い行列に偶然出くわしたり、その荷物の頂上に老いぼれた料理女が座って、まるで目の中に入れても痛くないほど大切なものを守るように主人の財産を見張っていたりするのを見たとき、あるいはネヴァ川やフォンタンカ川をブラック・リヴァーや島々へ向かって家財道具を重そうに積んだ船がのろのろと進むのを見たとき――荷馬車も船も、私の目には十倍、百倍にも増えて見えた。

I fancied that everything was astir and moving, everything was going in regular caravans to the summer villas.

あらゆるものが騒めき動き出し、すべてが整然とした隊列を組んで別荘へと向かっているように思えた。

It seemed as though Petersburg threatened to become a wilderness, so that at last I felt ashamed, mortified and sad that I had nowhere to go for the holidays and no reason to go away.

ペテルブルクがまるで荒れ野になってしまうかのように思われ、ついには休暇中に行く場所もなく、どこかへ出かける理由もない自分が恥ずかしく、みじめで、悲しくなった。

I was ready to go away with every waggon, to drive off with every gentleman of respectable appearance who took a cab; but no one--absolutely no one--invited me; it seemed they had forgotten me, as though really I were a stranger to them!

私はどの荷馬車とでも一緒に出かけたく、辻馬車に乗るいかにも紳士らしい人物ならだれとでも乗り込んで行きたかった。しかし、だれも――本当にだれも――私を誘ってくれなかった。まるで彼らにとって私が見知らぬ他人であるかのように、私のことを忘れてしまったかのようだった。

I took long walks, succeeding, as I usually did, in quite forgetting where I was, when I suddenly found myself at the city gates.

私は長い散歩に出かけ、いつものように自分がどこにいるのかをすっかり忘れることに成功し、気がつくと突然、城門のところに立っていた。

Instantly I felt lighthearted, and I passed the barrier and walked between cultivated fields and meadows, unconscious of fatigue, and feeling only all over as though a burden were falling off my soul.

たちまち心が軽くなり、私は関門を過ぎて耕された畑と牧草地の間を歩いた。疲れも感じず、ただ魂から重荷が落ちていくような感覚だけが全身に広がっていた。

Vocabulary

もし: moshi — If; used to introduce a conditional clause.
私: watashi — I; first-person singular pronoun.
が: ga — Subject marker particle in Japanese grammar.
家具: kagu — Furniture; household furnishings and fittings.
や: ya — And; particle listing examples among others.
テーブル: tēburu — Table; a flat-surfaced piece of furniture.
椅子: isu — Chair; a seat with a back support.
長椅子: nagaisu — Bench or couch; a long seat for multiple people.
ソファ: sofa — Sofa; an upholstered seat for lounging.
あらゆる: arayuru — All; every kind or type of something.
種類: shurui — Type; kind or category of something.
の: no — Possessive or linking particle between nouns.
家財: kazai — Household goods; personal property and belongings.
道具: dōgu — Tool; instrument or household implement.
を: wo — Direct object marker particle in Japanese grammar.
山: yama — Mountain; also used to mean a large pile.
よう: yō — Like; resembling or in the manner of something.
に: ni — Direction, time, or purpose particle in Japanese.
積ん: tsun (積む / tsumu) — To pile or stack items one on top of another.
だ: da — Copula; plain-form equivalent of 'is' or 'are'.
荷馬車: nibasha — Freight wagon; a horse-drawn cart for carrying loads.
脇: waki — Side; beside something or the flank area.
手綱: tazuna — Reins; straps used to guide a horse.
手: te — Hand; the part of the body at the arm's end.
のろのろ: noronoro — Slowly; moving sluggishly or at a sluggish pace.
と: to — And; with; quotation particle in Japanese grammar.
歩く: aruku — To walk; to move on foot at a normal pace.
御者: gyosha — Coachman; driver of a horse-drawn vehicle.
たち: tachi — Plural suffix for people or animate beings.
長い: nagai — Long; having great length or duration.
行列: gyōretsu — Procession; a line or queue of people or things.
偶然: gūzen — By chance; accidentally or coincidentally encountering something.
出くわし: dekuwashi (出くわす / dekuwasu) — To come across; encounter something unexpectedly.
たり: tari — Particle listing multiple actions or examples.
その: sono — That; demonstrative adjective referring to something nearby.
荷物: nimotsu — Luggage; cargo or a load being transported.
頂上: chōjō — Summit; the very top of something piled up.
老いぼれ: oibore — Decrepit; a worn-out or feeble old person.
た: ta — Past tense auxiliary verb in Japanese grammar.
料理女: ryōrionna — Cook; a woman who prepares food professionally.
座っ: suwat (座る / suwaru) — To sit; to be in a seated position.
て: te — Conjunctive particle connecting sequential or related actions.
まるで: marude — Just like; exactly as if; used for comparisons.
目: me — Eye; the organ of sight in the face.
中: naka — Inside; within; the interior of something.
入れ: ire (入れる / ireru) — To put in; to insert or place inside.
も: mo — Also; even; additive particle in Japanese grammar.
痛く: itaku (痛い / itai) — Painful; hurting; in a way that causes pain.
ない: nai — Negation; does not; is not; negative form.
ほど: hodo — To the extent of; as much as; degree particle.
大切: taisetsu — Important; precious; something valued highly.
な: na — Adjectival linking particle for na-adjectives.
もの: mono — Thing; an object or matter of significance.
守る: mamoru — To protect; to guard or keep something safe.
主人: shujin — Master; employer; head of a household.
財産: zaisan — Property; assets or wealth owned by someone.
見張っ: mihatt (見張る / miharu) — To keep watch; to guard or surveil carefully.
い: i (いる / iru) — To be; auxiliary indicating ongoing state or action.
する: suru — To do; general-purpose action verb in Japanese.
見: mi (見る / miru) — To see; to look at or observe something.
とき: toki — Time; moment; when a certain situation occurs.
あるいは: aruiwa — Or; alternatively; used to present another option.
島々: shimajima — Islands; plural form of island, multiple islands.
へ: he — Directional particle indicating movement toward a destination.
向かっ: mukatt (向かう / mukau) — To head toward; to move in a direction.
重そう: omosō — Looks heavy; appearing to be weighty or burdensome.
船: fune — Boat; ship; a watercraft for river or sea.
進む: susumu — To advance; to move forward or make progress.
は: wa — Topic marker particle in Japanese grammar.
十倍: jūbai — Tenfold; ten times the original amount or number.
百倍: hyakubai — Hundredfold; one hundred times the usual amount.
増え: fue (増える / fueru) — To increase; to grow in number or quantity.
見え: mie (見える / mieru) — To appear; to be visible; to seem a certain way.
騒めき: zawameki — Commotion; a buzzing noise of a crowd or activity.
動き出し: ugokidashi (動き出す / ugokidasu) — To start moving; to begin action after being still.
すべて: subete — All; everything; every single thing without exception.
整然: seizen — Orderly; neatly organized and systematically arranged.
し: shi — Conjunctive form; linking or listing clause connector.
隊列: tairetsu — Column; a formation of people or vehicles in line.
組ん: kun (組む / kumu) — To form; to organize into a group or formation.
で: de — Particle indicating location of action or means used.
別荘: bessō — Villa; a summer cottage or country holiday house.
いる: iru — To be; to exist; used for animate beings.
思え: omoe (思える / omoeru) — To seem; to appear to be in one's estimation.
荒れ野: areno — Wasteland; a desolate, uncultivated stretch of land.
なっ: natt (なる / naru) — To become; to turn into a different state.
しまう: shimau — To end up; completing an action, often regrettably.
か: ka — Question particle; also expresses doubt or uncertainty.
思わ: omowa (思う / omou) — To think; to feel or consider something mentally.
れ: re (れる / reru) — Passive auxiliary verb suffix in Japanese grammar.
ついに: tsuini — Finally; at last; after a long wait or effort.
休暇: kyūka — Vacation; time off from work or regular duties.
行く: iku — To go; to move or travel to a place.
場所: basho — Place; location or spot where something occurs.
なく: naku (ない / nai) — Without; lacking; negative connective form in Japanese.
どこか: dokoka — Somewhere; some unspecified or unknown place.
出かける: dekakeru — To go out; to head out from one's home.
理由: riyū — Reason; cause or grounds for doing something.
自分: jibun — Oneself; referring to one's own self reflexively.
恥ずかしく: hazukashiku — Embarrassingly; in a shameful or bashful manner.
みじめ: mijime — Miserable; wretched or in a pitiful condition.
悲しく: kanashiku — Sadly; in a sorrowful or grief-filled manner.
どの: dono — Which; interrogative adjective asking which one.
でも: demo — Even; but; or any, used for emphasis or contrast.
一緒: issho — Together; in the same place or company as someone.
出かけ: dekake (出かける / dekakeru) — To go out; leaving home for a destination.
たく: taku (たい / tai) — Want to; expresses desire to perform an action.
辻馬車: tsujibasha — Hackney carriage; a horse-drawn taxi for hire.
乗る: noru — To ride; to board a vehicle or mount something.
いかにも: ikanimo — Indeed; truly; looking every bit like something.
紳士: shinshi — Gentleman; a refined, well-mannered man of standing.
らしい: rashii — Seeming like; typical of; apparently or reportedly so.
人物: jinbutsu — Person; a character or figure of note.
なら: nara — If; conditional form expressing a situation or premise.
だれ: dare — Who; interrogative pronoun asking about a person.
乗り込ん: norikomi (乗り込む / norikomu) — To board; to get into a vehicle or vessel.
行き: iki (行く / iku) — Going; the act of heading toward a destination.
たかっ: takatt (たい / tai) — Wanted to; past tense desire to do something.
しかし: shikashi — However; but; a conjunction indicating contrast.
誘っ: sasowatt (誘う / sasou) — To invite; to beckon or entice someone to join.
くれ: kure (くれる / kureru) — To give; done for the speaker's benefit by another.
なかっ: nakatt (ない / nai) — Did not; negative past auxiliary in Japanese grammar.
彼ら: karera — They; third-person plural pronoun referring to people.
とっ: tott (とる / toru or にとって / ni totte) — For; from the perspective or standpoint of someone.
見知らぬ: mishiranu — Unknown; a stranger one has never met before.
他人: tanin — Stranger; another person; someone unrelated to oneself.
ある: aru — To exist; to be; used for inanimate things.
こと: koto — Fact; matter; nominalizer turning verbs into nouns.
忘れ: wasure (忘れる / wasureru) — To forget; to fail to remember something.
しまっ: shimatt (しまう / shimau) — Ended up; completed action, often with regret implied.
だっ: datt (だ / da) — Was; past copula in plain speech style.
散歩: sanpo — Walk; a leisurely stroll taken for pleasure.
いつも: itsumo — Always; usually; at all or most times.
どこ: doko — Where; interrogative asking about a location or place.
すっかり: sukkari — Completely; entirely; thoroughly without anything remaining.
忘れる: wasureru — To forget; to be unable to recall something.
成功: seikō — Success; achieving a desired goal or outcome.
気がつく: ki ga tsuku — To notice; to become aware of something suddenly.
突然: totsuzen — Suddenly; all at once without prior warning.
城門: jōmon — Castle gate; the entrance gate of a fortress or city.
ところ: tokoro — Place; spot; also indicates a point in time.
立っ: tatt (立つ / tatsu) — To stand; to be in an upright position.
たちまち: tachimachi — Instantly; in an instant; very quickly all at once.
心: kokoro — Heart; mind; one's inner emotional or mental state.
軽く: karuku — Lightly; in a light or unburdensome manner.
なり: nari (なる / naru) — Became; turned into; connective form of 'to become'.
関門: kanmon — Gateway; checkpoint or barrier at a city boundary.
過ぎ: sugi (過ぎる / sugiru) — Passing; to pass by or go beyond a point.
耕さ: tagayasa (耕す / tagayasu) — To till; to cultivate or plow agricultural land.
畑: hatake — Field; a dry cultivated plot for growing crops.
牧草地: bokusōchi — Meadow; pasture land where grass grows for grazing.
間: あいだ / aida — Between; among; the space or interval between things.
歩い: arui (歩く / aruku) — Walked; moved on foot from one place to another.
疲れ: tsukare (疲れる / tsukareru) — Fatigue; tiredness felt after exertion or effort.
感じ: kanji (感じる / kanjiru) — To feel; a sensation or feeling experienced internally.
ず: zu — Without; negative connective form; doing without something.
ただ: tada — Only; merely; just this and nothing more.
魂: tamashii — Soul; spirit; the essential inner being of a person.
から: kara — From; because; starting point or causal particle.
重荷: omoni — Heavy burden; a load that weighs on body or mind.
落ち: ochi (落ちる / ochiru) — To fall; to drop away from something above.
いく: iku (いく / 行く) — To go; auxiliary indicating gradual or continuing action.
感覚: kankaku — Sensation; a physical or mental feeling perceived.
だけ: dake — Only; just; nothing more than a certain thing.
全身: zenshin — Whole body; one's entire physical being from head to toe.
広がっ: hirogatt (広がる / hirogaru) — Spread; expanded outward across a wider area.

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