White nights, and other stories — Page 15
No kind-hearted woman, unless she were stupid or, still more, vexed about something at the moment, could bring herself to send you away without those two words which you ask for so timidly....
心優しい女性なら、よほど愚かであるか、あるいはその時何かに苛立っていない限り、あなたがそんなに遠慮がちにお願いしているその二言を言わずに追い払うような真似はできないはずです……
But what am I saying? Of course she would take you for a madman.
でも、何を言っているのでしょう？もちろん彼女はあなたを狂人だと思うでしょう。
I was judging by myself; I know a good deal about other people's lives."
私は自分自身を基準に考えていました。他人の生活についても、ずいぶんよく知っているつもりです。」
"Oh, thank you," I cried; "you don't know what you have done for me now!"
「ああ、ありがとうございます」と私は叫んだ。「あなたが今、私のためにどれほどのことをしてくださったか、おわかりにならないでしょう！」
"I am glad! I am glad! But tell me how did you find out that I was the sort of woman with whom ... well, whom you think worthy ... of attention and friendship ... in fact, not a landlady as you say?
「嬉しいわ！嬉しいわ！でも教えてください、私があなたの言う……そう、注目と友情に値すると思えるような女性だと……つまり、あなたの言う下宿屋のおかみではないとどうしてわかったのですか？
What made you decide to come up to me?"
私に声をかけようと決めたのは何故ですか？」
"What made me?... But you were alone; that gentleman was too insolent; it's night. You must admit that it was a duty...."
「何故かって？……でもあなたは一人でいた。あの男はあまりにも無礼だった。夜でしたし。それは義務だったと認めざるを得ないでしょう……」
"No, no; I mean before, on the other side--you know you meant to come up to me."
「いいえ、違うの。さっき、向こう側にいた時のことを言っているの――あなたは最初から私に声をかけるつもりだったでしょう。」
"On the other side? Really I don't know how to answer; I am afraid to....
「向こう側で？本当にどう答えたらいいかわかりません。怖くて……
Do you know I have been happy to-day? I walked along singing; I went out into the country; I have never had such happy moments.
今日はとても幸せだったのをご存知ですか？歌いながら歩き、田舎へ出かけました。こんなに幸せなひとときを過ごしたことはかつてありませんでした。
You ... perhaps it was my fancy.... Forgive me for referring to it; I fancied you were crying, and I ... could not bear to hear it ... it made my heart ache.... Oh, my goodness!
あなたが……もしかしたら私の思い違いかもしれません……そのことを持ち出すことをお許しください。あなたが泣いているように思えて、私は……聞いていられなかった……胸が痛かった……ああ、なんということだ！
Vocabulary
- 心
- kokoro — Heart, mind, or inner feelings of a person.
- 優しい
- yasashii — Kind, gentle, or tender in character.
- 女性
- josei — Woman or female person.
- なら
- nara — Conditional particle meaning 'if' or 'in that case'.
- よほど
- yohodo — To a considerable degree; quite; considerably.
- 愚か
- oroka — Foolish, stupid, or lacking good judgment.
- ある
- aru — To exist or be (for inanimate things).
- 時
- toki — Time, moment, or occasion.
- 何か
- nanika — Something; some unspecified thing or matter.
- 苛立つ
- iradatsu — To feel irritated, frustrated, or annoyed.
- 限り
- kagiri — As long as; limit; unless a condition is met.
- あなた
- anata — You; second-person pronoun in Japanese.
- 遠慮がち
- enryogachi — Tending to be reserved, hesitant, or restrained.
- お願い
- onegai — A request or favor asked of someone.
- 二言
- futagoto — Saying the same thing twice; going back on words.
- 追い払う
- oiharau — To drive away, chase off, or dismiss someone.
- 真似
- mane — Imitation, mimicry, or pretending to do something.
- できる
- dekiru — To be able to do; to be possible.
- はず
- hazu — Expected to be; supposed to; should logically be.
- でも
- demo — But, however; conjunction showing contrast or concession.
- 何
- nani — What; an interrogative pronoun for things.
- でしょう
- deshou — Probably; right?; expression of conjecture or confirmation.
- もちろん
- mochiron — Of course, certainly, naturally.
- 彼女
- kanojo — She, her, or girlfriend.
- 狂人
- kyoujin — Madman, lunatic, or mentally disturbed person.
- 思う
- omou — To think, feel, or believe something.
- 私
- watashi — I, me; first-person singular pronoun.
- 自分
- jibun — Oneself; reflexive pronoun referring to the speaker.
- 自身
- jishin — Oneself; emphasizing personal identity or experience.
- 基準
- kijun — Standard, criterion, or benchmark for judgment.
- 考え
- kangae — Thought, idea, or way of thinking.
- 他人
- tanin — Other people; strangers; those outside oneself.
- 生活
- seikatsu — Daily life, lifestyle, or way of living.
- ずいぶん
- zuibun — Quite, considerably, or rather a lot.
- よく
- yoku — Well, often, or thoroughly.
- 知る
- shiru — To know, learn, or become aware of.
- つもり
- tsumori — Intention, plan, or assumption about something.
- ああ
- aa — Ah, oh; exclamation of realization or emotion.
- ありがとうございます
- arigatou gozaimasu — Thank you very much; formal expression of gratitude.
- 叫ぶ
- sakebu — To shout, cry out, or exclaim loudly.
- 今
- ima — Now, currently, at this moment.
- ため
- tame — For the sake of; because of; purpose or benefit.
- どれほど
- dorehodo — How much; to what extent or degree.
- ください
- kudasai — Please give me; please do (polite request form).
- おわかり
- owakari — Do you understand?; polite form of 'わかる'.
- 嬉しい
- ureshii — Happy, glad, or pleased about something.
- 教える
- oshieru — To teach, tell, or inform someone of something.
- 言う
- iu — To say, speak, or tell.
- 注目
- chuumoku — Attention, notice, or focus directed toward something.
- 友情
- yuujou — Friendship, camaraderie, or bonds between friends.
- 値する
- ataisuru — To be worth, deserve, or merit something.
- 思える
- omoeru — To seem, appear, or feel like something.
- つまり
- tsumari — In other words, that is to say, in short.
- 下宿屋
- geshukuya — Boarding house or lodging house for tenants.
- おかみ
- okami — Landlady or female proprietor of an establishment.
- わかる
- wakaru — To understand, comprehend, or become clear.
- 声
- koe — Voice or sound produced by a person.
- かける
- kakeru — To call out to; to hang; to apply; to speak to.
- 決める
- kimeru — To decide, determine, or settle upon something.
- 何故
- naze — Why; for what reason or cause.
- 一人
- hitori — One person; alone; by oneself.
- あの
- ano — That (over there); used to refer to something distant.
- 男
- otoko — Man, male person.
- あまり
- amari — Too much; not very (with negatives); excessively.
- 無礼
- burei — Rudeness, impoliteness, or discourteous behavior.
- 夜
- yoru — Night, evening, or nighttime.
- 義務
- gimu — Duty, obligation, or responsibility one must fulfill.
- 認める
- mitomeru — To acknowledge, admit, or recognize something.
- 得る
- eru — To get, obtain, or be able to do something.
- いいえ
- iie — No; negative response or polite disagreement.
- 違う
- chigau — To differ, be wrong, or be incorrect.
- さっき
- sakki — A short while ago; just a moment before.
- 向こう
- mukou — Over there; the other side; far side.
- 側
- gawa — Side, direction, or party in a relationship.
- 最初
- saisho — The very beginning; first; at the start.
- から
- kara — From; because; since; starting point particle.
- 本当
- hontou — Truth, reality; truly, really, genuinely.
- 答える
- kotaeru — To answer, respond, or reply to something.
- いい
- ii — Good, fine, okay, or acceptable.
- わかりません
- wakarimasen — I don't understand; polite negative of wakaru.
- 怖い
- kowai — Scary, frightening, or afraid of something.
- 今日
- kyou — Today; this day.
- とても
- totemo — Very, extremely, or quite (intensifier).
- 幸せ
- shiawase — Happiness, good fortune, or being blessed.
- ご存知
- gozonji — Honorific expression for knowing; do you know?
- 歌う
- utau — To sing a song or melody.
- ながら
- nagara — While doing; simultaneous action conjunction.
- 歩く
- aruku — To walk, stroll, or go on foot.
- 田舎
- inaka — Countryside, rural area, or one's hometown.
- 出かける
- dekakeru — To go out, head out, or leave for somewhere.
- こんな
- konna — This kind of; such; like this.
- ひととき
- hitotoki — A moment, a brief time, or a short while.
- 過ごす
- sugosu — To spend time; to pass time in some way.
- かつて
- katsute — Once, formerly, or at some time in the past.
- もしか
- moshika — Perhaps, possibly, or maybe (used with uncertainty).
- 思い違い
- omoichigai — Misunderstanding, mistaken belief, or wrong assumption.
- 持ち出す
- mochidasu — To bring up a topic; to take something out.
- お許し
- oyurushi — Pardon, forgiveness, or permission (polite form).
- 泣く
- naku — To cry, weep, or shed tears.
- 聞く
- kiku — To listen, hear, or ask someone something.
- 胸
- mune — Chest, breast, or one's heart emotionally.
- 痛い
- itai — Painful, sore, or hurting physically or emotionally.
- なんという
- nanto iu — What a …!; exclamation expressing strong emotion or surprise.
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