小説を読みながら、語彙を増やしましょう。
夏目漱石の小説『坊っちゃん』の原文と毛利八十太郎が英訳した “Botchan (Master Darling)” を併せて見ていきます。
【あらすじ】
貧しい夕食を取ったあとに時間をもてあまし、宿直室を抜け出して温泉に出かけた主人公は、その帰り道で狸(校長)に出くわします。
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To remain alone in the school after the faculty and students had gone home, was something particularly awkward. The room for the night watch was in the rear of the school building at the west end of the dormitory. I stepped inside to see how it was, and finding it squarely facing the setting sun, I thought I would melt. In spite of autumn having already set in, the hot spell still lingered, quite in keeping with the dilly-dally atmosphere of the country. I ordered the same kind of meal as served for the students, and finished my supper. The meal was unspeakably poor. It was a wonder they could subsist on such miserable stuff and keep on "roughing it" in that lively fashion. Not only that, they were always hungry for supper, finishing it at 4.30 in the afternoon. They must be heroes in a sense. I had thus my supper, but the sun being still high, could not go to bed yet. I felt like going to the hot-springs. I did not know the wrong or right of night watch going out, but it was oppressively trying to stand a life akin to heavy imprisonment. When I called at the school the first time and inquired about night watch, I was told by the janitor that he had just gone out and I thought it strange. But now by taking the turn of night watch myself, I could fathom the situation; it was right for any night watch to go out. I told the janitor that I was going out for a minute. He asked me "on business?" and I answered "No," but to take a bath at the hot springs, and went out straight. It was too bad that I had left my red towel at home, but I would borrow one over there for to-day.
I took plenty of time in dipping in the bath and as it became dark at last, I came to the Furumachi Station on a train. It was only about four blocks to the school; I could cover it in no time. When I started walking schoolwards, Badger was seen coming from the opposite direction. Badger, I presumed, was going to the hot springs by this train. He came with brisk steps, and as we passed by, I nodded my courtesy. Then Badger, with a studiously owlish countenance, asked:
"Am I wrong to understand that you are night watch?"
dormitory 寮
squarely 真正面に、まともに
hot spell 暑さ続き
linger なかなか去らない、長引く
dilly-dally ぐずぐずする、のらくらする
subsist 生存する、生活する
akin 似通った、類似して
heavy imprisonment 重禁錮
studiously 慎重に
owlish しかつめらしい、まじめくさった
countenance 顔つき
夏目漱石による原文は
こちら。
*** 慣用句を覚えよう ***
Ear(耳)‐1
about [around] someone's ears
人のまわり(身辺)に(起こる)、人を襲うようにして完全に(くずれ落ちるなど)
a flea in one's [the] ear
叱責、苦言、あてこすり
a word in someone's ear
耳打ち、忠告、内緒話
be all ears
一心に耳を傾ける
bend someone's ear
(相手が)うんざりするほどしゃべりまくる
bring a storm about one's ears
まわりからごうごうたる非難を浴びる
bring someone down about his/her ears
瓦解(失敗)させる
burn someone's ears
(どなりつけたり毒舌を浴びせたりして)顔のほてる思いをさせる
cannot believe one's ears
聞いた事(自分の耳)が信じられない
catch [fall on, come to, reach] someone's ears
耳にはいる、聞こえてくる
chew someone's ear off
長々としゃべる、小言を言う
close [shut, stop] one's ears
耳をかさない、全く聞こうとしない
【参考】
▽
青空文庫