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】
騒ぎを起こした寄宿生には厳しい処分をすべきだと発言した山嵐に対して、主人公はそれまでの喧嘩も忘れてうれしくなります。
●----------------------------------------------------------
Porcupine, who up to this time had been listening to the others, stood up with some show of spirit. Ha, the fellow was going to endorse the views of Red Shirt, eh? You and I got to fight it out anyway, I thought, so do any way you darn please. Porcupine spoke in a thunderous voice:
"I entirely differ from the opinions of the head teacher and other gentlemen. Because, viewed from whatever angle, this incident cannot be other than an attempt by those fifty students in the dormitory to make a fool of a new teacher. The head teacher seems to trace the cause of the trouble to the personality of that teacher himself, but, begging his pardon, I think he is mistaken. The night that new teacher was on night duty was not long after his arrival, not more than twenty days after he had come into contact with the students. During those short twenty days, the students could have no reason to criticise his knowledges or his person. If he was insulted for some cause which deserved insult, there may be reasons in our considering the act of the students, but if we show undue leniency toward the frivolous students who would insult a new teacher without cause, it would affect the dignity of this school. The spirit of education is not only in imparting technical knowledges, but also in encouraging honest, ennobling and samurai-like virtues, while eliminating the evil tendency to vulgarity and roughness. If we are afraid of reaction or further trouble, and satisfy ourselves with make-shifts, there is no telling when we can ever get rid of this evil atmosphere. We are here to eradicate this very evil. If we mean to countenance it, we had better not accepted our positions here. For these reasons, I believe it proper to punish the students in the dormitory to the fullest extent and also make them apologize to that teacher in the open."
All were quiet. Red Shirt again began polishing his pipe. I was greatly elated. He spoke almost what I had wanted to. I'm such a simple-hearted fellow that I forgot all about the bickerings with Porcupine, and looked at him with a grateful face, but he appeared to take no notice of me.
endorse 是認する、支持する
impart 伝える、授ける
ennoble 気高くする
eradicate 根絶する
countenance …に賛意を示す、是認する、支持する
in the open 公然と
simple-hearted 純真な、無邪気な
bickering 口論
夏目漱石による原文はこちら。
＊＊＊ 慣用句を覚えよう ＊＊＊
Leg（脚）－１
be all legs
背ばかり（ひょろひょろ）伸びている
break a leg
（俳優に向かって）成功を祈る
fall on one's leg
（猫のように）落ちてもうまく足で立つ、運がよい
find one's legs
feel one's legs
足もとがしっかりする、自信がつく
get a leg in ...
…の信用を得る、…に取り入る
get a leg up
馬（乗物）に乗せてもらう、支援を受ける
someone's ass is on the line
危険に身を置いている、危険な責任を負っている
get someone back on his legs
人を健康に復させる、人を（経済的に）独立させる
get [be] (up) on one's legs
（長時間）立っている（歩きまわる）、立って演説をする、歩けるようになる、独立する、繁盛する
【参考】
▽青空文庫
