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】
自分が親しみを覚えている山嵐はよくない奴だと赤シャツ(教頭)から忠告された主人公は、それが本当ならもっと単刀直入に言葉や態度に出せばいいのにと思います。
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CHAPTER VI
I heartily despise Clown. It would be beneficial for Japan if such a fellow were tied to a quernstone and dumped into the sea. As to Red Shirt, his voice did not suit my fancy. I believe he suppresses his natural tones to put on airs and assume genteel manner. He may put on all kinds of airs, but nothing good will come of it with that type of face. If anything falls in love with him, perhaps the Madonna will be about the limit. As a head-teacher, however, he is more serious than Clown. As he did not say definitely, I cannot get to the point, but it appears that he warned me to look-out for Porcupine as he is crooked. If that was the case, he should have declared it like a man. And if Porcupine is so bad a teacher as that, it would be better to discharge him. What a lack of backbone for a head teacher and a Bachelor of Arts! As he is a fellow so cautious as to be unable to mention the name of the other even in a whisper, he is surely a mollycoddle. All mollycoddles are kind, and that Red Shirt may be as kind as a woman. His kindness is one thing, and his voice quite another, and it would be wrong to disregard his kindness on account of his voice. But then, isn't this world a funny place! The fellow I don't like is kind to me, and the friend whom I like is crooked,--how absurd! Probably everything here goes in opposite directions as it is in the country, the contrary holds in Tokyo. A dangerous place, this. By degrees, fires may get frozen and custard pudding petrified. But it is hardly believable that Porcupine would incite the students, although he might do most anything he wishes as he is best liked among them. Instead of taking in so roundabout a way, in the first place, it would have saved him a lot of trouble if he came direct to me and got at me for a fight. If I am in his way, he had better tell me so, and ask me to resign because I am in his way. There is nothing that cannot be settled by talking it over. If what he says sounds reasonable, I would resign even tomorrow. This is not the only town where I can get bread and butter; I ought not to die homeless wherever I go. I thought Porcupine was a better sport.
heartily 心から、本気で
quernstone 石臼(原文では「沢庵石」)
airs 気取った態度
genteel 気取った、偽善的な
mollycoddle めめしい男、弱虫、腰抜け
petrified 石のように硬くなった
bread and butter 飯の種、収入を得るための手段
sport 話のわかる人
夏目漱石による原文は
こちら。
*** 慣用句を覚えよう ***
Finger(親指以外の指)‐2
lay [put] a finger on ...
…に(害意をもって)触れる、…に手をかける、…をなぐる
let ... [allow ... to] slip through one's fingers
…を手の中から(うっかり)するりと落とす、(好機などを)のがす
lift [raise] the little finger
(過度に)酒を飲む
look through one's fingers at ...
…をそっと見る、見て見ぬふりをする
My little finger told me that
…と風の便りに聞いた
not lift [move, raise, stir, turn] a finger (to do)
(…するために)指一本動かさない、少しも(…をする)労をとらない
point a [the, one's] finger at
(犯人・責任のある人物など)を指し示す、…を公然と責める(非難する)
point finger at ...
(軽蔑して)…を指さす
pull [get, take] one's finger out
(態度を改めて)けんめいに働き始める、発奮する
put [lay] one's [a] finger on ...
(問題点・原因など)をはっきりと指摘する、特定する、(ありかなど)を見つける
put [lay] the finger on ...
…が犯人だと言う、密告する、(人・場所)を犯行の目標として実行者に指示する
【参考】
▽
青空文庫