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】
氷水の代金を受け取る代わりに山嵐は、下宿の亭主も女房も迷惑しているので主人公に下宿から出て行くように言います。
●----------------------------------------------------------
"I'll take the price of the ice water, but I want you leave your boarding house."
"Take that coin; that's all there is to it. To leave or not,--that's my pleasure."
"But that is not your pleasure. The boss of your boarding house came to me yesterday and wanted me to tell you leave the house, and when I heard his explanation, what he said was reasonable. And I dropped there on my way here this morning to hear more details and make sure of everything."
What Porcupine was trying to get at was all dark to me.
"I don't care a snap what the boss was damn well pleased to tell you," I cried. "What do you mean by deciding everything by yourself! If there is any reason, tell me first. What's the matter with you, deciding what the boss says is reasonable without hearing me."
"Then you shall hear," he said. "You're too tough and been regarded a nuisance over there. Say, the wife of a boarding house is a wife, not a maid, and you've been such a four-flusher as to make her wipe your feet."
"When did I make her wipe my feet?" I asked.
"I don't know whether you did or did not, but anyway they're pretty sore about you. He said he can make ten or fifteen yen easily if he sell a roll of panel-picture."
"Damn the chap! Why did he take me for a boarder then!"
"I don't know why. They took you but they want you leave because they got tired of you. So you'd better get out."
"Sure, I will. Who'd stay in such a house even if they beg me on their knees. You're insolent to have induced me to go to such a false accuser in the first place."
"Might be either I'm insolent or you're tough." Porcupine is no less hot-tempered than I am, and spoke with equally loud voice. All the other teachers in the room, surprised, wondering what has happened, looked in our direction and craned their necks. I was not conscious of having done anything to be ashamed of, so I stood up and looked around. Clown alone was laughing amused. The moment he met my glaring stare as if to say "You too want to fight?" he suddenly assumed a grave face and became serious. He seemed to be a little cowed. Meanwhile the bugle was heard, and Porcupine and I stopped the quarrel and went to the class rooms.
dark 不明な
four-flusher 虚勢を張る人、詐欺師
be sore about 怒っている、しゃくにさわる
insolent 横柄な、傲慢な、無礼な
夏目漱石による原文は
こちら。
*** 慣用句を覚えよう ***
Back(背中)-1
back and belly
背と腹、衣食、前後から
back to back
背中合わせに、引き続いて
behind someone's back
ひそかに、陰で
break one's back at [to do]
懸命に働く、骨折る、大いに努力する
break the back of
(仕事の)峠を越す、~に負いきれぬ重荷を背負わす、~をくじく、殺す
get off someone's back
人を悩ます(苦しめる、非難する)のをやめる、人をほっておく
get [put, set] one's back up
おこる、頑固になる
give someone a back=make a back for someone
(馬跳びで)人に背中を貸す、人の跳び台になる
give someone the back=give the back to someone
人に背を向ける、人に背く
【参考】
▽
青空文庫