Part 5 of 5 · JLPT N2
どんぐりと山猫 Donguri to Yamaneko, part 5: Golden Acorns and a Mushroom Carriage
In this part
The wildcat suggests a stiff new wording for its postcards, but Ichirō advises against it. As a reward Ichirō chooses golden acorns over a salted salmon head, and a mushroom carriage takes him home. As the carriage goes, the acorns lose their shine, and when it stops at his house the wildcat, driver and carriage vanish. No more postcards ever come, which Ichirō sometimes regrets.
AI translation · independently checked
一郎が「ええ、かまいません。」と申しますと、やまねこはまだなにか言いたそうに、しばらくひげをひねって、眼をぱちぱちさせていましたが、とうとう決心したらしく言い出しました。When Ichirō said, "Yes, I don't mind," the wildcat looked as if there was still something it wanted to say. For a while it twisted its whiskers and blinked its eyes, but at last it seemed to make up its mind and began to speak.
「それから、はがきの文句ですが、これからは、用事これありに付き、明日出頭すべしと書いてどうでしょう。」"Next, as regards the wording of the postcard: henceforth, what would you say to my writing, 'Business being at hand, you are hereby to present yourself tomorrow'?"
一郎はわらって言いました。Ichirō laughed and said,
「さあ、なんだか変ですね。そいつだけはやめた方がいいでしょう。」"Hmm, that sounds kind of strange. I think you'd better not use that one."
山猫は、どうも言いようがまずかった、いかにも残念だというふうに、しばらくひげをひねったまま、下を向いていましたが、やっとあきらめて言いました。The wildcat kept twisting its whiskers and looking down for a while, as if to say it had put things badly and was very sorry indeed, but at last it gave up and said,
「それでは、文句はいままでのとおりにしましょう。そこで今日のお礼ですが、あなたは黄金のどんぐり一升と、塩鮭のあたまと、どっちをおすきですか。」"In that case, the wording shall remain as it has always been. Now, as to your reward for today: which would you prefer, one shō of golden acorns, or the head of a salted salmon?"
「黄金のどんぐりがすきです。」"I'd like the golden acorns."
山猫は、鮭の頭でなくて、まあよかったというように、口早に馬車別当に云いました。As if relieved that it hadn't been the salmon head, the wildcat spoke hurriedly to the carriage driver.
「どんぐりを一升早くもってこい。一升にたりなかったら、めっきのどんぐりもまぜてこい。はやく。」"Bring one shō of acorns, and be quick about it. If there aren't enough to make one shō, mix in some gold-plated ones. Hurry!"
別当は、さっきのどんぐりをますに入れて、はかって叫びました。The driver put the acorns from before into a measuring box, measured them, and shouted,
「ちょうど一升あります。」"Exactly one shō, sir!"
山ねこの陣羽織が風にばたばた鳴りました。The wildcat's battle coat flapped and fluttered in the wind.
そこで山ねこは、大きく延びあがって、めをつぶって、半分あくびをしながら言いました。Then the wildcat stretched itself up tall, shut its eyes, and said, half yawning,
「よし、はやく馬車のしたくをしろ。」白い大きなきのこでこしらえた馬車が、ひっぱりだされました。"Very well. Make ready the carriage, quickly." A carriage made out of a big white mushroom was pulled out.
そしてなんだかねずみいろの、おかしな形の馬がついています。And harnessed to it was a funny-shaped horse of a sort of mousy grey.
「さあ、おうちへお送りいたしましょう。」山猫が言いました。"Now, permit me to see you home," said the wildcat.
二人は馬車にのり別当は、どんぐりのますを馬車のなかに入れました。The two of them got into the carriage, and the driver put the box of acorns inside.
ひゅう、ぱちっ。Whoosh, crack!
馬車は草地をはなれました。The carriage left the meadow.
木や藪がけむりのようにぐらぐらゆれました。Trees and thickets swayed and wobbled like smoke.
一郎は黄金のどんぐりを見、やまねこはとぼけたかおつきで、遠くをみていました。Ichirō looked at the golden acorns, and the wildcat gazed off into the distance with an innocent look on its face.
馬車が進むにしたがって、どんぐりはだんだん光がうすくなって、まもなく馬車がとまったときは、あたりまえの茶いろのどんぐりに変っていました。As the carriage went on, the acorns shone less and less brightly, and soon, when the carriage stopped, they had turned into ordinary brown acorns.
そして、山ねこの黄いろな陣羽織も、別当も、きのこの馬車も、一度に見えなくなって、一郎はじぶんのうちの前に、どんぐりを入れたますを持って立っていました。And the wildcat's yellow battle coat, the driver, and the mushroom carriage all vanished at once, and Ichirō was standing in front of his own house, holding the box of acorns.
それからあと、山ねこ拝というはがきは、もうきませんでした。After that, no more postcards signed "Respectfully, Wildcat" ever came.
やっぱり、出頭すべしと書いてもいいと言えばよかったと、一郎はときどき思うのです。Sometimes Ichirō thinks that he really should have told it that it was all right to write "you are hereby to present yourself."
Vocabulary
| Word | Meaning | JLPT |
|---|---|---|
| 決心けっしんする | to make up one's minddictionary form: 決心する決 decide + 心 heart. | — |
| ひねってひねる | to twist (whiskers, a moustache)dictionary form: ひねるTwisting whiskers or a moustache is a stock gesture of someone thinking hard. | N2 |
| 文句もんく | wording, phrasingAlso commonly means 'complaint' (文句を言う), but here it means the words written on the card. | N3 |
| 出頭しゅっとうする | to appear or report (to an authority, court, etc.)dictionary form: 出頭するOfficial and summons-like, which is why Ichirō finds it odd. | — |
| 残念ざんねん | regrettable, disappointing | N4 |
| 升しょう | shō, an old unit of volume (about 1.8 litres)Traditional measure for rice and grain; 一升 is read いっしょう. | — |
| 塩鮭しおざけ | salted salmonRendaku: しお + さけ → しおざけ. 鮭 is also read しゃけ in everyday speech. | — |
| 口早くちばや | speaking quickly, hurriedly | — |
| 別当べっとう | groom, carriage driverOld word for a man who looks after horses and drives a carriage. | — |
| めっきめっき | plating, gildingGold-plated acorns only look golden, a hint at how the reward fades. | — |
| ますます | square wooden measuring boxdictionary form: 枡Used to measure grain by units such as the shō. | — |
| 陣羽織じんばおり | battle coat; sleeveless surcoat worn over armourA samurai commander's garment that shows off the wildcat's self-importance. | — |
| こしらえたこしらえる | to make, to builddictionary form: こしらえるSlightly old-fashioned or colloquial for 作る. | N2 |
| とぼけたとぼける | to play innocent, to feign ignorancedictionary form: とぼけるとぼけた顔 is a look of pretending nothing is going on. | — |
| 拝はい | respectfully (written after a sender's name)A formal sign-off, as in 山ねこ拝 'Respectfully, Wildcat'. | — |
Grammar
〜たそうに N4 looking as if (one) wants to ~
The たい form (言いたい) plus そう describes how someone appears. With に it works as an adverb for how the wildcat behaved.
やまねこはまだなにか言いたそうに、しばらくひげをひねって
the wildcat, looking as if there was still something it wanted to say, twisted its whiskers for a while
〜べし N1 must ~, shall ~ (classical command)
A classical auxiliary that expresses obligation or command. It sounds stiff and official, which is why Ichirō finds the wording strange.
明日出頭すべしと書いてどうでしょう
what would you say to writing 'you are to present yourself tomorrow'?
〜た方がいい N4 had better ~
Past form plus 方がいい gives advice. Here Ichirō gently recommends dropping the new wording.
そいつだけはやめた方がいいでしょう
I think you'd better not use that one
〜たまま N4 while still ~, keeping ~
Past form plus まま means a state continues unchanged. The wildcat keeps twisting its whiskers while looking down.
しばらくひげをひねったまま、下を向いていました
it kept twisting its whiskers and looked down for a while
〜にしたがって N3 as ~ (proceeds), along with ~
Shows that one change happens in step with another. As the carriage moves on, the acorns gradually lose their shine.
馬車が進むにしたがって、どんぐりはだんだん光がうすくなって
as the carriage went on, the acorns gradually shone less brightly
〜ばよかった N4 should have ~ (regret)
The conditional ば plus よかった expresses regret about something one did not do. Ichirō wishes he had agreed to the wildcat's wording.
出頭すべしと書いてもいいと言えばよかった
he should have said it was all right to write 'you are to present yourself'