Part 6 of 11 · JLPT N2
貝の火 Kai no Hi, part 6: Pride, Threats, and a Still-Bright Jewel
In this part
Homoi makes his animal helpers his 'colonels' but angrily threatens the mole who asks for a task. His father scolds him over the pile of berries and the mole's distress, and the family expects the Shell-Fire to have clouded over, but it burns brighter than ever and everyone is happy again. The next morning the fox flatters Homoi and offers to bring him something good and yellow; Homoi tells him to leave the mole alone but to bring a little of the food.
AI translation · independently checked
「ホモイ様。私どもにも何かおいいつけをねがいます」と申しました。"Master Homoi, we humbly beg you to give us some command as well," they said.
ホモイはすっかり悦んで、Homoi was delighted, and
「いいとも。お前たちはみんな僕の大佐にする。僕が呼んだら、きっとかけて来ておくれ」といいました。said, "Of course! I'll make every one of you my colonels. When I call, be sure to come running."
仔馬も悦んではねあがりました。The colt leapt up with joy too.
むぐらが土の中で泣きながら申しました。Down in the earth, the mole spoke through tears.
「ホモイさま、どうか私にもできるようなことをおいいつけください。きっと立派にいたしますから」"Master Homoi, please, give me a command too, something even I can do. I promise I will carry it out splendidly."
ホモイはまだおこっていましたので、But Homoi was still angry, so
「お前なんかいらないよ。今に狐が来たらお前たちの仲間をみんなひどい目にあわしてやるよ。見ておいで」と足ぶみをして言いました。he stamped his foot and said, "I don't need the likes of you! Soon, when the fox comes, I'll have him give all your companions a terrible time. Just you wait and see."
土の中ではひっそりとして声もなくなりました。Down in the earth everything went hushed, and not another sound came.
それからりすは、夕方までに鈴蘭の実をたくさん集めて、大騒ぎをしてホモイのうちへ運びました。After that, the squirrels gathered lots of lily-of-the-valley berries by evening and carried them to Homoi's house in a great commotion.
おっかさんが、その騒ぎにびっくりして出て見て言いました。Startled by all the noise, his mother came out to look and said,
「おや、どうしたの、りすさん」"Goodness, what's going on, squirrels?"
ホモイが横から口を出して、Homoi butted in from the side,
「おっかさん。僕の腕まえをごらん。まだまだ僕はどんな事でもできるんですよ」と言いました。saying, "Look, Mother, look how capable I am! And this is nothing. I can do anything at all, you know."
兎のお母さんは返事もなく黙って考えておりました。The mother rabbit gave no answer and stood thinking in silence.
するとちょうど兎のお父さんが戻って来て、その景色をじっと見てから申しました。Just then the father rabbit came home. He looked hard at the scene for a while, and then he said:
「ホモイ、お前は少し熱がありはしないか。むぐらをたいへんおどしたそうだな。むぐらの家では、もうみんなきちがいのようになって泣いてるよ。それにこんなにたくさんの実を全体誰がたべるのだ」"Homoi, haven't you got a bit of a fever? I hear you gave the mole a terrible fright. Over at the mole's house they're all crying as if they'd lost their wits. And who on earth is going to eat all these berries?"
ホモイは泣きだしました。Homoi burst into tears.
りすはしばらくきのどくそうに立って見ておりましたが、とうとうこそこそみんな逃げてしまいました。The squirrels stood watching for a while, looking sorry for him, but in the end they all slunk away.
兎のお父さんがまた申しました。The father rabbit spoke again.
「お前はもうだめだ。貝の火を見てごらん。きっと曇ってしまっているから」"You're finished now. Go and look at the Shell-Fire. I'm sure it has clouded over."
兎のおっかさんまでが泣いて、前かけで涙をそっとぬぐいながら、あの美しい玉のはいった瑪瑙の函を戸棚から取り出しました。Even the mother rabbit was crying. Gently wiping her tears with her apron, she took the agate box holding that beautiful jewel out of the cupboard.
兎のおとうさんは函を受けとって蓋をひらいて驚きました。The father rabbit took the box, opened the lid, and was astonished.
珠は一昨日の晩よりも、もっともっと赤く、もっともっと速く燃えているのです。The jewel was burning far, far redder and far, far faster than it had the night before last.
みんなはうっとりみとれてしまいました。Everyone gazed at it, spellbound.
兎のおとうさんはだまって玉をホモイに渡してご飯を食べはじめました。Without a word, the father rabbit handed the jewel to Homoi and began to eat his supper.
ホモイもいつか涙がかわきみんなはまた気持ちよく笑い出しいっしょにご飯をたべてやすみました。Before long Homoi's tears had dried too, and everyone began laughing happily again, ate supper together, and went to bed.
＊*
次の朝早くホモイはまた野原に出ました。Early the next morning, Homoi went out into the meadow again.
今日もよいお天気です。It was a fine day again today.
けれども実をとられた鈴蘭は、もう前のようにしゃりんしゃりんと葉を鳴らしませんでした。But the lilies of the valley whose berries had been picked no longer rang their leaves, sharin, sharin, as they used to.
向こうの向こうの青い野原のはずれから、狐が一生けん命に走って来て、ホモイの前にとまって、From the far, far edge of the green meadow the fox came running as fast as he could. He stopped in front of Homoi
「ホモイさん。昨日りすに鈴蘭の実を集めさせたそうですね。どうです。今日は私がいいものを見つけて来てあげましょう。and said, "Mister Homoi, I hear you had the squirrels gather lily-of-the-valley berries yesterday. How about this? Today I'll go and find you something good.
それは黄色でね、もくもくしてね、失敬ですが、ホモイさん、あなたなんかまだ見たこともないやつですぜ。It's yellow, see, and all soft and puffy, see, and, begging your pardon, Mister Homoi, it's the kind of thing the likes of you have never even laid eyes on.
それから、昨日むぐらに罰をかけるとおっしゃったそうですね。あいつは元来横着だから、川の中へでも追いこんでやりましょう」と言いました。And I hear you said yesterday you'd punish the mole. That fellow's lazy and cheeky by nature, so let's drive him into the river or something."
ホモイは、Homoi said,
「むぐらは許しておやりよ。僕もう今朝許したよ。けれどそのおいしいたべものは少しばかり持って来てごらん」と言いました。"Let the mole off. I already forgave him this morning. But do bring me a little of that tasty food."
「合点、合点。十分間だけお待ちなさい。十分間ですぜ」と言って狐はまるで風のように走って行きました。"Right you are, right you are! Wait just ten minutes. Ten minutes, mind you!" said the fox, and off he ran like the wind.
ホモイはそこで高く叫びました。Then Homoi gave a loud shout.
Vocabulary
| Word | Meaning | JLPT |
|---|---|---|
| おいいつけいいつけ | an order, a command (from a superior)dictionary form: 言いつけHonorific お makes it very humble when asking for one. | — |
| 大佐たいさ | colonelA military rank. Homoi is playing at being a commander. | — |
| むぐらむぐら | mole (dialect/older form of もぐら, as used by Miyazawa)Old or dialect form of もぐら. | — |
| 足ぶみあしぶみ | stamping one's feetdictionary form: 足踏みUsed with をする. | — |
| ひっそりひっそり | hushed, completely stillMimetic word for silence. Often used as ひっそりとする. | — |
| 腕まえうでまえ | skill, abilitydictionary form: 腕前Literally 'the front of the arm', meaning what you can do with your hands. | N1 |
| おどしたおどす | to threaten, to frightendictionary form: 脅す | N1 |
| きちがいきちがい | madness; madman (now offensive); きちがいのように = like mad, franticallydictionary form: 気違いOld usage. The word is now considered offensive and should be avoided. | — |
| 曇ってくもる | to cloud over, to become dulldictionary form: 曇るAlso used for weather. Here it describes the jewel losing its shine. | N5 |
| 瑪瑙めのう | agateA banded semi-precious stone. These are difficult kanji, usually written in kana. | — |
| みとれてみとれる | to gaze at in fascinationdictionary form: 見とれる | — |
| 元来がんらい | by nature, originallyFormal word. | N1 |
| 横着おうちゃく | lazy, shirking; cheeky | — |
| 合点がってん | Got it! Right you are!Old-fashioned, brisk word of agreement. Its tone fits the fox's servile manner. | — |
Grammar
〜ておくれ N3 please do (for me), familiar request
おくれ is the imperative of おくれる (くれる). It makes a gentle but plain request to someone of equal or lower status, here from Homoi to his new 'colonels'.
僕が呼んだら、きっとかけて来ておくれ
When I call, be sure to come running.
〜てやる N4 do something to/for someone (from above; often spiteful)
〜てやる: do something for or to someone, usually someone of equal or lower status; it can carry a spiteful nuance. With ひどい目にあわす ('give someone a hard time') it becomes a threat.
お前たちの仲間をみんなひどい目にあわしてやるよ
I'll give your whole family a terrible time.
〜はしないか N2 isn't it the case that…? (worried question)
〜はしない(か): は is inserted after the verb's ます-stem (あり＋は＋しない) for emphasis. As a question it expresses worry or suspicion rather than a plain yes/no question.
お前は少し熱がありはしないか
Haven't you got a bit of a fever?
〜そうだ (hearsay) N4 I hear that…
そうだ after a plain form reports information heard from someone else. The father and later the fox use it for news they have been told.
むぐらをたいへんおどしたそうだな
I hear you gave the mole a terrible fright.
〜させる (causative) N4 make or have someone do
集める becomes 集めさせる: Homoi had the squirrels do the gathering. The person made to act is marked with に.
昨日りすに鈴蘭の実を集めさせたそうですね
I hear you had the squirrels gather lily-of-the-valley berries yesterday.
〜ですぜ N1 sentence-final emphasis (rough, familiar)
ぜ added to polite です gives a strange mix of politeness and swagger. This mix marks the fox's slippery, streetwise way of speaking.
あなたなんかまだ見たこともないやつですぜ
It's the kind of thing the likes of you have never even laid eyes on.