Part 5 of 5 · JLPT N3
狐 Kitsune, part 5: A Mother's Answer in the Night
In this part
Bunroku's mother plays along with his idea of turning into a fox. She promises that she and his father will become foxes too and go with him to the Karasune hills. When he asks what they would do if a hunter's dog caught up with them, she says she would limp slowly behind so that he and his father could escape. Bunroku refuses in tears and clings to her, and she quietly wipes her own eyes and puts his pillow back under his head.
AI translation · independently checked
「父ちゃんも母ちゃんも狐になる？」"Will Dad and Mom turn into foxes too?"
「そう、二人で、明日の晩げに下駄屋さんから新しい下駄を買って来て、いっしょに狐になるね。そうして、文六ちゃんの狐をつれて鴉根の方へゆきましょう」"Yes. Tomorrow night the two of us will buy new clogs from the clog shop, and we'll turn into foxes together with you. Then we'll take our little fox Bunroku and go off toward Karasune."
文六ちゃんは大きい眼をかがやかせて、Bunroku's big eyes shone.
「鴉根って、西の方？」"Karasune—is that out west?"
「成岩から西南の方の山だよ」"It's the hills to the southwest of Narawa."
「深い山？」"Deep in the mountains?"
「松の木が生えているところだよ」"It's a place where pine trees grow."
「猟師はいない？」"Are there any hunters?"
「猟師って鉄砲打ちのことかい？ 山の中だからいるかも知れんね」"Hunters—you mean men who shoot guns? It's out in the hills, so there might be some."
「猟師が撃ちに来たら、母ちゃんどうしよう？」"Mom, what'll we do if a hunter comes to shoot us?"
「深い洞穴の中にはいって三人で小さくなっていれば見つからないよ」"If the three of us go deep inside a cave and curl up small, nobody will find us."
「でも、雪が降ると餌がなくなるでしょう。餌を拾いに出たとき猟師の犬に見つかったらどうしよう」"But when the snow falls there won't be any food, will there? What'll we do if the hunter's dog finds us when we go out looking for food?"
「そしたら、いっしょうけんめい走って逃げましょう」"Then we'll run away as fast as we can."
「でも、父ちゃんや母ちゃんは速いでいいけど、僕は子供の狐だもん、おくれてしまうもん」"But you and Dad are fast, so you'll be all right. I'm only a baby fox. I'll fall behind!"
「父ちゃんと母ちゃんが両方から手をひっぱってあげるよ」"Dad and I will each take one of your hands and pull you along."
「そんなことをしてるうちに、犬がすぐうしろに来たら？」"But what if the dog gets right up behind us while you're doing that?"
お母さんはちょっと黙っていました。His mother was silent for a little while.
それから、ゆっくりいいました。Then she spoke slowly.
もうしんからまじめな声でした。Her voice was now completely serious.
「そしたら、母ちゃんは、びっこをひいてゆっくりいきましょう」Then Mom will limp along slowly.
「どうして？」"Why?"
「犬は母ちゃんに噛みつくでしょう、そのうちに猟師が来て、母ちゃんをしばってゆくでしょう。その間に、坊やとお父ちゃんは逃げてしまうのだよ」"The dog will bite me, won't it? And meanwhile the hunter will come and tie me up and take me away. While that's happening, you and Dad will get away, my little one."
文六ちゃんはびっくりしてお母さんの顔をまじまじと見ました。Bunroku was startled and stared hard at his mother's face.
「いやだよ、母ちゃん、そんなこと。そいじゃ、母ちゃんがなしになってしまうじゃないか」"No, Mom, I don't want that! Then you'd be gone!"
「でも、そうするよりしようがないよ、母ちゃんはびっこをひきひきゆっくりゆくよ」"But there's no other way. I'll limp and limp along, slowly."
「いやだったら、母ちゃん。母ちゃんがなくなるじゃないか」"I said no, Mom! You'd be gone!"
「でもそうするよりしようがないよ、母ちゃんは、びっこをひきひきゆっくりゆっくり……」"But there's no other way. I'll limp and limp along, slowly, slowly…"
「いやだったら、いやだったら、いやだったら！」"No! No! I said no!"
文六ちゃんはわめきたてながら、お母さんの胸にしがみつきました。Bunroku was crying out loudly as he clung to his mother's breast.
涙がどっと流れて来ました。His tears came pouring out.
お母さんも、ねまきのそででこっそり眼のふちをふきました、そして文六ちゃんがはねとばした、小さい枕を拾って、あたまの下にあてがってやりました。His mother, too, quietly wiped the corners of her eyes with the sleeve of her nightgown. Then she picked up the little pillow Bunroku had sent flying and tucked it back under his head.
Vocabulary
| Word | Meaning | JLPT |
|---|---|---|
| 晩げばんげ | evening, nightRegional form of 晩 (ばん). | — |
| 猟師りょうし | hunterDo not confuse it with 漁師 (りょうし, fisherman), which has the same reading. | — |
| 洞穴ほらあな | cave, den | — |
| 餌えさ | food (for animals), feedUsed for animals' food or for bait. It is not used for human meals. | N3 |
| いっしょうけんめいいっしょうけんめい | with all one's might, as hard as one candictionary form: 一生懸命 | N4 |
| しんからしんから | from the core, thoroughly (here: completely serious)dictionary form: 心からAn older reading of 心から (こころから). In this passage it means that she has become completely serious. | — |
| びっこをひいてびっこをひく | to limpdictionary form: びっこをひくDated. Today びっこ is considered offensive; use 足を引きずる instead. | — |
| 噛みつくかみつく | to bite into, to snap at | — |
| まじまじとまじまじと | (to stare) hard, fixedly | — |
| なしなし | gone, nothingdictionary form: 無しなしになる means "to be lost" or "to cease to exist". | N3 |
| わめきたてわめきたてる | to keep crying out loudly, to clamourdictionary form: わめきたてるThe suffix 〜たてる adds the idea of doing something loudly and without stopping. | — |
| しがみつきましたしがみつく | to cling to, to hold on tightdictionary form: しがみつく | — |
| はねとばしたはねとばす | to knock flying, to kick awaydictionary form: はねとばす | — |
| あてがってあてがう | to place against, to fit underdictionary form: あてがう | — |
Grammar
〜かも知れん N4 might, may
かも知れん is the colloquial and regional form of かもしれない. 〜ん replaces the negative ない, as in 知らん and わからん.
山の中だからいるかも知れんね
It's out in the hills, so there might be some.
〜で (= から) N2 because (dialect)
In this dialect, で after an adjective or verb gives a reason, like standard から. So 速いでいい means 速いからいい.
父ちゃんや母ちゃんは速いでいいけど
You and Dad are fast, so you'll be all right.
〜うちに N3 while, during
うちに marks a period of time during which something else happens. Here the other event is unexpected and unwelcome: the dog catches up.
そんなことをしてるうちに、犬がすぐうしろに来たら？
But what if the dog gets right up behind us while you're doing that?
〜より(ほかに)しようがない N3 there is no choice but to…
しようがない means "there is no way to do anything else". Placed after a verb with より, it means that this one course of action is the only option.
そうするよりしようがないよ
There's no other way.
Repeated masu-stem (ひきひき) N1 keep doing… while…
Saying a verb's masu-stem twice gives an adverb meaning "while repeatedly doing". It describes how an action is carried out and has a literary, expressive feel.
母ちゃんはびっこをひきひきゆっくりゆくよ
I'll limp and limp along, slowly.
〜ながら N4 while doing
ながら joins two actions done at the same time by the same person. Here Bunroku is crying out and clinging to his mother at once.
文六ちゃんはわめきたてながら、お母さんの胸にしがみつきました。
Bunroku was crying out loudly as he clung to his mother's breast.