Part 4 of 6 · JLPT N2
蜘蛛となめくじと狸 Kumo to Namekuji to Tanuki, part 4: The Slug's Treacherous Cure
In this part
An injured lizard asks the slug for help. The slug pretends to lick its wound clean but slowly dissolves and swallows it, which explains how he grew so big. His reputation then sinks, the tanuki mocks him, and the following year a rain frog comes asking for water and challenges him to a sumo match, which the slug sees as his chance to eat it too.
AI translation · independently checked
「なめくじさん。今日は。お薬を少し呉れませんか。」と云いました。"Good day, Mr Slug. Would you give me a little medicine?" it said.
「どうしたのです。」となめくじは笑って聞きました。"What's the matter?" the slug asked with a laugh.
「へびに噛まれたのです。」ととかげが云いました。"I've been bitten by a snake," said the lizard.
「そんならわけはありません。私が一寸そこを嘗めてあげましょう。なあにすぐなおりますよ。ハッハハ。」となめくじは笑って云いました。"Why, then there's nothing to it. I'll just give the spot a little lick for you. Pooh, it'll heal in no time. Ha-ha-ha!" said the slug with a laugh.
「どうかお願い申します。」ととかげは足を出しました。"Please, I beg you," said the lizard, and held out its leg.
「ええ。よござんすとも。私とあなたとは云わば兄弟。ハッハハ。」となめくじは云いました。"Oh yes, certainly, certainly. You and I are brothers, so to speak. Ha-ha-ha!" said the slug.
そしてなめくじはとかげの傷に口をあてました。Then the slug put his mouth to the lizard's wound.
「ありがとう。なめくじさん。」ととかげは云いました。"Thank you, Mr Slug," said the lizard.
「も少しよく嘗めないとあとで大変ですよ。今度又来てももう直してあげませんよ。ハッハハ。」となめくじはもがもが返事をしながらやはりとかげを嘗めつづけました。"If I don't lick it a bit more thoroughly, you'll be in a bad way later on. And if you come back again, I shan't fix you up a second time, you know. Ha-ha-ha!" mumbled the slug through a full mouth, and he went on licking the lizard all the same.
「なめくじさん。何だか足が溶けたようですよ。」ととかげはおどろいて云いました。"Mr Slug, it feels somehow as if my leg has melted," said the lizard in alarm.
「ハッハハ。なあに。それほどじゃありません。ハッハハ。」となめくじはやはりもがもが答えました。"Ha-ha-ha! Pooh. Nothing of the sort. Ha-ha-ha!" the slug mumbled back as before.
「なめくじさん。おなかが何だか熱くなりましたよ。」ととかげは心配して云いました。"Mr Slug, my belly has gone strangely hot," said the lizard anxiously.
「ハッハハ。なあにそれほどじゃありません。ハッハハ。」となめくじはやはりもがもが答えました。"Ha-ha-ha! Pooh, nothing of the sort. Ha-ha-ha!" the slug mumbled back as before.
「なめくじさん。からだが半分とけたようですよ。もうよして下さい。」ととかげは泣き声を出しました。"Mr Slug, it seems half my body has melted. Please stop now," the lizard cried in a tearful voice.
「ハッハハ。なあにそれほどじゃありません。ほんのも少しです。も一分五厘ですよ。ハッハハ。」となめくじが云いました。"Ha-ha-ha! Pooh, nothing of the sort. Only the tiniest bit more. Just one and a half hundredths more, that's all. Ha-ha-ha!" said the slug.
それを聞いたとき、とかげはやっと安心しました。When it heard that, the lizard at last felt at ease.
丁度心臓がとけたのです。Its heart had melted at just that moment.
そこでなめくじはペロリととかげをたべました。And so the slug gobbled the lizard down in one slurp.
そして途方もなく大きくなりました。And he grew tremendously big.
あんまり大きくなったので嬉しまぎれについあの蜘蛛をからかったのでした。He had grown so very big that, carried away by his delight, he could not help teasing that spider.
そしてかえって蜘蛛からあざけられて、熱病を起したのです。And instead the spider jeered at him, and he came down with a fever.
そればかりではなく、なめくじの評判はどうもよくなくなりました。Not only that, but the slug's reputation somehow went bad.
なめくじはいつでもハッハハと笑って、そしてヘラヘラした声で物を言うけれども、どうも心がよくなくて蜘蛛やなんかよりは却って悪いやつだというのでみんなが軽べつをはじめました。The slug always laughed "Ha-ha-ha" and spoke in a simpering voice, but people said his heart was rotten and that he was an even worse fellow than the spider and the like, and so everyone began to look down on him.
殊に狸はなめくじの話が出るといつでもヘンと笑って云いました。The tanuki in particular would always give a scornful "Hmph!" of a laugh whenever the slug came up, and say:
「なめくじなんてまずいもんさ。ぶま加減は見られたもんじゃない。」"A slug? A sorry sort of thing, that. So clumsy he's not fit to be looked at."
なめくじはこれを聞いて怒って又病気になりました。When the slug heard this he got angry and fell ill again.
そのうちに蜘蛛は腐敗して雨で流れてしまいましたので、なめくじも少しせいせいしました。In the meantime the spider rotted away and was washed off by the rain, so the slug felt rather relieved.
次の年ある日雨蛙がなめくじの立派なおうちへやって参りました。One day the next year, a rain frog came calling at the slug's fine house.
そして、And,
「なめくじさん。こんにちは。少し水を呑ませませんか。」と云いました。"Good day, Mr Slug. Would you let me have a little water to drink?" it said.
なめくじはこの雨蛙もペロリとやりたかったので、思い切っていい声で申しました。The slug wanted to gobble up this rain frog too, so he put on his very sweetest voice and said:
「蛙さん。これはいらっしゃい。水なんかいくらでもあげますよ。ちかごろはひでりですけれどもなあに云わばあなたと私は兄弟。ハッハハ。」そして水がめの所へ連れて行きました。"Why, Mr Frog, welcome, welcome! Water? Have as much as you like. There's been a drought lately, but pooh, you and I are brothers, so to speak. Ha-ha-ha!" And he led the frog over to the water jar.
蛙はどくどくどくどく水を呑んでからとぼけたような顔をしてしばらくなめくじを見てから云いました。The frog drank gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp, and then, with a blank, innocent sort of face, looked at the slug for a while before saying:
「なめくじさん。ひとつすもうをとりましょうか。」"Mr Slug, shall we have a round of sumo?"
なめくじはうまいと、よろこびました。"Splendid!" thought the slug, delighted.
自分が云おうと思っていたのを蛙の方が云ったのです。The frog had said the very thing he himself had been meaning to say.
こんな弱ったやつならば五へん投げつければ大ていペロリとやれる。A weakling like this—throw it down five times and I can most likely gobble it right up.
Vocabulary
| Word | Meaning | JLPT |
|---|---|---|
| 嘗めてなめる | to lickdictionary form: 嘗めるUsually written 舐める today; it can also mean 'to look down on someone'. | N1 |
| よござんすよござんす | certainly; that's fineAn old-fashioned, somewhat showy polite form of よい (≈ よろしいです). | — |
| もがもがもがもが | (mumbling) indistinctly, with the mouth fullA sound-symbolic word; it hints that the slug's mouth is busy eating. | — |
| 溶けたとける | to melt; to dissolvedictionary form: 溶けるAlso written in kana in this passage (とけた). | N2 |
| 厘りん | a tiny unit: one tenth of a 分 (ぶ)一分五厘 is 'one and a half hundredths', i.e. a mere sliver. Used for percentages and small lengths. | — |
| 途方もなくとほうもない | tremendous; outrageous; beyond all reasondictionary form: 途方もないCompare 途方に暮れる 'to be at a loss'. | — |
| あざけられてあざける | to jeer at; to ridiculedictionary form: 嘲るPassive form here: 'was jeered at'. | — |
| 評判ひょうばん | reputation; what people say about someone | N3 |
| 軽べつけいべつ | contempt; looking down on someonedictionary form: 軽蔑Usually used as 軽蔑する. 蔑 is a difficult kanji, so it is often written in kana. | N1 |
| ぶまぶま | clumsiness; bunglingA variant of へま/どじ. Adding 加減 gives 'degree of clumsiness'. | — |
| 腐敗ふはい | decay; rottingA formal word for 腐る. It is also used for moral or political corruption. | N1 |
| せいせいせいせいする | to feel relieved; to feel refresheddictionary form: せいせいするOften used when something annoying has gone away. | — |
| ひでりひでり | drought; a long dry spelldictionary form: 日照り | — |
| 蛙かわず | frogかわず is the old, poetic reading. The everyday word is かえる. | — |
Grammar
〜てあげる N4 to do something for someone
The slug presents the licking as a favour he does for the lizard. The volitional form あげましょう makes it an offer: 'let me do it for you'. In this story the kindness is false.
私が一寸そこを嘗めてあげましょう。
I'll just give the spot a little lick for you.
〜ないと N4 if you don't…, (something bad happens)
A negative verb + と sets up a warning about what will follow. It is often left as …ないと on its own, meaning 'must'.
も少しよく嘗めないとあとで大変ですよ。
If I don't lick it a bit more thoroughly, you'll be in a bad way later on.
Verb stem + つづける N4 to keep on doing
Adding つづける to a verb stem shows that the action continues. Here the slug keeps on licking while he talks.
やはりとかげを嘗めつづけました。
He went on licking the lizard all the same.
〜ようだ N4 it seems / it feels as if
The lizard reports its own sensation as an impression rather than a certainty. 何だか ('somehow') adds to the vagueness.
何だか足が溶けたようですよ。
It feels somehow as if my leg has melted.
〜まぎれに N1 carried away by (an emotion), on the spur of
An adjective stem or noun + まぎれに means that a strong feeling made someone act without thinking. ついつい ('couldn't help it') often goes with it.
嬉しまぎれについあの蜘蛛をからかったのでした。
Carried away by his delight, he could not help teasing that spider.
〜ばかりではなく N3 not only…but also
そればかりではなく means 'not only that'. It adds a further, often worse, result to what was just said.
そればかりではなく、なめくじの評判はどうもよくなくなりました。
Not only that, but the slug's reputation somehow went bad.