Part 5 of 6 · JLPT N2
蜘蛛となめくじと狸 Kumo to Namekuji to Tanuki, part 5: The Frog's Salt Trick and the Tanuki's Sermon
In this part
A tree frog wrestling the slug scatters salt on the ring, so the slug's foot melts, and the frog cheerfully swallows him. The story then turns to the tanuki, who pretends to be a holy man. While chanting 'Namaneko' and preaching that everything is the will of the Great Wildcat God, he eats a starving rabbit's ears and then its arms, and the rabbit thanks him for it.
AI translation · independently checked
「とりましょう。よっしょ。そら。ハッハハ。」かえるはひどく投げつけられました。"Let's wrestle. Heave-ho. There. Ha-ha-ha." The frog was thrown down hard.
「もう一ぺんやりましょう。ハッハハ。よっしょ。そら。ハッハハ。」かえるは又投げつけられました。"Let's have one more go. Ha-ha-ha. Heave-ho. There. Ha-ha-ha." The frog was thrown down again.
するとかえるは大へんあわててふところから塩のふくろを出して云いました。Then the frog, in a great flurry, took a bag of salt out of the front of his robe and said:
「土俵へ塩をまかなくちゃだめだ。そら。シュウ。」塩がまかれました。"It's no good unless we scatter salt on the ring. There. Whoosh." And the salt was scattered.
なめくじが云いました。The slug said:
「かえるさん。こんどはきっと私なんかまけますね。あなたは強いんだもの。ハッハハ。よっしょ。そら。ハッハハ。」蛙はひどく投げつけられました。"Mr. Frog, this time I'm sure a fellow like me will lose. You're so strong, after all. Ha-ha-ha. Heave-ho. There. Ha-ha-ha." The frog was thrown down hard.
そして手足をひろげて青じろい腹を空に向けて死んだようになってしまいました。And he lay sprawled with arms and legs spread out, his pale bluish belly turned up to the sky, as if he were dead.
銀色のなめくじは、すぐペロリとやろうと、そっちへ進みましたがどうしたのか足がうごきません。The silver slug started toward him, meaning to gobble him up at once, but for some reason his foot would not move.
見るともう足が半分とけています。He looked, and his foot was already half melted away.
「あ、やられた。塩だ。畜生。」となめくじが云いました。"Ah, he's got me. It's the salt. Curse it!" said the slug.
蛙はそれを聞くと、むっくり起きあがってあぐらをかいて、かばんのような大きな口を一ぱいにあけて笑いました。When the frog heard this, he sat up with a jerk, crossed his legs, opened his great satchel of a mouth as wide as it would go, and laughed.
そしてなめくじにおじぎをして云いました。Then he bowed to the slug and said:
「いや、さよなら。なめくじさん。とんだことになりましたね。」"Well, goodbye, Mr. Slug. Things have taken a terrible turn, haven't they?"
なめくじが泣きそうになって、The slug, on the verge of tears,
「蛙さん。さよ……。」と云ったときもう舌がとけました。said, "Mr. Frog, good…" and at that moment his tongue melted away.
雨蛙はひどく笑いながらThe tree frog, laughing heartily,
「さよならと云いたかったのでしょう。本当にさよならさよなら。暗い細路を通って向うへ行ったら私の胃袋にどうかよろしく云って下さいな。」と云いながら銀色のなめくじをペロリとやりました。said, "You wanted to say goodbye, I suppose. Goodbye indeed, goodbye, goodbye. When you've gone down that dark narrow path to the other side, do give my regards to my stomach, won't you?" And with that he gobbled up the silver slug.
三、顔を洗わない狸Three: The Tanuki Who Does Not Wash His Face
狸は顔を洗いませんでした。The tanuki did not wash his face.
それもわざと洗わなかったのです。What's more, he left it unwashed on purpose.
狸は丁度蜘蛛が林の入口の楢の木に、二銭銅貨位の巣をかけた時、すっかりお腹が空いて一本の松の木によりかかって目をつぶっていました。Just at the time when the spider spun a web the size of a two-sen copper coin on the oak tree at the entrance to the wood, the tanuki was utterly starving, leaning against a pine tree with his eyes closed.
すると兎がやって参りました。Then along came a rabbit.
「狸さま。こうひもじくては全く仕方ございません。もう死ぬだけでございます。」"Honoured Tanuki, being this hungry, there is truly nothing to be done. All that is left for me is to die."
狸がきもののえりを掻き合せて云いました。The tanuki pulled the collar of his robe together and said:
「そうじゃ。みんな往生じゃ。山猫大明神さまのおぼしめしどおりじゃ。な。なまねこ。なまねこ。」"Even so. All of us pass on. 'Tis all according to the holy will of the Great Wildcat God. Aye. Namaneko. Namaneko."
兎も一緒に念猫をとなえはじめました。The rabbit, too, began to recite the cat-prayer along with him.
「なまねこ、なまねこ、なまねこ、なまねこ。」"Namaneko, namaneko, namaneko, namaneko."
狸は兎の手をとってもっと自分の方へ引きよせました。The tanuki took the rabbit by the hand and drew it closer to himself.
「なまねこ、なまねこ、みんな山猫さまのおぼしめしどおり、なまねこ。なまねこ。」と云いながら兎の耳をかじりました。"Namaneko, namaneko, all according to the holy will of the Wildcat, namaneko. Namaneko," he said, and nibbled the rabbit's ear.
兎はびっくりして叫びました。The rabbit cried out in surprise.
「あ痛っ。狸さん。ひどいじゃありませんか。」"Ouch! Mr. Tanuki, isn't that a cruel thing to do?"
狸はむにゃむにゃ兎の耳をかみながら、The tanuki, munching and mumbling on the rabbit's ear,
「なまねこ、なまねこ、みんな山猫さまのおぼしめしどおり。なまねこ。」と云いながら、とうとう兎の両方の耳をたべてしまいました。said, "Namaneko, namaneko, all according to the holy will of the Wildcat. Namaneko," and in the end he ate up both of the rabbit's ears.
兎もそうきいていると、たいへんうれしくてボロボロ涙をこぼして云いました。As the rabbit listened to this, it grew so very happy that it shed great streams of tears and said:
「なまねこ、なまねこ。ああありがたい、山猫さま。私のような悪いものでも助かりますなら耳の二つやそこらなんでもございませぬ。なまねこ。」"Namaneko, namaneko. Oh, how blessed, Lord Wildcat! If even a wicked creature such as I may be saved, then a pair of ears or so is nothing at all. Namaneko."
狸もそら涙をボロボロこぼしてThe tanuki, too, shed great streams of false tears,
「なまねこ、なまねこ、私のようなあさましいものでも助かりますなら手でも足でもさしあげまする。ああありがたい山猫さま。みんなおぼしめしのまま。」と云いながら兎の手をむにゃむにゃ食べました。and said, "Namaneko, namaneko, if even a wretched sinner such as I may be saved, I shall offer up my hands, aye, my very feet. Oh, how blessed, Lord Wildcat. All as Thy holy will ordains," and he munched away at the rabbit's arms.
兎はますますよろこんで、The rabbit grew more and more overjoyed,
「ああありがたや、山猫さま。私のようないくじないものでも助かりますなら手の二本やそこらはいといませぬ。なまねこ、なまねこ。」"Oh, blessed be, Lord Wildcat! If even a feeble, faint-hearted creature such as I may be saved, I begrudge not a pair of arms or so. Namaneko, namaneko."
Vocabulary
| Word | Meaning | JLPT |
|---|---|---|
| 投げつけられましたなげつける | to throw (something) down hard, to flingdictionary form: 投げつけるHere it is passive: the frog is the one thrown. | — |
| ふところふところ | the fold at the front of a kimono, used as a pocketdictionary form: 懐Also used figuratively for 'one's wallet' or 'bosom'. | — |
| 土俵どひょう | sumo wrestling ringSumo wrestlers throw salt into the ring to purify it, which is the frog's excuse here. | N1 |
| ペロリぺろり | (gobbling) in one lick or gulpdictionary form: ぺろりOnomatopoeia. ペロリとやる means 'to gulp down in one go'. | — |
| 畜生ちくしょう | damn it!, curse it!Literally 'beast'. Used as a rough curse. | N1 |
| あぐらをかいてあぐらをかく | to sit cross-leggeddictionary form: あぐらをかくA relaxed, informal way to sit, unlike formal seiza. | — |
| とんだとんだ | terrible, unexpected (and unfortunate)Used only before nouns: とんだこと 'a dreadful business'. | N1 |
| ひもじくてひもじい | starving, very hungrydictionary form: ひもじいOld-fashioned. Everyday speech uses お腹が空いた. | — |
| 往生おうじょう | passing away; (Buddhist) being reborn in paradiseThe tanuki uses pious Buddhist vocabulary. | — |
| おぼしめしおぼしめし | (divine) will, wishes of a superiordictionary form: 思し召しA very respectful word for someone's intention. | — |
| なまねこなまねこ | Namaneko (the tanuki's chant)A parody of なむあみだぶつ (namu amida butsu) with ねこ 'cat' swapped in. Likewise 念猫 (ねんねこ) parodies 念仏 'Buddhist prayer'. | — |
| かじりましたかじる | to nibble, to gnaw ondictionary form: かじる | N2 |
| そら涙そらなみだ | false tears, crocodile tearsdictionary form: 空涙空 (そら) as a prefix can mean 'empty, fake', as in そら笑い. | — |
| あさましいあさましい | wretched, base, shamefuldictionary form: 浅ましいA humble self-description in religious language. | N1 |
| いくじないいくじない | spineless, faint-hearteddictionary form: 意気地ないUsually written 意気地[いくじ]がない. | — |
Grammar
〜なくちゃだめだ N4 must ~; it's no good unless ~
なくちゃ is the casual contraction of なくては. Followed by だめだ, it means the action is required. The frog uses it to make his salt trick sound like a rule.
土俵へ塩をまかなくちゃだめだ。
It's no good unless we scatter salt on the ring.
〜そうになる N4 to be about to ~, on the verge of ~
The verb stem plus そうになる describes something that almost happens. 泣きそうになって means 'nearly crying'.
なめくじが泣きそうになって、
The slug, on the verge of tears,
〜たようになる N3 to become as if ~
ように after a past-tense verb compares a state to something it is not really. The frog only looks dead. てしまいました adds the sense that this happened completely.
死んだようになってしまいました。
He lay as if he were dead.
〜ますなら N3 if ~ (polite conditional)
なら sets up a condition: 'if it is the case that ~'. Attaching it to the polite ます form gives the prayer an old-fashioned, deferential tone.
私のような悪いものでも助かりますなら耳の二つやそこらなんでもございませぬ。
If even a wicked creature such as I may be saved, then a pair of ears or so is nothing at all.
〜ませぬ N1 archaic polite negative (= ません)
ぬ is the classical negative ending, so ませぬ is an old form of ません. Together with ありがたや and まする, it gives the prayers a pious, archaic sound.
手の二本やそこらはいといませぬ。
I begrudge not a pair of arms or so.
〜でも〜でも N4 whether ~ or ~; even ~ and even ~
Repeating でも after two nouns means 'either one, anything at all'. The tanuki claims he would give anything, while he is actually eating the rabbit.
手でも足でもさしあげまする。
I shall offer up my hands, aye, my very feet.