海が呼んだ話小川未明Part 3 of 3 · JLPT N3
海が呼んだ話（三） Umi ga Yonda Hanashi, part 3: The Sea Calls the Uncle Home
In this part
About two months after the dried-goods shop opens, Yū-chan's uncle falls ill with a strange fever that no doctor can explain. He tells Seikichi and Shōji that the sea is calling him and that he will go back to diving, and he says Yū-chan's family will probably return to the house. Shōji is glad he will play with Yū-chan again, but Seikichi is sad to say goodbye to the uncle.
AI translation · independently checked
自転車屋の後へ乾物屋ができてから、二か月ばかりたつと、勇ちゃんの叔父さんは、不思議な病気にかかりました。About two months after the dried-goods shop had opened where the bicycle shop used to be, Yū-chan's uncle came down with a strange illness.
それは、ふいに原因のわからぬ熱が出て、手足がしびれてきかなくなるのでした。Without warning he would get a fever that no one could explain, and his hands and feet would go numb and stop working.
とりわけ、西の空が夕焼けをする、日暮れ方に熱が出るというのであります。The fever came on most of all, people said, toward nightfall, when the western sky glowed with the sunset.
そして、近所の医者に見てもらったけれど、なんの病気かわからないというのでした。He had been seen by the doctor in the neighbourhood, but it was said that even he could not tell what illness it was.
このことが、また近所のうわさになったのです。And so this, too, became the talk of the neighbourhood.
「勇ちゃんの叔父さん、きょう病院へいったよ。」と、正二が、いいました。"Yū-chan's uncle went to the hospital today," said Shōji.
清吉と正二は、学校の帰りに、乾物屋の前を通ると、おじさんが、店にすわっていました。On their way home from school, Seikichi and Shōji passed in front of the dried-goods shop, and there was the uncle, sitting in the shop.
二人は、入ってそばへ腰かけました。The two boys went in and sat down beside him.
「おじさん、顔色がわるいね。」"You don't look well, mister."
「病院へいって、見てもらってきたの？」"Did you go to the hospital and get checked?"
おじさんは、二人の子供の顔を見て笑いながら、The uncle looked at the two children's faces and laughed as he said:
「海が、おれを呼ぶんだよ、子供の時分から、水をもぐってきたものが、陸へ上がりきってしまうと体がきかなくなって怖ろしいことだな。」"The sea is calling me. When a fellow's been diving in the water ever since he was a kid, and then comes up on dry land for good, his body stops working right. It's a scary thing, I tell you."
「そんなら、おじさん、また海へ帰るの。」"Then are you going back to the sea, mister?"
「ああ、海へ帰って、もぐりたくなった。そうすれば、体もじょうぶになるということだ。そうしたら、二人とも遊びにきな。浜は風があって、夏は涼しいぜ。えびでもたこでも、新しい魚を食べさせるから。」"Yeah, I've got the urge to go back to the sea and dive. They say that'll make me strong and healthy again, too. When it does, you two come and visit. There's a good wind down on the beach, and it's nice and cool in summer. I'll feed you fresh fish, shrimp, octopus, whatever you like."
「おじさん、このお店はどうするの。」"What will you do with this shop, mister?"
「この家か、また前の人たちがきて入るだろう。やはり、急に町から、田舎へいっても暮らしが立たないのだよ。」と、おじさんが、いいました。"This house? I expect the people who were here before will come back and move in. It's just as you'd expect: if you suddenly leave town for the countryside, you can't make a living, you see," said the uncle.
「そんなら、また、勇ちゃんと遊べるんだね。」と、正二は、にっこりしました。"Then we'll get to play with Yū-chan again!" said Shōji, with a big smile.
店を出ると、When they had left the shop,
「僕、おじさんに別れるの、悲しいや。」と、清吉は、歩きながら、正二をかえりみて、いいました。"I'm sad to say goodbye to the uncle," said Seikichi as they walked, turning to look at Shōji.
とんぼが、飛んでいました。Dragonflies were flying about.
Vocabulary
| Word | Meaning | JLPT |
|---|---|---|
| 乾物屋かんぶつや | dried-goods shop (selling dried fish, seaweed, beans, etc.)乾 'dry' + 物 'thing' + 屋 'shop'. | — |
| 不思議ふしぎ | strange, mysteriousA な-adjective: 不思議な病気. | N3 |
| 原因げんいん | cause | N4 |
| しびれてしびれる | to go numbdictionary form: しびれるAlso used for feet 'falling asleep' after sitting in seiza. | N2 |
| きかなくきく | to work, to function (of a body part)dictionary form: きくUsually written 利く; 体がきかない = one's body won't do what one wants. | N3 |
| 日暮れ方ひぐれがた | toward nightfall, dusk〜方 (がた) after a time word means 'around, toward' that time, as in 明け方. | — |
| 顔色かおいろ | complexion, how someone looks顔色がわるい = to look pale or unwell. | — |
| 時分じぶん | time, days (as in 'when I was a child')Somewhat old-fashioned; 子供の時分 = 子供のころ. Do not confuse with 自分. | — |
| 陸おか | dry land (as opposed to the sea)Usually read りく; おか is the traditional reading used by seafaring people. | N3 |
| もぐってもぐる | to dive, to go under waterdictionary form: もぐるKanji 潜る. | N2 |
| 暮らしが立たないくらしがたつ | to be able to make a livingdictionary form: 暮らしが立つSet phrase; the negative means one cannot support oneself. | — |
| かえりみてかえりみる | to look back (over one's shoulder) atdictionary form: かえりみるLiterary; kanji 顧みる/省みる. Here it is the physical sense of turning to look. | N1 |
| とんぼとんぼ | dragonflyA typical image of late summer and early autumn. | — |
Grammar
〜ぬ N1 classical negative (= 〜ない)
Literary/old-fashioned negative (= 〜ない). ぬ attaches to the same verb form as ない, the ない-stem or 未然形 (a-form), e.g. わから+ぬ. わからぬ熱 means the same as わからない熱, 'a fever whose cause no one understands'.
ふいに原因のわからぬ熱が出て
without warning he would get a fever that no one could explain
〜てもらう N4 to have someone do something for you
The doer of the action is marked with に. 医者に見てもらう means 'to have a doctor look at you', that is, to be examined.
近所の医者に見てもらったけれど
he had been seen by the doctor in the neighbourhood, but
Verb stem + きる N2 to do completely, all the way
〜きる adds the sense of finishing an action fully. 陸へ上がりきってしまう means to come up onto land for good, leaving the sea behind entirely.
陸へ上がりきってしまうと体がきかなくなって
when he comes up on dry land for good, his body stops working right
〜ということだ N3 they say that…, I hear that…
This phrase reports information heard from others. The uncle is passing on what he has been told: going back to the sea will make him healthy.
そうすれば、体もじょうぶになるということだ。
They say that'll make me strong and healthy again, too.
Verb stem + な (きな) N3 casual command (short for 〜なさい)
In rough, friendly male speech, なさい is shortened to な after the verb stem. 来な (きな) means 'come!' This is different from the prohibitive dictionary form + な (来るな, 'don't come').
そうしたら、二人とも遊びにきな。
When it does, you two come and visit.
〜させる (causative) N4 to let or have someone do something
食べさせる is the causative of 食べる. Here it means 'I'll let you eat' or 'I'll feed you', as a kindly offer.
新しい魚を食べさせるから。
I'll feed you fresh fish.