Part 4 of 5 · JLPT N1
雪渡り Yukiwatari, part 4: The Magic-Lantern Show Begins
In this part
Shirō and Kanko give their rice cakes to Konzaburō, who dresses in a tailcoat and opens the fox school's magic-lantern show with a grand, formal speech. The first slides warn against drinking sake and show the drunk villagers Taemon and Seisaku eating 'food' in the fields, while the foxes stamp and sing mocking songs. During the break a little fox girl brings the children millet dumplings, and Shirō hesitates while all the foxes wait to see whether the humans will eat them.
AI translation · independently checked
紺三郎なんかまるで立派な燕尾服を着て水仙の花を胸につけてまっ白なはんけちでしきりにその尖ったお口を拭いているのです。Konzaburō in particular was wearing a splendid tailcoat, with a narcissus flower pinned to his chest, and he kept wiping his pointed mouth with a pure white handkerchief.
四郎は一寸お辞儀をして云いました。Shirō gave a little bow and said,
「この間は失敬。それから今晩はありがとう。このお餅をみなさんであがって下さい。」"Sorry about the other day. And thanks for tonight. Please share these rice cakes, everybody."
狐の学校生徒はみんなこっちを見ています。All the pupils of the fox school were looking their way.
紺三郎は胸を一杯に張ってすまして餅を受けとりました。Konzaburō puffed out his chest as far as it would go and, looking very dignified, accepted the rice cakes.
「これはどうもおみやげを戴いて済みません。どうかごゆるりとなすって下さい。もうすぐ幻燈もはじまります。私は一寸失礼いたします。」"Well, well, I am most obliged to you for this gift. Pray, make yourselves entirely at your ease. The magic-lantern show shall commence very shortly. And now, if you will excuse me for a moment."
紺三郎はお餅を持って向うへ行きました。Konzaburō took the rice cakes and went off to the other side.
狐の学校生徒は声をそろえて叫びました。The pupils of the fox school all shouted together:
「堅雪かんこ、凍み雪しんこ、硬いお餅はかったらこ、白いお餅はべったらこ。」"Hard-frozen snow, kanko, ice-crusted snow, shinko, hard rice cakes go clack-a-clack, white rice cakes go stick-a-smack!"
幕の横に、Beside the curtain,
「寄贈、お餅沢山、人の四郎氏、人のかん子氏」と大きな札が出ました。a big sign went up that said: "Donated: Rice cakes, a great many. From Mr. Shirō, a human, and Miss Kanko, a human."
狐の生徒は悦んで手をパチパチ叩きました。The fox pupils were delighted and clapped their hands, clap-clap-clap.
その時ピーと笛が鳴りました。Just then a whistle blew, peeep!
紺三郎がエヘンエヘンとせきばらいをしながら幕の横から出て来て丁寧にお辞儀をしました。Konzaburō came out from beside the curtain, clearing his throat, ahem, ahem, and made a polite bow.
みんなはしんとなりました。Everyone fell silent.
「今夜は美しい天気です。お月様はまるで真珠のお皿です。お星さまは野原の露がキラキラ固まったようです。さて只今から幻燈会をやります。みなさんは瞬やくしゃみをしないで目をまんまろに開いて見ていて下さい。"The weather this evening is most beautiful. The moon is for all the world like a dish made of pearl. The stars look like the dew of the fields, frozen into glittering drops. Now then, we shall at this moment commence our magic-lantern show. You are all requested to keep your eyes wide open and perfectly round as you watch, without blinking or sneezing.
それから今夜は大切な二人のお客さまがありますからどなたも静かにしないといけません。Furthermore, as we have two most distinguished guests this evening, every one of you must remain quiet.
決してそっちの方へ栗の皮を投げたりしてはなりません。Under no circumstances are you to throw chestnut skins or the like in their direction.
開会の辞です。」That concludes my opening address."
みんな悦んでパチパチ手を叩きました。Everyone was delighted and clapped, clap-clap-clap.
そして四郎がかん子にそっと云いました。And Shirō whispered to Kanko,
「紺三郎さんはうまいんだね。」"Konzaburō's really good at this, isn't he?"
笛がピーと鳴りました。The whistle blew, peeep!
『お酒をのむべからず』大きな字が幕にうつりました。"DRINK NO SAKE" appeared on the curtain in big letters.
そしてそれが消えて写真がうつりました。Then the words faded and a picture appeared.
一人のお酒に酔った人間のおじいさんが何かおかしな円いものをつかんでいる景色です。It showed a drunken old human man clutching some strange round things.
みんなは足ぶみをして歌いました。Everyone stamped their feet and sang:
キックキックトントンキックキックトントンKick-kick, tap-tap, kick-kick, tap-tap,
凍み雪しんこ、堅雪かんこ、Frozen snow, shinko, hard snow, kanko,
野原のまんじゅうはぽっぽっぽThe buns in the field go puff-puff-puff,
酔ってひょろひょろ太右衛門がOld Taemon, tipsy and tottering,
去年、三十八たべた。Last year ate thirty-eight of them!
キックキックキックキックトントントンKick-kick, kick-kick, tap-tap-tap!
写真が消えました。The picture faded.
四郎はそっとかん子に云いました。Shirō whispered to Kanko,
「あの歌は紺三郎さんのだよ。」"That song's one of Konzaburō's."
別に写真がうつりました。Another picture appeared.
一人のお酒に酔った若い者がほおの木の葉でこしらえたお椀のようなものに顔をつっ込んで何か喰べています。A drunken young man had his face stuck into something like a bowl made of magnolia leaves and was eating something.
紺三郎が白い袴をはいて向うで見ているけしきです。In the scene, Konzaburō, wearing a white hakama, was watching from a little way off.
みんなは足踏みをして歌いました。Everyone stamped their feet and sang:
キックキックトントン、キックキック、トントン、Kick-kick, tap-tap, kick-kick, tap-tap,
凍み雪しんこ、堅雪かんこ、Frozen snow, shinko, hard snow, kanko,
野原のおそばはぽっぽっぽ、The noodles in the field go puff-puff-puff,
酔ってひょろひょろ清作がYoung Seisaku, tipsy and tottering,
去年十三ばい喰べた。Last year ate thirteen bowls of them!
キック、キック、キック、キック、トン、トン、トン。Kick, kick, kick, kick, tap, tap, tap!
写真が消えて一寸やすみになりました。The picture faded, and there was a short break.
可愛らしい狐の女の子が黍団子をのせたお皿を二つ持って来ました。A sweet little fox girl brought over two plates piled with millet dumplings.
四郎はすっかり弱ってしまいました。Shirō was completely at a loss.
なぜってたった今太右衛門と清作との悪いものを知らないで喰べたのを見ているのですから。After all, he had only just seen Taemon and Seisaku eat nasty things without knowing what they were.
それに狐の学校生徒がみんなこっちを向いて「食うだろうか。ね。食うだろうか。」なんてひそひそ話し合っているのです。On top of that, all the fox school pupils had turned toward them and were whispering to one another, "Will they eat it? Hey. Will they eat it?"
かん子ははずかしくてお皿を手に持ったまままっ赤になってしまいました。Kanko was so embarrassed that she turned bright red, still holding the plate in her hands.
すると四郎が決心して云いました。Then Shirō made up his mind and said,
Vocabulary
| Word | Meaning | JLPT |
|---|---|---|
| 燕尾服えんびふく | tailcoat, swallow-tailed formal coatLiterally 'swallow-tail clothes' (燕 swallow + 尾 tail). | — |
| しきりにしきりに | repeatedly, over and overDescribes an action done again and again, often a little restlessly. | N3 |
| 失敬しっけい | sorry, excuse me (for being rude)Casual, rather boyish apology; also used to mean 'goodbye' or 'I'll be off'. | — |
| すましてすます | to put on a dignified, composed airdictionary form: すますWritten 澄ます; here it means acting prim and self-important. | N1 |
| ごゆるりとゆるり | at one's leisure, taking one's timedictionary form: ゆるりOld-fashioned and very polite; more common today is ごゆっくり. | — |
| 幻燈げんとう | magic lantern (early slide projector)Now usually written 幻灯. 幻 'illusion' + 燈 'lamp'. | — |
| 寄贈きぞう | donation, gift (formally presented)Formal word seen on signs and plaques listing donors. | N1 |
| 札ふだ | sign, placard, tagRead さつ when it means a banknote (お札). | N3 |
| せきばらいせきばらい | clearing one's throatdictionary form: 咳払い咳 cough + 払う to clear away; rendaku turns はらい into ばらい. | — |
| しんとしんと | (falling) completely silentOften しんとなる or しーんとする for a sudden hush. | — |
| 瞬またたき | blinkingdictionary form: 瞬きAlso まばたき. The verb 瞬く (またたく) can also describe stars twinkling. | N1 |
| こしらえたこしらえる | to make, to put togetherdictionary form: 拵えるInformal, slightly old-fashioned synonym of 作る. | N2 |
| 弱ってよわる | to be at a loss, to be troubleddictionary form: 弱るBesides 'grow weak', often means 'not know what to do'. | N1 |
| ひそひそひそひそ | in whispers, secretlyOnomatopoeia for whispering; ひそひそ話 = a whispered conversation. | — |
Grammar
〜べからず N1 must not ~ (prohibition on notices)
A classical form of べし plus a negative, used on signs and rules for a stern ban. Attached to the dictionary form, it makes the slide read like an official prohibition.
『お酒をのむべからず』
"DRINK NO SAKE"
決して〜たりしてはなりません N3 must never do things like ~
〜てはならない is a formal 'must not'. 〜たりする gives an example action ('things like throwing'), and 決して strengthens the ban to 'under no circumstances'.
決してそっちの方へ栗の皮を投げたりしてはなりません。
Under no circumstances are you to throw chestnut skins or the like in their direction.
〜ないといけません N4 must ~, have to ~
The negative form + と + いけない literally means 'if you don't, it won't do', so it expresses obligation. Here the fox tells everyone they must keep quiet.
どなたも静かにしないといけません。
Every one of you must remain quiet.
まるで〜です / 〜ようです N4 just like ~, as if ~
まるで emphasises a comparison, and 〜ようだ after a verb or noun+の means 'looks like'. Konzaburō uses both to describe the moon and stars.
お月様はまるで真珠のお皿です。お星さまは野原の露がキラキラ固まったようです。
The moon is for all the world like a dish made of pearl. The stars look like the dew of the fields, frozen into glittering drops.
〜たまま N4 while still ~, leaving it as it is
The past form + まま shows a state that continues unchanged while something else happens. Kanko goes red while still holding the plate.
お皿を手に持ったまままっ赤になってしまいました。
She turned bright red, still holding the plate in her hands.
なぜって〜のですから N3 because, you see, ~
なぜって is a casual 'why? because...' that introduces an explanation of the previous sentence, and 〜のですから closes it by stressing the reason.
なぜってたった今太右衛門と清作との悪いものを知らないで喰べたのを見ているのですから。
After all, he had only just seen Taemon and Seisaku eat nasty things without knowing what they were.