■白蛇(THE WHITE SNAKE)


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[英文の出典]http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2591/2591-h/2591-h.htm
グリム童話集:白蛇(THE WHITE SNAKE) 一部引用
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A long time ago there lived a king who was famed for his wisdom through all the land.
famed[形容詞]名高い
Nothing was hidden from him, and it seemed as if news of the most secret things was brought to him through the air.
But he had a strange custom; every day after dinner, when the table was cleared, and no one else was present, a trusty servant had to bring him one more dish.
custom[名詞]習慣, trusty[形容詞]信頼できる, servant[名詞]召使い
It was covered, however, and even the servant did not know what was in it, neither did anyone know, for the king never took off the cover to eat of it until he was quite alone.
This had gone on for a long time, when one day the servant, who took away the dish, was overcome with such curiosity that he could not help carrying the dish into his room.
go on:続く, be overcome[他動詞]〜に駆られる, curiosity[名詞]好奇心, cannot help+ing:思わず..してしまう
When he had carefully locked the door, he lifted up the cover, and saw a white snake lying on the dish.
lie[自動詞]横たわる(現在分詞形lying)
それには蓋がしてあり、誰も何があるのか知らなかった。

昔、知恵者で名高い王がいた。

夕食の後誰もいなくなると、信頼できる召使いはもう一皿持って行かねばならなかった。

彼は何でも知っており、内緒の話が空気を伝わって彼に届くかのようだった。

ある日、召使いは好奇心に駆られて皿を持ち去った。

蓋を持ちあげると、皿の上に白蛇が横たわっていた。
But when he saw it he could not deny himself the pleasure of tasting it, so he cut of a little bit and put it into his mouth.
pleasure[名詞]喜び, taste[他動詞]食べる, a little bit:少し
No sooner had it touched his tongue than he heard a strange whispering of little voices outside his window.
no sooner than〜:〜するや否や, whisper[自動詞]ささやく
He went and listened, and then noticed that it was the sparrows who were chattering together, and telling one another of all kinds of things which they had seen in the fields and woods.
sparrow[名詞]スズメ, chatter[自動詞]しゃべる, one another:お互いに
Eating the snake had given him power of understanding the language of animals.
language[名詞]言葉
Now it so happened that on this very day the queen lost her most beautiful ring, and suspicion of having stolen it fell upon this trusty servant, who was allowed to go everywhere.
it so happened that:たまたま...が起こった, suspicion[名詞]疑い
The king ordered the man to be brought before him, and threatened with angry words that unless he could before the morrow point out the thief, he himself should be looked upon as guilty and executed.
threaten[他動詞]脅す, morrow[名詞]翌日, execute[他動詞]処刑する
In vain he declared his innocence; he was dismissed with no better answer.
dismiss[他動詞]解雇する
彼は無実だと申し出たが役立たず、名案は浮かばなかった。

白蛇を食べたら動物の言葉が分かるようになった。

彼は少しだけ味見した。

それが舌に触ったとたんに窓の外の奇妙なささやきが聞こえた。

王は、翌日までに泥棒を挙げなければ、召使いを有罪として処刑すると脅した。

彼にはスズメが囁き合っているのが聞こえた。

たまたまその日、王妃の指輪がなくなりこの召使いに疑いがかけられた。
In his trouble and fear he went down into the courtyard and took thought how to help himself out of his trouble.
Now some ducks were sitting together quietly by a brook and taking their rest; and, whilst they were making their feathers smooth with their bills, they were having a confidential conversation together.
brook[名詞]小川, whilst[接続詞]=while, bill[名詞]くちばし, confidential[形容詞]秘密の
The servant stood by and listened.
They were telling one another of all the places where they had been waddling about all the morning, and what good food they had found; and one said in a pitiful tone: 'Something lies heavy on my stomach; as I was eating in haste I swallowed a ring which lay under the queen's window.'
waddle about:歩きまわる, pitiful[形容詞]痛ましい, stomach[名詞]胃, swallow[他動詞]飲み込む
The servant at once seized her by the neck, carried her to the kitchen, and said to the cook: 'Here is a fine duck; pray, kill her.'
seize[他動詞]捕まえる, pray[自動詞]どうか
'Yes,' said the cook, and weighed her in his hand; 'she has spared no trouble to fatten herself, and has been waiting to be roasted long enough.'
weigh[自動詞]重さをはかる, spare no trouble:骨身を惜しまない, fatten[他動詞]太らせる
So he cut off her head, and as she was being dressed for the spit, the queen's ring was found inside her.
be dressed:下ごしらえされた, spit[名詞]つば
アヒルの中から王妃の指輪が見つかった。

彼は中庭に下りて、どうしたらこの困難から逃れられるか考えた。

小川のそばでアヒルが休んで、羽つくろいをし、内緒の話をしていた。

召使いはそのアヒルを捕まえて、調理師に頼んだ。

召使いは傍に立ち、耳を傾けた。

「このアヒルは十分太っており、焼き肉になるのを長らく待っていたのだ」とコックは言った。

一羽のアヒルが王妃の窓の下で、指輪を飲みこんだと言った。
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