curious_jp (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} curious_jp) wrote,@ 2007-07-03 19:13:00 |
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A special presentation.
Again, I am away from my office this week, so here is a translation by me of the children's fairy-tale, "Urashima Tarou".
うみの ちかくの むらに うらしまたろうという わかものが すんでいました。
Once upon a time, in a little village by the sea, there lived a little boy named Taro Urashima.
あるひ こどもたちが かめを いじめていました。
One day, he came across some children teasing a sea turtle.
「こらこら かめを いじめてはいけないよ。」うらしまたろうは かめを たすけてやりました。
"Hey. HEY! Stop that!" Taro went and helped it.
しばらくして うらしまたろうが つりを していると なみの あいだから かめが かおを だしました。
A little while later, Taro was out fishing. A turtle's face popped out of of the water!
「わたしは あなたに たすけられた かめです。 おれいに りゅうぐうじょうに ごあんあいします。」
"I'm the turtle you rescued! To thank you, let me escort you to meet the princess-beneath-the-waves."*
かめは うらしまたろうを せなかに のせて うみの そこに もぐっていきました。
The turtle placed Taro upon it's back and dove down to the bottom of the ocean.
「さあ つきました。」
"Ahh, we've arrived."
かめに つれられて おじろに はいっていくと うつくしい おひめさまが でてきました。
The turtle led Taro into the seafloor palace, where he met with a beautiful princess.
「よくぞ かめを たすけてくださいました。 おれいに おもてなしを させてください。」
"We're so happy you helped out our turtle here, please allow us to repay your kindness with our hospitality."
めずらしい りょうりに さかなたちの おどり。
There were all kinds of rare foods, and the schools of fish put on a dance.
それは それは たのしい まいにちでした。
In this way, they spent the time pleasantly.
「そろそろ いえに かえります。」うらしまたろうが おひめさまに いいました。
Taro told the princess, "I really must be getting home..."
「では おみやげを もってかえってください。 でも いえに かえるまで あけてはいけませにょ。」
"Well, please take this present with you. But be sure not to open it before you get home!"
うらしまたろうは たまてばこを もらいました。
And with that, she gave Taro a large chest of treasures.**
うらしまたろうは はまに かえりましたが むらの ようすが ぜんぜん ちがいます。
Taro returned to the seashore, but everything about the village was different!
むらの ひとたちも しらない ひとばかり。
All the familiar people were gone as well, replaced by strangers!***
うらしまたろうが りゅうぐうじょうに いるあいだに りくでは なんじゅうねんも たっていたのです。
In the time Taro had been with the princess-beneath-the-waves, tens of years had passed back on the shore.
こまった うらしまたろうは おもわず たまてばこっを あけてしまいました。
Worried and confused, Taro accidently, and regrettably, opened the treasure chest he had received
すると なかから しろい けむりが もくもくもく。
- clouds of white smoke came billowing out!
うらしまたろうは おじいさんに なってしまいました。
When the smoke had cleared, Taro Urashima had been sadly turned into an old man. :(
* Cultural note: Rendered here from the literal "Girl who dwells in the house of the Dragon King", this is a reference to Ryūgū-jō, c.f. the palaces of the Chinese 龍王, Lóng Wáng.
** This word, Tamatebako, appears in Japanese only in this story or by idiomatic allusion to this story. It is written with three kanji, Round / Pearl, Hand, Box.
*** "Well, I wandered again to my home in the mountain, Where in youth's early dawn I was happy and free, I looked for my friends but I never could find them - Ev'rybody I met was a rank stranger to me." - Bob Dylan, Rank Strangers to Me, from "Down in the Groove".
Questions I have asked Japanese people:
Would Tarou have been better off just leaving the turtle to be harmed by the boys?
Did Tarou do anything wrong? If so, was his punishment justifiable?
What is the moral of this story?
No satisfactory answers yet!
edit: I have become informed that the boys name would actually have been Urashimatarou, and that tarou was a suffix for boys names in that period, in the way that "ko" is a feminine suffix for names now. I'm not going to change it, as Taro[u] is a common boys first name now.
Again, I am away from my office this week, so here is a translation by me of the children's fairy-tale, "Urashima Tarou".
うみの ちかくの むらに うらしまたろうという わかものが すんでいました。
Once upon a time, in a little village by the sea, there lived a little boy named Taro Urashima.
あるひ こどもたちが かめを いじめていました。
One day, he came across some children teasing a sea turtle.
「こらこら かめを いじめてはいけないよ。」うらしまたろうは かめを たすけてやりました。
"Hey. HEY! Stop that!" Taro went and helped it.
しばらくして うらしまたろうが つりを していると なみの あいだから かめが かおを だしました。
A little while later, Taro was out fishing. A turtle's face popped out of of the water!
「わたしは あなたに たすけられた かめです。 おれいに りゅうぐうじょうに ごあんあいします。」
"I'm the turtle you rescued! To thank you, let me escort you to meet the princess-beneath-the-waves."*
かめは うらしまたろうを せなかに のせて うみの そこに もぐっていきました。
The turtle placed Taro upon it's back and dove down to the bottom of the ocean.
「さあ つきました。」
"Ahh, we've arrived."
かめに つれられて おじろに はいっていくと うつくしい おひめさまが でてきました。
The turtle led Taro into the seafloor palace, where he met with a beautiful princess.
「よくぞ かめを たすけてくださいました。 おれいに おもてなしを させてください。」
"We're so happy you helped out our turtle here, please allow us to repay your kindness with our hospitality."
めずらしい りょうりに さかなたちの おどり。
There were all kinds of rare foods, and the schools of fish put on a dance.
それは それは たのしい まいにちでした。
In this way, they spent the time pleasantly.
「そろそろ いえに かえります。」うらしまたろうが おひめさまに いいました。
Taro told the princess, "I really must be getting home..."
「では おみやげを もってかえってください。 でも いえに かえるまで あけてはいけませにょ。」
"Well, please take this present with you. But be sure not to open it before you get home!"
うらしまたろうは たまてばこを もらいました。
And with that, she gave Taro a large chest of treasures.**
うらしまたろうは はまに かえりましたが むらの ようすが ぜんぜん ちがいます。
Taro returned to the seashore, but everything about the village was different!
むらの ひとたちも しらない ひとばかり。
All the familiar people were gone as well, replaced by strangers!***
うらしまたろうが りゅうぐうじょうに いるあいだに りくでは なんじゅうねんも たっていたのです。
In the time Taro had been with the princess-beneath-the-waves, tens of years had passed back on the shore.
こまった うらしまたろうは おもわず たまてばこっを あけてしまいました。
Worried and confused, Taro accidently, and regrettably, opened the treasure chest he had received
すると なかから しろい けむりが もくもくもく。
- clouds of white smoke came billowing out!
うらしまたろうは おじいさんに なってしまいました。
When the smoke had cleared, Taro Urashima had been sadly turned into an old man. :(
* Cultural note: Rendered here from the literal "Girl who dwells in the house of the Dragon King", this is a reference to Ryūgū-jō, c.f. the palaces of the Chinese 龍王, Lóng Wáng.
** This word, Tamatebako, appears in Japanese only in this story or by idiomatic allusion to this story. It is written with three kanji, Round / Pearl, Hand, Box.
*** "Well, I wandered again to my home in the mountain, Where in youth's early dawn I was happy and free, I looked for my friends but I never could find them - Ev'rybody I met was a rank stranger to me." - Bob Dylan, Rank Strangers to Me, from "Down in the Groove".
Questions I have asked Japanese people:
Would Tarou have been better off just leaving the turtle to be harmed by the boys?
Did Tarou do anything wrong? If so, was his punishment justifiable?
What is the moral of this story?
No satisfactory answers yet!
edit: I have become informed that the boys name would actually have been Urashimatarou, and that tarou was a suffix for boys names in that period, in the way that "ko" is a feminine suffix for names now. I'm not going to change it, as Taro[u] is a common boys first name now.
