The Dog-Bitten Wolf
Japanese title:
犬に噛れた狼の話《いぬにかまれたおおかみのはなし》
> A translation and retelling of a fable by Aesop
Author:
Watanabe On
渡部温《わたなべおん》
Translation and notes:
Dan Bornstein
犬に噛れた狼の話《いぬにかまれたおおかみのはなし》
> A translation and retelling of a fable by Aesop
Author:
Watanabe On
渡部温《わたなべおん》
Translation and notes:
Dan Bornstein
> Bilingual text
▼
或狼、犬に噛れて大によわり、少も身動をする事が出来ず。
或《ある》狼《おおかみ》、犬《いぬ》に噛《かま》れて大《おおい》によわり、少《ちっと》も身動《みうごかし》をする事《こと》が出来《でき》ず。
A wolf was bitten by dogs and became severely weakened, not being able to move at all.
▼
一日羊が近傍を通りかかるのを見て、近処の河から水を持って来て貰い度と思い、臥居ながら声をかけて、
一日《あるひ》羊《ひつじ》が近傍《そば》を通《とお》りかかるのを見《み》て、近処《きんじよ》の河《かわ》から水《みず》を持《も》って来《き》て貰《もら》い度《たい》と思《おも》い、臥居《ねてい》ながら声《こえ》をかけて、
One day he saw a sheep who happened to pass by him. The wolf wanted to have some water brought to him from a nearby river, so while lying on the ground he spoke to the sheep.
▼
狼「もし足下が水をさえ持って来て下されば、食物をば自分で見付けます。どうぞ御頼み申します」といえば、
狼《おおかみ》「もし足下《おまえ》が水《みず》をさえ持《も》って来《き》て下《くだ》されば、食物《くいもの》をば自分《じぶん》で見付《みつ》けます。どうぞ御《お》頼《たの》み申《もう》します」といえば、
The wolf said: "If you could kindly bring me some water, I would need nothing more from you; food I can find on my own. Please, I beg for your help."
▼
羊中々油断せず、「なるほどそうで御座りましょう。僕が水を持ってズウッと膝前へ寄ますと、そこで貴兄の喰物が出来るので御座りますな。」
羊《ひつじ》中々《なかなか》油断《ゆだん》せず、「なるほどそうで御座《ござ》りましょう。僕《わたし》が水《みず》を持《も》ってズウッと膝前《おそば》へ寄《より》ますと、そこで貴兄《おまえさん》の喰物《くいもの》が出来《でき》るので御座《ござ》りますな。」
Then the sheep, not so quick to let down his guard, replied: "Sure, that sounds about right. When I come with the water and get very close to your lap—at that moment you'll have something to eat!"
▼
平日他に畏憚れるものは、困る時に柔和にしても、人が中々近親りませぬ。
平日《へいじつ》他《ひと》に畏憚《こわがら》れるものは、困《こま》る時《とき》に柔和《にゅうわ》にしても、人《ひと》が中々《なかなか》近親《ちかよ》りませぬ。
When someone is normally feared and avoided by others, they will be reluctant to approach him even if he is in trouble and acts nicely.
▼
実にまた、よわったと云っても、悪人は油断のならぬもので御座ります。
実《じつ》にまた、よわったと云《い》っても、悪人《あくにん》は油断《ゆだん》のならぬもので御座《ござ》ります。
Indeed, even when weakened, a bad person must be watched with ceaseless vigilance.
▼
或狼、犬に噛れて大によわり、少も身動をする事が出来ず。
或《ある》狼《おおかみ》、犬《いぬ》に噛《かま》れて大《おおい》によわり、少《ちっと》も身動《みうごかし》をする事《こと》が出来《でき》ず。
A wolf was bitten by dogs and became severely weakened, not being able to move at all.
- 噛れて = 噛まれて.
- 大に = 大いに.
- 身動: The usual word is みうごき, lit. "body movement". Here うごき, which is originally the noun form of the intransitive verb うごく, "to move", has been replaced with the noun form of the transitive verb うごかす, "to move (something)". While the original word simply indicates any type of body movement, this variant emphasizes the active will of the wolf to move his body.
- 出来ず: The negative verbal form that ends in ず was originally employed in the sentence-final position, as here. This form is now normally used only in mid-sentence, to create a pause or an adverbial clause.
▼
一日羊が近傍を通りかかるのを見て、近処の河から水を持って来て貰い度と思い、臥居ながら声をかけて、
一日《あるひ》羊《ひつじ》が近傍《そば》を通《とお》りかかるのを見《み》て、近処《きんじよ》の河《かわ》から水《みず》を持《も》って来《き》て貰《もら》い度《たい》と思《おも》い、臥居《ねてい》ながら声《こえ》をかけて、
One day he saw a sheep who happened to pass by him. The wolf wanted to have some water brought to him from a nearby river, so while lying on the ground he spoke to the sheep.
- 一日: Normally read いちにち. Here it stands for あるひ, a native Japanese word with an identical meaning.
- 近傍: Normally read きんぼう. Here it stands for そば, a native Japanese word with an identical meaning.
- 通りかかる: To happen to pass somewhere.
- 近処 = 近所.
- 度: Often used in early modern texts as an ateji (sound spelling) of the auxiliary adjective たい, "to want". However, it is an unusual ateji, because it does not technically have the proper kun-yomi for which it is used: the actual reading is たび, which was deemed close enough to たい for the character to stand for this pronunciation too. Dictionaries do not normally show たい as a reading of this kanji.
- 臥居: 臥 stands for ねる, "to lie down", and 居 is for the continuative いる. Here the て of ねて is included in the character 臥 instead of being written explicitly.
▼
狼「もし足下が水をさえ持って来て下されば、食物をば自分で見付けます。どうぞ御頼み申します」といえば、
狼《おおかみ》「もし足下《おまえ》が水《みず》をさえ持《も》って来《き》て下《くだ》されば、食物《くいもの》をば自分《じぶん》で見付《みつ》けます。どうぞ御《お》頼《たの》み申《もう》します」といえば、
The wolf said: "If you could kindly bring me some water, I would need nothing more from you; food I can find on my own. Please, I beg for your help."
- 狼: This is the subject that performs the verb いえば. The particle は has been dropped.
- 足下: Normally read そっか, a formal or respectful term of address. Here it stands for おまえ, a native Japanese word that has the same basic meaning as a second-person pronoun but lacks the formal and honorific connotations.
- さえ...ば: "If only", "as long as", in the sense of minimal requirement—if only X happened, that would be enough to satisfy a certain condition.The wolf means that he would need nothing more from the sheep other than some water, because getting the water would enable him to find food on his own.
- をば: A compound particle that combines the direct object particle を and the topic/contrastive particle は (which is voiced by its juxtaposition with を and becomes ば). Its function is to make the direct object a matter of special attention in contrast with other things. This compound particles is rare nowadays, but still occasionally used in writing. In everyday language, whenever a direct object is made the contrastive topic, the を is simply dropped and replaced with は.
- 御頼み申します: A highly deferential keigo formula. Has the same function as the more common high keigo formula お + a verb in connective form + 申し上げます. As a standalone verb, 申す (もうす) is a humble equivalent of いう "to say", but as an auxiliary verb it is a humble equivalent of する, "to do".
▼
羊中々油断せず、「なるほどそうで御座りましょう。僕が水を持ってズウッと膝前へ寄ますと、そこで貴兄の喰物が出来るので御座りますな。」
羊《ひつじ》中々《なかなか》油断《ゆだん》せず、「なるほどそうで御座《ござ》りましょう。僕《わたし》が水《みず》を持《も》ってズウッと膝前《おそば》へ寄《より》ますと、そこで貴兄《おまえさん》の喰物《くいもの》が出来《でき》るので御座《ござ》りますな。」
Then the sheep, not so quick to let down his guard, replied: "Sure, that sounds about right. When I come with the water and get very close to your lap—at that moment you'll have something to eat!"
- 羊: This is the subject that performs the following verb (油断せず) and says the quoted dialogue lines. The subject particle, as well as the quote-ending particle and the verb of saying, have been dropped.
- 御座りましょう: The honorific / formal verb ござる (here part of the copula でござる) can be written with kanji as 御座る. The verb appears here in its original connective form (ござり) instead of the more common sound-changed variant ござい (as in でございます). ましょう is used in a presumptive function, identically to attaching でしょう to the plain verb.
- 僕: Normally read ぼく. Here it is replaced with the more polite わたし, but the character is retained to reflect the masculinity of the speaker (indicating that it is a male sheep).
- 膝前: Normally read ひざまえ, which means "in front of one's lap". Here it stands for おそば (polite お + そば "side"), which is a far less specific word.
- 貴兄: Normally read きけい and used—mostly in letters—as a respectful form of address to a peer. Here it stands for おまえさん, a second-person pronoun of native Japanese origin which has a much more familiar tone.
- 喰物: Note the difference in the first kanji compared to the compound's previous appearance as 食物 above. The character 喰 emphasizes act of eating as being brutal, while 食 is neutral in meaning.
- な: The final particle is used for light emphasis.
▼
平日他に畏憚れるものは、困る時に柔和にしても、人が中々近親りませぬ。
平日《へいじつ》他《ひと》に畏憚《こわがら》れるものは、困《こま》る時《とき》に柔和《にゅうわ》にしても、人《ひと》が中々《なかなか》近親《ちかよ》りませぬ。
When someone is normally feared and avoided by others, they will be reluctant to approach him even if he is in trouble and acts nicely.
- This and the next sentence are the fable's moral.
- 他: This character is used to reinforce the intended meaning of "other people".
- 畏憚れる: The verb こわがる (here in the passive conjugation こわがられる) is normally written 怖がる. This general verb is given a more nuanced meaning by being written using the word 畏憚 (いたん), "to fear and avoid" someone or something.
- 近親りませぬ: The verb ちかよるis normally written 近寄る. It is written using the word 近親 (きんしん) to emphasize the idea of approaching someone out of friendliness. The final ぬ is the original full form of the final ん that has become the standard ending of the negative ません.
▼
実にまた、よわったと云っても、悪人は油断のならぬもので御座ります。
実《じつ》にまた、よわったと云《い》っても、悪人《あくにん》は油断《ゆだん》のならぬもので御座《ござ》ります。
Indeed, even when weakened, a bad person must be watched with ceaseless vigilance.
- また: Adds emphasis to 実に.
- 油断のならぬ: Lit. "incautiousness does not come into being". ならぬ = ならない (this the same negative ぬ as in the previous sentence). The idea that someone or something is dangerous and requires constant vigilance is more commonly expressed as 油断できない, "cannot be careless".
> Original non-annotated text
犬に噛れた狼の話
渡部温
或狼、犬に噛れて大によわり、少《ちっと》も身動《みうごかし》をする事が出来ず。 一日《あるひ》羊が近傍《そば》を通りかかるのを見て、近処《きんじよ》の河から水を持って来て貰い度《たい》と思い、臥居《ねてい》ながら声をかけて、狼「もし足下《おまえ》が水をさえ持って来て下されば、食物《くいもの》をば自分で見付けます。どうぞ御頼み申します」といえば、羊中々油断せず、「なるほどそうで御座りましょう。僕《わたし》が水を持ってズウッと膝前《おそば》へ寄ますと、そこで貴兄《おまえさん》の喰物《くいもの》が出来るので御座りますな。」
平日他《ひと》に畏憚《こはがら》れるものは、困る時に柔和にしても、人が中々近親《ちかよ》りませぬ。実にまた、よわったと云っても、悪人は油断のならぬもので御座ります。
犬に噛れた狼の話
渡部温
或狼、犬に噛れて大によわり、少《ちっと》も身動《みうごかし》をする事が出来ず。 一日《あるひ》羊が近傍《そば》を通りかかるのを見て、近処《きんじよ》の河から水を持って来て貰い度《たい》と思い、臥居《ねてい》ながら声をかけて、狼「もし足下《おまえ》が水をさえ持って来て下されば、食物《くいもの》をば自分で見付けます。どうぞ御頼み申します」といえば、羊中々油断せず、「なるほどそうで御座りましょう。僕《わたし》が水を持ってズウッと膝前《おそば》へ寄ますと、そこで貴兄《おまえさん》の喰物《くいもの》が出来るので御座りますな。」
平日他《ひと》に畏憚《こはがら》れるものは、困る時に柔和にしても、人が中々近親《ちかよ》りませぬ。実にまた、よわったと云っても、悪人は油断のならぬもので御座ります。