I am a Cat (Chapter 8 a) Section 248 Study Guide

Practice text with full furigana

逆上ぎゃくじょう説明せつめいはこのくらいで充分じゅうぶんだろうとおもから、これよりいよいよ事件じけんりかかる。しかしすべての大事件だいじけんまえにはかなら小事件しょうじけんおこものだ。大事件のみをべて、小事件をいっするのは古来こらいから歴史家れきしかつねおちい弊竇へいとうである。主人しゅじんの逆上も小事件にたび一層いっそう劇甚げきじんくわえて、ついに大事件をおこしたのであるからして、幾分いくぶんその発達はったつ順序じゅんじょてて述べないと主人がいかに逆上しているかわかりにくい。分りにくいと主人の逆上は空名くうめいして世間せけんからはよもやそれほどでもなかろうとくびられるかもれない。せっかく逆上してもひとから天晴あっぱれ逆上とうたわれなくてあいがないだろう。これから述べる事件は大小だいしょうかかわらず主人って名誉めいよものではない。事件そのもの不名誉ふめいよであるならば、めて逆上なりとも、正銘しょうめい逆上であって、けっして人におとものでないことあきらかにしておきたい。主人はに対してべつこれと云ってほこ性質せいしつゆうしておらん。逆上でも自慢じまんしなくてはほかにほねってててやるたねがない。

Rough translation

Having expounded at length on hot-headedness, it's time now to relate the altercation as it occurred. However, it's always the case that any major altercation is preceded by some number of minor altercations. To focus only on the major altercation, while omitting the minor altercations, is an all too common failing of the chroniclers of history. The master's head grew hotter with each minor altercation, setting the stage for the major altercation to follow. Without some recount of this series of minor altercations, it's hard to understand the state of the master's mind. And without such understanding, the master's hotheadedness, as viewed from the outside world, could well be dismissed as overblown hollow bluster. Having worked oneself into a frenzy, one at least wants due recognition for it from fellow his men. The altercations I'm going to relate, be they minor or major, do the master no honor. While the altercations themselves may in fact be shameful, the master's reaction at least, as I'll endeavor to demonstrate, was fully authentic and in no way lacking. With respect to his peers, the master possesses no particularly noteworthy characteristics. If not for his hotheadedness, I'd have nothing to feed my narrative.

Vocabulary

逆上ぎゃくじょう rush of blood to the head; loosing one's composure説明せつめい explanation充分じゅうぶん adequate; sufficientおもう think; believe事件じけん incident; affair; altercationりかかる begin with; get into大事件だいじけん significant happening; major altercationまえ before; priorかならず invariably; without fail小事件しょうじけん lesser affair; minor altercationおこる occur; take place; happenべて speak of; mentionいっする leave out; omit古来こらい of old; times past歴史家れきしか historians; chroniclersつねに always; oftenおちいる fall into弊竇へいとう blunder; fault; failing主人しゅじん masterう meet with; encounterたびに each time ...一層いっそう one layer; one level劇甚げきじん severity; intensityくわえて add; gather; increaseおこした triggered; set off幾分いくぶんか somewhat; to some extent発達はったつ development順序じゅんじょてて put into order; arrangeわかりにくい difficult to comprehend; hard to grasp空名くうめい empty name; hollow reputationして be reduced to; be ascribed to世間せけん the world; societyよもや surely (not)くびられる look down on; disdainかもれない it may be that ...ひと people; others天晴あっぱれな splendid; praiseworthy; brilliantうたわれなくて not extol; not celebrateあい worth; merit (of doing something)大小だいしょう bigger or smaller; greater or lesserかかわらず unrelated to; regardless ofって to ...; for ...名誉めいよな honorable; commendableもの thingsそのもの itself; in and of itself不名誉ふめいよ disgraceful; shamefulめて at least正銘しょうめいの genuine; authenticけっして by (no) meansおとる be inferior toう being the case that ...こと situation; stateあきらかにして make clear; substantiate othersべつに especially; in particularほこる be proud of; take pride inる enough for; worthy of性質せいしつ nature; dispositionゆうして have; hold; possess自慢じまんしなくて not take pride inほねって make an effort; exert oneselfてて write upたね seed; source