I am a Cat (Chapter 8 a) Section 253 Study Guide

Practice text with full furigana

主人しゅじんみみかたむけて、この講話こうわ謹聴きんちょうしていたが、ここにいたってにやりとわらった。ちょっとこのにやりの意味いみ説明せつめいする必要ひつようがある。皮肉家ひにくかがこれをよんだらこのにやりのうちには冷評的れいひょうてき分子ぶんしまじっているおもだろう。しかし主人はけっして、そんなひとわるおとこではない。悪いとよりそんなに智慧ちえ発達はったつした男ではない。主人はなぜ笑ったかと云うとまったうれしくって笑ったのである。倫理りんり教師きょうしたるものがかように痛切つうせつなる訓戒くんかいあたえるからはこののち永久えいきゅうダムダムだん乱射らんしゃまぬがれる相違そういない当分とうぶんのうちあたま禿げずにすむ、逆上ぎゃくじょう一時いちじなおらんでも時機じきさえくれば漸次ぜんじ回復かいふくするだろう、手拭てぬぐいいただいて炬燵こたつにあたらなくとも、樹下じゅか石上せきじょう宿やどとしなくとも大丈夫だいじょうぶだろうと鑑定かんていしたから、にやにやと笑ったのである。借金しゃっきんかならかえ者と二十世紀にじっせいき今日きょうにもやはり正直しょうじきかんがえるほどの主人がこの講話を真面目まじめのは当然とうぜんであろう。

やがて時間じかんえて、講話はぱたりとやんだ。教室きょうしつ課業かぎょうみんな一度いちどおわった。するといままで室内しつない密封みっぷうされた八百はっぴゃく同勢どうぜいときこえをあげて、建物たてものした。そのいきおいと云うものは、一尺いっしゃくほどなはちすうたたおとしたごとくである。ぶんぶん、わんわん云うてまどから、戸口とぐちから、ひらから、いやしくもあないているところならなん容赦ようしゃもなく我勝われがちに飛び出した。これが大事件だいじけん発端ほったんである。

Rough translation

The master, who had stopped what he was doing and been listening attentively to the lecture, at this point brakes into a broad grin. I feel I should explain, if you'll indulge me, the meaning of this grin. A cynic, on reading this account, might imagine such grin as tinged with derision. The master's heart, however, is not so tainted. His heart is not so tainted, but neither is he wise in the ways of the world. The reason for his grin is nothing other than sheer joy. After such heartfelt admonition from said ethics instructor, the heretofore indiscriminate shelling of the master's grounds is surely a thing of the past. The master's head would keep its hair. His agitation would not dissolve overnight, but given time it should gradually ease. He could dispense with the damp cloth, dispense with the kotatsu, and there was no need to sleep out of doors. It was such thoughts that delighted the master and elicited a grin. It's only natural that this master of mine, who even in this twentieth century still believes that money lent will be money returned, should hear this lecture and place his faith in its words.

Time was up, it seemed, for the lecture suddenly stopped. In the other classrooms too, lessons were over. As if on cue, eight hundred students, who until now had been bottled up in the classrooms, let loose with whoops and hollers, pouring forth from the building. Their vigor called to mind a large beehive, knocked to the ground and abuzz with great fury. Raising a ruckus, the students spilled out from the windows, out from the doors, out from every crack or crevice, darting unceasingly this way and that. Getting back to our altercations, this is where minor escalated to major.

Vocabulary

主人しゅじん masterみみかたむけて lend an ear to; listen to講話こうわ lecture; discourse謹聴きんちょうして listen attentively toいたって arrive at; come toにやりとわらった grinned; smiled; beamed意味いみ meaning; significance説明せつめいする explain必要ひつよう necessity; need皮肉家ひにくか cynicうち inside; underside冷評的れいひょうてき sarcastic; dismissive分子ぶんし elementまじっている mixed into; blended withおもう think; imagineけっして by (no) meansひと person; personality; characterわるい nasty; unpleasantおとこ man; fellowう say; state智慧ちえ wisdom; sagacity発達はったつした developed; progressedまったく entirely; completelyうれしくって happy; glad; joyous倫理りんり ethics; morals教師きょうしたる (is a) teacher; instructorもの person痛切つうせつなる (is) keen; acute; heartfelt訓戒くんかい admonition; instructive warningあたえる give to; impart toこののち hereafter; from now on永久えいきゅう perpetuityダムダムだん dumdum bullet (expanding bullet; produced by British at Dum Dum Arsenal near Calcutta)乱射らんしゃ indiscriminate firing off ofまぬがれる be spared; avoid相違そういない without doubt ...当分とうぶんのうち for a while; for some timeあたま head禿げずに without losing one's hair; without going bald逆上ぎゃくじょう rush of blood to the head; hotheadedness一時いちじに at one time; at onceなおらん not be cured; not be fixed時機じき time; occasion; opportunity漸次ぜんじ slowly; gradually; little by little回復かいふくする return to normal; get better; recover手拭てぬぐい damp clothいただいて receive炬燵こたつ kotatsu (table with underside or in-floor heater)樹下じゅか石上せきじょう under a tree or on top of a stone (i.e. out in the wild)宿やどとしなくとも without spending the night大丈夫だいじょうぶ fine; alright; okay鑑定かんていした judged; determined借金しゃっきん borrowed money; debtかならず invariably; without failかえす return; repay二十世紀にじっせいき twentieth century今日きょう this day; the present正直しょうじきに candidly; at face valueかんがえる consider; think of; take in真面目まじめに seriously; earnestlyく listen to当然とうぜん natural; a matter of course 時間じかん (the designated) timeた came; arrivedえて appear; seemの other教室きょうしつ classroom課業かぎょう teaching; lessonsみんな all; in entirety一度いちどに at one time; at onceおわった ended; finishedいま now; this time室内しつない within (the) rooms; indoors密封みっぷうされた were sealed tight八百はっぴゃく eight hundred同勢どうぜい party; company; troupsときこえ war cry; battle cry建物たてもの buildingした flew out; ran out (of)いきおい energy; impetus一尺いっしゃく 1 shaku (about 30 cm; about 1 foot)はちすう beehiveたたおとした knocked downまど windows戸口とぐち doorsひらき gapsいやしくも any; at all; in the leastあな opening; aperture; orificeいている be openところ placesなんの (no) sort of; (no) form of容赦ようしゃもなく unrelentingly我勝われがちに as one pleases; each to his own大事件だいじけん significant happening; major altercation発端ほったん origin; opening; starting point