第6話 THE WOLF AND THE LAMB. 難易度:★★★ 理解できない箇所◆あり

本文

A HUNGRY Wolf one day saw a Lamb drinking at a stream, and wished to frame some plausible excuse for making him his prey. "What do you mean by muddling the water I am going to drink?" fiercely said he to the Lamb. " Pray forgive me," meekly answered the Lamb; "I should be sorry in any way to displease you, but as the stream runs from you towards me, you will see that such cannot be the case." "That's all very well," said the Wolf; "but you know you spoke ill of me behind my back a year ago." " May, believe me," replied the Lamb, "I was not then born." " It must have been your brother then," growled the Wolf. " It cannot have been, for I never had any," answered the Lamb. "I know it was one of your lot," rejoined the Wolf, "so make no more such idle excuses." He then seized the poor Lamb, carried him off to the woods, and ate him.

・A HUNGRY Wolf one day saw a Lamb drinking at a stream, and wished to frame some plausible excuse for making him his prey.

◆frameに関してはframe Oを述べる/frame Oを考え出す　の両方があり、両方ともありえそうですが、本文ではその後に理由を伝えているため前者の意味で解釈すればよいと思います。

preyは「餌食」の意味

fall prey[victim] to Oの犠牲となる　がよくあるコロケーション

・"What do you mean by muddling the water I am going to drink?" fiercely said he to the Lamb. “Pray forgive me," meekly answered the Lamb;

muddleはto make something muddyの意味 

Prayは古い言い方でpleaseの意味

・"I should be sorry in any way to displease you, but as the stream runs from you towards me, you will see that such cannot be the case."

in any wayはto displease youを前から修飾しています。

単なる副詞であればto不定詞を前から修飾する例は珍しくなく、not to doのnotもその一例ではありますが、前置詞の例は珍しく「構造から意味を確定する」だけでなく「意味から構造を決定する」ことが大事だとわかります。

to displease youは仮定法の条件を表しており、shouldは仮定法のshouldでwouldと同様の意味を表しています。

「あなたのことを何らかの方法で不快にさせたならば申し訳なく思ういましょうが」ということです。

the caseは「実情」の意味です。

・"That's all very well," said the Wolf; "but you know you spoke ill of me behind my back a year ago." " May, believe me," replied the Lamb, "I was not then born." " It must have been your brother then," growled the Wolf. " It cannot have been, for I never had any," answered the Lamb.

That's all very well, but...は「それは大いに結構だが…」という決まり文句です。

◆このmayの意味はよく分かりません。祈願のmayで主語が省略されているのでしょうか？

forは理由を表す等位接続詞です。

・"I know it was one of your lot," rejoined the Wolf, "so make no more such idle excuses." He then seized the poor Lamb, carried him off to the woods, and ate him.

one's lotは「～の仲間」の意味です。

lot: a group of people

carry A offで「Ａの命を奪い去る」という意味もありますが、今回は違いcarry A off「Ａを攫う」の意味です。　

語注

displease Oを不快にする

a lamb子羊

plausibleもっともらしい

meeklyおとなくしく、従順に

speak ill of Oの悪口を言う

behind A's back: Aのいないところで

rejoin言い返す

idle無益な

seize Oを掴む

poorかわいそうな

to woods森へ