#9 To Kill Time: Learn Japanese

On reaching his room he entirely broke down, and became a prey to the most violent agitation.

The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde

Japanese Translation
自分の部屋に到着して、幽霊はすっかり力が抜けて、激しい動揺にとらわれた。

The vulgarity of the twins, and the gross materialism of Mrs. Otis, were naturally extremely annoying, but what really distressed him most was that he had been unable to wear the suit of mail.

双子の下品な行動、そしてミセス・オーティスの目に余る物質主義は、当然ながら極めて腹立たしかった。しかし、彼を最も悲しませたのは、自分が鎧を着れなかったことだった。

He had hoped that even modern Americans would be thrilled by the sight of a Spectre in armour, if for no more sensible reason, at least out of respect for their natural poet Longfellow, over whose graceful and attractive poetry he himself had whiled away many a weary hour when the Cantervilles were up in town.

彼は期待していた。近代のアメリカ人でも鎧姿の幽霊を見てドキドキするんじゃないかと。それはロングフェローの詩を参考にしていた。彼の魅力的な詩を読んで、幽霊は多くの時間をつぶしていた。カンタヴィル一族が街へ出た時の退屈な時間を。

じかんをつぶす means to spend time doing something unimportant or casual while waiting for something else to happen. It often implies filling idle time with light activities, not necessarily productive, but meant to make the waiting period feel shorter.

Besides it was his own suit. He had worn it with great success at the Kenilworth tournament, and had been highly complimented on it by no less a person than the Virgin Queen herself.

それに、それは彼の自前のスーツだった。彼はそれを身につけて試合で大成功して、大いに称賛された経験があった。エリザベス一世その人によって。

Yet when he had put it on, he had been completely overpowered by the weight of the huge breastplate and steel casque, and had fallen heavily on the stone pavement, barking both his knees severely, and bruising the knuckles of his right hand.

鎧を身につけた時、彼はすっかり押しつぶされた。巨大な胸当てと鋼鉄の兜の重さによって。そして石の床に激しく転倒した。そして両膝をぶつけて、右手のこぶしを痛めたのだ。

For some days after this he was extremely ill, and hardly stirred out of his room at all, except to keep the blood-stain in proper repair. 

この後の数日間、彼はひどく体調を崩して、部屋から出なかった。血のシミを適切に補修する以外で。

たいちょうをくずす means to experience a decline in physical health, often due to illness, fatigue, or stress. It’s a general expression used when someone feels unwell or becomes ill, and it can range from mild discomfort to serious conditions.

However, by taking great care of himself, he recovered, and resolved to make a third attempt to frighten the United States Minister and his family.

しかし、安静にして、彼は回復した。そしてアメリカ公使と彼の家族を怖がらせるために三度目の挑戦をしようと決意した。

He selected Friday, August 17th, for his appearance, and spent most of that day in looking over his wardrobe, ultimately deciding in favour of a large slouched hat with a red feather, a winding-sheet frilled at the wrists and neck, and a rusty dagger.

彼は８月１７日の金曜日を出現日に選択した。そして一日のほとんどを衣装チェックに費やして、最終的に、赤い羽根のついた大きなスローチハット、手首と首元にフリルのついた経帷子、そして錆びたダガーを選択した。

Towards evening a violent storm of rain came on, and the wind was so high that all the windows and doors in the old house shook and rattled.

夕方ごろに、猛烈な嵐がやってきた。風が強く、古い屋敷のすべての窓とドアが揺れてガタガタ音をたてた。

In fact, it was just such weather as he loved.

幽霊が好んだ天気だった。

His plan of action was this. He was to make his way quietly to Washington Otis’s room, gibber at him from the foot of the bed, and stab himself three times in the throat to the sound of low music.

彼の行動計画はこうだ。
静かにワシントンの部屋へ向かい、ベッドの足元から彼に話しかけて、自分の喉を三回突くのだ。暗い音楽にあわせて。

He bore Washington a special grudge, being quite aware that it was he who was in the habit of removing the famous Canterville blood-stain by means of Pinkerton’s Paragon Detergent.

彼はワシントンに特別な恨みがあった。ワシントンがカンタヴィルの有名な血痕を除去していた人物であると知っていたからだ。ピンカートン・パラゴン・デタージェントを用いて。

Having reduced the reckless and foolhardy youth to a condition of abject terror, he was then to proceed to the room occupied by the United States Minister and his wife, and there to place a clammy hand on Mrs. Otis’s forehead, while he hissed into her trembling husband’s ear the awful secrets of the charnel-house.

無謀で無鉄砲な若者を恐怖させた後、幽霊はアメリカ公使夫妻によって占拠された部屋へ行って、冷たい手をミセス・オーティスの額に置くつもりだった。一方で、彼女の震える夫の耳に納骨堂の秘密を吹き込むのだ。

With regard to little Virginia, he had not quite made up his mind.

リトル・ヴァージニアについては、あまり決めていなかった。

She had never insulted him in any way, and was pretty and gentle.

彼女は一度も彼を侮辱したことがなかったし、かわいくて物静かだったから。

A few hollow groans from the wardrobe, he thought, would be more than sufficient, or, if that failed to wake her, he might grabble at the counterpane with palsy-twitching fingers.

洋服ダンスからのうめき声で十分だろうと思った。彼女が目を覚まさなかったら、ベッドカバーを引っ張ろうか。

As for the twins, he was quite determined to teach them a lesson.

双子については、幽霊は彼らに教訓を教えようとかたく決意していた。

The first thing to be done was, of course, to sit upon their chests, so as to produce the stifling sensation of nightmare.

最初にすることは、もちろん、彼らの胸の上に座って、息苦しさを与えるのだ。

Then, as their beds were quite close to each other, to stand between them in the form of a green, icy-cold corpse, till they became paralyzed with fear, and finally, to throw off the winding-sheet, and crawl round the room, with white, bleached bones and one rolling eyeball, in the character of “Dumb Daniel, or the Suicide’s Skeleton,” a rôle in which he had on more than one occasion produced a great effect, and which he considered quite equal to his famous part of “Martin the Maniac, or the Masked Mystery.”

そのあと、彼らのベッドは隣接しているので、死体の姿で彼らの間に立つのだ。彼らが恐怖で動けなくなるまで。そして最後に、経帷子を脱ぎ捨てて、部屋を這いまわるのだ。『ダム・ダニエル』の姿で。その姿で彼は大きな成果をあげた事があった。そしてそれは、自身の名高い姿、『マーティン・ザ・マニアック』に匹敵すると思っていた。