遠山顕の英会話楽習 Monday, November 16
K: What's the question?
C: Right. The question is "What did the old bamboo cutter find in the forest?"
K: The question again, Carolyn?
C: Sure. What did the old bamboo cutter find in the forest?
K: Jeff, what did he find?
J: Of course, he found a tiny baby girl.
K: OK.
J: And on the next day, he found a lot of gold coins.
K: Carolyn, the next question?
C: Alrighty. Did the old man and woman have children?
K: Carolyn?
C: OK. Did the old man and woman have children?
K: Jeff, did they?
J: No. That's why they were so happy saying, "Our prayers have been answered."
K: So how did you like Act 1?
J: Like many Japanese stories, it starts out with "an old man and an old woman."
K: How true.
C: And he is a bamboo cutter, right?
J: Uh-huh.
K: Yes.
C: So that means he cuts bamboo and makes things out of the bamboo?
K: He did, I think.
J: Yeah.
C: So, what kind of things would he make or he had made?
J: Um... I suppose you could make eating utensils out of it or maybe a flower vase ... a fence ... you can make fencing out of it.
(eating utensils = 食事用具、食器 forks, spoons, plates)
(fencing = 柵の材料 the materials used to make fences)
C: Okay.
J: Water pipes.
K: Okay. Yeah. How about toothpicks?
C: Oh!
J: Yeah, of course.
C: Why not?
J: Toothpicks.
C: In the story I heard he lived humble life, humble and carefree life. So I guess they had just enough to live on.
K: Yeah. That's important too, those two words "hamble" and "carefree."
C: Yeah.
J: But they also had a wish that had not been granted. Still they didn't have any children.
K: Yeah.
C: Yes.
J: So I think they were a little sad about that. And one day, he goes out of the forest and what did he find? -- A little three-inch baby girl.
C: That's a very small baby.
J: That's a very small baby. But the light that shined drew him to her.
K: Oh, yes.
J: And they were overjoyed. They were thrilled.
K: This is wonderful something to live for.
J: Uh-huh.
K: ... that you can find toward the end of your life.
C: Yeah.
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遠山顕の英会話楽習 Tuesday, November 17
K: Jeff?
J: Right. Hearing of her beauty, who came to court Kaguyahime?
(court = ～に求愛する pay special attention to someone in an attempt to win their support or favor)
K: Carolyn?
J: Five princes.
K: お姫様は？
C: Princess (プリンセス)
K: 王子の複数は？
C: Princes (プリンスィス)
K: ちょっと違うのですかね？
C: Yeah, it's a little tricky but it's a little different.
K: Jeff?
J: All right. What was the third prince requested to do?
K: Jeff?
J: Right. What was the third prince requested to do?
K: Carolyn?
C: He had to travel to China and find the skin of a fire rat.
K: So this fire rat skin...
C: Yeah.
K: It's not supposed to burn, right?
C: That's right.
J: I guess they live in volcanos and...
C: Yeah. Well ... That's what the myth is.
(myth = 神話)
J: Right. A legendary animal.
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K: Well, how did you like Act 2?
C: Oh, I liked it.
J: I thought that was great.
C: Yeah.
K: She grows up so fast.
C: As quickly as a bamboo shoot.
J: She is a full-grown woman at three months. I think if I ask to a woman, "How old are you?" and she says, "Three months." I would be very surprised.
K: She may ask you back, "How old are YOU?"
C: Yeah.
J: And I would say ...
C: How many months?
J: Oh...
K: How many months old?
J: And then I would have to get out my calculator.
C: Oh, no.
K: Yes! I would too. So and she grew up to be a beautiful lady.
C: Yes.
J: Uh-huh. And five princes fell in love with her.
C: Yes. And they made a very long and difficult journey to her home.
J: But she wouldn't see them.
C: Nope.
J: That's a little strange. Don't you think?
C: Hmm...
K: Instead she gave them tasks.
J: Yes.
C: Yes, really difficult tasks. What was the first prince... what he had to ... uh… What was it? ... find a stone bowl, right?
K: Right.
J: That had been used by the Buddha.
C: Oh, right.
J: So not just any stone bowl.
C: No, no. No. And the second prince ... uh... had to climb to the top of a mountain, right? And then find a golden tree, right? What would he had to ... cut branch off the tree?
J: Okay. Cut branch off the tree and bring it back.
C: Yeah.
K: And that branch has a lot of jewelry there.
C: Wow. So not just any branch.
K: No.
J: And then the third one, which was our question.
C: Yeah.
K: Yes.
J: ... had to bring back the hide of a fire rat.
K: Yap. And the fourth price ...
C: Yeah.
K: He had to bring back a jewel, just one jewel...
J: But that jewel was protected by a horrible dragon.
K: Oh my goodness, … dragon.
J: He had to fight the dragon or he had to steal it from the dragon. Well, that would be pretty difficult.
C: Yeah. Then there was the last prince, right? The fifth price.
J: This is the hardest, I think.
C: Really?
J: Uh-huh. Finding a swallow with a cowrie shell in its stomach. Um... you would have to search a lot of swallows.
K: With an x-ray machine.
J: Yeah.
C: Oh, then you could do it quickly.
J: Did they even have them back then? … probably not.
J: So they all sound like the movie… uh… mission …
J: Mission Impossible.
K: Oh, my goodness.
C: Yap.
