JSLL #71 - The Spider's Thread, part 19

This is the last sentence of part two of The Spider's Thread:

元より大泥棒の事でございますから、こう云う事には昔から、慣れ切っているのでございます。

もとよりおおどろぼうのことでございますから、こういうことにはむかしから、なれきっているのでございます。

Vocabulary

• 元より means "from the beginning, originally"
• こう云う (more typically written こう言う) means "such, this sort of"
• 慣れる means "to get used to, to grow accustomed to"

Kanji

Kanji	N-level	Occurs in how many common words?
元	N4	36 (including the very common 元気, げんき as in the typical greeting 元気ですか).
慣	N3	10

Grammar

慣れ切る combines the stem of 慣れる, "to get used to" with 切る, which on its own means "to cut." This stem + 切る construction means "to do to completion, to X completely/fully." In this case, 慣れ切る translations to "to get fully used to," that is "to be used to, to be familiar with."

Translation

Because he was a thief from the beginning, he was completely used to such a thing since long ago.

JSLL #70 - The Spider's Thread, part 18

 Sentence 1:

そうすれば、もう針の山へ追い上げられる事もなくなれば、血の池に沈められる事もある筈はございません。

そうすれば、もうはりのやまへおいあげられることもなくなれば、ちのいけにしずめられることもあるはずはございません。

Vocabulary

• 追い上げる means "to gain on, to put pressure on, to close in on"
• 沈める is a transitive verb that means "to sink, to submerge; to lower"
• 筈, typically written in kana as はず, means "should, ought to"

Kanji

Kanji	N-level	Occurs in how many common words?
追	N3	26
沈	N2	8
筈	None, not a jouyou kanji	1

Translation

If he did that, and if he didn't have to close in on the mountain of needles anymore, there would be no more having to sinking into the lake of blood.

Sentence 2:

こう思いましたからは、早速その蜘蛛の糸を両手でしっかりとつかみながら、一生懸命に上へ上へとたぐりのぼり始めました。

こうおもいましたからは、さっそくそのくものいとをりょうてでしっかりつかみながら、いっしょうけんめいにうえへうえへとたぐりのぼりはじめました。

Vocabulary

• しっかり means "tightly, firmly, securely"
• つかむ means "to seize, to grab, to grasp"
• 一生懸命 means "very hard, with utmost effort, as hard as one can, with all one's might" etc.
• 上へ上へ means "higher and higher"
• たぐり means "reeling in by hand"

Kanji

The only new kanji in this sentence is 懸, an N1 kanji found in 17 common words.

Translation

After thinking like this, while immediately grabbing that spider's thread tightly with both hands, he began to reel himself up higher higher with all his might.

JSLL #69 - The Spider's Thread, part 17

Sentence 1:

犍陀多はこれを見ると、思わず手を拍って喜びました。

かんだたはこれをみると、おもわずてうってよろこびました。

Vocabulary

• 思わず, literally "without thinking" means "unconsciously, involuntarily, instinctively, reflexively" etc.
• 拍つ is a rarely used kanji variation of 打つ, which means "to hit, to strike, to punch" (and 15 other things I won't enumerate here).
• 喜ぶ means "to be delighted, to be pleased, to be glad, to rejoice."

Kanji

拍 is an N1 kanji in 5 common words.

喜 is an N3 kanji in 9 common words.

Translation

When Kandata saw this, he reflexively clapped his hands in delight.

Sentence 2:

この糸に縋りついて、どこまでものぼって行けば、きっと地獄からぬけ出せるのに相違ございません。

このいとにすがりついて、どこまでものぼっていけば、きっとじごくからぬけだせるのにそういございません。

Vocabulary

• 縋りつく means "to cling to, to depend on, to embrace, to hug"
• どこまでも means "anywhere, for all time, to the ends of the earth; through thick and thin, come hell or high water, to the bitter end, to the utmost; persistently, stubbornly; in all respects, on every point; thoroughly, exhaustively"
• のぼる (typically written 上る or 登る) means "to ascend, to go up, to climb"
• きっと means "undoubtedly, surely, almost certainly"
• ぬけ出す (typically written 抜け出す) means "to slip out, to sneak away, to break free, to get through (a difficult situation)." 
• 相違 means "difference, discrepancy, variation"

Kanji

Kanji	N-level	Occurs in how many common words?
縋	None, not even a jouyou kanji	1
相	N3	54

Grammar

No new grammar here, but note the strange choice of writing several words (のぼって and ぬけ出す) with kana, even though the kanji version is more preferred.

Translation

If he would cling to this thread and go up it no matter what, then surely he would no doubt sneak away from this hell.

Sentence 3:

いや、うまく行くと、極楽へはいる事さえも出来ましょう。

いや、うまくいくと、ごくらくへはいることさえもできましょう。

Vocabulary

• いや means "no" (especially when written in kana)
• うまい means "skillful; delicious"
• さえ means "even"

Translation

Not just that, if he went skillfully, he could also even enter heaven.

JSLL #68 - The Spider's Thread, part 16

 Sentence:

This might be the longest sentence in the book so far (disregarding sentences with quoted sentences inside them).

何気なく犍陀多が頭を挙げて、血の池の空を眺めますと、そのひっそりとした暗の中を、遠い遠い天上から、銀色の蜘蛛の糸が、まるで人目にかかるのを恐れるように、一すじ細く光りながら、するすると自分の上へ垂れて参るのではございませんか。

なにげなくかんだたがあたまをあげて、ちのいけのそらをながめますと、そのひっそりとしたやみのなかを、とおいとおいてんじょうから、ぎんいろのくものいとが、まるでひとめにかかるのをおそれるように、ひとすじほそくひかりながら、するするとじぶんのうえへたれてまいるのではございませんか。

Vocabulary

• 何気なくmeans "unintentionally, calmly, inadvertently, innocently"
• 頭 means "head"
• 挙げる means many things: "to give (an example), to list, to enumerate, to show, to display, to cite; to summon up, to gather; to arrest, to capture; to nominate; to conduct; to raise (an army)" and so on and so forth. But it's also a kanji variant of the more common word 上げる, which means "to raise, to elevate," which is also a sense given for 挙げる.
• 空 means "sky"
• 眺める means "to look at, to gaze at; to look out over, to get a view of; to look on, to stand by and watch, to observe"
• ひっそり means "quiet, still, place, silent, deserted; inconspicuously, modestly, quietly"
• 暗 means "darkness, dark"
• 天上 means "the heavens, the skies"
• 人目 means "(public) notice, attention, public eye, public gaze"
• 恐れる means "to fear, to be afraid of"
• 一すじ, more commonly written 一筋, means "one line, one stretch, one strand (of hair), one beam (of light), one length (of rope etc)"
• 細い means "thin"
• するする means "smoothly, swiftly"
• 垂れる means "to hand, to droop, to dangle"
• 参る means "to go, to come, to call"

Kanji

Kanji	N-level	Occurs in how many common words?
空	N4	55
眺	N1	2
遠	N3	17
垂	N1	6
参	N3	29

Grammar

For a sentence this long, we'll want to at least point out the basic structure of the sentence.

何気なく犍陀多が頭を挙げて、血の池の空を眺めますと、そのひっそりとした暗の中を、遠い遠い天上から、銀色の蜘蛛の糸が、まるで人目にかかるのを恐れるように、一すじ細く光りながら、するすると自分の上へ垂れて参るのではございませんか。

Each part that ends in a comma is a clause or phrase:

• 何気なく犍陀多が頭を挙げて、is a te-form (which I think belongs with the next part)
• 血の池の空を眺めますと、is a when-clause
• そのひっそりとした暗の中を、is a direct object
• 遠い遠い天上から、is a from-phrase
• まるで人目にかかるのを恐れるように、is an adverbial clause starting with "as if"
• 一すじ細く光りながら、is a while-clause

Translation

When Kandata inadvertently raised his head and gazed at the sky of the pool of blood, from the heavens far, far above that quiet center of darkness, the silver spider's thread, as if afraid of catching the public's eye, with a thin ray of light, swiftly came dangling above him.

JSLL #67 - The Spider's Thread, part 15

 Sentence 1:

ですからさすが大泥棒の犍陀多もやはり血の池の血に咽びながら、まるで死にかかった蛙のように、ただもがいてばかり居りました。

ですからさすがおおどろぼうのかんだたもやはりちのいけのちにむせびながら、まるでしにかかったかわずのように、だたもがいてばかりおりました。

Vocabulary

• ですから means "so, therefore, because of that"
• さすが is an adverb meaning "as one would expect; still, all the same, after all; even (before a noun phrase)"
• 大泥棒 means "master thief, notorious robber"
• やはり is an adverb meaning "as expected; after all; too; still; even so"
• 咽ぶ means "to be choked, to be stifled, to be smothered"
• まるで means "quite, entirely, completely; as if, as though, just like"
• 死にかかる means "to be dying"
• 蛙 means "frog" (which is more commonly pronounced かえる than the reading given here, かわず).
• もがく means "to struggle, to writhe, to squirm"

Kanji

• 咽 is not an N-kanji at all, but it is a jouyou kanji, which occurs in exactly 1 common word, pronounced のど and more commonly written as 喉, meaning "throat."
• 蛙 is not even a jouyou kanji and, like 咽, also occurs in exactly 1 common word: 蛙, meaning "frog." Like all animal species names, this one, too, is often written using katakana (カエル or カワズ).

Grammar

The construction ～てばかりいる (here in the polite version: ～てばかり居りました) means "nothing but... / only..."

Translation

So, even the notorious robber Kandata, as you'd expect while he was being smothered in the blood of the Lake of Blood, did nothing but struggle like a frog who was dying.

 Sentence 2:

ところがある時の事でございます。

ところがあるのときことでございます。

Translation

But then, at some point, something happened.

JSLL #66 - The Spider's Thread, part 14

 Sentence:

これはここへ落ちて来るほどの人間は、もうさまざまな地獄の責苦に疲れはてて、泣声を出す力さえなくなっているのでございましょう。

これはここへおちてくるほどのにんげんは、もうさまざまなじごくのせめくにつかれはてて、なきごえをだすちからさえなくなっているのでございましょう。

Vocabulary

• ほど means "extent; span of time; distance"
• 人間 means "human being, human, person"
• もう means "already, yet"
• さまざま, usually written 様々, means "various, a variety of"
• 責苦, usually written 責め苦, means "torture, pains (of hell)"
•  疲れはてる, usually written 疲れ果てる, means "to get tired out, to be exhausted"
• 泣声, usually written 泣き声, means "cry (of a baby), sob, whine; tearful voice, weepy voice." Note that the word 鳴き声 (also written 鳴声) is pronounced the same (なきごえ) and means "cry of an animal," used as a catch-all term for barking, meowing, crowing and so on.
• 力 means "force, strength; capability, ability, proficiency"
• さえない, usually written 冴えない, means "dull, dreary, sullen, depressed"

Kanji

Kanji	N-level	Occurs in how many common words?
責	N3	13
苦	N3	25
疲	N3	6
泣	N1	5
力	N4	97

Translation

People, to the extent that they fall into this place, are already worn out by the various pains of hell, and are becoming too depressed to be able to let out a cry.

JSLL #65 - The Spider's Thread, part 13

Sentence:

その上あたりは墓の中のようにしんと静まり返って、たまに聞こえるものと云っては、ただ罪人がつく微な嘆息ばかりでございます。

そのうえあたりははかのなかのようにしんとしずまりかえって、たまにきこえるものといっては、ただざいにんがつくかすかなたんそくばかりでございます。

Vocabulary

• 墓 means "grave, tomb"
• しんと means "silent (as the grave), deadly silent, deathly quiet"
• 静まり返る means "to fall completely silent, to become silent as death"
• ただ means "ordinary, common, usual" but also "only, merely, just, simply"
• つく can be many verbs meaning many things
• 微, often written 微か, is a na-adjective that means "faint, dim, weak etc" or "poor, wretched, meager etc"
• 嘆息 means "sigh (of grief, disappointment), grieving, lamenting, deploring"
• ばかりmeans "only, merely, nothing more than"

Kanji

Kanji	N-level	Occurs in how many common words?
墓	N1	5
静	N3	15
微	N1	16
嘆	N1	3

Translation

The place above fell deathly silent as if inside a grave, and there was only the faint sighs of grief, sighed by common criminals, if you could even call that something that can be heard.