10 Minute Biographies Book Club Chapter 3 (Absolute Beginner Book Club)

The idea is that everyone is able to edit, it’s a group project. I’ve looked again, it should be editable by anyone with the link now.

I must admit, this is only the second book we’ve tried having a grammar sheet. People were busy filling it in the first few days but then I think it kind of died off. I put in a couple of links for chapter 3 when I edited the permissions.

Traditionally we’ve just had a vocab spreadsheet. I’ve tried to keep this one up to date as we go along so that should be fairly complete.

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My neighbour just sent me this, and (although not exactly related to reading the book - sorry!) I thought it fits this chapter quite well:

Happy Sunday everybody!

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p. 55

「そうだ。大切な音楽を捨てて、僕は死ねない。
“Right. If I abandon my cherished music, I can’t die.
心の中から、音が消えたわけじゃないんだ。
It’s not that the music vanished from my mind.
小さい頃聞いた川のせせらぎ、鳥の冴えずり……。
When I was a child I listened to the murmuring of the river and the chirping of the birds …
懐かしい音が、心にまだ残っているじゃないか!
Aren’t these nostalgic sounds still remaining in my heart!
それを曲にしよう。」
Let’s turn these into a tune.”

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I’m not sure but I interpreted this like: Abandoning my cherished music - I can’t die like this!

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Or perhaps simply:

I can’t die and abandon my cherished music.

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page 55

Summary

そうだ。大切な音がを 捨てて 僕は しねない。

That’s it. I cannot throw away important music.

心の中から 音が 消えた 訳じゃ ないんだ。

Deep in my heart the sound did not disappear.

小さいころ 聞いた川の せせらぎ、鳥のさえずり。

When I was small i heard the river bobbling and the chirping of birds.

懐かし音が、心にまだのじゃ 凝っているじゃないか!

Nostalgic sound is still in my heart.

それを曲に使用。

Let’s use it to make music.

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Yes, maybe that’s even better. I was a bit confused by the 僕は being in the middle of the sentence and not at the beginning. So i thought there is some kind of break in the middle: the idea of abandoning the music and then the opposing speaker, who cannot die. But I don’t know if this makes sense at all.

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I think this is 囀り.

I think the „let‘s“ translation makes more sense if a person is talking to other people, isn’t it? To me, here it’s more like: I will / I’m going to …

I guess you forgot to translate this part. :v:

This is more a murmuring.

I think you misread のこって which is written as 残って with kanji.

I think this noun is not correct here. しよう is the volitional form of する and written in hiragana.

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Page 55: I read this one as: I can’t abandon my cherished music and die.

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This sentence confuses me quite a bit. I’m not sure the not-being-able part here refers to both verbs. :thinking:

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I agree it’s tricky for a short sentence!

When you use a て form to connect two actions, you put the first verb in て form and the last verb in past or non past form depending on when the action took place. When you translate this into English, the first verb is written in the same tense as the second. Eg

今朝パンを食べてコーヒーを飲みました。
This morning I ate bread and drank coffee.

But I’m assuming that isn’t the same for things like potential form? It would be possible to write the first verb in potential form and て form if you wanted to.

Regardless, whether you translate it as:

I can’t abandon my cherished music and die,
or,
I can’t die and abandon my cherished music

Whichever way round you put it in English the verb “abandon” ends up acquiring the quality of “I can’t”.

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Yes, I’m familiar with this rule concerning the tense, but unfortunately I couldn’t find anything about potential or negative forms in this context. :v:

I think I’m overanalyzing this sentence and in the end it’s not that tricky. :sweat_smile:

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I think if you phrase it slightly differently, this might untie the “potential carry-over” that we see in English (because I don’t think the first part is meant to be in potential anyways):

I can’t die (in the state of) having thrown away my music.

Now you can complain that there is no past tense for the first part, but sometimes tenses work differently in different languages, and since ~て can mark an “and then” relationship, I’m taking the liberty to put the first part in past tense in this case :grin:

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p. 56

音楽家の、新たな挑戦でした。
This was a new challenge for the musician.

耳が聞こえなくても、生きる勇気を持って、音楽を作り続けようと決めたベートーベンは、その後、迫力溢れる曲を、どんどん生み出していきました。
Beethoven, who had life spirit even if he couldn’t hear, and who had decided to keep on composing, after this continued to steadily produce music overflowing with strength.

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p. 56

音楽家の、新たな挑戦でした。
For a musician, it was a new challenge.
耳が聞こえなくても、生きる勇気を持って音楽を作り続けようと決めたベートーベンは、その後、迫力あふれる曲を、どんどん生み出していきました。
Even though he couldn’t hear, Beethoven decided to have the courage to live and to continue composing music, and thereafter created more and more impressive compositions.

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p. 57

フランスの革命で活躍したナポレオンをイメージした、『英雄』。
“Eroica”, inspired by Napoléon, who was active in the French Revolution.
「運命は扉を叩き、ふいに訪れる」という思いから生まれた、『運命』。
The “Fate [Symphony]”, born from the thought of “Fate knocking at the gate, visiting unexpectedly”.
そして、「喜びの歌」で知られる『交響曲第九番』。
And the “Symphony Nr. 9”, known for the “Ode to Joy”.
この曲は、人々の平和を願って作られたものです。
This piece of music was composed as a pray for peace for all people.
今でも、日本では毎年十二月になると、町のあちこちから流れてくる名曲です。
Even now, in December, this famous piece of music is to be heard in towns throughout Japan.
「悩みを乗り越えて、喜びを掴め。」
“Overcome your troubles and seize your joy.”
ベートーベンは、五十六歳で亡くなるまでに、三百曲の作品を生み出しました。
Before he died at the age of 56, Beethoven had composed 300 works.

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Wouldn’t that rather be “known as the” ?

I think you skipped the middle part here…? “In Japan, each year when it turns December, …”

The Ode to Joy is only a part of the 9th Symphony.

Oh, I forgot the ‘every year’ when I remodelled my sentence.

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page 57

Summary

フランスの革命で 活躍した チルトンをトメージした、「英雄」。

“Heroica” - dedicated to Napoleon who was active during French revolution.

「運命は 扉を たたき、不意に 訪れる」と いう 思いから 生まれた、「運命」。

“Fate” is believed to be born from the idea that “fate knocks on the door and suddenly visits”.

そして、「喜びの歌」で 知られる「交響曲第九番」。

So “Symphony No. 9" is known as “Ode to Joy".

この曲は、人々の平和を願って 作られたものです。

This song was written in the hope of world peace.

今でも、日本では 毎年 十二月に なると、街のあらこらから流れてくる名曲です。

Even now, in Japan, it is a masterpiece that can be heard all over the city every December.

[悩みを乗り越えて、夜こにを掴め。]

Overcome your doubts and seize the night.

ベートーベンは56歳で 亡くなるまでに 300曲ものを生み出しました。

Beethoven created 300 pieces of music by the time he died at the age of 56.

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The text says よろこび (喜び) , which means joy. :v:

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