Reading Practice: the Dead Parrot Sketch in Japanese
Month Python’s dead parrot sketch. It’s deservingly one of the most famous sketches in all comedy, in which John Cleese (Mr. Praline) attempts to return a dead parrot to a stubborn pet shop owner. I hope we’ve all had the opportunity to watch it and have laughed until our eyes watered and our stomachs hurt (if you haven’t, watch it now!).
VIDEO
Recently, I came across a translation of the dead parrot sketch in Japanese , and was so pleased with it that I decided to try to make it available and accessible to Japanese learners. The translation is very smooth and natural, so consider this a fun exercise in understanding “real” Japanese and translations that, although accurate, are often far from literal. I hope you’ll also find it a refreshing departure from your textbook dialogues.
I’ve added a large number of tool tips to the sketch below, so if you don’t understand something, try hovering over it with your mouse. If you’ve got a question on something not explained in a tooltip, please comment and let me know. I’ll try to either answer directly or add tooltips where necessary.
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Options: Add Pronunciation Guides – Show/Hide English
* furigana (pronunciation guide) is added by Furigana Webglasses ‘s free web service.
It’s automatically generatred so it might not be 100% correct.
Also, adding pronunciation guides screws up the site layout somewhat.
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Mr. Praline: 失礼 しつれい 、ちょっと言 い いたいことがあるんだが…。ちょっと、お嬢 じょう さん。
Hello, I wish to register a complaint. Hello, Miss?
Shopkeeper: お嬢 じょう さんって、どういう意味 いみ どういう意味 いみ : what is meant BY something. Many learners would say 何 なん の意味 いみ , but that would be asking the literal meaning of the word お嬢 じょう さん ?
What’cha mean, “miss”?
P: ああ、失敬 しっけい literally: ”(I was) rude.” But without です or しました following it, we get the feeling the apology is slightly superficial. 。風邪 かぜ をひいてしまってねThis TE form isn't a command. It's the continuous form, so grammatically speaking the sentence is incomplete. The logical completion of the sentence has already been said: 失敬 しっけい 。私 わたし は苦情 くじょう を言 い いに来 き たんだ。
I’m sorry, I have a cold. I wish to make a complaint.
S: すみませんが、昼休 ひるやす みなもんで[Noun + なもんで: ”because it's...”] - The shopkeeper has omitted ”please come back another time”. Also note that な here is a form of だ/です 。
Sorry, we’re closing for lunch.
P: 気 き にするな。まだ30分 ふん もたっていないと思 おも うが、さきほど貴店 きてん きてん : 貴 き is an honorary prefix/kanji. The speaker could have said この店 みせ or あなたの店 みせ , but the keigo term 貴店 きてん helps convey the speaker’s sarcasm. からオウムを購入 こうにゅう した。そのオウムのことでひとこと言 い いたい。
Never mind that, my lad. I wish to complain about this parrot that I purchased not half an hour ago from this very boutique.
S: ああ、ノルウェイジャン・ブルーね。何 なに か、まずいまずい is an adjective you might not find in your textbook. It can mean ”bad” (of either food or a turn of events), ”awkward” or ”poor quality” ことでも?The speaker has omitted the verb ある from this sentence.
Oh yes, the Norwegian blue. What’s wrong with it?
P: まずいことがあったから、こうして言 い いに来 き てるんだ”I'll tell you what's...” doesn't work when translated literally, so the sentence is changed to something like ”(of course) there's a problem, that's why I came to say it.” 。オウムオウム means parrot. The kanji is 鸚鵡 おうむ , in case you want to impress someone. が死 し んでる。これが、その「まずいこと」だ。
I’ll tell you what’s wrong with it. It’s dead. That’s what’s wrong with it.
S: 何 なに を言 い うんですか、休 やす んでるんですよ。
No, no. It’s resting. Look.
P: いいかねThis expression is like saying ”look here” or ”got it”, with a very authoritative tone. 。このオウムが死 し んでいることは、見 み れば分 わ かる。今 いま だって”even now”. Note that this だって is similar in meaning to でも. 、ご覧 らん の通 とお り”exactly as you see” だ。
Look my lad, I know a dead parrot when I see one and I’m looking at one right now.
S: だから違 ちが いますって。死 し んでません。休 やす んでるんです。
No, no. He’s not dead. He’s resting.
P: 休 やす んでる?
Resting?
S: そうですともとも at the end of a sentence indicates a rather polite-sounding affirmation, intended to show the speaker’s unequivocalness. It is used when replying to a confirmation or clarification question. 。ノルウェイジャン・ブルーは珍 めずら しい鳥 とり でしてね。この羽根 はね 羽根 はね (はね): ”feathers”. 羽 はね by itself is also read はね, but people tend to interpret just 羽 わ to mean ”wing”. It’s merely a tendency, though. Both 羽根 ばね and 羽 わ can mean either feathers or wing. 翼 つばさ (つばさ) can only mean ”wing”. の美 うつく しいことと言 い ったら…と言 い ったら(ない) is an advanced (JLPT N2-N1) exclamation, used for emphasis. ”There’s no words to express the beauty of the plumage.” 。
Yeah. Remarkable bird, the Norwegian blue. Beautiful plumage, idn’t it?
P: 羽根 はね のことを言 い ってるんじゃない。このオウムは、完全 かんぜん に死 し んでいる。
The plumage don’t enter into it. It’s stone dead.
S: いいえ、眠 ねむ っているだけです。
No, no. It’s resting.
P: そうか。眠 ねむ っているなら、起 お こそうじゃないか。オハヨー、オウムちゃん。お目 め 々を覚 さ ましたら、おいしいイカイカ is squid. The (rarely-used) kanji is 烏賊 いか , in case you were interested. をあげますよ~。オウムのポリーちゃん~。
Alright then. If it’s resting, I’ll wake it up. Hello Polly! I got a nice cup of fish for you when you wake up, Polly Parrot.
S: ほら、動 うご いた。
There, it moved.
P: オウムじゃない。あんたあんた is a slightly condescending term for ”you”. We can clearly see that Mr. Praline is upset with the shopkeeper now. が鳥 とり かごを押 お したんじゃないか。
No he didn’t, that was you pushing the cage.
S: 押 お してません押 お さなかった or 押 お しませんでした would not work here. The simple past tense implies that some conditions were in place and ~ had a possibility of occurring. 押 お していません is a flat-out denial, much better suited to responding to accusations. Note also that this TE-いる is different from the progressive (~ing) form. Literally: ”(I am) not in the state which results from pushing.” 。
I did not.
P: いいや、押 お した。オハヨ~、ポリーちゃん~。オウムのポリーちゃん~、起 おこ っきしましょうねぇ。ポリーちゃん~。これを死 し んだオウムと言 い わずして、何 なん と呼 よ ぶI really like this expression. ”What would you call it if not...”. It’s kind of a set phrase. ?
Yes you did. Hello, Polly! Poooollyyyy! Polly parrot, wake up! Poooolly! Now that’s what I call a dead parrot.
S: いいえ、気絶 きぜつ ”きぜつ: knocked out/unconscious” したんですよ。
No, no. It’s stunned.
P: あのなあのな is very similar to いいかね above, taking an authoritative ”look here, now” tone. It's possible to say あのな or あのね non-authoritatively, but you have to be extremely careful about context and your intonation. 、死 し んでることは今 いま ので”with/from (what happened) just now” (今 いま 、ここで見 み せたことで) 、じゅうぶん分 わ かっただろ。このオウムは明 あき らかに死亡 しぼう してるの。私 わたし がさっき買 か いに来 き たとき、オウムが動 うご かないのは、喋 しゃべ り続 つづ けてクタクタに疲 つか れてるからだってThis だって is different from the one above (the one similar in meaning to でも). This is the verb だ, plus the quoting marker って (= と). 、保証 ほしょう したじゃないか。
Look my lad, I’ve had just about enough of this. That parrot is definitely deceased. And when I bought it not half an hour ago, you assured me that its lack of movement was due to it being tired and shagged out after a long squall.
S: フィヨルドが恋 こい しい~が恋 こい しい: to miss/long for ~ のかも。
He’s probably pining for the fjords.
P: フィヨルドが恋 こい しいだと?何 なん だそりゃ。だったら、家 いえ に着 つ いたとたん~TA+途端 とたん (とたん): just when/after ~ 、オウムが仰向 あおむ けあおむけ: laying flat and facing upward. になって床 ゆか に落 お ちたのは、どう説明 せつめい してくれるHow will you explain this to me? ?
Pining for the fjords? What kind of talk is that? Look, why did it fall flat on its back the moment I got it home?
S: ノルウェイジャン・ブルーは仰向 あおむ けで寝 ね るのが好 す きなんですよ。きれいな鳥 とり でしょ。それに見事 みごと な羽根 はね 。
The Norwegian blue prefers keeping on its back. It’s a beautiful bird, lovely plumage…
P: 失礼 しつれい を承知 しょうち で”while knowing that it was discourteous (to you)”, this is how ”took the liberty to...” got translated. 調 しら べさせて貰 もら ったがね、どうしてオウムが最初 さいしょ にいた止 と まり木 き perch にずっと立 た っていられたのか、分 わ かったよ。理由 りゆう は一 ひと つ、オウムが止 と まり木 き に釘付 くぎづ けされてた釘付 くぎづ け is treated as a noun here, so the されてた is a conjugation of する, not of 付 つ ける. The speaker could also have said 釘付 くぎづ けられた, which would be using 釘 くぎ 付 つ ける (a verb). からだ。
Look, I took the liberty of examining that parrot, and I discovered that the only reason it had been sitting on its perch in the first place was that it had been nailed there.
S: そんなの、当 あ たり前 まえ じゃないですか。そうでもしなけりゃ、柵 しがらみ をこじ開 あ けてこじあける: to wrench open 、ブーンと飛 と んでっちまう。
Well of course he was nailed there otherwise he’d have muscled up through those bars and voom!
P: いいかね、このオウムに4000ボルトの電気 でんき をかけたってThis usage of ~TAって appears only in spoken Japanese, and is equivalent to ~TEも. (かけても) 、飛 と ぶわけがない。これは、完 かん ぺきにご臨終 りんじゅう なの。
Look matey, this parrot wouldn’t “voom” if I put 4000 volts through it. It’s bleeding demised.
S: いやいや、恋 こい しいんです。
It’s not. It’s, it’s pining.
P: ホームシックなんかじゃない~なんかじゃない: it’s not anything like ~ (used for a sweeping negation) 。お亡 な くなりになったお亡 な くなりになる: an honorific way of saying ”to die” んだ。このオウムは、この世 よ を去 さ ったhas left this world の。事切 ことき れてことぎれる: ”things have cut off/ended”, this word isn't any dictionary I could find, but the meaning is clear from context. しまった。息 いき を引 ひ き取 と りhas taken back his breath 、神 かみ の御許 おもと God's (神 かみ の) honorable (御 お ) underneath (許 もと ), but ”underneath” is not meant literally. 神 かみ の御許 おもと is ”a place near God” に逝 い かれた逝 ゆ く (いく): it’s the verb 行 い く, but 逝 is used when the destination is the afterlife. 。これは「故 こ こ : a prefix used before names of people to indicate that the person is deceased. オウム」。死体 したい A corpse/cadaver/dead body 。命 いのち 尽 つ きて尽 つ きる (つきる): to be used up, all gone 、永遠 えいえん の眠 ねむ りについてる”has fallen into eternal sleep.” I personally would have gone with 安 やす らかに眠 ねむ っている since it's a translation of ”rests in peace” 。釘付 くぎづ けされてなきゃ、今頃 いまごろ はひな菊 きく ひなぎく : daisy いっぱいのお墓 はか おはか: grave の下 した でおねんねねんね is a ”cute” word for sleeping. Maybe a little like ”Nappy time”. Putting お before it is unusual and helps show that the speaker is using the word sarcastically. してたはずなんだ。オウムはその生涯 しょうがい に幕 まく を閉 と じhas closed the curtains on life. その is not necessary here, but using it portrays the parrot and the parrot’s life as two separate entities. 、昇天 しょうてん しょうてん: ascended to heaven なされたなさる is an honorific equivalent to する, again the speaker is using keigo to convey sarcasm. Using the passive ~Aれる is also a keigo form, and grammatically speaking you’re not supposed to put it on a word that’s already keigo in nature, but many Japanese still do. の。これは「元 もと もと: ”ex-” prefix, as in ex-girlfriend/boyfriend. オウム」。
It’s not pining, it’s passed on. This parrot is no more. It has ceased to be. It’s expired and gone to meet its maker. This is a late parrot. It’s a stiff. Berift of life, it rests in peace. If you hadn’t nailed it to the perch it would be pushing up the daisies. It’s flung down the curtain and joined the choir invisible. This! is an ex-parrot.
S: 分 わ かりましたよ、お取 と り替 か えしましょ。
Well, I’d better replace it, then.
P: この国 くに で何 なに か買 か おうと思 おも ったら、性根 しょうこん 尽 つ き果 は てるまでしょうねつきはてるまで: until your perseverance has reached it’s limit 文句 もんく を言 い うはめになる~はめになる: an advanced expression (JLPT N2-N1), indicating some result that the speaker is dissatisfied with. 。
If you want to get anything done in this country, you’ve got to complain until you’re blue in the mouth.
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Okay, I’ll stop there. Hope you enjoyed that and please do comment with any questions you have!
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advanced monty python parrot reading sketch Posted under
Language & Study by Nihonshock.
Thanks for this great transcript, it was a nice read. I’ve learned lots of new vocabulary and grammar today thanks to this. Cheers!
by: Tim, Jan 10th at 5:05 am
“I got a nice cup of fish for you”
A tiny correction: that should be “a nice cuttlefish” [bone]. I don’t know what the link is between pet birds and cuttlefish bones, but it is a thing.
by: NelC, Jan 17th at 5:40 am
Cuttlefish bone is used by birds to sharpen their beaks, and the grits go into their crop to help grind their food down, as well as calcium for eggshells
by: OB, May 16th at 9:32 am