Hikoichi and the Young Lord Japanese Traditional Story for Upper Beginners

むかし、むかし a long time ago
あるところに in a certain place [together with mukashi mukashi, this is the most common way to start a fairy tale.]
彦一さん Hikoichi (name)
という by the name of [the following describes person]
とても賢い very wise
若者 young person
住んでいました lived

たいへん賢くて being very wise… [taihen like totemo here means “very”; the ~te serves as an "and," connecting "very wise" with what follows]
どんな～でも no matter how... (difficult) [a noun is always between the words]
どんな難しい問題でも no matter how difficult the problem (he still solved it)
解いてしまう completely solve [shimau shows completion]
ので therefore (he became famous)

すっかり completely
有名になり became famous…
とうとう at last; finally
そのうわさ that rumor (about Hikoichi)
お殿様 the lord; the ruler
耳に into the ear (of the lord)
も even (into the ear of the lord)
入りました entered [idiomatic use for hearing something; lit. entered ear]

お殿様 the lord; the ruler
「」 quotation marks
ほんとうに really
そんなに that much; to that degree
のかどうか whether it is so or not
試してみよう let’s test

と ends the quotation; having said that, he (called Hikoichi to the castle)
お城に to the castle
呼ぶことにしました decided to call [～ことにする decided to... ]

行って went (to the castle)
かしこまって stand respectfully; to be extremely nervous before someone with a high authority [A fancy way to say "yes, sir!" or “roger that” is かしこまりました. This is often used today in business when receiving orders from customers]
待っている waiting
と and…
やってきました came

おお ah
お前 you [could sound derogatory or demeaning; used by an authority figure or peer—never to someone socially higher]
評判の famous; well thought of...
か so you are… [used to show mild surprise]
どれ well; let me see
面 face [old fashioned word used by lords to have their subjects lift their heads; this kanji can also be pronounced tsura]
あげなさい lift up (command)
うーむ hmm...
確かに certainly
かしこそう wise-looking
面 face [this reading is used today, but can be a degrading or disrespectful way to say "face." A better word is 顔(かお)]
かしこそうなつら a wise-looking face
をしておるの (he) has (a smart face) [oru is more formal (humble form) than iru; no is a sentence ender used with an explanation or for emotional emphasis]

うれしそうに言いました he said with glee; happily; joyfully [ureshisō means “apparent happiness”]
そんなに such; so… (smart) as that...
かしこいのなら if you are smart
若殿 young lord; prince
遊び相手 playmate
してほしいものじゃ (I) want (you) to be (playmate) [もの mono is used when explaining how something should be; じゃ is not used in modern speech]

若 young lord [short for wakatono]
入っておいで enter and come here [this is usually said when talking to children or those younger than the speaker]

お殿様 the lord [the o is honorific]
呼ぶと upon calling [the to indicates something happens as a result of the calling]
一人 one person
二人 two people
三人 three people
四人 four people [in general, it is “yonin,” but some people do use ”yonnin.”]
五人 five people
なんと how!; amazingly enough; to everyone’s astonishment; low and behold... [shows emotion and surprise]
五人もの five people [the mono shows surprise at a large number]
子供 children
入ってくる entered in
ではありませんか didn’t?  [used to show surprise at the number]

どの子も each and every child
同じような similar; seems to be the same
年頃 age
で and [shows a relationship between the two phrases]
顔つき looks; facial expressions

しかも on top of that; what’s more...
同じ the same
着物 kimono; clothes
着ています wearing

毎日 every day
お城で at the castle
お殿様 the lord
仕えている家来 retainers serving (the lord)
でも even (the retainers)
見分けがつきません couldn’t tell them apart

どうじゃ well, then [old-fashioned; today, this would be どうだ？]
彦一 Hikoichi
どの子 which child
本物の若 the real young lord
かわかるか？ Can you figure it out or not?
わからなければ if you don’t know
わからない I don’t know
といえばよいのだ it’s fine to say/admit (I don’t know)

にやりと笑って grin; a broad smile [にやり is a kind of onomatopoeia that describes a smirky smile. The lord doesn't think Hikoichi can figure it out.]
顔 face
見ました looked (at his face)

しばらく for a while
考えていました was thinking
が but; however
こう答えました answered like this

私には as for me, I...
本物の若様 the real young lord
わかります (I) know; (I) can tell
若様 the young lord
手習い shuji; calligraphy; writing practice
あと after (the shuji class)
と見えて it looks like; it seems... [Hikoichi is saying it seems like wakatono has just finished shuji]
手に in / on the hand
墨 ink
ついております is stained

すると and then...
この言葉 these words (what Hikoichi said)
につられて being enticed (by his words)
本物の若様 the real young lord
自分の his own...
手のひら palm of the hand
見ました looked

あとの子供 the other children; the rest of the children [the ato here means “other” and not “later”]
それ that (meaning the young lord’s hand)
のぞき込みました peeked; looked at… [to see if it were so]

ところが but; however
どこにも nowhere; no place at all
墨など ink or anything else [nado—etc.]
ついていません wasn’t stained

すかさず without delay
こう言いました said this
今 now; just now
自分の手のひらを見た子 the child who looked at the palm of his hand

すっかり completely
知恵 wisdom
に感心して amazed
たくさん many; much
褒美 praise; reward
与えた gave; bestowed
ということです and that is it [a common way to summarize things]

おしまい the end