Heart of Darkness — Page 6

English → Japanese Full Text Level 9/10

But Marlow was not typical (if his propensity to spin yarns be excepted), and to him the meaning of an episode was not inside like a kernel but outside, enveloping the tale which brought it out only as a glow brings out a haze, in the likeness of one of these misty halos that sometimes are made visible by the spectral illumination of moonshine.

しかしマーロウは典型的な人物ではなかった（話を紡ぐ彼の癖を除けば）。彼にとって、ある出来事の意味は核のように内側にあるのではなく、外側にあり、その物語を包み込むものだった。それはちょうど、ぼんやりとした光が霞を浮かび上がらせるように、月光の幽玄な輝きによって時折その姿を現す、あの霧がかったハローのようなものだった。

His remark did not seem at all surprising.

彼の言葉はまったく意外には思われなかった。

It was just like Marlow.

いかにもマーロウらしかった。

It was accepted in silence.

それは沈黙のうちに受け入れられた。

No one took the trouble to grunt even; and presently he said, very slow—"I was thinking of very old times, when the Romans first came here, nineteen hundred years ago—the other day ....

誰もわざわざ鼻を鳴らそうともしなかった。やがて彼はとてもゆっくりと言った——「ついこの間のこと——千九百年前、ローマ人が初めてここにやって来た、あの遠い昔のことを考えていたんだ……

Light came out of this river since—you say Knights? Yes; but it is like a running blaze on a plain, like a flash of lightning in the clouds.

それ以来、この川から光が生まれた——騎士たちのことを言うのか？そうだ、しかしそれは平原を走る炎のようなもの、雲の中の稲妻の閃きのようなものだ。

We live in the flicker—may it last as long as the old earth keeps rolling!

我々はその瞬きの中に生きている——古い大地が回り続ける限り、それが続くことを願う！

But darkness was here yesterday.

しかし昨日はここに暗闇があった。

Imagine the feelings of a commander of a fine—what d'ye call 'em?—trireme in the Mediterranean, ordered suddenly to the north; run overland across the Gauls in a hurry; put in charge of one of these craft the legionaries—a wonderful lot of handy men they must have been, too—used to build, apparently by the hundred, in a month or two, if we may believe what we read.

地中海に浮かぶ立派な——何と呼んだかな？——三段橈船の指揮官の気持ちを想像してみてくれ。突然北へ向かうよう命令され、急いでガリアを陸路で横断し、軍団兵たちが建造した——彼らも実に器用な連中だったに違いない——こういった船の一艘を任される。読んだことを信じるなら、どうやら一、二ヶ月で何百艘も造ったらしい。

Vocabulary

しかし: shikashi — Conjunction meaning 'however' or 'but'.
は: wa — Topic-marking particle indicating the subject.
典型的: tenkeiteki — Typical or representative of a particular type.
な: na — Adjectival particle linking na-adjectives to nouns.
人物: jinbutsu — A person, figure, or character in a story.
で: de — Particle indicating means, location, or copula form.
なかった: nakatta — Past negative form of the copula; 'was not'.
話: hanashi — A story, talk, or conversation.
を: wo — Object-marking particle indicating direct object.
紡ぐ: tsumugu — To spin yarn; metaphorically to weave a story.
彼: kare — Third-person masculine pronoun meaning 'he' or 'him'.
の: no — Possessive or nominalizing particle.
癖: kuse — A habit, quirk, or tendency someone has.
除けば: nozokeba — Conditional form of 'nozoku'; meaning 'except for'.
に: ni — Particle indicating direction, location, or indirect object.
とって: totte — Expression meaning 'for' or 'from the perspective of'.
ある: aru — To exist (for inanimate things); a certain (attributive).
出来事: dekigoto — An event, happening, or occurrence.
意味: imi — Meaning, significance, or sense of something.
核: kaku — A core, nucleus, or central essence of something.
よう: yō — Expression indicating resemblance or likelihood; 'like'.
内側: uchigawa — The inside or inner side of something.
なく: naku — Connective negative form; 'without' or 'not having'.
外側: sotogawa — The outside or outer side of something.
あり: ari — Connective form of 'aru'; existing or being present.
その: sono — Demonstrative adjective meaning 'that' or 'its'.
物語: monogatari — A story, tale, or narrative.
包み込む: tsutsumikоmu — To wrap up or envelop something completely.
もの: mono — A thing, object, or nominalizer for abstract concepts.
だった: datta — Past tense copula; 'was' or 'it was'.
それ: sore — Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'that' or 'it'.
ちょうど: chōdo — Exactly, just, or precisely at that moment.
ぼんやり: bonyari — Vaguely, hazily, or in a blurred, indistinct manner.
と: to — Particle meaning 'and', 'with', or quotation marker.
した: shita — Past tense of 'suru'; did, or adjectival modifier.
光: hikari — Light, radiance, or a beam of light.
が: ga — Subject-marking particle highlighting the subject.
霞: kasumi — Haze, mist, or a thin veil of vapor.
浮かび上がらせる: ukabiagara seru — To cause something to emerge or rise into view.
月光: gekkō — Moonlight; the light emitted by the moon.
幽玄: yūgen — Mysterious, subtle beauty with deep spiritual resonance.
輝き: kagayaki — Radiance, brilliance, or a shining glow.
よって: yotte — By means of; due to; through a cause.
時折: tokiori — Occasionally, sometimes, or from time to time.
姿: sugata — A figure, form, or appearance of someone.
現す: arawasu — To reveal, show, or make something appear.
あの: ano — Demonstrative meaning 'that (over there)'.
霧: kiri — Fog or mist obscuring visibility outdoors.
かった: katta — Past tense ending for i-adjectives; 'was adjective'.
言葉: kotoba — Words, language, or an expression used in speech.
まったく: mattaku — Completely, entirely, or 'not at all' in negative.
意外: igai — Unexpected, surprising, or contrary to expectations.
思われ: omoware — Passive form of 'omou'; to be thought or seem.
いかにも: ikanimo — Indeed, truly, or exactly as one would expect.
らしかった: rashikatta — Past tense; seemed like or was typical of.
沈黙: chinmoku — Silence, stillness, or absence of speech.
うち: uchi — Within, inside, or among a group or period.
受け入れられた: ukeirererareta — Was accepted, received, or acknowledged by others.
誰: dare — Interrogative pronoun meaning 'who' or 'someone'.
も: mo — Particle meaning 'also', 'even', or 'nobody' in negative.
わざわざ: wazawaza — Going out of one's way to do something.
鼻: hana — Nose; the organ of smell on the face.
鳴らそう: narasō — Volitional form of 'narasu'; to snort or make sound.
しなかった: shinakatta — Did not do; past negative of 'suru'.
やがて: yagate — Before long, soon, or eventually in time.
とても: totemo — Very, extremely, or quite (degree adverb).
ゆっくり: yukkuri — Slowly, calmly, or taking one's time.
言った: itta — Past tense of 'iu'; said or spoke aloud.
ついこの間: tsui kono aida — Just recently; only a short time ago.
こと: koto — A thing, matter, or nominalizer for verbal phrases.
初めて: hajimete — For the first time; doing something never done before.
ここ: koko — Here; this place where the speaker is located.
やって来た: yatte kita — Came along; arrived here from somewhere else.
遠い: tōi — Far away, distant, or long ago in time.
昔: mukashi — Long ago, ancient times, or the old days.
考えて: kangaete — Thinking about or considering something carefully.
いた: ita — Past progressive auxiliary; was doing something.
んだ: nda — Explanatory sentence-final particle; 'you see' or 'it is'.
それ以来: sore irai — Since then; from that time onward.
この: kono — Demonstrative adjective meaning 'this' (near speaker).
川: kawa — A river or stream of flowing water.
から: kara — Particle meaning 'from' or 'because'.
生まれた: umareta — Was born; came into existence or originated.
騎士: kishi — A knight; an armored warrior of noble rank.
たち: tachi — Plural suffix for people or animate beings.
言う: iu — To say, speak, or tell something to someone.
か: ka — Sentence-final question particle in Japanese.
そう: sō — That's right; so; in that way or manner.
だ: da — Casual copula meaning 'is' or 'it is'.
平原: heigen — A plain or flatland with wide open terrain.
走る: hashiru — To run or race across a surface quickly.
炎: honō — Flame or fire; a burning blaze.
雲: kumo — A cloud in the sky.
中: naka — Inside, within, or the middle of something.
稲妻: inazuma — Lightning; a flash of electrical discharge in storms.
閃き: hirameki — A flash, sparkle, or sudden brilliant inspiration.
我々: wareware — We or us; first-person plural pronoun (formal).
瞬き: matataki — A blink or twinkle; fleeting moment of time.
生きて: ikite — Living; existing in a living state currently.
いる: iru — To be (animate); auxiliary for ongoing actions.
古い: furui — Old, aged, or ancient (for objects or things).
大地: daichi — The earth, ground, or vast expanse of land.
回り続ける: mawaritsuzukeru — To keep revolving or continuing to turn around.
限り: kagiri — As long as, to the extent of, or limit.
続く: tsuzuku — To continue, last, or go on without stopping.
願う: negau — To wish for, hope, or earnestly desire something.
昨日: kinō — Yesterday; the day before today.
暗闇: kurayami — Darkness, pitch black, or a dark environment.
あった: atta — Past tense of 'aru'; there was or it existed.
浮かぶ: ukabu — To float, appear, or come to mind.
立派: rippa — Splendid, admirable, fine, or magnificent in quality.
何: nani — What; interrogative pronoun for things or matters.
呼んだ: yonda — Called, named, or summoned someone or something.
かな: kana — Sentence-final particle expressing wonder or reflection.
指揮官: shikikan — A commander or officer in charge of troops.
気持ち: kimochi — Feeling, mood, or emotional state of a person.
想像: sōzō — Imagination or the act of imagining something.
して: shite — Connective form of 'suru'; doing and then continuing.
みて: mite — Try doing (te-form of 'miru'); attempt an action.
くれ: kure — Imperative form requesting someone to do a favor.
突然: totsuzen — Suddenly, abruptly, or without prior warning.
北: kita — North; the cardinal direction toward the North Pole.
へ: e — Directional particle meaning 'toward' or 'to'.
向かう: mukau — To head toward, face, or proceed in a direction.
命令: meirei — An order, command, or directive given to someone.
され: sare — Passive connective form of 'suru'; being done to.
急いで: isoide — In a hurry; rushing to do something quickly.
陸路: rikuro — An overland route or road across land.
横断: ōdan — Crossing or traversing from one side to another.
し: shi — Connective form of 'suru'; and, doing multiple things.
建造: kenzō — Construction or building of large structures or vessels.
彼ら: karera — They or them; third-person plural pronoun.
実に: jitsu ni — Truly, indeed, or really (emphatic adverb).
器用: kiyō — Skillful, dexterous, or clever with one's hands.
連中: renchū — A group of people, bunch, or those fellows.
違いない: chigainai — Must be, no doubt; expressing strong certainty.
こういった: kō itta — This kind of, such a type as described.
船: fune — A ship, boat, or vessel for water travel.
一艘: issō — One vessel; counter for ships and boats.
任される: makasareru — To be entrusted with or put in charge of.
読んだ: yonda — Read (past tense); read a text or document.
信じる: shinjiru — To believe, trust, or have faith in something.
なら: nara — Conditional particle meaning 'if' or 'in that case'.
どうやら: dōyara — It seems, apparently, or judging from the evidence.
一: ichi — The number one; first in a sequence.
二: ni — The number two; second in a sequence.
ヶ月: kagetsu — Month(s); counter for counting months of time.
造った: tsukutta — Built or constructed something (past tense of 'tsukuru').
らしい: rashii — Apparently, it seems, or hearsay evidential marker.

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