Heart of Darkness — Page 8
Land in a swamp, march through the woods, and in some inland post feel the savagery, the utter savagery, had closed round him—all that mysterious life of the wilderness that stirs in the forest, in the jungles, in the hearts of wild men.
沼地に上陸し、森の中を行進し、そしてどこか内陸の駐屯地で、野蛮さを、あの完全な野蛮さを感じるのだ——それが彼を取り囲んでいた——森の中で、密林の中で、野生の人々の心の中でうごめく、あの荒野の神秘的な生命のすべてが。
There's no initiation either into such mysteries.
そのような神秘への入門というものも存在しない。
He has to live in the midst of the incomprehensible, which is also detestable.
彼は理解しがたいものの真っただ中で生きなければならず、それはまた忌まわしいものでもある。
And it has a fascination, too, that goes to work upon him.
そしてそれにはまた、彼に作用する魅惑もある。
The fascination of the abomination—you know, imagine the growing regrets, the longing to escape, the powerless disgust, the surrender, the hate."
忌まわしきものの魅惑——わかるだろう、募りゆく後悔を、逃げ出したいという憧れを、無力な嫌悪を、降伏を、憎しみを、想像してみてくれ。」
He paused.
彼は言葉を切った。
"Mind," he began again, lifting one arm from the elbow, the palm of the hand outwards, so that, with his legs folded before him, he had the pose of a Buddha preaching in European clothes and without a lotus-flower—"Mind, none of us would feel exactly like this.
「いいか」と彼は再び話し始めた。片腕を肘から持ち上げ、手のひらを外側に向け、脚を前に組んでいるその姿は、ヨーロッパの服を着て蓮の花を持たずに説法する仏陀のようだった——「いいか、我々の誰もがまったくこのように感じるわけではない。
What saves us is efficiency—the devotion to efficiency.
我々を救うのは効率——効率への献身だ。
But these chaps were not much account, really.
しかしあの連中は、実のところ、たいした者ではなかった。
They were no colonists; their administration was merely a squeeze, and nothing more, I suspect.
彼らは植民者などではなかった。彼らの統治はただの搾取に過ぎず、それ以上のものではなかったと私は思う。
They were conquerors, and for that you want only brute force—nothing to boast of, when you have it, since your strength is just an accident arising from the weakness of others.
彼らは征服者であり、そのためには暴力だけあればいい——それを持っていたとしても自慢にはならない。なぜなら、あなたの力は他者の弱さから生じた偶然に過ぎないのだから。
They grabbed what they could get for the sake of what was to be got.
彼らは得られるものを得るために、得られるだけのものを奪い取った。
Vocabulary
- 沼地
- numachi — Swampy wetland or marsh area.
- 上陸
- jōriku — Landing or disembarking on shore.
- 行進
- kōshin — Marching or procession forward.
- そして
- soshite — And; and then; conjunction linking clauses.
- どこ
- doko — Where; what place.
- 内陸
- nairiku — Inland; interior of a region.
- 駐屯地
- chūtonchi — Military garrison or stationed base.
- 野蛮
- yaban — Savage; barbaric; uncivilized behavior.
- あの
- ano — That; that over there.
- 完全
- kanzen — Complete; perfect; entire.
- 感じる
- kanjiru — To feel; to sense; to perceive.
- それ
- sore — That; that thing.
- 取り囲ん
- toriikomu — To surround; to encircle.
- 密林
- mitsurin — Dense jungle or thick forest.
- 野生
- yasei — Wild; untamed; natural state.
- 人々
- hitobito — People; humans; persons.
- うごめく
- ugomeku — To squirm; to writhe; to move restlessly.
- 荒野
- kōya — Wilderness; desolate wasteland.
- 神秘的
- shinpiteki — Mysterious; mystical; enigmatic.
- 生命
- seimei — Life; living being; existence.
- すべて
- subete — Everything; all things; whole.
- そのような
- sonoyōna — Such; that kind of; like that.
- 神秘
- shinpi — Mystery; secret; mystique.
- 入門
- nyūmon — Introduction; initiation; beginning.
- という
- toiu — Called; named; that is to say.
- もの
- mono — Thing; object; matter.
- 存在
- sonzai — Existence; being; to exist.
- しない
- shinai — Not doing; negative form of suru.
- 理解
- rikai — Understanding; comprehension; grasp.
- がたい
- gatai — Difficult to; hard to do.
- 真っただ中
- mattadanaka — Right in the middle; midst of.
- 生き
- iki — Life; living; existence.
- なら
- nara — If; if that is the case.
- また
- mata — Again; also; furthermore.
- 忌まわしい
- imawarashii — Abominable; detestable; loathsome.
- ある
- aru — To be; to exist; to have.
- 作用
- sayō — Action; effect; function.
- する
- suru — To do; to make; auxiliary verb.
- 魅惑
- biwaku — Enchantment; fascination; allure.
- わかる
- wakaru — To understand; to comprehend; to grasp.
- だろう
- darō — Probably; likely; I suppose.
- ゆく
- yuku — To go; to pass; to proceed.
- 後悔
- kōkai — Regret; remorse; repentance.
- 逃げ出し
- nigedashi — To escape; to flee; to run away.
- たい
- tai — Want to; desire to; wish.
- 憧れ
- akogare — Longing; yearning; admiration.
- 無力
- muryoku — Powerless; helpless; weakness.
- 嫌悪
- ken'o — Disgust; abhorrence; aversion.
- 降伏
- kōfuku — Surrender; capitulation; submission.
- 憎しみ
- nikushimi — Hatred; enmity; animosity.
- 想像
- sōzō — Imagination; conception; supposition.
- くれ
- kure — Please do; kind favor.
- 言葉
- kotoba — Word; language; speech.
- 再び
- fuたabi — Again; once more; anew.
- 話し
- hanashi — Story; talk; conversation.
- 始め
- hajime — Beginning; start; commencement.
- 片腕
- kataude — One arm; right-hand man; partner.
- から
- kara — From; since; because.
- 持ち上げ
- mochiage — To lift; to raise up.
- 手のひら
- tenohira — Palm of the hand.
- 外側
- sotogawa — Outside; exterior; outer side.
- 向け
- muke — Directed towards; facing.
- 組ん
- kuman — To combine; to organize; to join.
- いる
- iru — To be; to exist; to stay.
- その
- sono — That; that thing.
- ヨーロッパ
- Yōroppa — Europe; European continent.
- 着て
- kite — Wearing; dressed in; clothed.
- 持た
- mota — To hold; to carry; to have.
- 説法
- seppō — Sermon; Buddhist teaching; discourse.
- 仏陀
- Budda — Buddha; the awakened one.
- よう
- yō — Like; as if; seem to.
- 我々
- wareware — We; us; ourselves; our group.
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