The Works of Edgar Allan Poe — Volume 2 — Page 14
This functionary grasped it in a perfect agony of joy, opened it with a trembling hand, cast a rapid glance at its contents, and then, scrambling and struggling to the door, rushed at length unceremoniously from the room and from the house, without having uttered a syllable since Dupin had requested him to fill up the check.
この役人はそれを完全な歓喜の苦悶の中で掴み、震える手でそれを開け、その内容に素早く目を走らせ、そして、ドアへとよろめき足掻きながら、デュパンが小切手に記入するよう頼んで以来一言も発することなく、ついには無遠慮に部屋から、そして家から飛び出していった。
When he had gone, my friend entered into some explanations.
彼が去ると、私の友人はいくつかの説明を始めた。
"The Parisian police," he said, "are exceedingly able in their way.
「パリの警察は」と彼は言った、「その方面では非常に有能です。
They are persevering, ingenious, cunning, and thoroughly versed in the knowledge which their duties seem chiefly to demand.
彼らは粘り強く、独創的で、狡猾であり、その職務が主に要求すると思われる知識に精通しています。
Thus, when G—— detailed to us his mode of searching the premises at the Hotel D——, I felt entire confidence in his having made a satisfactory investigation—so far as his labors extended."
それゆえ、G——が私たちにD——ホテルの敷地を捜索する方法を詳しく話してくれたとき、私は彼が満足のいく調査を行ったことを完全に確信しました――彼の労働の及ぶ範囲において。」
"So far as his labors extended?" said I.
「彼の労働の及ぶ範囲において？」と私は言った。
"Yes," said Dupin.
「そうです」とデュパンは言った。
"The measures adopted were not only the best of their kind, but carried out to absolute perfection.
「採用された手段はその種の中で最良であっただけでなく、完全な完璧さをもって実行されました。
Had the letter been deposited within the range of their search, these fellows would, beyond a question, have found it."
もし手紙が彼らの捜索範囲内に置かれていたならば、これらの連中は疑いなくそれを見つけていたでしょう。」
I merely laughed—but he seemed quite serious in all that he said.
私はただ笑っただけでしたが、彼は自分の言ったことすべてにおいてかなり真剣に見えました。
"The measures, then," he continued, "were good in their kind, and well executed; their defect lay in their being inapplicable to the case, and to the man.
「では、その手段は」と彼は続けた、「その種においては優れており、うまく実行されていました。その欠陥はそれらがその事件と、その人物に対して適用不可能であることにありました。
A certain set of highly ingenious resources are, with the Prefect, a sort of Procrustean bed, to which he forcibly adapts his designs.
非常に独創的な手段の一定の組み合わせが、長官にとっては一種のプロクルステスの寝台のようなものであり、それに彼は強制的に自分の計画を適合させるのです。
Vocabulary
- この
- kono — This (adjective modifying a noun nearby)
- 役人
- yakunin — Government official, bureaucrat, public servant
- は
- wa — Topic marker particle indicating the sentence topic
- それ
- sore — That, it (referring to something near listener)
- を
- wo — Object marker particle indicating direct object
- 完全
- kanzen — Complete, perfect, total, absolute
- な
- na — Adjectival linking particle for na-adjectives
- 歓喜
- kanki — Great joy, delight, jubilation, elation
- の
- no — Possessive or linking particle connecting nouns
- 苦悶
- kumon — Agony, anguish, torment, writhing in pain
- 中
- naka — Inside, within, middle, among
- で
- de — Particle indicating location of action or means
- 掴み
- tsukami — Grasping, gripping, seizing with hand
- 震える
- furueru — To tremble, shake, quiver with emotion or cold
- 手
- te — Hand, arm
- 開け
- ake — To open (something)
- その
- sono — That (adjective modifying noun near listener)
- 内容
- naiyou — Contents, substance, what is inside something
- に
- ni — Particle indicating direction, location, or target
- 素早く
- subayaku — Quickly, swiftly, with agility
- 目
- me — Eye, eyesight
- 走らせ
- hashirase — To let run, to scan quickly (eyes across something)
- そして
- soshite — And then, after that, furthermore
- ドア
- doa — Door
- へ
- e — Particle indicating direction toward a destination
- と
- to — Particle meaning and, with, or quotation marker
- よろめき
- yoromeki — Staggering, tottering, stumbling unsteadily
- 足掻き
- agaki — Struggling, writhing, flailing desperately
- ながら
- nagara — While doing, simultaneously performing two actions
- が
- ga — Subject marker particle
- 小切手
- kogitte — Cheque, bank check, written payment order
- 記入
- kinyuu — Filling in, writing in, entering information
- する
- suru — To do, to perform an action
- よう
- you — In order to, so that, appears that
- 頼ん
- tanon — Asked, requested (from 頼む, to request)
- 以来
- irai — Since, ever since a particular time
- 一言
- hitokoto — A single word, one remark
- も
- mo — Also, even, too; emphatic particle
- 発する
- hassuru — To utter, emit, issue, produce (a sound or word)
- こと
- koto — Thing, fact, matter (nominalizer)
- なく
- naku — Without (negating a preceding verb or noun)
- ついに
- tsuini — Finally, at last, in the end
- 無遠慮
- buenryo — Rudely, without reserve, inconsiderately, bluntly
- 部屋
- heya — Room, chamber
- から
- kara — From, because, after (particle indicating origin)
- 家
- ie — House, home, residence
- 飛び出し
- tobidashi — Jumping out, rushing out, bursting out of a place
- て
- te — Conjunctive particle connecting sequential actions
- いっ
- i(tte) — Went (colloquial contraction of 行って)
- た
- ta — Past tense auxiliary verb marker
- 彼
- kare — He, him
- 去る
- saru — To leave, depart, go away
- 私
- watashi — I, me (first-person pronoun)
- 友人
- yuujin — Friend, companion
- いくつか
- ikutsuka — Several, some, a few
- 説明
- setsumei — Explanation, description, clarification
- 始め
- hajime — Beginning, start; to begin
- 警察
- keisatsu — Police, police force
- 言っ
- i(tte) — Said, stated (from 言う, to say)
- 方面
- houmen — Direction, area, field, aspect
- 非常
- hijou — Extremely, very, extraordinary
- 有能
- yuunou — Capable, competent, talented, able
- です
- desu — Polite copula meaning is, are, am
- 彼ら
- karera — They, them (third-person plural pronoun)
- 粘り強く
- nebarizuyoku — Persistently, tenaciously, with patient perseverance
- 独創的
- dokusouteki — Original, creative, inventive, innovative
- 狡猾
- koukatsu — Cunning, crafty, sly, scheming
- あり
- ari — Is, exists (classical/formal form of ある)
- 職務
- shokumu — Duties, professional responsibilities, official tasks
- 主
- omo / nushi — Main, primary, chief; master, owner
- 要求
- youkyuu — Demand, requirement, request, claim
- 思わ
- omowa — Thought, considered (from 思う, to think)
- れる
- reru — Passive or potential auxiliary verb suffix
- 知識
- chishiki — Knowledge, information, learning
- 精通
- seitstuu — Proficiency, thorough knowledge, being well-versed
- し
- shi — And (conjunctive particle listing reasons or actions)
- い
- i — Is (present progressive auxiliary, part of いる)
- ます
- masu — Polite verb ending for present or future tense
- それゆえ
- soreyue — Therefore, for that reason, consequently
- たち
- tachi — Plural suffix for people and animate beings
- ホテル
- hoteru — Hotel, inn
- 敷地
- shikichi — Premises, grounds, site, lot of land
- 捜索
- sousaku — Search, investigation, hunt for something
- 方法
- houhou — Method, way, means, procedure
- 詳しく
- kuwashiku — In detail, thoroughly, at length
- 話し
- hanashi — Talk, story, conversation
- くれ
- kure — Give me, please do (request form of くれる)
- とき
- toki — Time, moment, occasion, when
- 満足
- manzoku — Satisfaction, contentment, being pleased
- いく
- iku — To go; to proceed (also progressive auxiliary)
- 調査
- chousa — Investigation, survey, inquiry, examination
- 行っ
- i(tte) — Went, performed (from 行く, to go/carry out)
- 確信
- kakushin — Conviction, firm belief, certainty
- まし
- mashi — Better, preferable; polite past auxiliary
- 労働
- roudou — Labor, work, toil, physical effort
- 及ぶ
- oyobu — To reach, extend to, amount to
- 範囲
- han'i — Range, scope, extent, limits
- おい
- oi — Hey (casual interjection to get attention)
- そう
- sou — That way, so, like that, I see
- 採用
- saiyou — Adoption, hiring, employment, using a method
- さ
- sa — Casual sentence-ending particle or nominalizer
- れ
- re — Passive verb suffix (part of される, to be done)
- 手段
- shudan — Means, method, measure, way of doing
- 種
- shuu / tane — Kind, type, sort, species, variety
- 最良
- sairyou — Best, optimal, finest possible
- あっ
- a(tte) — Was, existed (from ある in connective form)
- だけ
- dake — Only, just, merely, to the extent of
- 完璧
- kanpeki — Perfect, flawless, impeccable
- もっ
- mo(tte) — Holding, having, with (from 持つ, to hold)
- 実行
- jikkou — Execution, carrying out, putting into practice
- もし
- moshi — If, supposing, in case
- 手紙
- tegami — Letter, written correspondence
- 内
- nai / uchi — Inside, within, interior
- 置か
- oka — Placed, put (from 置く, to place)
- なら
- nara — If, in that case, as for (conditional particle)
- ば
- ba — Conditional particle meaning if or when
- これら
- korera — These (plural of これ, referring to nearby things)
- 連中
- renjuu — Those fellows, that group, those people (informal)
- 疑い
- utagai — Doubt, suspicion, question, uncertainty
- 見つけ
- mitsuke — Finding, discovering (from 見つける, to find)
- でしょ
- desho — Right?, probably, I suppose (soft assertion)
- う
- u — Volitional or speculative auxiliary verb ending
- ただ
- tada — Just, only, merely, simply, however
- 笑っ
- wara(tte) — Laughed, smiled (from 笑う, to laugh)
- でし
- deshi — Polite past copula fragment (part of でした)
- 自分
- jibun — Oneself, myself, yourself (reflexive pronoun)
- すべて
- subete — All, everything, entirely, wholly
- かなり
- kanari — Fairly, considerably, quite, rather
- 真剣
- shinken — Serious, earnest, with full sincerity
- 見え
- mie — Appears, looks, seems (from 見える)
- 続け
- tsuzuke — Continuing, keeping on (from 続ける)
- 優れ
- sugure — Excelling, superior, outstanding (from 優れる)
- おり
- ori — Is, exists (humble form of いる)
- うまく
- umaku — Skillfully, successfully, well, cleverly
- 欠陥
- kekkan — Defect, flaw, fault, shortcoming
- それら
- sorera — Those, them (plural of それ)
- 事件
- jiken — Incident, case, affair, criminal case
- 人物
- jinbutsu — Person, character, individual, figure
- 対し
- taishi — Toward, against, in relation to (from 対する)
- 適用
- tekiyou — Application, applying a rule or method
- 不可能
- fukanou — Impossible, not feasible, unable to be done
- ある
- aru — To exist, to be, to have (inanimate)
- 一定
- ittei — Fixed, certain, definite, uniform, constant
- 組み合わせ
- kumiawase — Combination, arrangement, set of matched things
- 長官
- choukan — Director, chief, superintendent, secretary general
- とっ
- to(tte) — Taking, for (from 取る or として, for one's part)
- 一種
- isshu — A kind of, a sort of, one type
- 寝台
- shindai — Bed, berth, sleeping platform
- もの
- mono — Thing, object, person; nominalizing particle
- 強制的
- kyouseiteki — Compulsory, forced, coercive, obligatory
- 計画
- keikaku — Plan, project, scheme, program
- 適合
- tekigou — Conformity, suitability, fitting, matching
- させる
- saseru — To make someone do, causative verb form
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