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Anne of Green Gables, Chapter 2, Part 4

Chapter 2, Part 4

"Fancy that", the girl said excitedly, "It's always been one of my dreams to live near a brook yet I never expected I would. Dreams don't often come true, do they? Wouldn't it be nice if they did?

But just now I feel almost perfectly happy. I can't feel exactly perfectly happy because, well, what colour would you call this?" The girl twitched one of her long glossy braids over her thin shoulder and held it up before Matthew's eyes. Matthew was not used to deciding on the colour of ladies' hair, but in this case there couldn't be much doubt. "It's red, isn't it?" he said.

The girl let the braid drop back with a sigh that seemed to come from her very toes and to exhale forth all the sorrows of her whole life.

"Yes, it's red," she said resignedly. "Now you see why I can't be perfectly happy. Nobody could who has red hair. I don't mind the other things so much, the freckles, the green eyes and my skinniness. I can imagine them away. I can imagine that I have a beautiful rose-leaf complexion and lovely starry violet eyes. But I cannot imagine my red hair away. I do my best. I think to myself, `Now my hair is a glorious black, black as the raven's wing.' But all the time I know it is just plain red and it breaks my heart. It will be my lifelong sorrow. I read of a girl once in a novel who had a lifelong sorrow but it wasn't red hair. Her hair was pure gold rippling back from her alabaster brow. What is an alabaster brow? I never could find out. Can you tell me?" "Well now, I'm afraid I can't," said Matthew, who was beginning to feel a little dizzy. He felt as he had once felt in his youth when another boy had enticed him on the merry-go-round at a picnic.

"Well, whatever it was it must have been something nice," the girl continued, "because she was divinely beautiful. Have you ever imagined what it must feel like to be divinely beautiful?" "Well now, no, I haven't," confessed Matthew. "I have, and often. Which would you rather be if you had the choice, divinely beautiful or dazzlingly clever or angelically good?" "Well now, I--I don't know exactly." "Neither do I. I can never decide. But it doesn't make much real difference for it isn't likely I'll ever be any of them. It's certain I'll never be angelically good. Mrs. Spencer says oh, Mr. Cuthbert! Oh, Mr. Cuthbert! Oh, Mr. Cuthbert!" That was not what Mrs. Spencer had said; neither had the child tumbled out of the buggy nor had Matthew done anything astonishing. They had simply rounded a curve in the road and found themselves in the "Avenue." The "Avenue," as it was called by the Newbridge people, was a stretch of road four or five hundred yards long, completely arched over with huge, wide-spreading apple-trees, planted years ago by an eccentric old farmer. Overhead was one long canopy of snowy fragrant bloom. Below the tree branches, the air was full of purple twilight and far ahead a glimpse of painted sunset sky shone like a great rose window at the end of a cathedral aisle.

Its beauty seemed to strike the child dumb. She leaned back in the buggy, her thin hands clasped before her, her face lifted to the white splendor above. Even when they had passed through and were driving down the long slope to Newbridge she never moved or spoke.

Through the, bustling little village of Newbridge where dogs barked at them and small boys hooted and curious faces peered from the windows, still they drove in silence. When three more miles had dropped away behind them the child had still not spoken. She could keep silent, it was evident, as energetically as she could talk.


Chapter 2, Part 4

"Fancy that", the girl said excitedly, "It’s always been one of my dreams to live near a brook yet I never expected I would. «Fantaisie ça», dit la fille avec enthousiasme, «Ça a toujours été l'un de mes rêves de vivre près d'un ruisseau mais je ne m'attendais pas à ce que je le fasse. 「ファンシー・ザット」と女の子は興奮して言いました。「小川の近くに住むことはいつも私の夢の1つでしたが、私はそうなるとは思っていませんでした。 Dreams don’t often come true, do they? 夢は実現しないことが多いですよね? Мечты не всегда сбываются, не так ли? Wouldn’t it be nice if they did? 彼らがやったらいいじゃないか?

But just now I feel almost perfectly happy. しかし、ちょうど今、私はほぼ完全に幸せを感じています。 I can’t feel exactly perfectly happy because, well, what colour would you call this?" えーと、これを何色と呼んでいるので、完全に幸せな気分にはなれません。」 The girl twitched one of her long glossy braids over her thin shoulder and held it up before Matthew’s eyes. La fille remua une de ses longues tresses brillantes sur sa fine épaule et la tendit devant les yeux de Matthew. 少女は、長い光沢のある三つ編みの1つを細い肩にひねり、マシューの目の前で持ち上げました。 Девушка закинула одну из своих длинных блестящих косичек через тонкое плечо и подняла ее перед глазами Мэтью. Kız uzun parlak örgülerinden birini ince omzunun üzerinden geçirdi ve Matthew'un gözlerinin önünde kaldırdı. Matthew was not used to deciding on the colour of ladies' hair, but in this case there couldn’t be much doubt. マシューは女性の髪の色を決めることに慣れていませんでしたが、この場合は疑いの余地はありませんでした。 Мэтью не привык выбирать цвет женских волос, но в этом случае особых сомнений быть не могло. "It’s red, isn’t it?" 「赤いね」 he said.

The girl let the braid drop back with a sigh that seemed to come from her very toes and to exhale forth all the sorrows of her whole life. La fille laissa retomber la tresse avec un soupir qui semblait venir de ses orteils et expirer toutes les douleurs de toute sa vie. 少女は、つま先から来たように思われるため息をつき、一生の悲しみを吐き出し、三つ編みを下ろしました。 Девушка отпустила косу со вздохом, который, казалось, исходил от самых пальцев ног и выдыхал все горести всей ее жизни. Kız, ayak parmaklarından geliyormuş gibi görünen bir iç çekişle örgüsünün geriye düşmesine ve tüm hayatı boyunca tüm üzüntülerini dışarı atmasına izin verdi.

"Yes, it’s red," she said resignedly. 「はい、それは赤いです」と彼女は辞任して言いました。 "Now you see why I can’t be perfectly happy. 「今、私が完全に幸せになれない理由がわかります。 Nobody could who has red hair. 赤い髪の人は誰もできませんでした。 I don’t mind the other things so much, the freckles, the green eyes and my skinniness. そばかす、緑色の目、痩せなど、他のことはあまり気にしません。 Я не против всего остального: веснушек, зеленых глаз и моей худобы. I can imagine them away. 私はそれらを想像することができます。 Я могу представить их вдали. I can imagine that I have a beautiful rose-leaf complexion and lovely starry violet eyes. J'imagine que j'ai un beau teint de feuille de rose et de jolis yeux violets étoilés. Я могу представить, что у меня красивый цвет лица, похожий на лист розы, и прекрасные звездно-фиолетовые глаза. But I cannot imagine my red hair away. Mais je ne peux pas imaginer mes cheveux roux. I do my best. I think to myself, `Now my hair is a glorious black, black as the raven’s wing.' But all the time I know it is just plain red and it breaks my heart. It will be my lifelong sorrow. I read of a girl once in a novel who had a lifelong sorrow but it wasn’t red hair. 生涯の悲しみを持っていた小説の中で、ある女の子のことを読んだことがありますが、それは赤い髪ではありませんでした。 Her hair was pure gold rippling back from her alabaster brow. Ses cheveux étaient de l'or pur qui coulait de son front d'albâtre. 彼女の髪はアラバスターの額から波打つ純金でした。 Saçları, kaymaktaşı kaşından geriye doğru dalgalanan saf altındı. What is an alabaster brow? アラバスターの額とは何ですか? I never could find out. 私は決して知ることができませんでした。 Can you tell me?" 教えて頂けますか?" "Well now, I’m afraid I can’t," said Matthew, who was beginning to feel a little dizzy. "Et bien maintenant, j'ai bien peur de ne pas pouvoir", dit Matthew, qui commençait à se sentir un peu étourdi. 「まあ、私はできないのではないかと思います」と少しめまいを感じ始めていたマシューは言いました。 He felt as he had once felt in his youth when another boy had enticed him on the merry-go-round at a picnic. Il se sentait comme il l'avait ressenti dans sa jeunesse quand un autre garçon l'avait attiré sur le manège lors d'un pique-nique. 彼は、別の少年がピクニックでメリーゴーランドで彼を誘惑したとき、彼が若い頃に感じたように感じました。 Bir piknikte atlıkarıncada başka bir çocuk onu kandırdığında, bir zamanlar gençliğinde hissettiği gibi hissetti.

"Well, whatever it was it must have been something nice," the girl continued, "because she was divinely beautiful. 「まあ、それが何であれ、それは何かいいものだったに違いない」と少女は続けた。「彼女は神聖に美しいからです。 Have you ever imagined what it must feel like to be divinely beautiful?" 神聖に美しいとはどういう感じか想像したことがありますか?」 "Well now, no, I haven’t," confessed Matthew. 「まあ、いや、私はしていません」とマシューは告白しました。 "I have, and often. 「私は持っています、そしてしばしば。 Which would you rather be if you had the choice, divinely beautiful or dazzlingly clever or angelically good?" 神聖に美しいか、まばゆいばかりに賢いか、天使のように良いかを選択できるとしたら、どちらにしますか?」 "Well now, I--I don’t know exactly." 「さて、私は-正確にはわかりません。」 "Neither do I. I can never decide. 「私もそうしません。私は決して決めることができません。 But it doesn’t make much real difference for it isn’t likely I’ll ever be any of them. しかし、それは私がそれらのいずれかになる可能性は低いので、それほど大きな違いはありません。 Ama bu pek de gerçek bir fark yaratmıyor çünkü muhtemelen onlardan herhangi biri olmayacağım. It’s certain I’ll never be angelically good. Mrs. Spencer says… oh, Mr. Cuthbert! Oh, Mr. Cuthbert! Oh, Mr. Cuthbert!" That was not what Mrs. Spencer had said; neither had the child tumbled out of the buggy nor had Matthew done anything astonishing. Ce n'était pas ce que Mme Spencer avait dit; ni l'enfant n'était tombé du buggy, ni Matthew n'avait rien fait d'étonnant. それはスペンサー夫人が言ったことではありませんでした。子供がバギーから転落したことも、マシューが驚くべきことをしたこともありませんでした。 Bayan Spencer'ın söylediği bu değildi; ne çocuk arabadan düşmüştü ne de Matthew şaşırtıcı bir şey yapmamıştı. They had simply rounded a curve in the road and found themselves in the "Avenue." Ils avaient simplement contourné une courbe de la route et se sont retrouvés dans «l'Avenue». 彼らは単に道路のカーブを曲がり、「アベニュー」にいることに気づきました。 The "Avenue," as it was called by the Newbridge people, was a stretch of road four or five hundred yards long, completely arched over with huge, wide-spreading apple-trees, planted years ago by an eccentric old farmer. L '«Avenue», comme l'appelaient les gens de Newbridge, était un tronçon de route de quatre ou cinq cents mètres de long, entièrement voûté d'énormes pommiers largement répandus, plantés il y a des années par un vieux fermier excentrique. Overhead was one long canopy of snowy fragrant bloom. Au-dessus se trouvait une longue canopée de fleurs parfumées enneigées. 頭上は、雪に覆われた香りのよい花の長い天蓋でした。 Tepede, karlı kokulu çiçeklerden oluşan uzun bir gölgelik vardı. Below the tree branches, the air was full of purple twilight and far ahead a glimpse of painted sunset sky shone like a great rose window at the end of a cathedral aisle. Sous les branches des arbres, l'air était plein de crépuscule pourpre et loin devant, un aperçu du ciel coucher de soleil peint brillait comme une grande rosace au bout d'une allée de cathédrale. 木の枝の下では、空気は紫色の夕暮れに満ちていて、はるか先の大聖堂の通路の端にある大きなバラの窓のように、塗られた夕焼けの空が垣間見えました。 Ağaç dallarının aşağısında hava mor alacakaranlıkla doluydu ve çok ileride, katedral koridorunun sonunda büyük bir gül penceresi gibi parıldayan boyanmış gün batımı gökyüzünün bir görüntüsü vardı.

Its beauty seemed to strike the child dumb. その美しさは子供を馬鹿にするようでした。 Güzelliği aptal çocuğu etkiliyor gibiydi. She leaned back in the buggy, her thin hands clasped before her, her face lifted to the white splendor above. Elle se pencha en arrière dans le buggy, ses mains fines jointes devant elle, son visage levé vers la splendeur blanche au-dessus. Arabaya yaslandı, ince elleri önünde kenetlendi, yüzü yukarıdaki beyaz ihtişama doğru kaldırdı. Even when they had passed through and were driving down the long slope to Newbridge she never moved or spoke. 彼らが通り過ぎてニューブリッジまで長い坂を下っていたときでさえ、彼女は決して動いたり話したりしませんでした。

Through the, bustling little village of Newbridge where dogs barked at them and small boys hooted and curious faces peered from the windows, still they drove in silence. 犬が彼らに吠え、小さな男の子が窓から覗き見た好奇心旺盛な顔をした、賑やかなニューブリッジの小さな村を通り抜けましたが、それでも彼らは黙って運転しました。 When three more miles had dropped away behind them the child had still not spoken. Quand trois milles de plus s'étaient écoulés derrière eux, l'enfant n'avait toujours pas parlé. さらに3マイルが彼らの後ろに落ちたとき、子供はまだ話していませんでした。 She could keep silent, it was evident, as energetically as she could talk. 彼女は沈黙を保つことができました、それは彼女が話すことができるのと同じくらい精力的にエネルギーであったことは明らかでした。