書籍: ヘミングウェイで学ぶ英文法
本文 未加工
HILLS LIKE WHITE ELEPHANTS by Ernest Hemingway
The hills across the valley of the Ebro* were long and white. On this side there was no shade and no trees and the station was between two lines of rails in the sun. Close against the side of the station there was the warm shadow of the building and a curtain, made of strings of bamboo beads, hung across the open door into the bar, to keep out flies. The American and the girl with him sat at a table in the shade, outside the building. It was very hot and the express from Barcelona would come in forty minutes. It stopped at this junction for two minutes and went on to Madrid.
“What should we drink?” the girl asked. She had taken off her hat and put it on the table.
“It’s pretty hot,” the man said.
“Let’s drink beer.”
“Dos cervezas,” the man said into the curtain.
“Big ones?” a woman asked from the doorway.
“Yes. Two big ones.”
The woman brought two glasses of beer and two felt pads. She put the felt pads and the beer glasses on the table and looked at the man and the girl. The girl was looking off at the line of hills. They were white in the sun and the country was brown and dry.
“They look like white elephants,” she said.
“I’ve never seen one,” the man drank his beer.
“No, you wouldn’t have.”
“I might have,” the man said. “Just because you say I wouldn’t have doesn’t prove anything.”
The girl looked at the bead curtain. “They’ve painted something on it,” she said. “What does it say?”
“Anis del Toro. It’s a drink.”
“Could we try it?”
The man called “Listen” through the curtain. The woman came out from the bar.
“Four reales.”
“We want two Anis del Toro.”
“With water?”
“Do you want it with water?”
“I don’t know,” the girl said. “Is it good with water?”
“It’s all right.”
“You want them with water?” asked the woman.
“Yes, with water.”
“It tastes like licorice,” the girl said and put the glass down.
“That’s the way with everything.”
“Yes,” said the girl. “Everything tastes of licorice. Especially all the things you’ve waited so long for, like absinthe.”
“Oh, cut it out.”
“You started it,” the girl said. “I was being amused. I was having a fine time.”
“Well, let’s try and have a fine time.”
“All right. I was trying. I said the mountains looked like white elephants. Wasn’t that bright?”
“That was bright.”
“I wanted to try this new drink. That’s all we do, isn’t it—look at
things and try new drinks?”
” I guess so.”
The girl looked across at the hills.
“They’re lovely hills,” she said. “They don’t really look like white
elephants. I just meant the coloring of their skin through the trees.”
“Should we have another drink?”
“All right.”
The warm wind blew the bead curtain against the table.
“The beer’s nice and cool,” the man said.
“It’s lovely,” the girl said.
“It’s really an awfully simple operation, Jig,” the man said. “It’s not
really an operation at all.”
The girl looked at the ground the table legs rested on.
” I know you wouldn’t mind it, Jig. It’s really not anything. It’s just to
let the air in.”
The girl did not say anything.
“I’ll go with you and I’ll stay with you all the time. They just let the air
in and then it’s all perfectly natural.”
“Then what will we do afterward?”
“We’ll be fine afterward. Just like we were before.”
“What makes you think so?”
“That’s the only thing that bothers us. It’s the only thing that’s made
us unhappy.”
The girl looked at the bead curtain, put her hand out and took hold of
two of the strings of beads.
“And you think then we’ll be all right and be happy.”
“I know we will. You don’t have to be afraid. I’ve known lots of people
that have done it.”
“So have I,” said the girl. “And afterward they were all so happy.”
“Well,” the man said, “if you don’t want to you don’t have to. I
wouldn’t have you do it if you didn’t want to. But I know it’s perfectly
simple.”
“And you really want to?”
” I think it’s the best thing to do. But I don’t want you to do it if you
don’t really want to.”
“And if I do it you’ll be happy and things will be like they were and
you’ll love me?”
“I love you now. You know I love you.”
“I know. But if I do it, then it will be nice again if I say things are like
white elephants, and you’ll like it?”
“I’ll love it. I love it now but I just can’t think about it. You know how
I get when I worry.”
“If I do it you won’t ever worry?”
” I won’t worry about that because it’s perfectly simple.”
“Then I’ll do it. Because I don’t care about me.”
“What do you mean?”
” I don’t care about me.”
“Well, I care about you.”
“Oh, yes. But I don’t care about me. And I’ll do it and then everything
will be fine.”
” I don’t want you to do it if you feel that way.”
The girl stood up and walked to the end of the station. Across, on the
other side, were fields of grain and trees along the banks of the Ebro. Far
away, beyond the river, were mountains. The shadow of a cloud moved
across the field of grain and she saw the river through the trees.
“And we could have all this,” she said. “And we could have everything
and every day we make it more impossible.”
“What did you say?”
“I said we could have everything.”
“We can have everything.”
“No, we can’t.”
“We can have the whole world.”
“No, we can’t.”
“We can go everywhere.”
“No, we can’t. It isn’t ours any more.”
“It’s ours.”
“No, it isn’t. And once they take it away, you never get it back.”
“But they haven’t taken it away.”
“We’ll wait and see.”
“Come on back in the shade,” he said. “You mustn’t feel that way.”
“I don’t feel any way,” the girl said. “I just know things.”
” I don’t want you to do anything that you don’t want to do—”
“Nor that isn’t good for me,” she said. “I know. Could we have another
beer?”
“All right. But you’ve got to realize—”
“I realize,” the girl said. “Can’t we maybe stop talking?”
They sat down at the table and the girl looked across at the hills on
the dry side of the valley and the man looked at her and at the table. “You’ve
got to realize,” he said, “that I don’t want you to do it if you don’t want to.
I’m perfectly willing to go through with it if it means anything to you.”
“Doesn’t it mean anything to you? We could get along.”
“Of course it does. But I don’t want anybody but you. I don’t want any
one else. And I know it’s perfectly simple.”
“Yes, you know it’s perfectly simple.”
“It’s all right for you to say that, but I do know it.”
“Would you do something for me now?”
“I’d do anything for you.”
“Would you please please please please please please please stop
talking?”
He did not say anything but looked at the bags against the wall of the
station. There were labels on them from all the hotels where they had spent
nights.
“But I don’t want you to,” he said, “I don’t care anything about it.”
“I’ll scream,” the girl said.
The woman came out through the curtains with two glasses of beer
and put them down on the damp felt pads. “The train comes in five
minutes,” she said.
“What did she say?” asked the girl.
“That the train is coming in five minutes.”
The girl smiled brightly at the woman, to thank her.
“I’d better take the bags over to the other side of the station,” the man
said. She smiled at him.
“All right. Then come back and we’ll finish the beer.”
He picked up the two heavy bags and carried them around the station
to the other tracks. He looked up the tracks but could not see the train.
Coming back, he walked through the barroom, where people waiting for the
train were drinking. He drank an Anis at the bar and looked at the people.
They were all waiting reasonably for the train. He went out through the
bead curtain. She was sitting at the table and smiled at him.
“Do you feel better?” he asked.
“I feel fine,” she said. “There’s nothing wrong with me. I feel fine.”
本文 加工
※分秒は男性音声のものに対応
(1) 0:03
HILLS LIKE WHITE ELEPHANTS by Ernest Hemingway
The hills across the valley of the Ebro were long and white. On this side there was no shade and no trees and the station was between two lines of rails in the sun. Close against the side of the station there was the warm shadow of the building and a curtain, made of strings of bamboo beads, hung across the open door into the bar, to keep out flies. The American and the girl with him sat at a table in the shade, outside the building. It was very hot and the express from Barcelona would come in forty minutes. It stopped at this junction for two minutes and went on to Madrid.
(2) 0:44
“What should we drink?” the girl asked. She had taken off her hat and put it on the table.
“It’s pretty hot,” the man said.
“Let’s drink beer.”
“Dos cervezas,” the man said into the curtain.
“Big ones?” a woman asked from the doorway.
“Yes. Two big ones.”
The woman brought two glasses of beer and two felt pads. She put the felt pads and the beer glasses on the table and looked at the man and the girl. The girl was looking off at the line of hills. They were white in the sun and the country was brown and dry.
(3) 1:19
“They look like white elephants,” she said.
“I’ve never seen one,” the man drank his beer.
“No, you wouldn’t have.”
“I might have,” the man said. “Just because you say I wouldn’t have doesn’t prove anything.”
The girl looked at the bead curtain. “They’ve painted something on it,” she said. “What does it say?”
“Anis del Toro. It’s a drink.”
“Could we try it?”
The man called “Listen” through the curtain. The woman came out from the bar.
“Four reales.”
“We want two Anis del Toro.”
“With water?”
“Do you want it with water?”
“I don’t know,” the girl said. “Is it good with water?”
“It’s all right.”
“You want them with water?” asked the woman.
“Yes, with water.”
(4) 2:02
“It tastes like licorice,” the girl said and put the glass down.
“That’s the way with everything.”
“Yes,” said the girl. “Everything tastes of licorice. Especially all the things you’ve waited so long for, like absinthe.”
“Oh, cut it out.”
“You started it,” the girl said. “I was being amused. I was having a fine time.”
“Well, let’s try and have a fine time.”
“All right. I was trying. I said the mountains looked like white elephants. Wasn’t that bright?”
“That was bright.”
英単語・英語表現の解説
(1)
- Across the valley
- /əˈkrɔːs ðə ˈvæl.i/ : ə-KRƆS thə VAL-ee
- 谷の向こうに : On the other side of a low area of land between hills or mountains.
- 語源: across（十字を横切って）+ valley（ラテン語のvalles「谷」に由来）。
- 解説: 駅を挟んで広がる広大な風景を描写。後に語られる二人の未来の「選択肢」の広がりを暗示する空間的広がりを持ちます。
- 発音 of theコツ: acrossの語頭の /ə/ はごく弱く発音し、valleyの第1音節を最も強く際立たせます。
- No shade
- /noʊ ʃeɪd/ : NOU ʃeɪd
- 日陰が全くない : Complete absence of a cooler area out of direct sunlight.
- 語源: no + shade（古英語のsceadu「影、暗闇」に由来）。
- 解説: 駅の片側に広がる、遮るもののない不毛で乾燥した荒地を強調。二人の現在の状況や、中絶を選んだ場合の精神的な虚無感を象徴しています。
- 発音のコツ: noʊの二重母音をしっかり響かせ、shadeの /d/ は弾くように短く発音します。
- Lines of rails
- /laɪnz əv reɪlz/ : LAINZ əv REILZ
- 2本の線路 : The pairs of steel bars on which trains run.
- 語源: lines（ラテン語のlinea「糸、線」）+ rails（ラテン語のregula「直線的な棒」）。
- 解説: 駅が2本の路線の間に位置していることを示します。交わることのない並行線は、男女の意見の決定的な対立や、進むべき異なる運命の分岐点を象徴しています。
- 発音のコツ: linesの /z/ と of の /v/ をなめらかに繋げ、「ラインゾブ」のように一息に発音します。
- Close against
- /kloʊs əˈɡenst/ : KLOUS ə-GENST
- 〜にぴったりと接して、すぐ脇に : Very near or touching the side of something.
- 語源: close（ラテン語のclaudere「閉じる」）+ against（〜に向かって）。
- 解説: 強い日差しを避けるために、建物のすぐ脇の狭い日陰に身を寄せている様子を描写。二人が直面している問題の圧迫感や閉塞感を暗示しています。
- 発音のコツ: closeの語尾は濁らない /s/ です。againstの第2音節を最も強く発音します。
- Bamboo beads
- /bæmˈbuː biːdz/ : bæm-BOO BEEDZ
- 竹製のビーズ、竹の管 : Small pieces of bamboo strung together to make a curtain.
- 語源: bamboo（マレー語由来）+ beads（古英語のbeded「祈り、数珠玉」に由来）。
- 解説: バーの入り口に掛けられたカーテンの素材。外の世界と店内の境界線であり、風に揺れる頼りない遮蔽物として、二人の不安定な関係性を象徴しています。
- 発音のコツ: bambooの後半「ブー」を強く長く伸ばし、beedsの /z/ をしっかり響かせます。
- Keep out
- /kiːp aʊt/ : KEEP-OUT
- （中へ）入れないようにする、防ぐ : To prevent something from entering a place.
- 語源: keep（維持する）+ out（外へ）。
- 解説: ハエの侵入を防ぐという実用的な目的の熟語ですが、同時に自分たちの深刻な現実（中絶の話題）に外の世界を立ち入らせないようにしている二人の排他的な状況とも重なります。
- 発音のコツ: /p/ と /aʊ/ が連結し、「キーパウト」のように繋がって発音されます。
- Junction
- /ˈdʒʌŋk.ʃən/ : JUNK-shən
- 分岐駅、合流点 : A place where different railway lines meet or cross.
- 語源: ラテン語のjungere（結合する、繋ぐ）に由来。
- 解説: 単なる電車の乗り換え地点ではなく、人生の重大な決断（子供を産むか、中絶するか）を迫られている二人の運命の分岐点を物理的な場所として表現しています。
- 発音のコツ: 最初の /dʒʌ/ に強いアクセントを置き、後半の /ʃən/ は弱く曖昧に発音します。
(2)
- Taken off
- /ˈteɪ.kən ɒf/ : TAY-kən-OFF
- （帽子を）脱いだ、外した : Removed a piece of clothing or an item from one’s body.
- 語源: take（取る）+ off（離れて）。
- 解説: 帽子を脱いでテーブルに置く動作は、これから始まる重苦しい話し合いを前に、少女が身構えを解き、腰を据えようとしている心理状態を微細に表現しています。
- 発音のコツ: takenの語尾の /n/ と off が滑らかに連結し、「テイコンォフ」のように一息に発音します。
- Pretty hot
- /ˈprɪt.i hɒt/ : PRIT-y-HOT
- かなり暑い、相当に暑い : Considerably high in temperature.
- 語源: pretty（古英語の「知的な、ずる賢い」から「かなりの」へ変化）+ hot（古英語のhāt「熱い」）。
- 解説: 単なる気候の描写にとどまらず、二人の間に漂う緊張感や、直面している問題の「厄介さ・緊迫感」を間接的に象徴する重苦しい背景設定です。
- 発音のコツ: prettyの /t/ はフラップTになり、日本語のラ行に近い軽い音で処理されます。
- Into the curtain
- /ˈɪn.tuː ðə ˈkɜː.tən/ : IN-too-thuh-KER-tən
- カーテンに向かって、のれんの奥に向けて : In the direction of or toward the hanging screen.
- 語源: into（〜の中へ）+ curtain（ラテン語のcortina「囲い、幕」に由来）。
- 解説: 男が店の中にいる店員に対して、暖簾（カーテン）越しに直接顔を合わせることなく声をかけている場面です。男の他者への冷淡さや、顔を合わせないコミュニケーションの象徴とも言えます。
- 発音のコツ: curtainの /t/ の後は鼻に抜けるような音（声門破裂音）になり、「カートン」というよりは「カーゥン」のように発音されます。
- Felt pads
- /felt pædz/ : FELT-PADZ
- フェルト製のコースター : Small pieces of soft, thick cloth material placed under glasses to protect the table.
- 語源: felt（西ゲルマン語由来の不織布）+ pads（低地ドイツ語の「詰め物、クッション」に由来）。
- 解説: ビールグラスの結露を受け止めるためのコースター。ヘミングウェイの即物的な描写の一環であり、乾いた舞台に持ち込まれるわずかな「湿り気」を象徴しています。
- 発音のコツ: feltの /t/ は破裂させずに息を止め、padzの /z/ をしっかり濁らせて発音します。
- Looking off
- /ˈlʊk.ɪŋ ɒf/ : LOOK-iŋ-OFF
- （遠くを）視線をそらして見つめている : Directing one’s gaze away into the distance.
- 語源: look（見る）+ off（離れて）。
- 解説: 目の前にいる男から、そして二人の不穏な現実から視線をそらし、はるか遠くの山並みへと意識を逃避させている少女の心理的な距離感を表しています。
- 発音のコツ: lookingの語尾とoffが繋がり、「ルッキンゴフ」のように発音されます。
- Brown and dry
- /braʊn ənd draɪ/ : BROWN-ənd-DRAI
- 茶色く乾燥した、不毛な : Having a brown color and completely lacking moisture or life.
- 語源: brown（古英語のbrūn）+ dry（古英語のdrȳge）。
- 解説: 少女の視線の先にある、スペインのエブロ川流域の荒涼とした風景。生命力が失われた乾燥した大地は、中絶という選択によって失われるかもしれない「未来の可能性」を暗示しています。
- 発音のコツ: andは非常に弱く「アンド」の「ア」と「ド」を落とすように「ン」とだけ添え、二つの形容詞を際立たせます。
(3)
- White elephants
- /waɪt ˈel.ə.fənts/ : WAIT-el-ə-fənts
- 白い象、厄介な代物、無用の長物 : A possession that is useless or troublesome, especially one that is expensive to maintain.
- 語源: 昔、タイの国王が嫌いな家臣に「白い象（神聖で飼育費が莫大だが働かせられない）」を贈り、破産させたという故事に由来。
- 解説: タイトルの回収となる象徴的な表現。少女にとっては遠くの白い山並みが美しく奇妙な「白い象」に見えていますが、同時に二人が抱えている「予期せぬ妊娠（＝処置に困る高価で厄介なもの）」の隠喩（メタファー）になっています。
- 発音のコツ: whiteの /t/ は破裂させずに息を止め、elephantsの最初の「エ」を最も強く発音します。
- Wouldn’t have
- /ˈwʊd.ənt hæv/ : WOOD-ənt-hav
- （これまでに）見たことがあるはずがない : Used to express a strong assumption that something did not happen in the past.
- 語源: would（意志・推量）+ not + have（完了の助動詞）。
- 解説: “I’ve never seen one（見たことがない）” と言った男に対し、少女が “No, you wouldn’t have.”（ええ、あなたには経験がないでしょうね）と返しています。男の想像力の欠如や、詩的な感性のなさを少し皮肉るような、二人の価値観のズレが浮き彫りになるセリフです。
- 発音のコツ: wouldn’tの /t/ はほとんど発音されず、「ウッドゥンハヴ」のように一気に縮めて発音します。
- Doesn’t prove anything
- /ˈdʌz.ənt pruːv ˈen.i.θɪŋ/ : DUZ-ənt-proov-EN-i-thiŋ
- 何の証明にもならない、だから何だというんだ : Does not show that something is true or correct.
- 語源: does + not + prove（ラテン語のprobare「試す、正しいと認める」）+ anything。
- 解説: 少女の皮肉に過剰に反応し、ムキになって反論する男の心の狭さや、会話の主導権を握ろうとする自己中心的な防衛本能が表れています。
- 発音のコツ: doesn’tの /t/ は舌を上顎につけたまま息を止め、proveの /v/ からanythingへ滑らかに繋げます。
- Anis del Toro
- /æˈniːs del ˈtɔː.roʊ/ : æ-NEES-del-TOR-oʊ
- アニス・デル・トロ（お酒の銘柄） : A specific brand of Spanish anise-flavored liqueur, meaning “Anise of the Bull.”
- 語源: スペイン語。「アニス（植物名）」+「〜の（del）」+「牡牛（toro）」。
- 解説: スペインの伝統的な強いリキュール。「牡牛（Toro）」は情熱や男性性の象徴であり、これから展開される男女の激しい心理的な駆け引きの舞台背景として機能しています。
- 発音のコツ: スペイン語由来の表現なので、Anisの「ニース」、Toroの「トーロ」にアクセントを置いて明瞭に発音します。
- Through the curtain
- /θruː ðə ˈkɜː.tən/ : throo-thuh-KER-tən
- カーテン越しに、のれんを通して : From one side of the hanging screen to the other.
- 語源: through（〜を通り抜けて）+ curtain。
- 解説: 男がバーの中にいる店員を呼ぶ際の描写。やはり直接顔を合わせようとせず、物理的な障壁（カーテン）を隔てたまま用件を済ませようとする男のコミュニケーションのあり方が再度示されています。
- 発音のコツ: throughの /θ/ は前歯で舌を軽く噛んで息を出し、curtainの後半は喉の奥で「ン」と落とすように発音します。
- Four reales
- /fɔːr reɪˈɑːlz/ : for-ray-ALZ
- 4レアル（当時のスペインの通貨単位） : A traditional unit of currency previously used in Spain.
- 語源: four + reales（ラテン語のregalis「王の、本物の」に由来）。
- 解説: 注文したお酒の代金を店員がぶっきらぼうに告げるセリフ。二人の間の緊迫したロマンチックとも言えない会話の合間に、冷徹で現実的な「日常の金銭取引」が挟み込まれるヘミングウェイ特有のリアリズムです。
- 発音のコツ: realesの第2音節「アールズ」にアクセントを置き、語末の /z/ をしっかり響かせます。
- It’s all right
- /ɪts ɔːl raɪt/ : its-awl-RAIT
- まあまあだよ、悪くはないよ : Adequate, acceptable, or permissible.
- 語源: it + is + all + right（正しい、適切な）。
- 解説: アニス酒を水割りで飲むのは美味しいかと尋ねる少女に対し、男が返す冷めた返事。何事に対しても熱量を持たず、どこか投げやりで「無難」に物事を処理しようとする男の態度がこの一言に凝縮されています。
- 発音のコツ: allの /l/ と rightの /r/ の違いを意識し、rightの /t/ は弾かずに鋭く息を止めます。
