夫 が死んで８年。Francescaは６７歳の誕生日を迎えました。昔からのド田舎の家に今も１人で住んでいます。毎年の儀式になったRobert Kincaidから来た手紙を読み返したところです。そして彼とのことを思い出しています。この小説の舞台となった屋根付き橋に案内し到着し、家まで戻ってきました。冷たいお茶を出し、お互いが何をしているのかを語り合い、FrancescaはRobert Kincaidに夕食を食べて行かないかと誘います。

Francesca (21)

“Well, I get pretty tired of grocery stores and restaurants. That’s for sure. So if it’s not too much bother, I’d like that.”
“You like pork chops? I could fix that with some vegetables from the garden.”
“Just the vegetables would be fine for me. I don’t eat meat. Haven’t for years. No big deal, I just feel better that way.”
Francesca smiled again. “Around here that point of view would not be popular. Richard and his friends would say you’re trying to destroy their livelihood. I don’t eat much meat myself; I’m not sure why, I just don’t care for it. But every time I try a meatless supper on the family, there are howls of rebellion. So I’ve pretty much given up trying. It’ll be fun figuring out something different for a change.”
“Okay, but don’t go to a lot of trouble on my account. Listen, I’ve got a bunch of film in my cooler. I need to dump out the melted ice water and organize things a bit. It’ll take me a little while.” He stood up and drank the last of his tea.
She watched him go through the kitchen doorway, across the porch, and into the yard. He didn’t let the screen door bang like everyone else did but instead shut it gently. Just before he went out, he squatted down to pet the collie, who acknowledged the attention with several sloppy licks along his arms.


解説：

“Well, I get pretty tired of grocery stores（食料雑貨店） and restaurants.
■日本で教える英文法では「動作を表す動詞が現在形で使われた場合は『習慣』を表す」です。それに従えば、ここの「get」は「be」と同じ使い方です。
■tired of …：・・・にあきた


That’s for sure. So if it’s not too much bother（面倒）, I’d like that.”
■I’d like that：前回 “Would you like to stay for supper?” と尋ねられたことに呼応しています。

“You like pork chops（豚肉の切り身）? I could fix（用意する） that with some vegetables from the garden.”

“Just the vegetables would be fine for me.
■would：ある種の仮定法。Just the vegetablesという主語に仮定の意味が含まれています。
「（事情が許すなら）野菜だけでよい」。

I don’t eat meat. Haven’t for years. No big deal, I just feel better that way.”
■No big deal：「大きな取引ではない」⇒「大騒ぎするほどのことではない」。

Francesca smiled again. “Around here that point of view would not be popular.

Richard and his friends would say you’re trying to destroy their livelihood（生計）.
■アイオワ州ではトウモロコシの生産が盛んであることは前にご紹介しましたが、それを飼料とする豚の飼育も盛んで米国の豚肉生産では他州を圧倒しています。

I don’t eat much meat myself; I’m not sure why, I just don’t care for it.
■care for …：ここでは「・・・が好きである」の意。

But every time I try a meatless supper on the family, there are howls（わめき声） of rebellion（反抗）. So I’ve pretty much given up trying.

It’ll be fun figuring out something different for a change.”
■figuring out:ここでは「を見つけ出す」の意。

“Okay, but don’t go to a lot of trouble on my account.
■on my account：わたしのせいで

Listen, I’ve got a bunch of film in my cooler. I need to dump out the melted ice water and organize things a bit. It’ll take me a little while.” He stood up and drank the last of his tea.
She watched him go through the kitchen doorway（出入り口）, across the porch, and into the yard. He didn’t let the screen door bang（大きな音を立てる） like everyone else did but instead shut it gently. Just before he went out, he squatted down（しゃがむ） to pet（やさしくなでる） the collie, who acknowledged the attention with several sloppy （感傷的な）licks（なめること） along his arms.

夫 が死んで８年。Francescaは６７歳の誕生日を迎えました。昔からのド田舎の家に今も１人で住んでいます。毎年の儀式になったRobert Kincaidから来た手紙を読み返したところです。そして彼とのことを思い出しています。この小説の舞台となった屋根付き橋に案内し到着し、家まで戻ってきました。冷たいお茶を出し、お互いが何をしているのかを語ります。

Francesca (20)

“I’m supposed to say, ‘Just fine. It’s quiet. The people are real nice.’ All of that’s true, mostly. It is quiet. And the people are nice, in certain ways. We all help each other out. If someone gets sick or hurt, the neighbors pitch in and pick corn or harvests oats or do whatever needs to be done. In town, you can leave your car unlocked and let your children run without worrying about them. There are a lot of good things about the people here, and I respect them for those qualities.
“But” – she hesitated, smoked, looked across the table at Robert Kincaid – “it’s not what I dreamed about as a girl.” The confession, at last. The words had been there for years, and she had never said them. She had said them now to a man with a green pickup truck from Bellingham, Washington.
He said nothing for a moment. Then: “I scribbled something in my notebook the other day for future use, just had the idea while driving along, that happens a lot. It goes like this: ‘The old dreams were good dreams, they didn’t work out, but I’m glad I had them.’ I’m not sure what that means, but I’ll use it somewhere. So I think I kind of know how you feel.”
Francesca smiled at him then. For the first time, she smiled warm and deep. And the gambler’s instincts took over. “Would you like to stay for supper? My family’s away, so I don’t have too much on hand, but I can figure out something.”


解説：

“I’m supposed to say, ‘Just fine. It’s quiet. The people are real nice.’
■be supposed to do：「・・・するはずである」。ここでは「当り障りのない言い方では」のニュアンスが込められています。

All of that’s true, mostly（ほとんどの場合）. It is quiet.

And the people are nice, in certain ways（点、箇所、面.
■are：イタリックスになっていることは、その言葉を強調する意図があるからです。

We all help each other out.
■help out：を手助けする

If someone gets sick or hurt, the neighbors pitch in and pick（採取する） corn or harvests oats（オートムギ） or do whatever needs to be done.
■pitch in：（仕事に）とりかかる
■東側はミシシッピー川、西側はミズリー川と、東西を川にはさまれたアイオワ州は、長年にわたって、川によってつくられた肥沃で平坦な土地と豊かな水源を生かした、農業が盛んな州。産業といえば農業しか考えられないほど農業一色の州です。長年に渡って全米一のコーンの生産量を誇こります。

In town（地域の中心となっている都市）, you can leave your car unlocked and let your children run（自由に動き回る） without worrying about them. There are a lot of good things about the people here, and I respect them for those qualities.

“But” – she hesitated, smoked, looked across the table at Robert Kincaid – “it’s not what I dreamed about as a girl.”
■as a girl：未婚だった時

The confession（告白）, at last. The words had been there for years, and she had never said them. She had said them now to a man with a green pickup truck from Bellingham, Washington.
He said nothing for a moment. Then: “I scribbled（なぐり書きする） something in my notebook the other day for future use, just had the idea while driving along, that happens a lot.

It goes like this: ‘The old dreams were good dreams, they didn’t work out（うまくいく）, but I’m glad I had them.’

夫 が死んで８年。Francescaは６７歳の誕生日を迎えました。昔からのド田舎の家に今も１人で住んでいます。毎年の儀式になったRobert Kincaidから来た手紙を読み返したところです。そして彼とのことを思い出しています。この小説の舞台となった屋根付き橋に案内し到着し、家まで戻ってきました。そして冷たいお茶を出したところです。

Francesca (19)

“Sometimes I write poetry, just for myself. Now and then I try to write a little fiction, but I don’t seem to have a feeling for it. I live north of Seattle and work around that area quite a bit. I like shooting the fishing boats and Indian settlements and landscapes.
“The Geographic work often keeps me at a location for a couple of months, particularly for a major piece on something like part of the Amazon or the North African desert. Ordinarily I fly to an assignment like this and rent a car. But I felt like driving through some places and scouting them out for future reference. I came down along Lake Superior, I’ll go back through the Black Hills. How about you?”
Francesca hadn’t expected him to ask. She stammered for a moment. “Oh, gosh, nothing like you do. I got my degree in comparative literature. Winterset was having trouble finding teachers when I arrived here in 1946, and the fact that I was married to a local man who was a veteran made me acceptable. So I picked up a teaching certificate and taught high school English for a few years. But Richard didn’t like the idea of working. He said he could support us, and there was no need for it, particularly when our two children were growing. So I stopped and became a farm wife full-time. That’s it.”
She noticed his iced tea was almost gone and poured him some more from the jug.
“Thanks. How do you like it here in Iowa?”
There was a moment of truth in this. She knew it. The standard reply was, “Just fine. It’s quiet. The people are real nice.”
She didn’t answer immediately. “Could I have another cigarette?” Again the pack of Camels, again the lighter, again touching his hand, lightly. Sunlight walked across the back porch floor and onto the dog, who got up and moved out of sight. Francesca, for the first time, looked into the eyes of Robert Kincaid.


解説：

“Sometimes I write poetry（詩）, just for myself.

Now and then I try to write a little fiction（小説）, but I don’t seem to have a feeling（適正） for it.
■Now and then：時々

I live north of Seattle and work around that area quite a bit.
■quite a bit：かなり

I like shooting the fishing boats and Indian settlements（居留地） and landscapes（景色）.
■the fishing boats：この作者の文体の特徴の１つですが、「the」がよく使われています。ここではI live north of Seattle and work around that area quite a bitと言っているので、「その地域での」意識です。

“The Geographic work often keeps me at a location for a couple of months, particularly for a major piece on something like part of the Amazon or the North African desert. Ordinarily（たいてい） I fly to an assignment（課題） like this and rent a car.

But I felt like driving through some places and scouting（探し出す） them out for future reference（参考）.
■felt like …：・・・したい気がした

I came down along Lake Superior, I’ll go back through the Black Hills. How about you?”
■the Black Hills：アメリカ、サウスダコタ州とワイオミング州の州境に存在する山地

Francesca hadn’t expected him to ask. She stammered（言葉をつまらせながら言う） for a moment.

“Oh, gosh, nothing like you do.
■gosh：God の婉曲語。主に女性が用いる。

I got my degree in comparative literature（比較文学）.

Winterset was having trouble finding teachers when I arrived here in 1946, and the fact that I was married to a local man who was a veteran（退役軍人） made me acceptable.
■Winterset：マディソン郡の郡庁所在地

So I picked up a teaching certificate and taught high school English for a few years.

But Richard didn’t like the idea of working.
■the idea of working：workingの意味上の主語は明示されていませんが、文脈からthe idea of my workingの意です。

He said he could support us, and there was no need for it, particularly when our two children were growing. So I stopped and became a farm wife full-time. That’s it.”
■That’s it.：話を終えるときの台詞。「それだけ」。

She noticed his iced tea was almost gone and poured him some more from the jug.
“Thanks. How do you like it here in Iowa?”
There was a moment of truth in this. She knew it. The standard reply was, “Just fine. It’s quiet. The people are real nice.”
She didn’t answer immediately. “Could I have another cigarette?” Again the pack of Camels, again the lighter, again touching his hand, lightly. Sunlight walked across the back porch floor and onto the dog, who got up and moved out of sight. Francesca, for the first time, looked into the eyes of Robert Kincaid.