原文
Marilla looked at her with a tenderness that would never have been
suffered to reveal itself in any clearer light than that soft mingling
of fireshine and shadow. The lesson of a love that should display itself
easily in spoken word and open look was one Marilla could never learn.
But she had learned to love this slim, gray-eyed girl with an affection
all the deeper and stronger from its very undemonstrativeness. Her love
made her afraid of being unduly indulgent, indeed. She had an uneasy
feeling that it was rather sinful to set one's heart so intensely on any
human creature as she had set hers on Anne, and perhaps she performed a
sort of unconscious penance for this by being stricter and more critical
than if the girl had been less dear to her. Certainly Anne herself had
no idea how Marilla loved her. She sometimes thought wistfully that
Marilla was very hard to please and distinctly lacking in sympathy
and understanding. But she always checked the thought reproachfully,
remembering what she owed to Marilla.
語彙など
- tenderness:優しさ
- suffer:〜を経験する
- reveal itself:現れる,知れる
- mingle:混ざる
- shine:光
- shadow:影
- lesson:教え
- display:見えるようにする,表す
- spoken word:話し言葉
- open:率直な,あからさまな
- look:様子
- slim:ほっそりした
- affection:情愛
- undemonstrativeness:慎み深さ
- unduly:極度に
- indulgent:寛大な,甘い
- uneasy feeling:不安感
- sinful:罪深い
- intensely:激しく
- unconscious:無意識の
- penance:贖罪,苦痛
- strict:厳格な
- critical:批判的な
- wistfully:切ない気持ちで
- distinctly:際立って
- lack:足りない
- sympathy:同情
- reproachfully:叱るように
- owe:負っている