原文
Anne was the victim of an overwhelming attack of stage fright. Often as
she had recited in public, she had never before faced such an audience
as this, and the sight of it paralyzed her energies completely.
Everything was so strange, so brilliant, so bewildering--the rows of
ladies in evening dress, the critical faces, the whole atmosphere of
wealth and culture about her. Very different this from the plain benches
at the Debating Club, filled with the homely, sympathetic faces of
friends and neighbors. These people, she thought, would be merciless
critics. Perhaps, like the white-lace girl, they anticipated amusement
from her "rustic" efforts. She felt hopelessly, helplessly ashamed and
miserable. Her knees trembled, her heart fluttered, a horrible faintness
came over her; not a word could she utter, and the next moment she would
have fled from the platform despite the humiliation which, she felt,
must ever after be her portion if she did so.
語彙など
- victim:犠牲者
- overwhelming:圧倒的な,抗しがたい
- stage fright:初舞台の不安感
- recite:朗読する
- in public:みんなの前で,人前で
- paralyze:麻痺させる,奪う
- completely:すっかり
- brilliant:きらめく,華々しい
- bewildering:ひどく困惑させる
- row:列
- critical:批判的な
- culture:教養
- plain:簡素な,地味な
- homely:家庭的な
- merciless:無慈悲な
- critic:批評家
- anticipate:予想する,期待する
- rustic:田舎の,野暮な
- ashamed:恥じて
- miserable:みじめな
- tremble:震える
- flutter:ドキドキする
- horrible:恐ろしい,ひどい
- faintness:気を失いそうな感じ,脱力
- utter:口に出す
- flee:逃げる
- despite:〜にもかかわらず
- humiliation:屈辱
- ever after:その後ずっと
- portion:一部