原文
"'I always met the Twin Sailors at the Striped Rocks. The youngest
Twin Sailor is very good-tempered but the oldest Twin Sailor can look
dreadfully fierce at times. I have my suspicions about that oldest Twin.
I believe he'd be a pirate if he dared. There's really something very
mysterious about him. He swore once and I told him if he ever did
it again he needn't come ashore to talk to me because I'd promised
grandmother I'd never associate with anybody that swore. He was pretty
well scared, I can tell you, and he said if I would forgive him he would
take me to the sunset. So the next evening when I was sitting on the
Striped Rocks the oldest Twin came sailing over the sea in an enchanted
boat and I got in her. The boat was all pearly and rainbowy, like the
inside of the mussel shells, and her sail was like moonshine. Well, we
sailed right across to the sunset. Think of that, teacher, I've been
in the sunset. And what do you suppose it is? The sunset is a land
all flowers. We sailed into a great garden, and the clouds are beds of
flowers. We sailed into a great harbor, all the color of gold, and
I stepped right out of the boat on a big meadow all covered with
buttercups as big as roses. I stayed there for ever so long. It seemed
nearly a year but the Oldest Twin says it was only a few minutes. You
see, in the sunset land the time is ever so much longer than it is here.'
"'Your loving pupil Paul Irving.'
"'P. S. of course, this letter isn't really true, teacher. P.I.'"
語彙など
- striped:縞模様の
- good-tempered:気立ての良い
- dreadfully:すごく
- fierce:気性が荒々しい
- at times:どうかすると,時々
- suspicion:疑い
- pirate:海賊
- mysterious:神秘の,不可解な
- swear:悪態をつく,ののしる
- come ashore:上陸する,下船する
- associate with:〜を友とする
- scare:おびえさせる
- I can tell you:断言できる,請け合う
- enchant:〜に魔法をかける
- pearly:真珠のような
- rainbowy:虹色の,七色の
- mussel:ムール貝
- shell:貝殻
- moonshine:月光,月明
- harbor:港,入り江
- meadow:牧草地,草地
- buttercup:キンポウゲ
- for ever so long:とても長い間