原文
But on this particular day it seemed as if December had remembered that
it was time for winter and had turned suddenly dull and brooding, with
a windless hush predictive of coming snow. Nevertheless, Anne keenly
enjoyed her walk through the great gray maze of the beechlands; though
alone she never found it lonely; her imagination peopled her path
with merry companions, and with these she carried on a gay, pretended
conversation that was wittier and more fascinating than conversations
are apt to be in real life, where people sometimes fail most lamentably
to talk up to the requirements. In a "make believe" assembly of choice
spirits everybody says just the thing you want her to say and so gives
you the chance to say just what YOU want to say. Attended by this
invisible company, Anne traversed the woods and arrived at the fir lane
just as broad, feathery flakes began to flutter down softly.
語彙など
- dull:どんよりした
- brooding:陰気な
- hush:静けさ
- predictive:前兆となる
- nevertheless:それでもなお
- keenly:激しく,熱心に
- maze:迷路
- beech:ブナノキ
- people:〜を住まわせる,満たす
- merry:陽気な
- companion:仲間
- carry on:〜を続ける
- gay:陽気な
- pretend:〜のふりをする
- witty:気の利いた
- fascinating:魅惑的な
- apt:〜しがちである
- lamentably:嘆かわしく
- talk up:興味を引くように話す
- requirement:要求されること
- make believe:ごっこをする
- assembly:集会
- choice spirit:優れた人
- attend:参加する
- invisible:目に見えない
- traverse:横切る
- fir:モミ
- lane:小道
- feathery:フワッとした
- flake:薄片,一片
- flutter down:ひらひら舞い落ちる