The Dark Glassesからの英文です。
She had raised the bottle and was reading the label with her one good eye. "Yes, this is mine. It has my name on it," she said.
Dark Basil, dark Dorothy. There was something wrong after all. She walked upstairs with her bottle of eye-drops. The brother put his hand on my elbow and heaved me to my feet, forgetting his coloured slides.
"There's nothing wrong with your eyes. Off you go." He pushed me into the front shop. His flat eyes were wide open as he handed me my glasses. He pointed to the door. "I'm a busy man," he said.
From upstairs came a long scream. Basil jerked open the door for me, but I did not move. Then Dorothy, upstairs, screamed and screamed and screamed. Basil put his hands to his head, covering his eyes. Dorothy appeared on the bend of the stairs, screaming, doubled-up, with both hands covering her good eye.
Muriel SparkのThe Dark Glassesからの英文です。
主人公は15歳ぐらいの女の子です。
Basil=検眼士です。 Dorothyは検眼士の姉です。
主人公が検眼のためにBasilの店を訪れている場面です。
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●Dark Basil, dark Dorothy. There was something wrong after all. のところについてですが、
前回Basilと Dorothyの姉弟はグルになっていると主人公は感じ取ったのですが、
There was something wrong after all.(結局何かおかしいのだ?)と主人公が感じたのは、前回の場面で
She had lifted down a small brown bottle. "I want my eye-drops. I wish you wouldn't displace--Are these they?"
I noted her correct phrase, "Are these they?" and it seemed just over the border of correctness.
という個所があり、"Are these they?"と正確に言い過ぎていることに由来している気がします。
なぜ正確に言い過ぎていることがDark Basil, dark Dorothy. There was something wrong after all.と感じとっているのかがよくわかりません。(それともこの正確に言い過ぎている場面とは関係なくDark Basil, dark Dorothy. There was something wrong after all.と思っているのでしょうか?)
(質問がうまくまとめられずわかりにくくてすみません)
●Basil jerked open the door for me, but I did not move.の個所について
open the door for…で、「(自分で開けられない人に代わって)ドアを開けてやる」とあったのですが、その前のjerkedは「ぐいと押す」という意味だと思うので、この英文の構造はどうなっているのでしょうか?
教えてください。よろしくお願いします。
前文は
"That seems to be all right," Mr Simmonds said. "But wait a moment." He produced some coloured slides with lettering on them.
Miss Simmonds gave me what appeared to be a triumphant one-eyed leer, and as one who washes her hands of a person, started to climb the stairs. Plainly, she knew I had lost my attraction for her brother.
But before she turned the bend in the stairs she stooped and came down again. She went to a row of shelves and shifted some bottles. I read on. She interrupted:
"My eye-drops, Basil. I made them up this morning. Where are they?"
Mr Simmonds was suddenly watching her as if something inconceivable was happening.
"Wait, Dorothy. Wait till I've tested the girl's eyes."
She had lifted down a small brown bottle. "I want my eye-drops. I wish you wouldn't displace--Are these they?"
I noted her correct phrase, "Are these they?" and it seemed just over the border of correctness. Perhaps, after all, this brother and sister were strange, vicious, in the wrong.
となっています。
お礼
回答のStrifeの二面性という捉え方は読みが深いと思いました。 特にギリシャ神話において、概念的な対比性を捉えることは非常に 重要だと思います。 こうした読みの不足が訳にも現れたと思います。 まだ、こうしたことを意識出来るほどのゆとりはありませんが、 新たな着眼だと思いました。