『スリーピー・ホローの伝説』の名言
Washington Irvingの『The Legend of Sleepy Hollow』（1820年）から、有名な一節を10か所、一字一句そのまま紹介します。それぞれの意味と出典も示します。
51分で読めます
- 1
A drowsy, dreamy influence seems to hang over the land, and to pervade the very atmosphere.
意味： Sleepy Hollow’s peaceful atmosphere seems to draw everyone into a shared state of dreaming.
Narrator第3段落 - 2
The dominant spirit, however, that haunts this enchanted region, and seems to be commander-in-chief of all the powers of the air, is the apparition of a figure on horseback, without a head.
意味： A headless rider is the central supernatural figure in the valley’s local folklore.
Narrator第4段落 - 3
To see him striding along the profile of a hill on a windy day, with his clothes bagging and fluttering about him, one might have mistaken him for the genius of famine descending upon the earth, or some scarecrow eloped from a cornfield.
意味： Ichabod’s thin body and flapping clothes make him look comically like a living scarecrow.
Narrator第8段落 - 4
He was, in fact, an odd mixture of small shrewdness and simple credulity. His appetite for the marvellous, and his powers of digesting it, were equally extraordinary; and both had been increased by his residence in this spell-bound region.
意味： Ichabod combines practical cunning with an unusually strong willingness to believe supernatural stories.
Narrator第16段落
- 5
I profess not to know how women’s hearts are wooed and won. To me they have always been matters of riddle and admiration.
意味： The narrator humorously admits that romantic attraction remains a mystery to him.
Narrator第30段落 - 6
It was, as I have said, a fine autumnal day; the sky was clear and serene, and nature wore that rich and golden livery which we always associate with the idea of abundance.
意味： The golden autumn landscape suggests plentiful harvests and reflects Ichabod’s hopeful mood.
Narrator第36段落 - 7
There was the doughty doughnut, the tender oly koek, and the crisp and crumbling cruller; sweet cakes and short cakes, ginger cakes and honey cakes, and the whole family of cakes.
意味： The lavish variety of pastries captures the household’s abundance and the food that delights Ichabod.
Narrator第42段落 - 8
Local tales and superstitions thrive best in these sheltered, long-settled retreats; but are trampled under foot by the shifting throng that forms the population of most of our country places.
意味： Stable, secluded communities preserve folklore more readily than places whose populations constantly change.
Narrator第50段落 - 9
“If I can but reach that bridge,” thought Ichabod, “I am safe.”
意味： Ichabod trusts that reaching the bridge will protect him because the ghost supposedly cannot pursue him beyond it.
Ichabod Crane第65段落 - 10
“Faith, sir,” replied the story-teller, “as to that matter, I don’t believe one-half of it myself.”
意味： The storyteller admits his own skepticism, leaving listeners unsure how much of the supernatural adventure to believe.
Story-teller第77段落
これらの一節についての質問
What do the descriptions of Sleepy Hollow’s dreamy atmosphere mean?
They establish a secluded place where folklore shapes everyday perception. The atmosphere encourages both residents and visitors to interpret ordinary experiences as supernatural.
Why is the last line of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow important?
The storyteller’s admission of doubt prevents a definite supernatural explanation. It reinforces the story’s humor and asks readers to consider how fear, gossip, and entertaining exaggeration sustain legends.
