The letter was in the red and white birdhouse mailbox at the foot of my steps.
mailbox
(郵便受け)
[名]
a box into which mail is delivered, especially one mounted on a post at the entrance to a person's property
その手紙は私の階段のふもとにある赤と白の鳥の巣箱の郵便受けに入っていた。
A woodpecker on top of the box attached to the swing arm was raised and even at that I might not have looked inside because I never got mail at the house.
woodpecker
(キツツキ)
[名]
a bird that climbs trees and drills holes in the bark to find insects to eat
swing arm
(スイングアーム)
[名]
a mechanical linkage used in various suspension designs
look inside
(中を見る)
[動]
to look into the interior of something
スイングアームに付いている箱の上の啄木鳥が上がっていたが、それでも私は中を見なかったかもしれない、なぜなら私は家で郵便物を受け取ったことがなかったからだ。
But the woodpecker had lost the point of his beak quite recently.
beak
(くちばし)
[名]
the hard horny structure forming the jaws of a bird
quite recently
(つい最近)
[副]
a short time ago
しかし、キツツキはつい最近くちばしの先を失っていた。
The wood was fresh broken.
木は新しく折れていた。
Some smart kid shooting off his atom gun.
shoot off
(撃つ)
[動]
to fire a gun
atom gun
(原子銃)
[名]
a gun that shoots atoms
賢い子供が原子銃を撃っている。
The letter had Correo Aéreo on it and a flock of Mexican stamps and writing that I might or might not have recognized if Mexico hadn't been on my mind pretty constantly lately.
Correo Aéreo
(Correo Aéreo)
[名]
airmail
stamp
(切手)
[名]
a small adhesive piece of paper of a fixed value issued by a post office, to be affixed to a letter or parcel to indicate the amount of postage paid
writing
(文字)
[名]
the activity or skill of writing
constantly
(ずっと)
[副]
continuously over a period of time; always
その手紙にはCorreo Aéreoとメキシコの切手と、最近メキシコのことをずっと考えていなかったら、私が認識したかもしれないし、しなかったかもしれない文字が書かれていた。
I couldn't read the postmark.
couldn't
(できなかった)
[助]
was not able to
postmark
(消印)
[名]
an official mark stamped on a letter or parcel to record the date and place of posting
消印は読めなかった。
It was hand-stamped and the ink pad was pretty far gone.
hand-stamped
(手で押された)
[形]
stamped by hand
ink pad
(インクパッド)
[名]
a pad soaked with ink
pretty far gone
(かなり使い古されていた)
[形]
in a very bad condition
それは手で押されたもので、インクパッドはかなり使い古されていた。
The letter was thick.
その手紙は厚かった。
I climbed my steps and sat down in the living room to read it.
私は階段を上り、居間に座ってそれを読んだ。
The evening seemed very silent.
その夜はとても静かだった。
Perhaps a letter from a dead man brings its own silence with it.
bring
(もたらす)
[動]
cause to come or happen
おそらく死んだ人からの手紙はそれ自体の沈黙をもたらすのだろう。
Why all the finagling?
finagling
(小細工)
[名]
the act of manipulating or juggling something in a clever or skillful way
なぜそんな小細工をするのか?
There's a swarthy character with pointed shoes and a dirty shirt outside the door watching it.
pointed
(とがった)
[形]
having a sharp or tapered end
ドアの外には先のとがった靴を履き、汚れたシャツを着た浅黒い顔の男がそれを見ている。
He's waiting for something, I don't know what, but he won't let me out.
let
(出す)
[動]
allow to go or come
彼は何かを待っている、何だかわからないが、彼は私を外に出さない。
It doesn't matter too much as long as the letter gets posted.
get posted
(投函される)
[動]
to be put into a mailbox or post office for delivery
手紙が投函される限り、あまり問題ではない。
I want you to have this money because I don't need it and the local gendarmerie would swipe it for sure.
gendarmerie
(憲兵隊)
[名]
a military force with police duties among the civilian population
swipe
(盗む)
[動]
take or steal something in a casual or surreptitious manner
私はこのお金をあなたに持っていてほしい、なぜなら私はそれを必要としていないし、地元の憲兵隊は間違いなくそれを盗むだろうからだ。
It is not intended to buy anything.
何かを買うつもりはない。
Call it an apology for making you so much trouble and a token of esteem for a pretty decent guy.
apology
(謝罪)
[名]
a regretful acknowledgment of an offense or failure
make
(かける)
[動]
to cause to be or become
token
(印)
[名]
something that represents or symbolizes something else
esteem
(敬意)
[名]
a feeling of respect and admiration
あなたに多くの迷惑をかけたことに対する謝罪と、かなりまともな男に対する敬意の印と呼んでほしい。
I've done everything wrong as usual, but I still have the gun.
do everything wrong
(すべてを間違える)
[動]
make a mistake in everything
as usual
(いつものように)
[副]
in the usual way
have the gun
(銃を持っている)
[動]
possess a gun
私はいつものようにすべてを間違えたが、まだ銃を持っている。
My hunch is that you have probably made up your mind on a certain point.
make up one's mind
(決心する)
[動]
reach, make, or come to a decision about something
certain
(ある)
[形]
particular; specific
私の勘では、あなたはおそらくある点について決心している。
I might have killed her and perhaps I did, but I never could have done the other thing.
私は彼女を殺したかもしれないし、おそらく殺したのだろうが、他のことはできなかった。
That kind of brutality is not in my line.
line
(流儀)
[名]
a way of doing something
そのような残虐性は私の流儀ではない。
So something is very sour.
だから何かがとても酸っぱい。
But it doesn't matter, not in the least.
least
(少なくとも)
[副]
to the smallest extent or degree
しかし、それは問題ではない、少なくとも。
The main thing now is to save an unnecessary and useless scandal.
main thing
(重要な事)
[名]
the most important thing
save
(防ぐ)
[動]
prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening
unnecessary
(不必要)
[形]
not needed
useless
(無駄)
[形]
not serving any purpose or not producing any result
今重要なことは、不必要で無駄なスキャンダルを防ぐことである。
Her father and her sister never did me any harm.
harm
(害)
[名]
physical or mental damage or injury
彼女の父親と妹は私に害を与えたことは一度もない。
They have their lives to live and I'm up to here in disgust with mine.
disgust
(嫌気)
[名]
a feeling of strong dislike or hatred
彼らには彼らの人生があり、私は自分の人生に嫌気がさしている。
Sylvia didn't make a bum out of me, I was one already.
make a bum out of
(怠け者にする)
[動]
to make someone lazy or unproductive
シルヴィアは私を怠け者にしなかった、私はすでに怠け者だった。
I can't give you any very clean answer about why she married me.
彼女がなぜ私と結婚したのかについては、はっきりとした答えは出せない。
I suppose it was just a whim.
whim
(気まぐれ)
[名]
a sudden desire or change of mind, especially one that is unaccountable or unreasonable
ただの気まぐれだったと思う。
At least she died young and beautiful.
at least
(少なくとも)
[副]
not less than; as much as
young
(若い)
[形]
having lived or existed for only a short time
少なくとも彼女は若く美しいまま死んだ。
They say lust makes a man old, but keeps a woman young.
lust
(欲望)
[名]
a strong feeling of sexual desire
欲望は男を老けさせるが、女を若く保つと言う。
They say a lot of nonsense.
nonsense
(ナンセンス)
[名]
words or language having no meaning or conveying no intelligible ideas
彼らは多くのナンセンスを言う。
They say the rich can always protect themselves and that in their world it is always summer.
金持ちはいつでも自分を守ることができ、彼らの世界ではいつも夏だと言う。
I've lived with them and they are bored and lonely people.
live with
(一緒に住む)
[動]
share a home with
bored
(退屈な)
[形]
feeling uninterested and impatient
lonely
(孤独な)
[形]
without company; solitary
私は彼らと一緒に住んだことがあるが、彼らは退屈で孤独な人々だ。
I have written a confession.
私は自白書を書いた。
I feel a little sick and more than a little scared.
sick
(気分が悪い)
[形]
affected by illness
私は少し気分が悪く、少し怖い以上のことを感じている。
You read about these situations in books, but you don't read the truth.
truth
(真実)
[名]
the true or actual state of a matter
あなたはこのような状況について本で読むが、真実を読むわけではない。
When it happens to you, when all you have left is the gun in your pocket, when you are cornered in a dirty little hotel in a strange country, and have only one way out--believe me, pal, there is nothing elevating or dramatic about it.
happen to
(起こる)
[動]
take place or occur
corner
(追い詰める)
[動]
force into a place or situation from which it is hard to escape
strange
(見知らぬ)
[形]
not known or familiar
only
(ただ一つの)
[形]
single or solitary
elevate
(高揚する)
[動]
raise to a higher position
dramatic
(劇的な)
[形]
sudden and striking
それがあなたに起こったとき、あなたが残したすべてがあなたのポケットの中の銃であるとき、あなたが見知らぬ国の汚れた小さなホテルで追い詰められ、そしてただ一つの出口があるとき--私を信じてください、仲間、それについて高揚したり劇的なことは何もないのです。
It is just plain nasty and sordid and gray and grim.
plain
(単に)
[形]
simple, ordinary, or without much decoration
sordid
(下品な)
[形]
morally bad or unpleasant
それはただ単に不快で、下品で、灰色で、恐ろしいだけだ。
It lay in front of me green and crisp on the table top.
lay
(横たわる)
[動]
be in or assume a horizontal or resting position
in front of
(目の前で)
[前]
directly ahead of
それは私の目の前で緑色にパリッとテーブルの上に横たわっていた。
I had never even seen one before.
私はこれまで一度も見たことがなかった。
Lots of people who work in banks haven't either.
Lots of
(多くの)
[名]
a large number or amount
銀行で働く多くの人も見たことがない。
Very likely characters like Randy Starr and Menendez wear them for folding money.
folding money
(紙幣)
[名]
money in the form of banknotes
ランディ・スターやメネンデスのような人物は、紙幣を折り畳むためにそれらを身に着けている可能性が高い。
If you went to a bank and asked for one, they wouldn't have it.
銀行に行って1枚欲しいと頼んでも、彼らは持っていないだろう。
They'd have to get it for you from the Federal Reserve.
Federal Reserve
(連邦準備銀行)
[名]
the central bank of the United States
彼らは連邦準備銀行からそれを手に入れなければならないだろう。
It might take several days.
several
(数)
[形]
more than two but not very many
数日かかるかもしれない。
There are only about a thousand of them in circulation in the whole U.S.A.
U.S.A.
(アメリカ)
[名]
United States of America
アメリカ全土で流通しているものは約1000枚しかない。
Mine had a nice glow around it.
glow
(輝き)
[名]
a light that is not very bright and that does not have a flame
私の周りには素敵な輝きがあった。
It created a little private sunshine all its own.
create
(作り出す)
[動]
cause to come into being, as something unique that would not naturally evolve or that is not made by ordinary processes
private
(自分だけの)
[形]
belonging to or for the use of one particular person or group of people only
sunshine
(太陽)
[名]
direct sunlight unbroken by cloud, especially over a comparatively large area
それは自分だけの小さな太陽を作り出していた。
I sat there and looked at it for a long time.
long time
(長い間)
[名]
a period of time that seems to be longer than usual
私はそこに座って長い間それを眺めていた。
At last I put it away in my letter case and went out to the kitchen to make that coffee.
letter case
(手紙ケース)
[名]
a case for holding letters
make
(入れる)
[動]
to create or produce something
ついに私はそれを手紙ケースにしまい、コーヒーを入れるために台所に行った。
I did what he asked me to, sentimental or not.
sentimental
(感傷的)
[形]
having or showing a tendency to be influenced by emotions
私は彼が私に頼んだことをした、感傷的であろうとなかろうと。
I poured two cups and added some bourbon to his and set it down on the side of the table where he had sat the morning I took him to the plane.
set down
(置く)
[動]
put something in a place
私は二杯注ぎ、彼のにはバーボンを加え、彼を飛行機に連れて行った朝に彼が座っていたテーブルの横に置いた。
I lit a cigarette for him and set it in an ash tray beside the cup.
私は彼のためにタバコに火をつけ、カップの横の灰皿に置いた。
I watched the steam rise from the coffee and the thin thread of smoke rise from the cigarette.
steam
(湯気)
[名]
the vapor into which water is converted when heated, forming a white mist of minute water droplets in the air
rise
(上がる)
[動]
go up
thread
(糸)
[名]
a long, thin piece of cotton, nylon, or other fibers used in sewing or weaving
私はコーヒーから湯気が立ち、タバコから細い煙が上がるのを眺めた。
Outside in the tecoma a bird was gussing around, talking to himself in low chirps, with an occasional brief flutter of wings.
tecoma
(テコマ)
[名]
a genus of plants
gussing around
(うろうろする)
[動]
to move around aimlessly or without purpose
talk to oneself
(独り言を言う)
[動]
to speak to oneself
chirp
(さえずり)
[名]
the short high-pitched sound made by a bird
occasional
(時折)
[形]
happening or done infrequently and irregularly
flutter
(羽ばたき)
[名]
a rapid movement of wings
外のテコマでは鳥がうろうろして、低いさえずりで独り言を言い、時折羽を短く羽ばたかせていた。
A white night for me is as rare as a fat postman.
white night
(白い夜)
[名]
a night when the sun does not set
rare
(珍しい)
[形]
not common or usual
postman
(郵便配達員)
[名]
a person who delivers mail
私にとって白い夜は太った郵便配達員と同じくらい珍しい。
If it hadn't been for Mr. Howard Spencer at the Ritz-Beverly I would have killed a bottle and knocked myself out.
Ritz-Beverly
(リッツ・ビバリー)
[名]
a hotel in Beverly Hills, California
kill
(空にする)
[動]
to cause the death of
knock out
(ノックアウトする)
[動]
to make someone unconscious by hitting them on the head
リッツ・ビバリーにいるハワード・スペンサー氏がいなかったら、私はボトルを空にして自分をノックアウトしていただろう。
And the next time I saw a polite character drunk in a Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith, I would depart rapidly in several directions.
depart
(逃げ出す)
[動]
leave a place
several directions
(いくつかの方向)
[名]
more than two directions
そして、次にロールスロイスのシルバーレイスで酔っ払った礼儀正しい人物を見かけたら、私はすぐにいくつかの方向に逃げ出すだろう。
There is no trap so deadly as the trap you set for yourself.
deadly
(恐ろしい)
[形]
causing or able to cause death
自分で仕掛けた罠ほど恐ろしい罠はない。