
On we rode in triumph till we reached the bottom of the hill, then we reined up, for before us was the stream of San Paulo, and the few scattered men who had crossed it and were scuttling away like hunted ostriches scarcely seemed worth chasing.(The Purple Land by W. H. Hudson)注:「私たち」は戦闘で勝利を収めた兵士たちです。
英文を前から読んでいくために、語句のかたまりを作ります。こんな具合に課題文をスラッシュ(斜め線)で区切ります(スラッシュリーディング)。語句のかたまりを意識すると、リスニングで英語の意味をつかむのが楽になります。
On we rode in triumph/(接続詞の前)till we reached the bottom of the hill,/(コンマの後)then we reined up,/(接続詞の前)for before us was the stream of San Paulo,/(接続詞の前)and the few scattered men who had crossed it and were scuttling away like hunted ostriches/(長い主部の後)scarcely seemed worth chasing.
語句のかたまりを前から訳していきます。
On we rode in triumph
私たちは意気揚々と馬を進めていった
till we reached the bottom of the hill,
そして、私たちは丘のふもとに至った
then we reined up,
そして、手綱を引いて馬を止めた
for before us was the stream of San Paulo,
なぜなら、目の前にサンパウロの川が流れていたからだ
and the few scattered men who had crossed it and were scuttling away like hunted ostriches
そして、すでに川を渡り、狩りたてられたダチョウのように大あわてて逃げていく少数のばらばらな敵は
scarcely seemed worth chasing.
ほとんど追う価値がないように思えた(からだ)
On we rode in triumph till we reached the bottom of the hill, then we reined up, for before us was the stream of San Paulo, and the few scattered men who had crossed it and were scuttling away like hunted ostriches scarcely seemed worth chasing.
who had crossed it〜ostriches → who〜ostrichesは the few scattered men を先行詞とする関係代名詞節です。後ろから先行詞を修飾しています。
scarcely seemed worth chasing→ scarcely seemed worth chasing の主部は the few scattered men who had crossed it and were scuttling away like hunted ostriches です。
On we rode in triumph till we reached the bottom of the hill, then we reined up, for before us was the stream of San Paulo, and the few scattered men who had crossed it and were scuttling away like hunted ostriches scarcely seemed worth chasing.
私たちは意気揚々と馬を進めていき、丘のふもとに至った所で手綱を引いて馬を止めた。なぜなら、目の前にサンパウロの川が流れていたし、すでに川を渡って、狩りたてられたダチョウのように大あわてて逃げていく少数のばらばらな敵はほとんど追う価値がないように思えたからだ。
英語では普通、接続詞の後には主語+動詞が来ます。課題文中にも till we reached the bottom of the hill という例があります。→ till + we + reached
しかし、for before us was the stream of San Paulo を見ると、「接続詞+主語+動詞」のパターンが崩れていることがわかります。
for (before us) was the stream of San Paulo
接続詞 +前置詞句 +動詞 +主語(主部)
接続詞の後に前置詞句が来ているため、主語と動詞の順番が逆になっています(倒置)。
動画の後半部分でリスニング用音声が流れます。
