The Signal-Man

I

I

“HALLOA! Below there!”

「おーい、下の人!」

When he heard a voice thus calling to him, he was standing at the door of his box, with a flag in his hand, furled round its short pole. One would have thought, considering the nature of the ground, that he could not have doubted from what quarter the voice came; but instead of looking up to where I stood on the top of the steep cutting nearly over his head, he turned himself about, and looked down the Line. There was something remarkable in his manner of doing so, though I could not have said for my life what. But I know it was remarkable enough to attract my notice, even though his figure was foreshortened and shadowed, down in the deep trench, and mine was high above him, so steeped in the glow of an angry sunset, that I had shaded my eyes with my hand before I saw him at all.

そう呼びかける声を聞いたとき、男は小屋の戸口に立ち、短い棒に巻きつけた旗を手にしていた。地形を考えれば、声がどちらから来たのか迷うはずはないと思えただろう。ところが彼は、ほぼ真上にあたる急な切り通しの上に立つ私を見上げようとはせず、くるりと向きを変えて線路の先を見下ろしたのである。そのやり方には何か妙なところがあったが、何がどう妙なのかは、命に懸けても言えなかった。ただ、私の注意を引くには十分に妙だったことは確かだ。深い溝の底にいる彼の姿は遠近のせいで縮んで見え、影にも沈んでいた。一方、私は彼のはるか上にいて、怒ったような夕日の輝きにすっかり浸っていたので、彼の姿を見つける前に手をかざして目を覆わなければならなかったのだ。

“Halloa! Below!”

「おーい、下の人!」

From looking down the Line, he turned himself about again, and, raising his eyes, saw my figure high above him.

線路の先を見ていた彼は、もう一度体の向きを変え、目を上げて、はるか頭上にいる私の姿を見つけた。

“Is there any path by which I can come down and speak to you?”

「そちらへ下りて、お話しできる道はありませんか。」

He looked up at me without replying, and I looked down at him without pressing him too soon with a repetition of my idle question. Just then there came a vague vibration in the earth and air, quickly changing into a violent pulsation, and an oncoming rush that caused me to start back, as though it had force to draw me down. When such vapour as rose to my height from this rapid train had passed me, and was skimming away over the landscape, I looked down again, and saw him refurling the flag he had shown while the train went by.

彼は返事をせずに私を見上げ、私も、つまらない問いを急いで繰り返して彼を急かすことはせず、じっと見下ろしていた。ちょうどそのとき、大地と空気にかすかな震えが走り、それはたちまち激しい脈動と、迫りくる轟音に変わった。私は思わず後ずさりした。まるでその力に引きずり込まれそうな気がしたのだ。この疾走する列車から立ちのぼった蒸気が私の高さまで届いて通り過ぎ、景色の上をかすめて消えていくと、私はもう一度下を見た。彼は、列車が通る間に掲げていた旗を、また巻き直していた。

I repeated my inquiry. After a pause, during which he seemed to regard me with fixed attention, he motioned with his rolled-up flag towards a point on my level, some two or three hundred yards distant. I called down to him, “All right!” and made for that point. There, by dint of looking closely about me, I found a rough zigzag descending path notched out, which I followed.

私は問いを繰り返した。しばらくの間、彼はじっと私を見つめているようだったが、やがて巻いた旗で、私と同じ高さにある、二、三百ヤードほど離れた地点を指し示した。私は下に向かって「わかりました!」と叫び、その地点へ向かった。そこで注意深く辺りを見回すと、ジグザグに下りる粗末な道が刻まれているのが見つかったので、それをたどっていった。

The cutting was extremely deep, and unusually precipitate. It was made through a clammy stone, that became oozier and wetter as I went down. For these reasons, I found the way long enough to give me time to recall a singular air of reluctance or compulsion with which he had pointed out the path.

切り通しは非常に深く、しかも並外れて険しかった。じっとりと湿った岩を削って造ってあり、下りるにつれて岩はいっそう水を含み、ぬるぬるしてきた。そのため道のりはかなり長く感じられ、私は、彼が道を指し示したときの、ためらいとも強いられたともつかない、不思議な様子を思い返す時間を持てた。

When I came down low enough upon the zigzag descent to see him again, I saw that he was standing between the rails on the way by which the train had lately passed, in an attitude as if he were waiting for me to appear. He had his left hand at his chin, and that left elbow rested on his right hand, crossed over his breast. His attitude was one of such expectation and watchfulness that I stopped a moment, wondering at it.

ジグザグの道をかなり下りて、再び彼の姿が見えるようになると、彼は列車が先ほど通った線路の上、レールの間に立っていた。まるで私が現れるのを待ち構えているような姿勢だった。左手をあごに当て、その左肘を、胸の前で交差させた右手に載せている。あまりに待ち受けるような、見張るような様子だったので、私は不思議に思い、しばし足を止めた。