英語の勉強という以前に、こどものときに翻訳で読んだり、ディズニーのアニメ映画で見たり、という方が多いのではないでしょうか。

原題は、Alice's Adventures in Wonderland です。

作者のルイス・キャロルは、1832年生まれ、1898年になくなっています。

19世紀の人なんですね～

続編の「鏡の国のアリス」も有名です。

（本で読むならこちら）
左が洋書、右が日本語訳
　 　

さて、ではさっそく、今回も著作権切れの本を集めたサイト、

http://www.gutenberg.org/　から、「不思議の国のアリス」 "Alice's adventures in wonderland" の原文の最初の部分を引用してみましょう。

ALICE'S ADVENTURES
IN WONDERLAND

By Lewis Carroll

THE MILLENNIUM FULCRUM EDITION 3.0

CHAPTER I. Down the Rabbit-Hole

Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, 'and what is the use of a book,' thought Alice 'without pictures or conversation?'

So she was considering in her own mind (as well as she could, for the hot day made her feel very sleepy and stupid), whether the pleasure of making a daisy-chain would be worth the trouble of getting up and picking the daisies, when suddenly a White Rabbit with pink eyes ran close by her.

There was nothing so VERY remarkable in that; nor did Alice think it so VERY much out of the way to hear the Rabbit say to itself, 'Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be late!' (when she thought it over afterwards, it occurred to her that she ought to have wondered at this, but at the time it all seemed quite natural); but when the Rabbit actually TOOK A WATCH OUT OF ITS WAISTCOAT-POCKET, and looked at it, and then hurried on, Alice started to her feet, for it flashed across her mind that she had never before seen a rabbit with either a waistcoat-pocket, or a watch to take out of it, and burning with curiosity, she ran across the field after it, and fortunately was just in time to see it pop down a large rabbit-hole under the hedge.

In another moment down went Alice after it, never once considering how in the world she was to get out again.

The rabbit-hole went straight on like a tunnel for some way, and then dipped suddenly down, so suddenly that Alice had not a moment to think about stopping herself before she found herself falling down a very deep well.

Either the well was very deep, or she fell very slowly, for she had plenty of time as she went down to look about her and to wonder what was going to happen next. First, she tried to look down and make out what she was coming to, but it was too dark to see anything; then she looked at the sides of the well, and noticed that they were filled with cupboards and book-shelves; here and there she saw maps and pictures hung upon pegs. She took down a jar from one of the shelves as she passed; it was labelled 'ORANGE MARMALADE', but to her great disappointment it was empty: she did not like to drop the jar for fear of killing somebody, so managed to put it into one of the cupboards as she fell past it.

'Well!' thought Alice to herself, 'after such a fall as this, I shall think nothing of tumbling down stairs! How brave they'll all think me at home! Why, I wouldn't say anything about it, even if I fell off the top of the house!' (Which was very likely true.)

Down, down, down. Would the fall NEVER come to an end! 'I wonder how many miles I've fallen by this time?' she said aloud. 'I must be getting somewhere near the centre of the earth. Let me see: that would be four thousand miles down, I think—' (for, you see, Alice had learnt several things of this sort in her lessons in the schoolroom, and though this was not a VERY good opportunity for showing off her knowledge, as there was no one to listen to her, still it was good practice to say it over) '—yes, that's about the right distance—but then I wonder what Latitude or Longitude I've got to?' (Alice had no idea what Latitude was, or Longitude either, but thought they were nice grand words to say.)

 いかがでしたか？

読めそう・・・かな？

リズム感のある文章だな、と私は思いました。

Down, down, down. の部分だけ見て、ですけどね。

続きは、http://www.gutenberg.org/files/11/11-h/11-h.htm　で読めます。

画面で読んだり、印刷したりが面倒だな、という方は、こちらで洋書、日本語訳もあります。

洋書の方は鏡の国のアリスも入って、断然オトク。

【本で読むならこちら】
左が洋書、右が日本語訳
　 　

最近、古い映画のDVDが安く売られていますが、あれも同じ理由ですね。

英語の名作も、インターネットで自由に読めるものがあります。

画面で読むのは大変ですし、自分でプリンタで印刷すると、案外インク代がかかったりして、本を買ったほうが安いし持ち運びも便利・・・という可能性があります。

でも、とりあえず、どんな文章なのか読めるのは、便利ですね。英語の勉強に最適です。

内容が確認できれば、アマゾンなどのネット通販で洋書を買うのも安心です。

今日は、そんな名作洋書の中から、「トムソーヤの冒険」を紹介します。

作者のマーク・トウェインは1835年生まれで、1910年になくなっています。

（本で読むならこちら）
左が洋書、右が日本語訳
　

THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER

BY MARK TWAIN

(Samuel Langhorne Clemens)

The odd superstitions touched upon were all prevalent among children and slaves in the West at the period of this story—that is to say, thirty or forty years ago.

Although my book is intended mainly for the entertainment of boys and girls, I hope it will not be shunned by men and women on that account, for part of my plan has been to try to pleasantly remind adults of what they once were themselves, and of how they felt and thought and talked, and what queer enterprises they sometimes engaged in.

THE AUTHOR.

HARTFORD, 1876

CHAPTER I

"TOM!"

No answer.

"TOM!"

No answer.

"What's gone with that boy,  I wonder? You TOM!"

No answer.

The old lady pulled her spectacles down and looked over them about the room; then she put them up and looked out under them. She seldom or never looked THROUGH them for so small a thing as a boy; they were her state pair, the pride of her heart, and were built for "style," not service—she could have seen through a pair of stove-lids just as well. She looked perplexed for a moment, and then said, not fiercely, but still loud enough for the furniture to hear:

"Well, I lay if I get hold of you I'll—"

She did not finish, for by this time she was bending down and punching under the bed with the broom, and so she needed breath to punctuate the punches with. She resurrected nothing but the cat.

"I never did see the beat of that boy!"

She went to the open door and stood in it and looked out among the tomato vines and "jimpson" weeds that constituted the garden. No Tom. So she lifted up her voice at an angle calculated for distance and shouted:

"Y-o-u-u TOM!"

There was a slight noise behind her and she turned just in time to seize a small boy by the slack of his roundabout and arrest his flight.

"There! I might 'a' thought of that closet. What you been doing in there?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing! Look at your hands. And look at your mouth. What IS that truck?"

"I don't know, aunt."

"Well, I know. It's jam—that's what it is. Forty times I've said if you didn't let that jam alone I'd skin you. Hand me that switch."

The switch hovered in the air—the peril was desperate—

"My! Look behind you, aunt!"

The old lady whirled round, and snatched her skirts out of danger. The lad fled on the instant, scrambled up the high board-fence, and disappeared over it.

いかがでしたか？

こんな感じで、原文のトムソーヤは始まるんですね。

この文章は、http://www.gutenberg.org/　という、著作権切れの本を集めた英語サイトから引用させていただきました。

続きは、http://www.gutenberg.org/files/74/74-h/74-h.htm　で読めます。

Contents というリンクを Chapter 1(第1章）から順にクリックしてください。

【本で読むならこちら】
左が洋書、右が日本語訳