はじめに Introduction:
今回は英文法解説とかじゃなくてただの文章。英語と日本語の二本立てで書きます。12月6日、ガザのリフアト・アルアライールさんが殺されて1年になる日に、リフアトさんについてガザと薄くつながっている線の上でふらふらと踊るようにしながら書き始めました。最初に英語、次に日本語です。
Basically this blog is about English grammar tips, but today I'm going to post an essay in English, and a companion piece in Japanese. Inspired by a post by Majd, a Gazan on Twitter/X, I started writing the English version on 6th December 2024, one year to the day since Israel killed Dr Refaat Alreer.
英語圏(というか米国)では、10日にリフアトさんの遺稿集が出ます。版元は米ニューヨークの独立出版社、O/R Booksです。版元のサイトに内容見本などが出ています。米国では、これを(あえて)Amazonで注文して、ベストセラーリストの1位に入れようという運動があります。
10th December sees Refaat's book on sale in the US. It's published by O/R/ Books, an indepentent publisher in NY, USA. They have excerpts and page samples on their website. I crave for a paper copy but may have to resort to an e-book.
目次 Contents:
- In English
- The Beacon of Knowledge
- Light a candle
- "Remember me"
- In Japanese 日本語 (not a straight translation of the above):
- ろうそくを灯してほしい
- 追記
In English
The Beacon of Knowledge
The other day, while I was translating something that I still dare not speak publicly about, I came across this phrase, referring to a university in Gaza: the beacon of knowledge.
In Gaza, and perhaps anywhere in the world, universities are local landmarks. Something you can't miss when you pass by, and can be seen over the city from a distant viewpoint. And that landmark has an awful lot of knowledge in it! It has lasted and will last for a very long time, sometimes centuries. My own university, located in a Tokyo suburb, is more than 100 years old. Considering it was in the second half of the19th century that Japan came to have western-style universities, it's quite old. One of the oldest, perhaps. It will remain there long after I die. It will last for a very long time, giving its students an awful lot of knowledge and producing an awful lot of tales.
I translated the phrase into Japanese as "something that shows you where knowledge is", having in my mind a picture of almost intimidating appearance of a typical university building. That might be a Tokyo university. Or a London one. Or a university in Gaza. It could be any university I've seen in pictures, or in person.
After a careful and precise proofreading by an awesome friend of mine, I changed the line into "something that guides you to knowledge", which sounds better and more suitable. Something more abstract.
For there's no university left in Gaza. There are no more university buildings that stand and welcome students, professors and citizens who want to read and/or attend lectures that are open to non-students. No such thing exists in Gaza any more. University buildings stand in ruins. Perhaps they now exist only metaphysically.
That is, universities in the abstract. What makes you sadder?
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