Silas Marner

亜麻布織り工のサイラス・マーナーは床下の穴に金を貯めている。昼間、懸命に働いて布を織り、夜になると金を取り出してきて、輝くコインを何度も何度もなでたり数えたり、やさしく抱きしめるのだ。村人は彼を恐れているので、彼には家族も友人もいない。金だけが彼の友人であり、喜びであり、生きていく理由である。しかし、もしも泥棒が夜、彼の金を盗んでいったらどうなるだろうか。サイラスはどうするのだろうか。唯一の友人を失って、いったい何が彼を慰めることができるのだろうか。

In a hole under the floorboards Silas Marner the linen-weaver keeps his gold. Every day he works hard at his weaving, and every night he takes the gold out and holds the bright coins lovingly, feeling them and counting them again and again. The villagers are afraid of him and he has no family, no friends. Only the gold is his friend, his delight, his reason for living. But what if a thief should come in the night and take his gold away? What will Silas do then? What could possibly comfort him for the loss of his only friend?