It is the nature (or perhaps we should say PRE- TERNATURE) of Fairies to love beautiful things: star- shine and flowers, of course, and trees; rushing streams, dew-bright morning spider webs, and mu- sic. But of all the desires of the Fair People, there is one thing for which Man shares the same passion: Jewels. To the Fairies, gold is pretty enough stuff. It re- minds them of sunlight dancing on water and of the turning leaves in autumn. (Catch a Leprechaun, they say, and demand of him his golden treasure: you’ll sleep a hundred years and wake with dead leaves in your pocket-he keeps his word.) Likewise, they cherish silver, for it puts them in mind of moonlight and icicles. But precious stones they value for themselves; per- haps because, like them, gems are earthbom, rare, and beautiful. When it comes to jewelry (and the Fairies are great craftsmen of jewelry)-to rings and pendants, bracelets and necklaces, to broaches and
美しいものを愛するのは、 妖精たちが生ま
れついてもちあわせた性質である。 いや、む
しろなみはずれた偏愛というべきかもしれな
い。
夜空に輝く星、 愛らしい野の花、 サラサラ
と音をたてて流れる小川、 露をきらめかせる
え
かな
朝のクモの巣、 そして妙なる音を奏でる音楽。
そうした自然のもつ美しいきらめきの瞬間を
妖精たちはたいせつにいつくしむ。
しかし、ひとつだけ人間と共通して大好き
なものがある。 宝石だ。
妖精にとって、 黄金は水面に反射する陽の
光や、秋に舞う木の葉を想わせて心を浮きた
たせてくれるものだ。 たとえば、 小人の妖精
レプラコーンは地下に埋められた財宝を自分
のものにしていて、 人間におどかされるとそ
のありかを教えてくれるのだが、 財宝を手に
した人間はそれとひきかえに100年のあいだ眠
32
To love beautiful things is a quality fairies are born with. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to call it an extraordinary, almost excessive devotion.
Stars shining in the night sky, lovely wildflowers, babbling brooks, morning spiderwebs glittering with dew, and music playing its mysterious melodies. The fairies cherish and treasure these fleeting beautiful moments of nature’s radiance.
But there is one thing they love just as much as humans do. Jewels.
To a fairy, gold evokes the sunlight reflected on water’s surface, or leaves dancing in the autumn wind — lifting the heart with joy. For instance the dwarf fairy Leprechaun keeps buried treasure as his own, and when threatened by humans will reveal its hiding place — but the human who takes the treasure sleeps for a hundred years in exchange…
32
Preternature – …exceeding what is natural or regular (Merriam Webster).
This is word is 12 letters long and found in the chapter on the Litany of the Jewels. So many other things of importance in this book have 12; 12 pictures, 12 verses, 12 stones, etc. And why capitalize all 12 letters if it does not mean something other than just a basic descriptive of fairies?
Does anyone else think this is a clue or key to help with the puzzles?
I think so and it refers to something mixing with nature