英語の謎かけポエム（Poem）

以前ネイティブ講師から入手したポエム（Poem）が見つかりました。洋書にシオリ代りに挟んでおりました。読み直しますとけっこう面白かったのでスキャンしました。昔、英会話の学校に通っていた時に先生から英字新聞の切り抜きをよく貰いました。「The Japan Times」だったと記憶するのですが、日本の紹介記事などを『読んでおいて』とばかりに渡されました。当時は短い記事でも読むのは四苦八苦（しくはっく）でした。

For those of us who have not yet fully mastered the English language (most of us),
 a poem.

Let’s face it
English is a stupid language.
There is no egg in the eggplant
No ham in the hamburger
And neither pine nor apple in the pineapple.
English muffins were not invented in England
French fries were not invented in France.

We sometimes take English for granted
But if we examine its paradoxes we find that
Quicksand takes you down slowly
Boxing rings are square
And a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

If writers write, how come fingers don't fing.
If the plural of tooth is teeth
Shouldn't the plural of phone booth be phone beeth
If the teacher taught,
Why didn't the preacher praught.

If a vegetarian eats vegetables
What the heck does a humanitarian eat!?
Why do people recite at a play
Yet play at a recital?
Park on driveways and
Drive on parkways
How can the weather be as hot as hell on one day
And as cold as hell on another

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy
Of a language where a house can burn up as
It burns down
And in which you fill in a form
By filling it out
And a bell is only heard once it goes!

English was invented by people, not computers
And it reflects the creativity of the human race
(Which of course isn't a race at all)

That is why
When the stars are out they are visible
But when the lights are out they are invisible
And why it is that when I wind up my watch
It starts
But when I wind up this poem
It ends.

-Anon

以下は紛らわしい単語です。「ストッキング、ホース」を意味するhoseの発音は最後がズですので注意が必要です。

• house /haus 家
• hose /houz　ストッキング、ホース
• horse /hɔ́ːs 馬
• hoarse /hɔ́ːs しわがれ声の