Water or wall?

SAYUKIさんが紹介するキルギスタンレーニン・ダムは、もしかして夢に出てきたという人もいるのではないか?


この写真の出所はSenses Atlasというサイト。曰く、

Kirov Reservoir

Киров суу сактагычы
Talas Province, Kyrgyz Republic
42°38′20″N, 71°38′40″E
1975


The Kirov Reservoir is a reservoir located in the Talas region, in northern Kyrgyzstan. The main function of this construction is to control the irrigation of the land in the Talas Valley. The reservoir has a capacity of 550 million cubic meters, allowing to irrigate 55,000 ha of land between Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.
The dam is the emblematic construction of the reservoir. It is located in the northern part and thus controls the flow of the river flowing into Kazakhstan. It is the first dam of this type built in the country. It is 257m long and is built in light concrete, with a a buttress structure. The dam was completed after 10 years of work. It was made functional one year later, in 1976. The figure of Lenin, whose 100th birthday was celebrated during the works, is standing at the entrance of the 86m high dam. It is modelled in the concrete so characteristic of Soviet infrastructure and represents the durability and reliability of the structure.
https://www.sensesatlas.com/territory/architecture/kirov-reservoir-kyrgyzstan/

勿論本文でdamという言葉も使われているのだけど、施設名称はあくまでもKirov Reservoir。Reservoirは貯水池。damというのは水を塞き止める堰の部分。ダムということで、英語では貯められた水がフォーカスされ、日本語では水を押し止める壁(堰)の方がフォーカスされるということなのだろうか。日本語で貯水池が注目される場合、堰の存在は隠蔽され、湖(人造湖)として認識されることが多いように思う。相模湖とか奥多摩湖とか。
因みに、李白は現在のキルギスタンで生まれたとされる*1