Natsume Soseki: Ten Nights of Dreams: Dream Six (rough draft translation)

So I've finally found the time to update this and determined what my final thesis paper will be. A translation, of course! Okay so that was a duh, but here's my first chunk done.

第六夜

Dream Six

   運慶が護国寺の山門で仁王を刻んでいると云う評判だから、散歩ながら行って見ると、自分より先にもう大勢集まって、しきりに下馬評をやっていた。

            Because Unkei had a reputation for carving the Nio statue at Gokokuji’s temple’s gate, while on a walk I went to see it. Another crowd had gathered ahead of me, constantly spreading rumors.

　山門の前五六間の所には、大きな赤松があって、その幹が斜めに山門の甍を隠して、遠い青空まで伸びている。

            About 30 or 40 feet before the temple, there was a large Japanese red pine. That tree’s trunk slants to conceal the temple gate’s roof tiles and stretches up to the blue sky.

松の緑と朱塗の門が互いに照り合うってみごとに見える。その上松の位地が好い。門の左の端を眼障にならないように、斜に切って行って、上になるほど幅を広く屋根まで突出しているのが何となく古風である。鎌倉時代とも思われる。

            The pine tree’s greenery and the vermillion lacquered gate together shed light on each other and looked brilliant. So that the edge of the gate cannot obstruct the view, the trunk was cut diagonally and the width on top protruding up to the roof is somehow an old custom. It also seems to be from the Kamakura period.
　ところが見ているものは、みんな自分と同じく、明治の人間である。その中でも車夫が一番多い。辻待をして退屈だから立っているに相違ない。
「大きなもんだなあ」と云っている。

            However, all the sight-seers like me were from the Meiji era. Among them were many rickshaw men. Without a doubt, there were vehicles standing there from boredom. “What a big thing!” They were saying.
「人間を拵えるよりもよっぽど骨が折れるだろう」とも云っている。
　そうかと思うと、「へえ仁王だね。今でも仁王を彫るのかね。へえそうかね。私ゃまた仁王はみんな古いのばかりかと思ってた」と云った男がある。

            “It is probably more difficult to do than a person could make.” They were also saying. When I think so, “Really, it’s Nio. Really? Is that so? Even now, to carve a statue of Nio? I thought all Nio statues were only things of old.” A man said.
「どうも強そうですね。なんだってえますぜ。昔から誰が強いって、仁王ほど強い人あ無いって云いますぜ。何でも日木武尊よりも強いんだってえからね」と話しかけた男もある。この男は尻を端折って、帽子を被らずにいた。よほど無教育な男と見える。

            “It looks also very strong. From old days, who can be that strong? I say, a person as strong as Nio cannot exist. By all means, he is stronger than Yamatodake no Mikoto.” The man also said. The man’s skirt was tucked up and he wore no had. He appeared to be a very uneducated man.
　運慶は見物人の評判には委細頓着なく鑿と槌を動かしている。いっこう振り向きもしない。高い所に乗って、仁王の顔の辺をしきりに彫り抜いて行く。

            Unkei, not concerned about the details of the spectator’s rumors, kept working with his chisel and hammer. Not at all turning to face them. Up on a high spot, he incessantly carved out an area of Nio’s face.
　運慶は頭に小さい烏帽子のようなものを乗せて、素袍だか何だかわからない大きな袖を背中で括っている。その様子がいかにも古くさい。わいわい云ってる見物人とはまるで釣り合が取れないようである。自分はどうして今時分まで運慶が生きているのかなと思った。どうも不思議な事があるものだと考えながら、やはり立って見ていた。

            Unkei wore a small eboshi like hat on his head and I don’t know if it was a suou or what that he wore with its large sleeves tied up together at his back. His appearance was good and old fashioned and out of balance with the noisy crowd. I wondered how Unkei had lived up to now. While I thought it was somehow a miracle, I continued to stand and look at him.
　しかし運慶の方では不思議とも奇体ともとんと感じ得ない様子で一生懸命に彫っている。仰向いてこの態度を眺めていた一人の若い男が、自分の方を振り向いて、
「さすがは運慶だな。眼中に我々なしだ。天下の英雄はただ仁王と我れとあるのみと云う態度だ。天晴れだ」と云って賞め出した。

            However, Unkei was carving with all his effort, appearing unable to sense anything mysterious or strange. A young man who had been looking up at Unkei’s behavior turned to face me, “As one would expect, this is Unkei, He doesn’t consider us. His attitude says that it is just Nio and I. It is splendid!” He praised.
　自分はこの言葉を面白いと思った。それでちょっと若い男の方を見ると、若い男は、すかさず、
「あの鑿と槌の使い方を見たまえ。大自在の妙境に達している」と云った。

            I thought this remark interesting. Therefore, I turned in the exact direction of the young man and without delay he said, “Look at the way he uses that chisel and mallet. He reaches a beautiful place of complete freedom.” 
　運慶は今太い眉を一寸の高さに横へ彫り抜いて、鑿の歯を竪に返すや否や斜すに、上から槌を打ち下ろした。堅い木を一と刻みに削って、厚い木屑が槌の声に応じて飛んだと思ったら、小鼻のおっ開いた怒り鼻の側面がたちまち浮き上がって来た。その刀の入れ方がいかにも無遠慮であった。そうして少しも疑念を挟んでおらんように見えた。

            In just a minute, Unkei had horizontally carved tall, thick eyebrows and no sooner had returned the tooth of the chisel vertical, hitting the hammer from under it. The hard wood was cut and shaved, the thick wood chips thought to jump in response to the hammer’s voice and the flared nostrils at the side of the opened nose at once became visible. The way the chisel entered was also rude and not one doubt seemed to enter him.
「よくああ無造作に鑿を使って、思うような眉や鼻ができるものだな」と自分はあんまり感心したから独言のように言った。するとさっきの若い男が、
「なに、あれは眉や鼻を鑿で作るんじゃない。あの通りの眉や鼻が木の中に埋っているのを、鑿と槌の力で掘り出すまでだ。まるで土の中から石を掘り出すようなものだからけっして間違うはずはない」と云った。

            “He often uses his chisel so casually, able to make the eyebrows and nose he thought of,” I said to myself in admiration. Then, the young man said, “What? He does not make the eyebrows and nose with the chisel. The way the eyebrows and the nose are buried in the wood, he forces them out with the chisel and hammer. As if like he digs stone from inside the earth, he can by no means make a mistake.
　自分はこの時始めて彫刻とはそんなものかと思い出した。はたしてそうなら誰にでもできる事だと思い出した。それで急に自分も仁王が彫ってみたくなったから見物をやめてさっそく家へ帰った。

            I recalled the time he began carving and sure enough I recalled thinking anyone could do it. Thereupon, I suddenly also wanted to try carving a Nio statue so I quit watching and immediately returned home.
　道具箱から鑿と金槌を持ち出して、裏へ出て見ると、せんだっての暴風で倒れた樫を、薪にするつもりで、木挽に挽かせた手頃な奴が、たくさん積んであった。

            I took out my chisel and hammer from my toolbox and went behind the house. In a recent storm an evergreen oak had fallen and from the wood which I had intended to use as fire wood which a handy sawyer and cut up and piled a lot up, I took a piece.
　自分は一番大きいのを選んで、勢いよく彫り始めて見たが、不幸にして、仁王は見当らなかった。その次のにも運悪く掘り当てる事ができなかった。三番目のにも仁王はいなかった。自分は積んである薪を片っ端から彫って見たが、どれもこれも仁王を蔵しているのはなかった。ついに明治の木にはとうてい仁王は埋っていないものだと悟った。それで運慶が今日まで生きている理由もほぼ解った。

            I chose the largest piece and began carving vigorously, but unfortunately Nio could not be found. In the next piece he was unluckily not found either. In the third one, there was also no Nio. I stacked up every last piece of firewood, trying to carve from them and each and every one also did not contain Nio. Finally, I realized that Nio was not buried in any wood from the Meiji Era. And now I understood the reason Unkei existed.