Dream Ten

第十夜

Dream Ten
　庄太郎が女に攫われてから七日目の晩にふらりと帰って来て、急に熱が

出てどっと、床に就いていると云って健さんが知らせに来た。

            Ken came and told me that Shotarou had run away with a woman and on the night of the seventh day he aimlessly returned, suddenly having a fever.

　庄太郎は町内一の好男子で、至極善良な正直者である。ただ一つの道楽がある。パナマの帽子を被って、夕方になると水菓子屋の店先へ腰をかけて、往来の女の顔を眺めている。そうしてしきりに感心している。そのほかにはこれと云うほどの特色もない。

            Shotarou was the neighborhood’s most handsome man and he was a very virtuous, honest person. He had just one hobby. He wore a panama hat and when it became night, he would sit at the fruit store’s front and gaze at the faces of women who were coming and going. And often, he admired them. Other than this, he had no other characteristics to say.
　あまり女が通らない時は、往来を見ないで水菓子を見ている。水菓子にはいろいろある。水密桃や、林檎や、枇杷や、バナナを綺麗に籠に盛って、すぐ見舞物に持って行けるように二列に並べてある。

            At the time that few women passed by, without watching the street traffic, he looked at the fruit. There were various kinds of fruit. White peaches, apples, loquats, and bananas were served beautifully in baskets, set up in two rows in order to soon be taken away as gifts.

　 庄太郎はこの籠を見ては奇麗だと云っている。商売をするなら水菓子屋に限ると云っている。そのくせ自分はパナマの帽子を被ってぶらぶら遊んでいる。

            Shotarou would look at these baskets and say they were beautiful. He would say if it is trading, nothing would be better than the fruit shop. Even so, he would war a panama hat and lazily to nothing.
　この色がいいと云って、夏蜜柑などを品評する事もある。けれども、かつて銭を出して水菓子を買った事がない。ただでは無論食わない。色ばかり賞めている。

            He also would comment about oranges and other fruit, saying they had good color. However, he did not once take out a “sen” to buy fruit. He, of course, did not eat free of charge.
　ある夕方一人の女が、不意に店先に立った。身分のある人と見えて立派な服装をしている。その着物の色がひどく庄太郎の気に入った。その上庄太郎は大変女の顔に感心してしまった。そこで大事なパナマの帽子を脱って丁寧に挨拶をしたら、女は籠詰の一番大きいのを指して、これを下さいと云うんで、庄太郎はすぐその籠を取って渡した。すると女はそれをちょっと提げて見て、大変重い事と云った。

            One evening, a woman suddenly appeared at the store front. She was a person of social status and appeared to have elegant garments. That kinomo’s color was severe and it pleased Shotarou. In addition, Shotaou admired her serious face. Accordingly, he removed his panama hat and politely greeted her. She pointed to the biggest basket, asking for it, and Shotarou soon took it and handed over the basket. Thereupon, she held it in her hand a little, saying it was very heavy.
　庄太郎は元来閑人の上に、すこぶる気作な男だから、ではお宅まで持って参りましょうと云って、女といっしょに水菓子屋を出た。それぎり帰って来なかった。

            Shotarou originally had free time and because he was an extremely open-hearted man he said, well then, I will carry it and come to your home. Together with the woman, he left the fruit store. With that, he did not return.
　いかな庄太郎でも、あんまり呑気過ぎる。只事じゃ無かろうと云って、親類や友達が騒ぎ出していると、七日目の晩になって、ふらりと帰って来た。そこで大勢寄ってたかって、庄さんどこへ行っていたんだいと聞くと、庄太郎は電車へ乗って山へ行ったんだと答えた。

            Even though Shotarou was carefree, saying it was trivial for him to be absent, relatives and friends got in an uproar and when it became the night of the seventh day, he aimlessly returned. Then, a crowd had gathered, asking him where he had gone and Shotarou answered that he had gone to the mounts by riding on a train.
　何でもよほど長い電車に違いない。庄太郎の云うところによると、電車を下りるとすぐと原へ出たそうである。非常に広い原で、どこを見廻しても青い草ばかり生えていた。女といっしょに草の上を歩いて行くと、急に絶壁の天辺へ出た。その時女が庄太郎に、ここから飛び込んで御覧なさいと云った。底を覗いて見ると、切岸は見えるが底は見えない。庄太郎はまたパナマの帽子を脱いで再三辞退した。すると女が、もし思い切って飛び込まなければ、豚に舐められますが好うござんすかと聞いた。

            By all means, it was for certain, he was on the train for a long time. According to Shotarou’s story, the train descended and soon he came to a plain. It was an extremely vast plain and where he looked also nothing but green grass grew. He and the woman, together, walked on top of the grass and suddenly came to the edge of a cliff. At the time, the woman told Shotarou to try to jump in from here. He looked down into the bottom and saw the face of the cliff, but could not see the bottom. Shotarou again took off his panama had, declining again and again. Thereupon, the woman asked if he did not boldly jump in, would be like to be licked by a pig.

　庄太郎は豚と雲右衛門が大嫌いだった。けれども命には易えられないと思って、やっぱり飛び込むのを見合せていた。ところへ豚が一匹鼻を鳴らして来た。庄太郎は仕方なしに、持っていた細いびんろう樹の洋杖で、豚の鼻頭を打った。豚はぐうと云いながら、ころりと引っ繰り返って、絶壁の下へ落ちて行った。庄太郎はほっと一と息接いでいるとまた一匹の豚が大きな鼻を庄太郎に擦りつけに来た。庄太郎はやむをえずまた洋杖を振り上げた。豚はぐうと鳴いてまた真逆様に穴の底へ転げ込んだ。するとまた一匹あらわれた。

            Shotarou hated pigs and Kumoemon. However, he thought life is not easy and, of course, refrained from jumping in. Shortly thereafter, a pig came up sniffing. Shotarou, without course, with the areca palm cane he carried, hit the tip of the pig’s nose. While the pig let out a sound of suffering, suddenly toppling over, falling down the precipice. Shotarou let out a breath in relief and again a pig came and rubbed its nose against Shotarou. Shotarou again, reluctantly rose his cane over his head. Thereupon, again a pig appeared.

　この時庄太郎はふと気がついて、向うを見ると、遥の青草原の尽きる辺から幾万匹か数え切れぬ豚が、群をなして一直線に、この絶壁の上に立っている庄太郎を目懸けて鼻を鳴らしてくる。庄太郎は心から恐縮した。けれども仕方がないから、近寄ってくる豚の鼻頭を、一つ一つ丁寧に檳榔樹の洋杖で打っていた。不思議な事に洋杖が鼻へ触りさえすれば豚はころりと谷の底へ落ちて行く。

            This tine Shotarou suddenly realized, turning his face to look. From the area distant to the green grass plain ended, a countless number, tens of thousands of pigs, swarming in a straight light, snorting, right towards him. Shotaro was standing on the top of the cliff. He was sorry from the bottom of his heart, however, it couldn’t be helped because as the pigs drew near, their snouts, one by one, he carefully hit them with his cane. Strangely, just by the can touching the pig’s nose, the pig suddenly fell down to the bottom of the valley.

　覗いて見ると底の見えない絶壁を、逆さになった豚が行列して落ちて行く。自分がこのくらい多くの豚を谷へ落したかと思うと、庄太郎は我ながら怖くなった。けれども豚は続々くる。黒雲に足が生えて、青草を踏み分けるような勢いで無尽蔵に鼻を鳴らしてくる。

            He took a quick look down into the bottomless precipice and a procession of upside down pigs were falling down. He thought to himself that that many pigs fell down into the valley and Shotarou, for him to do such a thing was scary. However, more pigs came one after another. The dark cloud of legs grew, pushing through the green grass like an inexhaustible power supply, noses snorting.
　庄太郎は必死の勇をふるって、豚の鼻頭を七日六晩叩いた。けれども、とうとう精根が尽きて、手が蒟蒻のように弱って、しまいに豚に舐められてしまった。そうして絶壁の上へ倒れた。

            Shotarou showed desperate bravery, struck the end of the pigs’ noses for seven days and six nights. However, at last his energy was used up and his hand weakened like konnyaku and at the end, the pigs licked him completely and he collapsed on the cliff.
　健さんは、庄太郎の話をここまでして、だからあんまり女を見るのは善くないよと云った。自分ももっともだと思った。けれども健さんは庄太郎のパナマの帽子が貰いたいと云っていた。

            Ken told Shotarou’s story up to now, saying it would not be good for the remaining women to see. I thought it quite right. However, Ken said he would like to take Shotarou’s panama hat.
　庄太郎は助かるまい。パナマは健さんのものだろう。

            Shotarou will not survive. It seems the panama hat will be Ken’s.