Cover of 悟浄歎異 (Gojōtanni)

Part 2 of 7 · JLPT N1

悟浄歎異 Gojōtanni, part 2: The Monkey's Fire and the Bull Demon Battle

by Nakajima Atsushi · 1,302 characters · from Gojō Looks On in Wonder

In this part

Gojō reflects that Gokū gives meaning to everything around him, marvelling at each sunrise and sprouting seed like a poet, yet in battle he becomes a figure of perfect, burning beauty. Gojō recalls Gokū's fight with the Bull Demon King on Mount Suiun, which he wrote down as a chronicle of shape-changing duels ending with the two giants clashing in their true forms. He felt no urge to join in, because adding his clumsy brushstroke to such a masterpiece would have shamed him.

AI translation · independently checked

我々われわれにはなんの奇異きいもなく見みえる事柄ことがらも、悟空ごくうの眼めから見みると、ことごとくすばらしい冒険ぼうけんの端緒たんしょだったり、彼かれの壮烈そうれつな活動かつどうを促うながす機縁きえんだったりする。Things that seem not the least bit strange to us are, in Gokū's eyes, all either the start of some splendid adventure or the occasion that spurs him into heroic action.

もともと意味いみを有もった外そとの世界せかいが彼かれの注意ちゅういを惹ひくというよりは、むしろ、彼かれのほうで外そとの世界せかいに一ひとつ一ひとつ意味いみを与あたえていくように思おもわれる。It seems less that an outside world already full of meaning catches his attention, and more that he himself gives meaning to the outside world, one thing at a time.

彼かれの内うちなる火ひが、外そとの世界せかいに空むなしく冷ひえたまま眠ねむっている火薬かやくに、いちいち点火てんかしていくのである。The fire inside him sets light, one by one, to the gunpowder lying asleep in the outside world, uselessly cold.

探偵たんていの眼めをもってそれらを探さがし出だすのではなく、詩人しじんの心こころをもって(恐おそろしく荒あらっぽい詩人しじんだが)彼かれに触ふれるすべてを温あたため、(ときに焦こがす惧おそれもないではない。)そこから種々しゅじゅな思おもいがけない芽めを出ださせ、実じつを結むすばせるのだ。He doesn't hunt these things out with a detective's eye; with a poet's heart (a fearfully rough poet, admittedly) he warms everything he touches (not without some risk of scorching it now and then), and from there he makes all kinds of unexpected buds sprout and bear fruit.

だから、渠かれ・悟空ごくうの眼めにとって平凡へいぼん陳腐ちんぷなものは何なに一ひとつない。And so, to the eyes of that fellow Gokū, there is nothing at all that is ordinary or stale.

毎日まいにち早朝そうちょうに起おきると決きまって彼かれは日ひの出でを拝おがみ、そして、はじめてそれを見みる者もののような驚嘆きょうたんをもってその美びに感かんじ入いっている。Every day, when he gets up at dawn, he never fails to bow to the sunrise, and he is moved by its beauty with the amazement of someone seeing it for the very first time.

心こころの底そこから、溜息ためいきをついて、讃嘆さんたんするのである。He sighs from the bottom of his heart and sings its praises.

これがほとんど毎朝まいあさのことだ。This happens almost every morning.

松まつの種子しゅしから松まつの芽めの出でかかっているのを見みて、なんたる不思議ふしぎさよと眼めを瞠みはるのも、この男おとこである。He is also the one who, seeing a pine shoot just starting to come out of a pine seed, opens his eyes wide and says, "What a wonder this is!"

この無邪気むじゃきな悟空ごくうの姿すがたと比くらべて、一方いっぽう、強敵きょうてきと闘たたかっているときの彼かれを見みよ!Compare this innocent Gokū with how he looks when he is fighting a powerful enemy!

なんと、みごとな、完全かんぜんな姿すがたであろう!What a magnificent, flawless figure he is!

全身ぜんしん些いささかの隙すきもない逞たくましい緊張きんちょう。A sturdy tension, without the slightest opening anywhere in his body.

律動りつどう的てきで、しかも一いち分ぶのむだもない棒ぼうの使つかい方かた。A way of wielding his staff that is rhythmic and yet without a fraction of waste.

疲つかれを知しらぬ肉体にくたいが歓よろこび・たけり・汗あせばみ・跳はねている・その圧倒的あっとうてきな力量りきりょう感かん。A body that knows no fatigue, rejoicing, raging, sweating, leaping: that overwhelming sense of power.

いかなる困難こんなんをも欣よろこんで迎むかえる強靱きょうじんな精神力せいしんりょくの横溢おういつ。A tough spirit overflowing with strength, which gladly welcomes any hardship at all.

それは、輝かがやく太陽たいようよりも、咲さき誇ほこる向日葵ひまわりよりも、鳴盛なきさかる蝉せみよりも、もっと打込うちこんだ・裸身らしんの・壮さかんな・没我ぼつが的てきな・灼熱しゃくねつした美うつくしさだ。It is a beauty more devoted, more naked, more vigorous, more selfless and more blazing than the shining sun, than sunflowers in full bloom, than cicadas in full song.

あのみっともない猿さるの闘たたかっている姿すがたは。That is what that ugly monkey looks like when he fights.

一月ひとつきほど前まえ、彼かれが翠雲すいうん山中さんちゅうで大おおいに牛魔ぎゅうま大王だいおうと戦たたかったときの姿すがたは、いまだにはっきり眼底がんていに残のこっている。About a month ago he fought a great battle with the Bull Demon King, Gyūma Daiō, on Mount Suiun, and the sight of him then is still clearly fixed in my mind's eye.

感嘆かんたんのあまり、俺おれはそのときの戦闘せんとう経過けいかを詳くわしく記録きろくに取とっておいたくらいだ。I was so filled with admiration that I even wrote down a detailed record of how the fight went.

……牛魔王ぎゅうまおう一匹いっぴきの香獐こうしょうと変へんじ悠然ゆうぜんとして草くさを喰くらいいたり。...Gyūmaō, changed into a musk deer, was grazing at his ease.

悟空ごくうこれを悟さとり虎とらに変へんじ駈かけ来きたりて香獐こうしょうを喰くわんとす。Gokū, perceiving this, changed into a tiger and came running, meaning to devour the musk deer.

牛魔王ぎゅうまおう急きゅうに大豹だいひょうと化かして虎とらを撃うたんと飛とびかかる。Gyūmaō swiftly became a great leopard and sprang to strike the tiger.

悟空ごくうこれを見みて狻猊からししとなり大だい豹ひょう目めがけて襲おそいかかれば、牛魔王ぎゅうまおう、さらばと黄獅きじしに変へんじ霹靂へきれきのごとくに哮ほえたけって狻猊からししを引裂ひきさかんとす。Gokū, seeing this, became a lion and fell upon the great leopard; whereupon Gyūmaō, with a "So be it, then!", changed into a yellow lion and, roaring like a thunderclap, sought to tear the lion apart.

悟空ごくうこのとき地上ちじょうに転倒てんとうすと見みえしが、ついに一匹いっぴきの大象だいぞうとなる。At this Gokū seemed to tumble to the ground, but at last he became a great elephant.

鼻はなは長蛇ちょうだのごとく牙きばは筍たかんなに似にたり。His trunk was like a long serpent, his tusks like bamboo shoots.

牛魔王ぎゅうまおう堪こらえかねて本ほん相そうを顕あらわし、たちまち一匹いっぴきの大だい白牛はくぎゅうたり。Gyūmaō, unable to bear it, revealed his true form, and in an instant was a great white bull.

頭あたまは高峯こうほうのごとく眼めは電光でんこうのごとく双そう角かくは両りょう座ざの鉄塔てっとうに似にたり。His head was like a lofty peak, his eyes like lightning, his two horns like a pair of iron towers.

頭あたまより尾おに至いたる長ながさ千余丈せんよじょう、蹄ひづめより背せ上じょうに至いたる高たかさ八百はちひゃく丈じょう。From head to tail he measured over a thousand fathoms; from hoof to back, eight hundred fathoms.

大音だいおんに呼よばわって曰いわく、儞なんじ悪猴あくこう今いま我われをいかんとするや。In a great voice he called out, saying: "You wicked ape, what now would you do to me?"

悟空ごくうまた同おなじく本ほん相そうを顕あらわし、大喝だいかつ一声いっせいするよと見みるまに、身みの高たかさ一万いちまん丈じょう、頭かしらは泰山たいざんに似にて眼めは日月じつげつのごとく、口くちはあたかも血ち池いけにひとし。Gokū likewise revealed his true form, and in the moment it took him to give one mighty shout, he stood ten thousand fathoms tall, his head like Mount Tai, his eyes like the sun and moon, his mouth like nothing less than a pool of blood.

奮然ふんぜん鉄棒てつぼうを揮ふるって牛魔王ぎゅうまおうを打うつ。Fiercely he swung his iron staff and struck Gyūmaō.

牛魔王ぎゅうまおう角つのをもってこれを受止うけとめ、両人りょうにん半山はんざんの中なかにあってさんざんに戦たたかいければ、まことに山やまも崩くずれ海うみも湧返わきかえり、天地てんちもこれがために反覆はんぷくするかと、すさまじかり。Gyūmaō caught the blow on his horns, and the two fought furiously halfway up the mountain, so terribly that truly the mountains seemed to crumble, the seas to boil over, and heaven and earth to be turned upside down.

……...

なんという壮観そうかんだったろう!What a spectacular sight it was!

俺おれはホッと溜息ためいきを吐はいた。I let out a sigh.

そばから助太刀すけだちに出でようという気きも起おこらない。I didn't even feel like stepping in from the side to help.

孫行者そんぎょうじゃの負まける心配しんぱいがないからというのではなく、一幅いっぷくの完全かんぜんな名画めいがの上うえにさらに拙つたない筆ふでを加くわえるのを愧はじる気持きもちからである。Not because there was no fear of Son Gyōja losing, but because I would have been ashamed to add my clumsy brush to a perfect masterpiece of a painting.

Vocabulary

WordMeaningJLPT
端緒たんしょbeginning, starting point, first clueFormal; also read たんちょ.—
促すうながすto urge, to prompt, to spur onN1
点火てんかignition, setting fire to点火する = to light, ignite (fuses, engines).N1
焦がすこがすto scorch, to singeIntransitive partner: 焦げる (to get burnt).N2
陳腐ちんぷstale, hackneyed, trite—
驚嘆きょうたんamazement, wonder, admiration—
瞠るみはるto open (one's eyes) wide in surpriseAlmost always in 目を瞠る; often written 見張る.—
隙すきopening, gap, unguarded moment隙がない = leaves no opening; said of a fighter on guard.—
横溢おういつoverflowing, brimming overLiterary; used for energy, vitality, spirit.—
没我ぼつがselflessness, self-forgetting absorptionLiterally 'sinking the self'; 没我的 = utterly absorbed.—
本相ほんそうtrue form, real shapeUsed of shape-shifters dropping a disguise.—
助太刀すけだちjoining a fight to help someoneFrom samurai usage: lending one's sword (太刀) to another.—
拙いつたないclumsy, unskilled, poorOften used modestly of one's own work.—
愧じるはじるto be ashamed ofUsually written 恥じる; 愧 is a rarer literary kanji.N1

Grammar

〜たり〜たりする N4 sometimes A, sometimes B; A or B among others

Attached to the copula as だったり…だったりする, it lists alternatives: the same ordinary things turn out to be either the start of an adventure or a trigger for action.

ことごとくすばらしい冒険の端緒だったり、彼の壮烈な活動を促す機縁だったりする

are all either the start of some splendid adventure or the occasion that spurs him into heroic action

〜というよりは、むしろ〜 N3 rather than A, (it is) more B

Sets aside a first description as less accurate and offers a better one after むしろ. Here it reverses the direction of meaning: Gokū gives meaning to the world rather than receiving it.

外の世界が彼の注意を惹くというよりは、むしろ、彼のほうで外の世界に一つ一つ意味を与えていくように思われる

it seems less that the outside world catches his attention, and more that he gives meaning to the outside world one thing at a time

〜ないではない N2 it is not that there is no ~; there is some ~

A double negative that cautiously admits something. 惧れもないではない concedes that there is in fact some danger of scorching.

ときに焦がす惧れもないではない

not without some risk of scorching it now and then

〜のあまり N2 out of excessive ~; so ~ that

After a noun of feeling, it gives an emotion so strong that it leads to the action that follows. Gojō's admiration was so great that he wrote the fight down.

感嘆のあまり、俺はそのときの戦闘経過を詳しく記録に取っておいたくらいだ

I was so filled with admiration that I even wrote down a detailed record of how the fight went

〜んとす N1 to be about to ~; to try to ~

Classical volitional ん (= modern う/よう) plus す (= する), typical of kanbun-style narration. 喰わんとす means 'was about to devour / meant to devour'.

虎に変じ駈け来たりて香獐を喰わんとす

changed into a tiger and came running, meaning to devour the musk deer

〜のごとく/〜に似たり N2 like ~; resembles ~

ごとく is the literary form of ように, and 似たり is classical for 似ている. The chronicle piles up similes with them to describe the giant bull.

頭は高峯のごとく眼は電光のごとく双角は両座の鉄塔に似たり

His head was like a lofty peak, his eyes like lightning, his two horns like a pair of iron towers