蠅 Hae, part 2: Waiting for the Coach to Leave

馬うまは首くびを擡もたげて耳みみを立たてた。The horse lifted its head and pricked up its ears.

男おとこの子こは馬うまの真似まねをして首くびを上あげたが、耳みみが動うごかなかった。The boy copied the horse and raised his head, but his ears did not move.

で、ただやたらに馬うまの前まえで顔かおを顰しかめると、再ふたたび、「こりゃッ、こりゃッ。」と叫さけんで地ちを打うった。So he simply screwed up his face wildly in front of the horse, and again shouted, "Hey there! Hey there!" and struck the ground.

馬うまは槽おけの手蔓てづるに口くちをひっ掛かけながら、またその中なかへ顔かおを隠かくして馬草まぐさを食くった。Catching its mouth on the handle of the trough, the horse hid its face in it once more and ate its fodder.

「お母かア、馬々うまうま。」"Mama, horsie, horsie."

「ああ、馬々うまうま。」"Yes, horsie, horsie."

六ろくSix

「おっと、待まてよ。これは悴せがれの下駄げたを買かうのを忘わすれたぞ。あ奴いつは西瓜すいかが好すきじゃ。西瓜すいかを買かうと、俺おれもあ奴やつも好すきじゃで両得りょうとくじゃ。」"Whoa, hold on. I clean forgot to buy clogs for my boy. He's fond of watermelon, that one. If I buy a watermelon, well, I like it and so does he, so that's a gain both ways."

田舎紳士いなかしんしは宿場しゅくばへ着ついた。The country gentleman arrived at the post station.

彼かれは四十三よんじゅうさんになる。He was forty-three years old.

四十三よんじゅうさん年ねん貧困ひんこんと戦たたかい続つづけた効かいあって、昨夜さくや漸ようやく春蚕はるごの仲買なかがいで八百はちひゃく円えんを手てに入いれた。His forty-three years of unbroken struggle against poverty had paid off, and last night he had at last come into eight hundred yen as a broker in the spring silkworm trade.

今いま彼かれの胸むねは未来みらいの画策かくさくのために詰つまっている。Now his heart was crammed full of schemes for the future.

けれども、昨夜さくや銭湯せんとうへ行いったとき、八百はちひゃく円えんの札束さつたばを鞄かばんに入いれて、洗あらい場ばまで持もって這入はいって笑わらわれた記憶きおくについては忘わすれていた。Yet he had forgotten all about how, when he went to the public bath last night, he had put the wad of eight hundred yen in his bag, carried it right into the washing area, and been laughed at.

農婦のうふは場庭ばにわの床几しょうぎから立たち上あがると、彼かれの傍そばへよって来きた。The peasant woman got up from the bench in the yard and came over to his side.

「馬車ばしゃはいつ出でるのでござんしょうな。悴せがれが死しにかかっていますので、早はよ街まちへ行いかんと死しに目めに逢あえまい思おもいましてな。」"When would the coach be leaving, I wonder? My boy is dying, you see, and I fear if I don't get to town quick I'll not be there at the end."

「そりゃいかん。」"That's bad."

「もう出でるのでござんしょうな、もう出でるって、さっきいわしゃったがの。」"It'll be leaving soon, surely? He said it was leaving soon, a while back."

「さアて、何なんしておるやらな。」"Well now, whatever is he up to, I wonder."

若者わかものと娘むすめは場庭ばにわの中なかへ入はいってきた。The young man and the girl came into the yard.

農婦のうふはまた二人ふたりの傍かたわらへ近寄ちかよった。The peasant woman went up to the two of them as well.

「馬車ばしゃに乗のりなさるのかな。馬車ばしゃは出でませんぞな。」"Would you be taking the coach? The coach isn't leaving, you know."

「出でませんか？」と若者わかものは訊きき返かえした。"It isn't leaving?" the young man asked back.

「出でませんの？」と娘むすめはいった。"It isn't leaving?" said the girl.

「もう二に時間じかんも待まっていますのやが、出でませんぞな。街まちまで三さん時間じかんかかりますやろ。もう何時なんどきになっていますかな。街まちへ着つくと正午ひるになりますやろか。」"I've been waiting two whole hours now, and it isn't leaving. It takes three hours to town, doesn't it? What time would it be now? Would it be noon by the time we reach town?"

「そりゃ正午しょうごや。」と田舎いなか紳士しんしは横よこからいった。"Noon, that it would," said the country gentleman from the side.

農婦のうふはくるりと彼かれの方ほうをまた向むいて、The peasant woman spun round to face him again.

「正午しょうごになりますかいな。それまでにゃ死しにますやろな。正午しょうごになりますかいな。」"Noon, will it be? He'll be dead before then, surely. Noon, will it be?"

という中うちにまた泣なき出だした。As she said it she began to cry again.

が、直すぐ饅頭まんじゅう屋やの店頭てんとうへ馳かけて行いった。But at once she ran over to the front of the bun shop.

「まだかのう。馬車ばしゃはまだなかなか出でぬじゃろか？」"Not yet? Is the coach still not going to leave for a good while?"

猫背ねこぜの馭者ぎょしゃは将棋盤しょうぎばんを枕まくらにして仰向あおむきになったまま、簀すの子こを洗あらっている饅頭まんじゅう屋やの主婦しゅふの方ほうへ頭あたまを向むけた。The hunchbacked driver, lying on his back with a shogi board for a pillow, turned his head toward the woman of the bun shop, who was washing a slatted mat.

「饅頭まんじゅうはまだ蒸むさらんかいのう？」"Aren't the buns steamed yet?"

七ななSeven

馬車ばしゃは何時いつになったら出でるのであろう。When would the coach leave?

宿場しゅくばに集つどった人々ひとびとの汗あせは乾かわいた。The sweat of the people gathered at the station had dried.

しかし、馬車ばしゃは何時いつになったら出でるのであろう。But when would the coach leave?

これは誰だれも知しらない。No one knew.

だが、もし知しり得えることの出来できるものがあったとすれば、それは饅頭まんじゅう屋やの竈かまどの中なかで、漸ようやく脹ふくれ始はじめた饅頭まんじゅうであった。Yet if there was anything that could have known, it was the buns that had at last begun to swell inside the bun shop's oven.

何なぜかといえば、この宿場しゅくばの猫背ねこぜの馭者ぎょしゃは、まだその日ひ、誰だれも手てをつけない蒸むし立たての饅頭まんじゅうに初手しょてをつけるということが、それほどの潔癖けっぺきから長ながい年月としつきの間あいだ、独身どくしんで暮くらさねばならなかったという彼かれのその日ひその日ひの、最高さいこうの慰なぐさめとなっていたのであったから。For to be the first to lay a hand on a batch of freshly steamed buns that nobody else had yet touched that day had become the highest comfort of each and every day for this station's hunchbacked driver, a man so fastidious that for long years he had been obliged to live alone.

八はちEight

宿場しゅくばの柱時計はしらどけいが十じゅう時じを打うった。The station's wall clock struck ten.

饅頭まんじゅう屋やの竈へっついは湯気ゆげを立たてて鳴なり出だした。The bun shop's stove began to rumble, sending up steam.

ザク、ザク、ザク。Chop, chop, chop.

猫背ねこぜの馭者ぎょしゃは馬草まぐさを切きった。The hunchbacked driver chopped fodder.

馬うまは猫背ねこぜの横よこで、水みずを充分じゅうぶん飲のみ溜ためた。Beside the hunchback, the horse drank its fill of water.

ザク、ザク、ザク。Chop, chop, chop.

九きゅうNine

馬うまは馬車ばしゃの車体しゃたいに結むすばれた。The horse was harnessed to the body of the coach.

農婦のうふは真先まっさきに車体しゃたいの中なかへ乗のり込こむと街まちの方ほうを見み続つづけた。The peasant woman climbed into the coach first of all and kept her eyes fixed in the direction of the town.

「乗のっとくれやア。」と猫背ねこぜはいった。"All aboard, now!" said the hunchback.

五ご人にんの乗客じょうきゃくは、傾かたむく踏ふみ段だんに気きをつけて農婦のうふの傍かたわらへ乗のり始はじめた。Minding the tilting step, the five passengers began to climb in beside the peasant woman.

猫背ねこぜの馭者ぎょしゃは、饅頭まんじゅう屋やの簀すの子この上うえで、綿わたのように脹ふくらんでいる饅頭まんじゅうを腹掛はらがけの中なかへ押おし込こむと馭者ぎょしゃ台だいの上うえにその背せを曲まげた。The hunchbacked driver stuffed the buns, swollen like cotton on the bun shop's slatted mat, into the front of his work apron, then hunched his back over the driver's seat.

喇叭らっぱが鳴なった。The bugle sounded.

鞭むちが鳴なった。The whip cracked.

眼めの大おおきなかの一疋いっぴきの蠅はえは馬うまの腰こしの余肉あまじしの匂においの中なかから飛とび立たった。That single fly with the big eyes rose up from the smell of the flesh on the horse's haunches.

そうして、車体しゃたいの屋根やねの上うえにとまり直なおると、今いまさきに、漸ようやく蜘蛛くもの網あみからその生命いのちをとり戻もどした身体からだを休やすめて、馬車ばしゃと一緒いっしょに揺ゆれていった。Then, settling again on the roof of the coach, it rested the body whose life it had only just now won back from the spider's web, and swayed along with the coach.