インドラの網宮沢賢治

Part 3 of 3 · JLPT N1

インドラの網 Indora no Ami, part 3: Sunrise and the Net of Indra

by Miyazawa Kenji · 932 characters · from Beneath Indra's Net

In this part

The sun of the heavenly world rises over the lake, and the three heavenly children joyfully show the narrator Indra's shimmering net, the drums of the wind and a vast blue peacock across the sky. These wonders are present yet cannot be seen or heard. Then the children vanish, and the narrator dimly remembers his own body lying pale among the grass and the wind.

AI translation · independently checked

「あなたたちと一緒いっしょにお日ひさまをおがみたいと思おもってです。」"It is because I would like to worship the sun together with you."

「そうですか。もうじきです。」三さん人にんは向むこうを向むきました。"Is that so? It will be very soon." The three of them turned to face the far side.

瓔珞ようらくは黄きや橙だいだいや緑みどりの針はりのようなみじかい光ひかりを射い、羅うすものは虹にじのようにひるがえりました。Their jeweled necklaces cast short, needle-like rays of yellow, orange and green, and their gauze robes fluttered like rainbows.

そして早はやくもその燃もえ立たった白金はっきんのそら、湖みずうみの向むこうの鶯うぐいすいろの原はらのはてから熔とけたようなもの、なまめかしいもの、古ふるびた黄金おうごん、反射炉はんしゃろの中なかの朱しゅ、一ひときれの光ひかるものが現あらわれました。And already, from that blazing platinum sky, from the far edge of the warbler-green plain beyond the lake, there appeared something as if molten, something alluring, an ancient gold, the vermilion inside a reverberatory furnace: a single shining sliver.

天てんの子供こどもらはまっすぐに立たってそっちへ合掌がっしょうしました。The children of heaven stood up straight and joined their palms in prayer toward it.

それは太陽たいようでした。It was the sun.

厳おごそかにそのあやしい円まるい熔とけたようなからだをゆすり間まもなく正ただしく空そらに昇のぼった天てんの世界せかいの太陽たいようでした。It was the sun of the heavenly world, which solemnly swayed its strange, round, seemingly molten body and before long rose properly into the sky.

光ひかりは針はりや束たばになってそそぎそこらいちめんかちかち鳴なりました。The light poured down in needles and in sheaves, and everything all around rang with a clinking sound.

天てんの子供こどもらは夢中むちゅうになってはねあがりまっ青さおな寂静印じゃくじょういんの湖みずうみの岸硅砂きしけいしゃの上うえをかけまわりました。The children of heaven leapt up in rapture and ran about over the silica sand on the shore of the deep blue lake of the Seal of Tranquility.

そしていきなり私わたくしにぶっつかりびっくりして飛とびのきながら一人ひとりが空そらを指さして叫さけびました。Then one of them suddenly bumped into me, sprang away in surprise, and, pointing at the sky, cried out:

「ごらん、そら、インドラの網あみを。」"Look, up there, at Indra's net!"

私わたくしは空そらを見みました。I looked at the sky.

いまはすっかり青あおぞらに変かわったその天頂てんちょうから四方しほうの青白あおじろい天末てんまつまでいちめんはられたインドラのスペクトル製せいの網あみ、その繊維せんいは蜘蛛くものより細ほそく、その組織そしきは菌糸きんしより緻密ちみつに、透明とうめい清澄せいちょうで黄金おうごんでまた青あおく幾億いくおく互たがいに交錯こうさくし光ひかって顫ふるえて燃もえました。Stretched across it everywhere, from the zenith, now turned completely blue, down to the pale horizons on every side, was Indra's net made of spectrum light; its fibers were finer than a spider's, its weave denser than fungal threads, and, transparent and pure, golden and also blue, its hundreds of millions of strands crossed one another, shining, trembling and burning.

「ごらん、そら、風かぜの太鼓たいこ。」も一人ひとりがぶっつかってあわてて遁にげながら斯こう云いいました。"Look, up there, the drums of the wind!" said another, who had bumped into me and was fleeing in a fluster.

ほんとうに空そらのところどころマイナスの太陽たいようともいうように暗くらく藍あいや黄金おうごんや緑みどりや灰はいいろに光ひかり空そらから陥おちこんだようになり誰だれも敲たたかないのにちからいっぱい鳴なっている、百千ひゃくせんのその天てんの太鼓たいこは鳴なっていながらそれで少すこしも鳴なっていなかったのです。It was true: here and there in the sky, like what one might call negative suns, they glowed darkly in indigo, gold, green and grey, as though sunk down into the sky; and though no one was beating them, those hundreds and thousands of heavenly drums were booming with all their might, yet even while booming, they made no sound at all.

私わたくしはそれをあんまり永ながく見みて眼めも眩くらくなりよろよろしました。I gazed at them for so long that my eyes grew dazzled and I staggered.

「ごらん、蒼孔雀あおくじゃくを。」さっきの右みぎはじの子供こどもが私わたくしと行いきすぎるときしずかに斯こう云いいました。"Look at the blue peacock," the child who had been at the right end earlier said quietly as he passed me.

まことに空そらのインドラの網あみのむこう、数かずしらず鳴なりわたる天鼓てんこのかなたに空そら一いっぱいの不思議ふしぎな大おおきな蒼あおい孔雀くじゃくが宝石製ほうせきせいの尾おばねをひろげかすかにクウクウ鳴なきました。Truly, beyond Indra's net in the sky, beyond the countless resounding heavenly drums, a strange, enormous blue peacock filling the whole sky spread its jeweled tail feathers and faintly cried, "Kuu, kuu."

その孔雀くじゃくはたしかに空そらには居おりました。That peacock was certainly there in the sky.

けれども少すこしも見みえなかったのです。And yet it could not be seen at all.

たしかに鳴ないておりました。It was certainly crying.

けれども少すこしも聞きこえなかったのです。And yet it could not be heard at all.

そして私わたくしは本統ほんとうにもうその三さん人にんの天てんの子供こどもらを見みませんでした。And then, truly, I no longer saw those three children of heaven.

却かえって私わたくしは草穂くさぼと風かぜの中なかに白しろく倒たおれている私わたくしのかたちをぼんやり思おもい出だしました。Instead, I dimly recalled my own form lying pale and fallen amid the grass ears and the wind.

Vocabulary

WordMeaningJLPT
瓔珞ようらくjeweled necklace or ornament (as worn by Buddhist deities)A Buddhist term for strings of jewels that adorn statues and heavenly beings.—
ひるがえりましたひるがえるto flutter, to wave (in the wind)dictionary form: 翻るOften used of flags, sleeves and robes.—
合掌がっしょうjoining the palms in prayer合 (join) + 掌 (palm). Also used for the gesture before meals.—
厳かおごそかsolemn, majesticA na-adjective; here used adverbially as 厳かに.N1
夢中むちゅうabsorbed, in rapture, carried away夢中になる = to become completely absorbed in something.N3
寂静印じゃくじょういんthe Seal of Tranquility (Buddhist name for nirvana's calm)Buddhist term, one of the 'seals' of the Dharma; here the name given to the still lake.—
天頂てんちょうzenith, the highest point of the sky—
天末てんまつthe edge of the sky, the horizonLiterary word; 末 means 'end'.—
緻密ちみつfine-grained, dense, minuteAlso used of careful, detailed thinking or plans.—
交錯こうさくcrossing and intertwining, interlacing (交錯する: to cross and intermingle, to interlace)Written word; used of lines, lights, or feelings mixing together.—
遁げにげるto flee, to run awaydictionary form: 遁げるOld spelling; normally written 逃げる today.N4
天鼓てんこheavenly drumIn Buddhist lore, a drum in heaven that sounds by itself without being struck.—
却ってかえってinstead, on the contraryMarks an outcome opposite to what might be expected.N2
草穂くさぼears or plumes of grass穂 (ほ) becomes ぼ by rendaku.—

Grammar

ごらん N4 Look! / Have a look

Look! / Have a look. ごらん is a shortened form of ご覧なさい, a soft, friendly imperative of 見る (ご覧 is the honorific of 見る). It is often used by adults to children or among intimates. The children use it repeatedly to point out each wonder in the sky.

ごらん、そら、インドラの網を。

Look, up there, at Indra's net!

〜のような / 〜のように N4 like ~, as if ~

Nounのような modifies a noun and Nounのように modifies a verb, making a comparison. The passage uses them constantly to describe light and colour through images.

羅は虹のようにひるがえりました。

Their gauze robes fluttered like rainbows.

〜のに N4 even though ~, despite ~

Attached to a plain-form clause, のに expresses a result contrary to expectation. Here the drums boom though no one is striking them.

誰も敲かないのにちからいっぱい鳴っている

booming with all their might though no one is beating them

〜ながら (concessive) N2 while ~, yet ~; although ~

Besides 'while doing', ながら can join two facts that seem contradictory. Here the drums are sounding and yet not sounding at the same time, a paradox central to the scene.

鳴っていながらそれで少しも鳴っていなかったのです。

Yet even while booming, they made no sound at all.

〜のです / 〜のでした N4 explanatory or emphatic ending

The の(ん)です ending presents a statement as an explanation or a striking fact the speaker wants to stress. Paired with けれども, it underlines the paradox that the peacock was there yet invisible.

けれども少しも見えなかったのです。

And yet it could not be seen at all.

あんまり〜て N3 so much / too much ~ that ...

あんまり (colloquial form of あまり) with an affirmative verb means 'excessively', and the て-form clause gives the result. Gazing too long made the narrator dizzy.

私はそれをあんまり永く見て眼も眩くなりよろよろしました。

I gazed at them for so long that my eyes grew dazzled and I staggered.