Part 2 of 5 · JLPT N2
寒山拾得 Kanzanshūtoku, part 2: A Cure with a Bowl of Water
In this part
Ryo, trusting the impressive-looking monk Bukan and thinking a water spell harmless, lets him treat his headache. Bukan spits a mouthful of water onto Ryo's head, and Ryo, startled and distracted, loses the headache. Bukan refuses payment, says he comes from Kokuseiji on Mount Tendai, and before leaving tells Ryo that Jittoku is really Fugen and Kanzan is really Monju.
AI translation · independently checked
「いかにも言われる通りで、その頭痛のために出立の日を延ばそうかと思っていますが、どうして直してくれられるつもりか。何か薬方でもご存じか」"It is indeed just as you say. Because of this headache I have been thinking of putting off the day of my departure. How do you intend to cure it for me? Do you know some sort of remedy?"
「いや。四大の身を悩ます病は幻でございます。ただ清浄な水がこの受糧器に一ぱいあればよろしい。咒で直して進ぜます」"No. The illnesses that trouble this body of the four elements are illusions. All I need is this alms bowl filled with clean water. I shall cure you with a spell."
「はあ咒をなさるのか」こう言って少し考えたが「仔細あるまい、一つまじなって下さい」と言った。"Ah, so you work spells?" Having said this, he thought for a moment, then said, "I suppose there's no harm in it. Please do cast one for me."
これは医道のことなどは平生深く考えてもおらぬので、どういう治療ならさせる、どういう治療ならさせぬという定見がないから、ただ自分の悟性に依頼して、その折り折りに判断するのであった。Ryo had never given matters of medicine much serious thought, and so had no settled view on which treatments he would allow and which he would not; he simply relied on his own judgment and decided each case as it came.
もちろんそういう人だから、かかりつけの医者というのもよく人選をしたわけではなかった。Naturally, being that sort of man, he had not taken any particular care in choosing even his regular physician.
素問や霊枢でも読むような医者を捜してきめていたのではなく、近所に住んでいて呼ぶのに面倒のない医者にかかっていたのだから、ろくな薬は飲ませてもらうことが出来なかったのである。He had not sought out and settled on a doctor who read the Somon or the Reisū; he went to a doctor who lived nearby and was no trouble to call, so he had been unable to get any decent medicine.
今乞食坊主に頼む気になったのは、なんとなくえらそうに見える坊主の態度に信を起したのと、水一ぱいでする咒なら間違ったところで危険なこともあるまいと思ったのとのためである。That he now felt inclined to rely on this begging monk was due partly to the faith inspired by the monk's somehow impressive manner, and partly to the thought that a spell performed with a single bowl of water could hardly be dangerous even if it went wrong.
ちょうど東京で高等官連中が紅療治や気合術に依頼するのと同じことである。It was exactly the same as when high officials in Tokyo put their trust in the rouge cure or in spirit-force healing.
閭は小女を呼んで、汲みたての水を鉢に入れて来いと命じた。Ryo called a young maid and ordered her to bring freshly drawn water in a bowl.
水が来た。The water came.
僧はそれを受け取って、胸に捧げて、じっと閭を見つめた。The monk took it, held it up before his chest, and gazed steadily at Ryo.
清浄な水でもよければ、不潔な水でもいい、湯でも茶でもいいのである。It does not matter whether it is clean water or dirty water; hot water or tea will do just as well.
不潔な水でなかったのは、閭がためには勿怪の幸いであった。That it was not dirty water was, for Ryo, an unexpected stroke of luck.
しばらく見つめているうちに、閭は覚えず精神を僧の捧げている水に集注した。As the monk went on gazing for a while, Ryo, without realising it, focused his whole mind on the water the monk was holding.
このとき僧は鉄鉢の水を口にふくんで、突然ふっと閭の頭に吹きかけた。At that moment the monk took a mouthful of water from the iron bowl and suddenly blew it, with a puff, onto Ryo's head.
閭はびっくりして、背中に冷や汗が出た。Ryo was startled, and a cold sweat broke out on his back.
「お頭痛は」と僧が問うた。"And your headache?" the monk asked.
「あ。癒りました」実際閭はこれまで頭痛がする、頭痛がすると気にしていて、どうしても癒らせずにいた頭痛を、坊主の水に気を取られて、取り逃がしてしまったのである。"Ah. It's cured." In fact, Ryo had been fretting, telling himself over and over that he had a headache, and so had been unable to get rid of it; now, with his attention captured by the monk's water, he had let it slip away.
僧はしずかに鉢に残った水を床に傾けた。The monk quietly tipped the water left in the bowl onto the floor.
そして「そんならこれでお暇をいたします」と言うや否や、くるりと閭に背中を向けて、戸口の方へ歩き出した。Then, no sooner had he said, "In that case, I shall take my leave," than he turned his back on Ryo and walked off toward the door.
「まあ、ちょっと」と閭が呼び留めた。"Now, just a moment," Ryo called after him.
僧は振り返った。The monk turned around.
「何かご用で」"Is there something you require?"
「寸志のお礼がいたしたいのですが」"I should like to offer you a small token of thanks."
「いや。わたくしは群生を福利し、憍慢を折伏するために、乞食はいたしますが、療治代はいただきませぬ」"No. I go begging for alms in order to benefit all living beings and to break down pride, but I accept no fee for healing."
「なるほど。それでは強いては申しますまい。あなたはどちらのお方か、それを伺っておきたいのですが」"I see. Then I shall not press you. But I should like to ask where you come from."
「これまでおったところでございますか。それは天台の国清寺で」"You mean where I have been living until now? That would be Kokuseiji on Mount Tendai."
「はあ。天台におられたのですな。お名は」"Ah. So you were at Tendai. And your name?"
「豊干と申します」"I am called Bukan."
「天台国清寺の豊干とおっしゃる」閭はしっかりおぼえておこうと努力するように、眉をひそめた。"Bukan of Kokuseiji on Mount Tendai, you say." Ryo knitted his brows, as if making an effort to fix it firmly in his memory.
「わたしもこれから台州へ往くものであってみれば、ことさらお懐かしい。ついでだから伺いたいが、台州には逢いに往ってためになるような、えらい人はおられませんかな」"Since I, too, am about to go to Taishū, I feel all the more drawn to you. While I am about it, may I ask: are there any great men in Taishū whom it would be worthwhile to go and meet?"
「さようでございます。国清寺に拾得と申すものがおります。実は普賢でございます。それから寺の西の方に、寒巌という石窟があって、そこに寒山と申すものがおります。実は文殊でございます。さようならお暇をいたします」こう言ってしまって、ついと出て行った。"Let me see. At Kokuseiji there is one called Jittoku. He is in truth Fugen. And to the west of the temple there is a stone cave called Kangan, where there lives one called Kanzan. He is in truth Monju. And now I take my leave." Having said this, he swiftly went out.
Vocabulary
| Word | Meaning | JLPT |
|---|---|---|
| 出立しゅったつ | departure, setting out on a journeyFormal or literary equivalent of 出発. | — |
| 咒まじない | spell, charm, incantationdictionary form: 呪いUsually written 呪い today. The same kanji read のろい means 'curse'. The verb まじなう appears later in the passage. | — |
| 仔細しさい | reasons, circumstances; hindrance, objection (仔細あるまい = there should be no objection/harm)仔細あるまい: 'there should be no harm in it'. Old-fashioned. | — |
| 平生へいぜい | ordinarily, usuallyLiterary word for 普段. | — |
| 定見ていけん | settled opinion, firm view | — |
| 乞食坊主こじきぼうず | begging monk坊主 is a casual, slightly disparaging word for a monk, which reflects Ryo's point of view. | — |
| 紅療治べにりょうじ | the 'rouge cure', a folk remedy of rubbing red pigment on the skinA healing fad in Taishō Japan, mentioned ironically alongside 気合術, a 'spirit-force' healing method using shouts and concentration. | — |
| 勿怪の幸いもっけのさいわい | an unexpected stroke of luck, a windfallFixed idiom; also written 物怪の幸い. | — |
| 冷や汗ひやあせ | cold sweat | — |
| お暇いとま | leave, farewelldictionary form: 暇お暇をいたします / お暇します is a polite way to say 'I'll take my leave'. Read ひま, the same kanji means 'free time'. | N1 |
| 寸志すんし | a small token of gratitudeA humble word for one's own gift; still written on envelopes today. | — |
| 折伏しゃくぶく | to break down someone's pride or error (a Buddhist term)Special Buddhist reading; it is not read せつぶく. | — |
| 強いてはしいて | forcibly, insistentlydictionary form: 強いて強いては申しますまい: 'I won't press you'. | N1 |
| 懐かしいなつかしい | dear, drawing one's affectionHere it expresses a feeling of closeness toward someone, not nostalgia for the past. | N2 |
Grammar
〜(よ)うかと思う N4 to be thinking of doing
The volitional form plus か and 思う expresses an intention that is still under consideration. Ryo has not yet decided to delay his departure.
その頭痛のために出立の日を延ばそうかと思っていますが
because of this headache I have been thinking of putting off the day of my departure
〜たところで N2 even if ...
The past form plus ところで means 'even if that happened', and the result that follows is minor or does not matter. Ryo reasons that a failed water spell would be harmless.
水一ぱいでする咒なら間違ったところで危険なこともあるまい
a spell performed with a single bowl of water could hardly be dangerous even if it went wrong
〜まい N2 probably not; will not
まい is a literary negative. After ある it expresses a negative guess ('surely not'), as here. In 申しますまい, used in a later line, it expresses the speaker's resolve not to do something.
危険なこともあるまいと思った
he thought it could hardly be dangerous
〜うちに N3 while ...; in the course of ...
Attached to a continuing action (〜ている), うちに shows that something else happens gradually or unnoticed during that time.
しばらく見つめているうちに、閭は覚えず精神を僧の捧げている水に集注した
as the monk went on gazing for a while, Ryo, without realising it, focused his whole mind on the water the monk was holding
〜や否や N1 as soon as, no sooner ... than
The dictionary form plus や否や shows that the second action follows the first immediately. It is a written, literary pattern.
「そんならこれでお暇をいたします」と言うや否や、くるりと閭に背中を向けて
no sooner had he said, "In that case, I shall take my leave," than he turned his back on Ryo