寒山拾得森鴎外

Part 3 of 5 · JLPT N2

寒山拾得 Kanzanshūtoku, part 3: Blind Reverence and the Road to Kokuseiji

by Mori Ōgai · 1,301 characters · from The Governor Goes Looking for Sages

In this part

The narrator pauses to sort people into three groups by how they relate to 'the Way': those indifferent to it, those who seek it, and those in between who revere, without understanding, people they believe are close to it. Ryo belongs to this last group, and he sets out in grand procession from Taishū, pleased with himself for honouring sages. After a night at the county magistrate's residence he reaches Kokuseiji, where the monk Dōgyō receives him and Ryo asks about Bukan.

AI translation · independently checked

こういう因縁いんねんがあるので、閭りょは天台てんだいの国清寺こくせいじをさして出でかけるのである。It is because of this connection that Ryo now sets out for Kokuseiji on Mount Tendai.

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全体ぜんたい世よの中なかの人ひとの、道みちとか宗教しゅうきょうとかいうものに対たいする態度たいどに三さん通とおりある。Broadly speaking, people in this world take one of three attitudes towards such things as the Way or religion.

自分じぶんの職業しょくぎょうに気きを取とられて、ただ営々えいえい役々えきえきと年月としつきを送おくっている人ひとは、道みちというものを顧かえりみない。Those who are absorbed in their occupations and simply pass the months and years in busy toil pay no heed to anything called the Way.

これは読書人どくしょじんでも同おなじことである。The same is true even of men of letters.

もちろん書しょを読よんで深ふかく考かんがえたら、道みちに到達とうたつせずにはいられまい。Of course, anyone who reads books and thinks deeply could hardly help arriving at the Way.

しかしそうまで考かんがえないでも、日々ひびの務つとめだけは弁べんじて行いかれよう。Yet even without thinking that far, one can presumably still manage one's daily duties.

これは全まったく無頓着むとんじゃくな人ひとである。These are the people who are entirely indifferent.

つぎに着意ちゃくいして道みちを求もとめる人ひとがある。Next, there are people who set their minds on it and seek the Way.

専念せんねんに道みちを求もとめて、万事ばんじをなげうつこともあれば、日々ひびの務つとめは怠おこたらずに、たえず道みちに志こころざしていることもある。Some seek it single-mindedly and cast everything else aside; others never neglect their daily duties yet keep their hearts constantly set on the Way.

儒学じゅがくに入はいっても、道教どうきょうに入はいっても、仏法ぶっぽうに入はいっても基督教きりすときょうに入はいっても同おなじことである。It makes no difference whether they enter Confucianism, Taoism, the Buddhist Law, or Christianity.

こういう人ひとが深ふかくはいり込こむと日々ひびの務つとめがすなわち道みちそのものになってしまう。When such people go deep enough, their daily duties end up becoming the Way itself.

つづめて言いえばこれは皆みな道みちを求もとめる人ひとである。In short, these are all people who seek the Way.

この無頓着むとんちゃくな人ひとと、道みちを求もとめる人ひととの中間ちゅうかんに、道みちというものの存在そんざいを客観的きゃっかんてきに認みとめていて、それに対たいして全まったく無頓着むとんちゃくだというわけでもなく、さればと言いってみずから進すすんで道みちを求もとめるでもなく、自分じぶんをば道みちに疎遠そえんな人ひとだと諦念あきらめ、別べつに道みちに親密しんみつな人ひとがいるように思おもって、それを尊敬そんけいする人ひとがある。Between the indifferent and those who seek the Way, there are people who acknowledge objectively that such a thing as the Way exists, who are not entirely indifferent to it, yet who do not, for all that, go out of their way to seek it themselves; they resign themselves to being far removed from the Way, imagine that there are others who stand close to it, and revere those others.

尊敬そんけいはどの種類しゅるいの人ひとにもあるが、単たんに同おなじ対象たいしょうを尊敬そんけいする場合ばあいを顧慮こりょして言いってみると、道みちを求もとめる人ひとなら遅おくれているものが進すすんでいるものを尊敬そんけいすることになり、ここに言いう中間ちゅうかん人物じんぶつなら、自分じぶんのわからぬもの、会得えとくすることの出来できぬものを尊敬そんけいすることになる。Reverence exists among every kind of person, but if we consider only the case where the same object is revered, then among those who seek the Way it means that those lagging behind revere those who have gone further, whereas for the in-between people described here it means revering something they do not understand, something they are unable to grasp.

そこに盲目もうもくの尊敬そんけいが生しょうずる。That is where blind reverence arises.

盲目もうもくの尊敬そんけいでは、たまたまそれをさし向むける対象たいしょうが正鵠せいこくを得えていても、なんにもならぬのである。With blind reverence, even if the object it happens to be directed at is the right one, it counts for nothing.

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閭りょは衣服いふくを改あらため輿こしに乗のって、台州たいしゅうの官舍かんしゃを出でた。Ryo changed his clothes, mounted his palanquin, and left the official residence of Taishū.

従者じゅうしゃが数十すうじゅう人にんある。He had several dozen attendants.

時ときは冬ふゆの初はじめで、霜しもが少すこし降ふっている。It was the beginning of winter, and there was a light frost.

椒江しょうこうの支流しりゅうで、始豊渓しほうけいという川かわの左岸さがんを迂回うかいしつつ北きたへ進すすんで行いく。The procession advanced northward, winding along the left bank of a river called the Shihōkei, a tributary of the Shōkō.

初はじめ陰くもっていた空そらがようよう晴はれて、蒼白あおじろい日ひが岸きしの紅葉もみじを照てらしている。The sky, overcast at first, gradually cleared, and a pale sun lit up the autumn maples along the banks.

路みちで出合であう老幼ろうようは、皆みな輿こしを避さけてひざまずく。The old and young they met on the road all stepped out of the palanquin's way and knelt.

輿こしの中なかでは閭りょがひどくいい心持こころもちになっている。Inside the palanquin, Ryo was in a thoroughly agreeable mood.

牧民ぼくみんの職しょくにいて賢者けんじゃを礼れいするというのが、手柄てがらのように思おもわれて、閭りょに満足まんぞくを与あたえるのである。To hold the office of governing the people and to pay his respects to a sage seemed to him a kind of achievement, and it gave him satisfaction.

台州たいしゅうから天台てんだい県けんまでは六十里ろくじゅうり半はんほどである。From Taishū to Tendai County is about sixty and a half li.

日本にっぽんの六ろく里り半はんほどである。That is about six and a half Japanese ri.

ゆるゆる輿こしを舁かかせて来きたので、県けんから役人やくにんの迎むかえに出でたのに逢あったとき、もう午ひるを過すぎていた。Since he had had his bearers carry the palanquin at a leisurely pace, it was already past noon when he met the officials who had come out from the county to receive him.

知県ちけんの官舎かんしゃで休やすんで、馳走ちそうになりつつ聞きいてみると、ここから国清寺こくせいじまでは、爪尖上つまさきあがりの道みちがまた六十里ろくじゅうりある。While resting at the county magistrate's residence and being treated to a meal, he made inquiries and learned that from there to Kokuseiji was another sixty li of steadily rising road.

往いき着つくまでには夜よるに入はいりそうである。It seemed that night would fall before he arrived.

そこで閭りょは知県ちけんの官舎かんしゃに泊とまることにした。So Ryo decided to stay the night at the magistrate's residence.

翌朝よくあさ知県ちけんに送おくられて出でた。The next morning he set off, seen on his way by the magistrate.

きょうもきのうに変かわらぬ天気てんきである。The weather today was no different from yesterday's.

一体いったい天台てんだい一万八千いちまんはっせん丈じょうとは、いつ誰だれが測量そくりょうしたにしても、所詮しょせん高たか過すぎるようだが、とにかく虎とらのいる山やまである。Whoever it was that surveyed Mount Tendai at eighteen thousand jō, and whenever they did it, the figure seems far too high after all; but at any rate it is a mountain where tigers live.

道みちはなかなかきのうのようには捗はかどらない。The going was not nearly as quick as the day before.

途中とちゅうで午飯ひるめしを食くって、日ひが西にしに傾かたむきかかったころ、国清寺こくせいじの三さん門もんに着ついた。They ate their midday meal along the way, and just as the sun was beginning to sink in the west, they arrived at the main gate of Kokuseiji.

智者ちしゃ大師だいしの滅後めつごに、隋ずいの煬帝ようだいが立たてたという寺てらである。It is said to be a temple built by Emperor Yang of the Sui after the death of the Great Master Chisha.

寺てらでも主簿しゅぼのご参詣さんけいだというので、おろそかにはしない。Since this was a visit from the Chief Secretary, the temple did not treat it lightly either.

道翹どうぎょうという僧そうが出迎でむかえて、閭りょを客間きゃくまに案内あんないした。A monk named Dōgyō came out to meet him and showed Ryo to the guest room.

さて茶菓さかの饗応きょうおうが済すむと、閭りょが問とうた。When the hospitality of tea and sweets was over, Ryo asked:

「当寺とうじに豊干ぶかんという僧そうがおられましたか」"Was there a monk named Bukan at this temple?"

Vocabulary

WordMeaningJLPT
因縁いんねんconnection; chain of causesOriginally a Buddhist term for cause and condition; now also 'fate' or 'pretext'.—
顧みないかえりみるto pay heed to; to look back ondictionary form: 顧みるOften used in the negative: 〜を顧みない 'to give no thought to'.N1
無頓着むとんじゃくindifferent; unconcerned (read むとんじゃく here, as glossed in the text; the more common modern reading is むとんちゃく)Also read むとんちゃく; both readings appear in this passage.—
なげうつなげうつto cast aside; to give updictionary form: 擲つLiterary; 万事をなげうつ means 'to abandon everything'.—
疎遠そえんdistant; estrangedOpposite of 親密 'intimate', which appears in the same sentence.—
会得えとくunderstanding; grasping (through experience)Note the reading え for 会, not かい.—
盲目もうもくblind (often figurative)盲目の尊敬 is 'blind reverence', the key idea of this digression.—
正鵠を得てせいこくをえるto hit the mark; to be on targetdictionary form: 正鵠を得る正鵠 is the bull's-eye of a target.—
輿こしpalanquinA covered seat carried on poles by bearers; a sign of rank.—
迂回うかいmaking a detour; winding around—
里りa unit of distance (Chinese li / Japanese ri)A Chinese li was a fraction of a kilometre, a Japanese ri about 3.9 km, hence the narrator's conversion.—
馳走ちそうtreat; feast馳走になる 'to be treated to a meal'; today usually ご馳走.—
丈じょうjō, an old unit of length (about 3 m)Ten 尺 (shaku); the narrator finds 18,000 jō an obvious exaggeration.N1
捗らないはかどるto make good progressdictionary form: 捗るUsually used of work or travel going smoothly.N1

Grammar

〜ずにはいられまい N2 probably cannot help doing

〜ずにはいられない means 'cannot help but do'; replacing ない with the literary negative conjecture まい adds 'surely' or 'probably'.

道に到達せずにはいられまい。

could hardly help arriving at the Way.

〜つつ N2 while doing

A written-style equivalent of 〜ながら, attached to the verb stem: two actions happen at the same time.

始豊渓という川の左岸を迂回しつつ北へ進んで行く。

advanced northward, winding along the left bank of a river called the Shihōkei.

〜というわけでもなく、さればと言って〜でもなく N2 it is not that…, yet neither…

わけでもない denies a possible interpretation. さればと言って is a literary form of だからと言って, 'but that doesn't mean', and it introduces a second denial.

全く無頓着だというわけでもなく、さればと言ってみずから進んで道を求めるでもなく

who are not entirely indifferent to it, yet who do not, for all that, go out of their way to seek it themselves

〜にしても N3 even if; whoever/whenever it may be

Combined with question words (いつ, 誰), it means 'no matter who or when'. The main clause holds regardless.

いつ誰が測量したにしても、所詮高過ぎるようだが

Whoever it was that surveyed it, and whenever they did it, the figure seems far too high after all

〜ことになる N4 it amounts to; it turns out that

Here it presents a logical consequence: given the situation, the reverence 'comes down to' revering what one cannot understand.

自分のわからぬもの、会得することの出来ぬものを尊敬することになる。

it means revering something they do not understand, something they are unable to grasp.