名人伝 Meijinden, part 1: Learning Not to Blink, Then to See

趙ちょうの邯鄲かんたんの都みやこに住すむ紀昌きしょうという男おとこが、天下てんか第だい一いちの弓ゆみの名人めいじんになろうと志こころざしを立たてた。In Kantan, the capital of Chō, there lived a man named Kishō, who set his heart on becoming the greatest master of the bow under heaven.

己おのれの師しと頼たのむべき人物じんぶつを物色ぶっしょくするに、当今とうこん弓矢ゆみやをとっては、名手めいしゅ・飛衛ひえいに及およぶ者ものがあろうとは思おもわれぬ。Looking about for someone he might rely on as his teacher, he concluded that among the archers of the day there could surely be none to equal the expert Hiei.

百歩ひゃっぽを隔へだてて柳葉りゅうようを射いるに百発百中ひゃっぱつひゃくちゅうするという達人たつじんだそうである。It was said that this adept, shooting at willow leaves from a hundred paces away, hit them with every single arrow.

紀昌きしょうは遥々はるばる飛衛ひえいをたずねてその門もんに入はいった。Kishō travelled a long way to call on Hiei and was admitted as his pupil.

飛衛ひえいは新入しんにゅうの門人もんじんに、まず瞬またたきせざることを学まなべと命めいじた。Hiei ordered his new disciple, before anything else, to learn not to blink.

紀昌きしょうは家いえに帰かえり、妻つまの機織台はたおりだいの下したに潜もぐり込こんで、そこに仰向あおむけにひっくり返かえった。Kishō went home, crawled under his wife's loom, and lay there flat on his back.

眼めとすれすれに機躡まねきが忙いそがしく上下じょうげ往来おうらいするのをじっと瞬しばたたかずに見詰みつめていようという工夫くふうである。His plan was to gaze, without blinking, at the treadle bar as it busily rose and fell a hair's breadth from his eyes.

理由りゆうを知しらない妻つまは大おおいに驚おどろいた。His wife, who did not know the reason, was greatly alarmed.

第だい一いち、妙みょうな姿勢しせいを妙みょうな角度かくどから良人おっとに覗のぞかれては困こまるという。For one thing, she said, she did not like having her husband peer at her odd posture from such an odd angle.

厭いやがる妻つまを紀昌きしょうは叱しかりつけて、無理むりに機はたを織おり続つづけさせた。Kishō scolded his unwilling wife and made her go on weaving whether she liked it or not.

来くる日ひも来くる日ひも彼かれはこの可笑おかしな恰好かっこうで、瞬まばたきせざる修練しゅうれんを重かさねる。Day after day, in this ridiculous position, he kept up his training in not blinking.

二に年ねんの後のちには、遽あわただしく往返おうへんする牽挺まねきが睫毛まつげを掠かすめても、絶たえて瞬しばたたくことがなくなった。After two years, even when the bar darting back and forth brushed against his eyelashes, he no longer blinked at all.

彼かれはようやく機はたの下したから匍出はいだす。At last he crawled out from under the loom.

もはや、鋭利えいりな錐きりの先さきをもって瞼まぶたを突つかれても、まばたきをせぬまでになっていた。By now he had reached the point where, even if his eyelid were jabbed with the point of a sharp awl, he would not blink.

不意ふいに火ひの粉こが目めに飛入とびいろうとも、目めの前まえに突然とつぜん灰神楽はいかぐらが立たとうとも、彼かれは決けっして目めをパチつかせない。Though a spark might suddenly fly into his eye, though a cloud of ash might abruptly burst up before his face, he never once fluttered his eyelids.

彼かれの瞼まぶたはもはやそれを閉とじるべき筋肉きんにくの使用しよう法ほうを忘わすれ果はて、夜よる、熟睡じゅくすいしている時ときでも、紀昌きしょうの目めはカッと大おおきく見開みひらかれたままである。His eyelids had utterly forgotten how to use the muscles meant to close them, and even at night, when he was sound asleep, Kishō's eyes remained wide open, staring.

ついに、彼かれの目めの睫毛まつげと睫毛まつげとの間あいだに小ちいさな一匹いっぴきの蜘蛛くもが巣すをかけるに及およんで、彼かれはようやく自信じしんを得えて、師しの飛衛ひえいにこれを告つげた。Finally, when a tiny spider spun its web between his lashes, he at last felt confident, and reported this to his master Hiei.

それを聞きいて飛衛ひえいがいう。Hearing this, Hiei said:

瞬しばたたかざるのみではまだ射しゃを授さずけるに足たりぬ。"Not blinking alone is not yet enough for you to be taught to shoot."

次つぎには、視みることを学まなべ。"Next, learn to see."

視みることに熟じゅくして、さて、小しょうを視みること大だいのごとく、微びを見みること著ちょのごとくなったならば、来きたって我われに告つげるがよいと。"When you have mastered seeing, and the small appears to you as large and the faint as plain, then you may come and tell me."

紀昌きしょうは再ふたたび家いえに戻もどり、肌着はだぎの縫目ぬいめから虱しらみを一匹いっぴき探さがし出だして、これを己おのが髪かみの毛けをもって繋つないだ。Kishō returned home once more, found a single louse in the seam of his undergarment, and tied it up with one of his own hairs.

そうして、それを南向みなみむきの窓まどに懸かけ、終日しゅうじつ睨にらみ暮くらすことにした。Then he hung it in his south-facing window and resolved to spend his days glaring at it from morning till night.

毎日まいにち毎日まいにち彼かれは窓まどにぶら下さがった虱しらみを見詰みつめる。Day after day he stared at the louse dangling in the window.

初はじめ、もちろんそれは一匹いっぴきの虱しらみに過すぎない。At first, of course, it was nothing more than a louse.

二三にさん日にちたっても、依然いぜんとして虱しらみである。After two or three days it was still a louse.

ところが、十日とおか余あまり過すぎると、気きのせいか、どうやらそれがほんの少すこしながら大おおきく見みえて来きたように思おもわれる。But when ten days or more had passed, it seemed, though perhaps it was only his imagination, that it had begun to look ever so slightly larger.

三月目みつきめの終おわりには、明あきらかに蚕かいこほどの大おおきさに見みえて来きた。By the end of the third month it plainly looked as big as a silkworm.

虱しらみを吊つるした窓まどの外そとの風物ふうぶつは、次第しだいに移うつり変かわる。Outside the window where the louse hung, the scenery gradually changed.

煕々ききとして照てっていた春はるの陽ひはいつか烈はげしい夏なつの光ひかりに変かわり、澄すんだ秋空あきぞらを高たかく雁がんが渡わたって行いったかと思おもうと、はや、寒々さむざむとした灰色はいいろの空そらから霙みぞれが落おちかかる。The spring sun that had shone so gently and brightly turned, before he knew it, into the fierce light of summer; no sooner had the wild geese flown high across the clear autumn sky than sleet was already falling from a cold grey one.

紀昌きしょうは根気こんきよく、毛髪もうはつの先さきにぶら下さがった有吻類ゆうふんるい・催痒性さいようせいの小しょう節足せっそく動物どうぶつを見み続つづけた。Kishō patiently went on watching the small beaked, itch-inducing arthropod that dangled from the end of a hair.

その虱しらみも何十匹なんじっぴきとなく取換とりかえられて行いく中うちに、早はやくも三さん年ねんの月日つきひが流ながれた。While dozens upon dozens of lice were replaced one after another, three years had swiftly gone by.

ある日ひふと気きが付つくと、窓まどの虱しらみが馬うまのような大おおきさに見みえていた。Then one day he suddenly noticed that the louse in the window looked as big as a horse.

占しめたと、紀昌きしょうは膝ひざを打うち、表おもてへ出でる。"I have it!" Kishō slapped his knee and went outside.

彼かれは我わが目めを疑うたがった。He could not believe his eyes.

人ひとは高塔こうとうであった。People were lofty towers.

馬うまは山やまであった。Horses were mountains.

豚ぶたは丘おかのごとく、雞にわとりは城楼じょうろうと見みえる。Pigs looked like hills, and chickens like castle turrets.

雀躍じゃくやくして家いえにとって返かえした紀昌きしょうは、再ふたたび窓際まどぎわの虱しらみに立向たちむかい、燕角えんかくの弧ゆみに朔蓬さくほうの簳やがらをつがえてこれを射いれば、矢やは見事みごとに虱しらみの心しんの臓ぞうを貫つらぬいて、しかも虱しらみを繋つないだ毛けさえ断きれぬ。Leaping for joy, Kishō hurried back home and faced the louse by the window once again; he fitted a shaft of northern reed to his bow of En horn and loosed it, and the arrow pierced the louse squarely through the heart, yet did not even break the hair that held it.

紀昌きしょうは早速さっそく師しの許もとに赴おもむいてこれを報ほうずる。Kishō went at once to his master's house to report this.

飛衛ひえいは高蹈こうとうして胸むねを打うち、初はじめて「出でかしたぞ」と褒ほめた。Hiei leapt high, beat his breast, and for the first time praised him: "Well done!"

そうして、直ただちに射術しゃじゅつの奥儀秘伝おうぎひでんを剰あますところなく紀昌きしょうに授さずけ始はじめた。And straight away he began to pass on to Kishō, holding nothing back, the deepest secrets of the art of archery.