名人伝 Meijinden, part 2: Rivalry, Remorse and a New Goal

目めの基礎きそ訓練くんれんに五ご年ねんもかけた甲斐かいがあって紀昌きしょうの腕前うでまえの上達じょうたつは、驚おどろくほど速はやい。The five long years he had spent on the groundwork of training his eyes paid off, and Kishō's skill advanced with astonishing speed.

奥儀おうぎ伝授でんじゅが始はじまってから十日とおかの後あと、試こころみに紀昌きしょうが百歩ひゃっぽを隔へだてて柳葉やなぎばを射いるに、既すでに百発百中ひゃっぱつひゃくちゅうである。Ten days after the teaching of the inner secrets began, Kishō tried shooting at willow leaves from a hundred paces, and already every shot found its mark.

二十日はつかの後あと、いっぱいに水みずを湛たたえた盃さかずきを右みぎ肱ひじの上うえに載のせて剛弓ごうきゅうを引ひくに、狙ねらいに狂くるいの無ないのはもとより、杯中はいちゅうの水みずも微動びどうだにしない。After twenty days, he drew a powerful bow with a cup brimming with water set on his right elbow, and his aim was faultless; what is more, the water in the cup did not stir in the slightest.

一月ひとつきの後あと、百本ひゃっぽんの矢やをもって速射そくしゃを試こころみたところ、第だい一矢いっしが的まとに中あたれば、続つづいて飛来とびきたった第二矢だいにしは誤あやまたず第だい一矢いっしの括やはずに中あたって突つき刺ささり、更さらに間髪かんぱつを入いれず第三矢だいさんしの鏃やじりが第だい二に矢やの括かつにガッシと喰くい込こむ。After a month, he tried rapid shooting with a hundred arrows. When the first arrow struck the target, the second flew in after it and struck the nock of the first without fail, lodging there; then, without a hair's breadth of delay, the head of the third bit hard into the nock of the second.

矢矢しし相属あいぞくし、発発はつはつ相あい及およんで、後矢こうしの鏃やじりは必かならず前矢ぜんしの括やはずに喰入くいいるが故ゆえに、絶たえて地ちに墜おちることがない。Arrow joined arrow and shot followed shot, and because the head of each later arrow always sank into the nock of the one before, not one ever dropped to the ground.

瞬またたく中うちに、百本ひゃっぽんの矢やは一本いっぽんのごとくに相あい連つらなり、的まとから一直線いっちょくせんに続つづいたその最後さいごの括やはずはなお弦げんを銜ふくむがごとくに見みえる。In the blink of an eye the hundred arrows were linked as if they were a single arrow. The last nock, at the end of the straight line running back from the target, still looked as though it held the bowstring in its mouth.

傍そばで見みていた師しの飛衛ひえいも思おもわず「善よし！」と言いった。His master Hiei, who had been watching at his side, cried out despite himself, "Well done!"

二月ふたつきの後あと、たまたま家いえに帰かえって妻つまといさかいをした紀昌きしょうがこれを威おどそうとて烏号うごうの弓ゆみに綦衛きえいの矢やをつがえきりりと引絞ひきしぼって妻つまの目めを射いた。Two months later, Kishō happened to go home and quarrel with his wife. To frighten her, he fitted one of the famed Kiei arrows to the legendary bow Crow's Cry, drew it taut and shot at her eye.

矢やは妻つまの睫毛まつげ三本さんぼんを射切いきってかなたへ飛とび去さったが、射いられた本人ほんにんは一向いっこうに気きづかず、まばたきもしないで亭主ていしゅを罵ののしり続つづけた。The arrow severed three of her eyelashes and flew off into the distance, but the woman it was aimed at noticed nothing at all; without so much as blinking, she went on berating her husband.

けだし、彼かれの至芸しげいによる矢やの速度そくどと狙ねらいの精妙せいみょうさとは、実じつにこの域いきにまで達たっしていたのである。Indeed, through his consummate art, the speed of his arrows and the precision of his aim had truly reached such heights.

もはや師しから学まなび取とるべき何なにものも無なくなった紀昌きしょうは、ある日ひ、ふと良よからぬ考かんがえを起おこした。With nothing left that he could learn from his master, Kishō one day suddenly conceived an ill thought.

彼かれがその時とき独ひとりつくづくと考かんがえるには、今いまや弓ゆみをもって己おのれに敵てきすべき者ものは、師しの飛衛ひえいをおいて外ほかに無ない。As he pondered it alone and at length, he reasoned that there was now no one who could rival him with the bow except his own master, Hiei.

天下てんか第だい一いちの名人めいじんとなるためには、どうあっても飛衛ひえいを除のぞかねばならぬと。To become the greatest master under heaven, he would have to remove Hiei, whatever the cost.

秘ひそかにその機会きかいを窺うかがっている中うちに、一日いちじつたまたま郊野こうやにおいて、向むこうからただ一人ひとり歩あゆみ来くる飛衛ひえいに出遇であった。While he was secretly waiting for his chance, he happened one day, out in the open country beyond the city, to meet Hiei walking toward him entirely alone.

とっさに意いを決けっした紀昌きしょうが矢やを取とって狙ねらいをつければ、その気配けはいを察さっして飛衛ひえいもまた弓ゆみを執とって相応あいおうずる。Kishō made up his mind on the spot, took an arrow and aimed; sensing it, Hiei too took up his bow in answer.

二人ふたり互たがいに射いれば、矢やはその度たびに中道ちゅうどうにして相あい当あたり、共ともに地ちに墜おちた。The two shot at each other, and every time their arrows met halfway and fell to the ground together.

地ちに落おちた矢やが軽塵けいじんをも揚あげなかったのは、両人りょうにんの技わざがいずれも神しんに入いっていたからであろう。That the fallen arrows did not raise even a wisp of dust was surely because the skill of both men had passed into the realm of the divine.

さて、飛衛ひえいの矢やが尽つきた時とき、紀昌きしょうの方ほうはなお一矢いっしを余あましていた。Now, when Hiei had used up his arrows, Kishō still had one left.

得えたりと勢いきおい込こんで紀昌きしょうがその矢やを放はなてば、飛衛ひえいはとっさに、傍そばなる野茨のいばらの枝えだを折おり取とり、その棘とげの先端せんたんをもってハッシと鏃やじりを叩たたき落おとした。"I have him!" thought Kishō, and he eagerly let that arrow fly. In an instant Hiei broke off a branch of the wild rose beside him and, with the tip of a thorn, smartly struck the arrowhead down.

ついに非望ひぼうの遂とげられないことを悟さとった紀昌きしょうの心こころに、成功せいこうしたならば決けっして生しょうじなかったに違ちがいない道義的どうぎてき慚愧ざんきの念ねんが、この時とき忽焉こつえんとして湧起わきおこった。Kishō realised at last that his outrageous ambition could not be fulfilled, and at that moment a sense of moral shame suddenly welled up in his heart, a shame he would surely never have felt had he succeeded.

飛衛ひえいの方ほうでは、また、危機ききを脱だっし得えた安堵あんどと己おのが伎倆ぎりょうについての満足まんぞくとが、敵てきに対たいする憎にくしみをすっかり忘わすれさせた。On Hiei's side, the relief of having escaped danger and his satisfaction with his own skill made him forget his hatred for his enemy completely.

二人ふたりは互たがいに駈寄かけよると、野原のはらの真中まんなかに相抱あいいだいて、しばし美うつくしい師弟してい愛あいの涙なみだにかきくれた。The two ran to each other, embraced in the middle of the field, and for a while were lost in beautiful tears of love between master and pupil.

（こうした事ことを今日こんにちの道義どうぎ観かんをもって見みるのは当あたらない。美食家びしょくかの斉せいの桓公かんこうが己おのれのいまだ味あじわったことのない珍味ちんみを求もとめた時とき、厨宰ちゅうさいの易牙えきがは己おのが息子むすこを蒸焼むしやきにしてこれをすすめた。十六じゅうろく歳さいの少年しょうねん、秦しんの始し皇帝こうていは父ちちが死しんだその晩ばんに、父ちちの愛妾あいしょうを三さん度ど襲おそうた。すべてそのような時代じだいの話はなしである。）(It is not fair to judge such things by present-day morals. When Duke Kan of Sei, a great lover of fine food, demanded a delicacy he had never yet tasted, his head cook Ekiga roasted his own son and served him up. On the very night his father died, the sixteen-year-old Shikōtei of Shin forced himself on his father's favourite concubine three times. All of this is a tale from an age of that kind.)

涙なみだにくれて相擁あいようしながらも、再ふたたび弟子でしがかかる企たくらみを抱いだくようなことがあっては甚はなはだ危あやういと思おもった飛衛ひえいは、紀昌きしょうに新あらたな目標もくひょうを与あたえてその気きを転てんずるにしくはないと考かんがえた。Even as he wept in his pupil's arms, Hiei thought it would be very dangerous if his pupil were ever to harbour such a scheme again, and he decided that nothing would be better than to give Kishō a new goal and so turn his mind elsewhere.

彼かれはこの危険きけんな弟子でしに向むかって言いった。He said to this dangerous pupil:

もはや、伝つたうべきほどのことはことごとく伝つたえた。"I have now handed down to you everything that is worth handing down.

儞なんじがもしこれ以上いじょうこの道みちの蘊奥うんのうを極きわめたいと望のぞむならば、ゆいて西にしの方かた大行たいこうの嶮けんに攀よじ、霍山かくざんの頂いただきを極きわめよ。If you wish to go further and reach the deepest mysteries of this art, then go west, climb the crags of the Taikō range, and make your way to the summit of Mount Kaku.

そこには甘蠅かんよう老師ろうしとて古今ここんを曠むなしゅうする斯道しどうの大家たいかがおられるはず。There, I believe, you will find the venerable Master Kan'yō, a great master of this way without equal in all of history.

老師ろうしの技わざに比くらべれば、我々われわれの射しゃのごときはほとんど児戯じぎに類るいする。Compared with the old master's art, archery such as ours is little better than child's play.

儞なんじの師しと頼たのむべきは、今いまは甘蠅かんよう師しの外ほかにあるまいと。Now there can be no one but Master Kan'yō for you to seek as your teacher."