名人伝 Meijinden, part 4: The Master Who Forgot the Bow

邯鄲かんたんの都みやこは、天下てんか一いちの名人めいじんとなって戻もどって来きた紀昌きしょうを迎むかえて、やがて眼前がんぜんに示しめされるに違ちがいないその妙技みょうぎへの期待きたいに湧返わきかえった。The capital of Kantan welcomed Kishō home as the greatest master in the land, and the whole city seethed with anticipation of the marvellous skill he would surely soon display before their eyes.

ところが紀昌きしょうは一向いっこうにその要望ようぼうに応こたえようとしない。Kishō, however, showed no sign whatever of answering their wishes.

いや、弓ゆみさえ絶たえて手てに取とろうとしない。Indeed, he would not so much as take a bow in his hand.

山やまに入はいる時ときに携たずさえて行いった楊幹ようかん麻筋まきんの弓ゆみもどこかへ棄すてて来きた様子ようすである。It seemed that even the bow of willow wood and hemp sinew he had carried with him into the mountains had been thrown away somewhere.

そのわけを訊たずねた一人ひとりに答こたえて、紀昌きしょうは懶ものうげに言いった。When someone asked him why, Kishō answered languidly:

至為しいは為なす無なく、至言しげんは言げんを去さり、至射ししゃは射いることなしと。"The highest action is no action; the highest speech casts off words; the highest shooting is not to shoot."

なるほどと、至極しごく物分ものわかりのいい邯鄲かんたんの都人士とじんしはすぐに合点がてんした。"Of course," said the people of Kantan, who were exceedingly quick to understand, and they were satisfied at once.

弓ゆみを執とらざる弓ゆみの名人めいじんは彼かれ等らの誇ほこりとなった。The master archer who would not take up a bow became their pride.

紀昌きしょうが弓ゆみに触ふれなければ触ふれないほど、彼かれの無敵むてきの評判ひょうばんはいよいよ喧伝けんでんされた。The less Kishō touched a bow, the more loudly his reputation as an archer without equal was trumpeted abroad.

様々さまざまな噂うわさが人々ひとびとの口くちから口くちへと伝つたわる。All manner of rumours passed from mouth to mouth.

毎夜まいよ三更さんこうを過すぎる頃ころ、紀昌きしょうの家いえの屋上おくじょうで何者なにものの立たてるとも知しれぬ弓弦ゆづるの音おとがする。Every night, after the third watch, it was said, the twang of a bowstring could be heard on the roof of Kishō's house, though no one knew whose hand plucked it.

名人めいじんの内うちに宿やどる射しゃ道どうの神かみが主人公しゅじんこうの睡ねむっている間あいだに体内たいないを脱ぬけ出だし、妖魔ようまを払はらうべく徹宵てっしょう守護しゅごに当あたっているのだという。The god of the Way of Archery that dwelt within the master, people said, slipped out of his body while he slept and stood guard all night long to drive away evil spirits.

彼かれの家いえの近ちかくに住すむ一いち商人しょうにんはある夜よる紀昌きしょうの家いえの上空じょうくうで、雲くもに乗のった紀昌きしょうが珍めずらしくも弓ゆみを手てにして、古いにしえの名人めいじん・羿げいと養由基ようゆうきの二人ふたりを相手あいてに腕比うでくらべをしているのを確たしかに見みたと言いい出だした。A merchant who lived near his house declared that one night, in the sky above Kishō's home, he had seen with his own eyes Kishō riding on a cloud, for once holding a bow, and matching his skill against the two great masters of old, Gei and Yō Yūki.

その時とき三名人さんめいじんの放はなった矢やはそれぞれ夜空よぞらに青白あおじろい光芒こうぼうを曳ひきつつ参宿しんしゅくと天狼星てんろうせいとの間あいだに消去きえさったと。The arrows loosed by the three masters, he said, each trailed a pale blue streak of light across the night sky before vanishing between the Three Stars and the Wolf Star.

紀昌きしょうの家いえに忍しのび入いろうとしたところ、塀へいに足あしを掛かけた途端とたんに一道いちどうの殺気さっきが森閑しんかんとした家いえの中なかから奔はしり出でてまともに額ひたいを打うったので、覚おぼえず外そとに顛落てんらくしたと白状はくじょうした盗賊とうぞくもある。There was even a thief who confessed that when he tried to steal into Kishō's house, the moment he set his foot on the wall a single bolt of murderous force had rushed out of the hushed house and struck him full on the forehead, so that before he knew it he had tumbled back outside.

爾来じらい、邪心じゃしんを抱いだく者共ものどもは彼かれの住居じゅうきょの十町じっちょう四方しほうは避さけて廻まわり道みちをし、賢かしこい渡わたり鳥共どりどもは彼かれの家いえの上空じょうくうを通とおらなくなった。From then on, those who harboured wicked intent went the long way round, avoiding a full ten chō on every side of his dwelling, and the wise migrating birds no longer flew over his house.

雲くもと立罩たちこめる名声めいせいのただ中なかに、名人めいじん紀昌きしょうは次第しだいに老おいて行いく。In the midst of this fame that hung about him like clouds, the master Kishō gradually grew old.

既すでに早はやく射いを離はなれた彼かれの心こころは、ますます枯淡虚静こたんきょせいの域いきにはいって行いったようである。His heart, which had long since left archery behind, seemed to pass ever further into a realm of plain, empty serenity.

木偶でくのごとき顔かおは更さらに表情ひょうじょうを失うしない、語かたることも稀まれとなり、ついには呼吸こきゅうの有無うむさえ疑うたがわれるに至いたった。His face, already like that of a wooden doll, lost all expression; he rarely spoke, and in the end people came to wonder whether he was breathing at all.

「既すでに、我われと彼かれとの別べつ、是ぜと非ひとの分ぶんを知しらぬ。眼めは耳みみのごとく、耳みみは鼻はなのごとく、鼻はなは口くちのごとく思おもわれる。」というのが、老ろう名人めいじん晩年ばんねんの述懐じゅっかいである。"I no longer know the difference between self and other, nor the line between right and wrong. The eye seems to me like the ear, the ear like the nose, the nose like the mouth." Such were the reflections of the old master in his last years.

甘蠅かんよう師しの許もとを辞じしてから四十よんじゅう年ねんの後あと、紀昌きしょうは静しずかに、誠まことに煙けむりのごとく静しずかに世よを去さった。Forty years after taking his leave of Master Kan'yō, Kishō departed this world quietly, truly as quietly as smoke.

その四十よんじゅう年ねんの間あいだ、彼かれは絶たえて射いを口くちにすることが無なかった。In all those forty years he never once spoke of archery.

口くちにさえしなかった位くらいだから、弓矢ゆみやを執とっての活動かつどうなどあろうはずが無ない。Since he would not even speak of it, there could be no question of his ever taking up bow and arrow to do anything.

もちろん、寓話ぐうわ作者さくしゃとしてはここで老ろう名人めいじんに掉尾ちょうびの大活躍だいかつやくをさせて、名人めいじんの真しんに名人めいじんたるゆえんを明あきらかにしたいのは山々やまやまながら、一方いっぽう、また、何なんとしても古書こしょに記しるされた事実じじつを曲まげる訳わけには行いかぬ。Naturally, as a writer of fables, I should dearly like to have the old master perform one last great feat here at the end and make plain what truly made him a master, yet on the other hand I cannot on any account bend the facts recorded in the old books.

実際じっさい、老後ろうごの彼かれについてはただ無為むいにして化かしたとばかりで、次つぎのような妙みょうな話はなしの外ほかには何一なにひとつ伝つたわっていないのだから。For in truth, of his old age it is recorded only that he passed away in a state of non-action, and nothing else at all has come down to us apart from the following curious tale.

その話はなしというのは、彼かれの死しぬ一二いちに年ねん前まえのことらしい。The tale seems to concern a time a year or two before his death.

ある日ひ老おいたる紀昌きしょうが知人ちじんの許もとに招まねかれて行いったところ、その家いえで一ひとつの器具きぐを見みた。One day the aged Kishō was invited to the house of an acquaintance, and there he saw a certain implement.

確たしかに見憶みおぼえのある道具どうぐだが、どうしてもその名前なまえが思出おもいだせぬし、その用途ようとも思おもい当あたらない。It was certainly a tool he had seen before, but try as he might he could not recall its name, nor could he think what it was used for.

老人ろうじんはその家いえの主人しゅじんに尋たずねた。The old man asked the master of the house.

それは何なんと呼よぶ品物しなもので、また何なにに用もちいるのかと。What was the thing called, and what was it used for?

主人しゅじんは、客きゃくが冗談じょうだんを言いっているとのみ思おもって、ニヤリととぼけた笑わらい方かたをした。Thinking only that his guest was joking, the host gave a sly, knowing grin.

老ろう紀昌きしょうは真剣しんけんになって再ふたたび尋たずねる。Old Kishō, quite in earnest, asked again.

それでも相手あいては曖昧あいまいな笑わらいを浮うかべて、客きゃくの心こころをはかりかねた様子ようすである。Still the host wore an uncertain smile, apparently unable to read his guest's mind.

三度みたび紀昌きしょうが真面目まじめな顔かおをして同おなじ問といを繰返くりかえした時とき、始はじめて主人しゅじんの顔かおに驚愕きょうがくの色いろが現あらわれた。When Kishō, with a serious face, repeated the same question a third time, astonishment at last appeared on the host's face.

彼かれは客きゃくの眼めを凝乎じっと見詰みつめる。He stared fixedly into his guest's eyes.

相手あいてが冗談じょうだんを言いっているのでもなく、気きが狂くるっているのでもなく、また自分じぶんが聞きき違ちがえをしているのでもないことを確たしかめると、彼かれはほとんど恐怖きょうふに近ちかい狼狽ろうばいを示しめして、吃どもりながら叫さけんだ。Having made sure that his guest was neither joking nor out of his mind, and that he himself had not misheard, he showed a dismay close to terror and cried out, stammering:

「ああ、夫子ふうしが、――古今無双ここんむそうの射いの名人めいじんたる夫子ふうしが、弓ゆみを忘わすれ果はてられたとや？　ああ、弓ゆみという名なも、その使つかい途みちも！」"Ah, that you, Master — you, the greatest archer of all ages past and present — should have quite forgotten the bow! Ah, both the very name of the bow and its use!"

その後あと当分とうぶんの間あいだ、邯鄲かんたんの都みやこでは、画家がかは絵筆えふでを隠かくし、楽人がくじんは瑟しつの絃げんを断たち、工匠こうしょうは規矩きくを手てにするのを恥はじたということである。It is said that for a long while afterwards, in the capital of Kantan, painters hid their brushes, musicians cut the strings of their zithers, and craftsmen were ashamed to take up their compasses and squares.

（昭和しょうわ十七じゅうなな年ねん十二じゅうに月がつ）(December 1942)