夏の花 Natsu no Hana, part 3: Refuge in the Garden by the River

「元気げんきな人ひとはバケツで火ひを消けせ」と誰だれかが橋はしの上うえに頑張がんばっている。"Anyone who's fit, put out the fires with buckets!" someone on the bridge was shouting, standing his ground.

私わたくしは泉邸せんていの藪やぶの方ほうへ道みちをとり、そして、ここでＫとははぐれてしまった。I took the path toward the thickets of Sentei, and it was there that I lost K.

その竹藪たけやぶは薙なぎ倒たおされ、逃にげて行いく人ひとの勢いきおいで、径みちが自然しぜんと拓ひらかれていた。The bamboo grove had been mown flat, and the sheer force of people fleeing through it had opened up a path of its own accord.

見上みあげる樹木じゅもくもおおかた中空ちゅうくうで削そぎとられており、川かわに添そった、この由緒ゆいしょある名園めいえんも、今いまは傷きずだらけの姿すがたであった。The trees I looked up at had mostly been sheared off partway up, and this famous old garden beside the river, with all its history, was now covered in wounds.

ふと、灌木かんぼくの側がわにだらりと豊ゆたかな肢体したいを投出なげだして蹲うずくまっている中年ちゅうねんの婦人ふじんの顔かおがあった。Suddenly, beside some shrubs, there was the face of a middle-aged woman, crouching with her ample body limply sprawled.

魂たましいの抜ぬけはてたその顔かおは、見みているうちに何なんか感染かんせんしそうになるのであった。Her face, from which the soul had utterly gone, was such that as I looked at it I felt something might pass into me as well.

こんな顔かおに出喰でくわしたのは、これがはじめてであった。It was the first time I had come across such a face.

が、それよりもっと奇怪きっかいな顔かおに、その後あと私わたくしはかぎりなく出喰でくわさねばならなかった。But after that I was to come across faces far more grotesque, endlessly.

川岸かわぎしに出でる藪やぶのところで、私わたくしは学徒がくとの一塊ひとかたまりと出逢であった。In the thicket leading out to the riverbank, I came upon a small cluster of student workers.

工場こうじょうから逃にげ出だした彼女かのじょ達たちは一いちように軽かるい負傷ふしょうをしていたが、いま眼めの前まえに出現しゅつげんした出来事できごとの新鮮しんせんさに戦おののきながら、却かえって元気げんきそうに喋しゃべり合あっていた。They were girls who had fled from the factory, and all of them had slight injuries, yet, trembling at the rawness of what had just appeared before their eyes, they were chattering together in what seemed, if anything, high spirits.

そこへ長兄ちょうけいの姿すがたが現あらわれた。Just then my eldest brother appeared.

シャツ一いち枚まいで、片手かたてにビール瓶びんを持もち、まず異状いじょうなさそうであった。He was in nothing but his shirt, holding a beer bottle in one hand, and seemed more or less unharmed.

向岸むこうぎしも見渡みわたすかぎり建物たてものは崩くずれ、電柱でんちゅうの残のこっているほか、もう火ひの手てが廻まわっていた。On the far bank, too, the buildings had collapsed as far as the eye could see; apart from the telegraph poles still standing, the flames had already spread everywhere.

私わたくしは狭せまい川岸かわぎしの径こみちへ腰こしを下おろすと、しかし、もう大丈夫だいじょうぶだという気持きもちがした。I sat down on the narrow path along the bank, and yet I had the feeling that I was safe now.

長ながい間あいだ脅おびやかされていたものが、遂ついに来きたるべきものが、来きたのだった。The thing that had menaced us for so long, the thing that was bound to come, had finally come.

さばさばした気持きもちで、私わたくしは自分じぶんが生いきながらえていることを顧かえりみた。With a clear, unburdened feeling, I reflected on the fact that I was still alive.

かねて、二ふたつに一ひとつは助たすからないかもしれないと思おもっていたのだが、今いま、ふと己おのれが生いきていることと、その意味いみが、はっと私わたくしを弾はじいた。I had long thought my chances of coming through were no better than even, but now the fact that I was alive, and what that meant, suddenly struck me like a blow.

このことを書かきのこさねばならない、と、私わたくしは心こころに呟つぶやいた。I must set this down in writing, I murmured to myself.

けれども、その時ときはまだ、私わたくしはこの空襲くうしゅうの真相しんそうを殆ほとんど知しってはいなかったのである。Yet at that time I still knew almost nothing of what this air raid really was.

対岸たいがんの火事かじが勢いきおいを増まして来きた。The fire on the opposite bank grew fiercer.

こちら側がわまで火照ほてりが反射はんしゃして来くるので、満潮まんちょうの川水かわみずに座蒲団ざぶとんを浸ひたしては頭あたまにかむる。Its burning heat reached us even on this side, so we soaked cushions in the river, which was at high tide, and put them over our heads.

そのうち、誰だれかが「空襲くうしゅう」と叫さけぶ。Before long someone shouted, "Air raid!"

「白しろいものを着きたものは木蔭こかげへ隠かくれよ」という声こえに、皆みなはぞろぞろ藪やぶの奥おくへ匐はって行いく。At a voice crying, "Anyone wearing white, get under the trees!" everyone crawled off, one after another, deeper into the thicket.

陽ひは燦々さんさんと降ふり灑そそぎ藪やぶの向むこうも、どうやら火ひが燃もえている様子ようすだ。The sun poured down brilliantly, and beyond the thicket, too, it seemed that fire was burning.

暫しばらく息いきを殺ころしていたが、何事なにごともなさそうなので、また川かわの方ほうへ出でて来くると、向岸むこうぎしの火事かじは更さらに衰おとろえていない。We held our breath for a while, but since nothing seemed to be happening, we came back out toward the river, where the fire on the far bank had not died down at all.

熱風ねっぷうが頭上ずじょうを走はしり、黒煙こくえんが川かわの中なかほどまで煽あおられて来くる。A hot wind raced overhead, and black smoke was blown out as far as the middle of the river.

その時とき、急きゅうに頭上ずじょうの空そらが暗黒あんこくと化かしたかと思おもうと、沛然はいぜんとして大粒おおつぶの雨あめが落おちて来きた。Then, all of a sudden, the sky above us turned pitch black, and the next moment large drops of rain came pelting down.

雨あめはあたりの火照ほてりを稍々やや鎮しずめてくれたが、暫しばらくすると、またからりと晴はれた天気てんきにもどった。The rain eased the scorching heat around us a little, but after a while the weather turned clear and bright again.

対岸たいがんの火事かじはまだつづいていた。The fire on the opposite bank was still burning.

今いま、こちらの岸きしには長兄ちょうけいと妹いもうととそれから近所きんじょの見知みしった顔かおが二ふたつ三みっつ見受みうけられたが、みんなは寄より集つどって、てんでに今朝けさの出来事できごとを語かたり合あうのであった。Now, on this bank, there were my eldest brother, my sister, and two or three familiar faces from the neighbourhood, and they all gathered together, each telling of what had happened that morning.

あの時とき、兄あには事務室じむしつのテーブルにいたが、庭にわさきに閃光せんこうが走はしると間まもなく、一間いっけんあまり跳はね飛とばされ、家屋かおくの下敷したじきになって暫しばらく藻掻もがいた。At that moment my brother had been at the table in the office; just as a flash shot across the garden, he was flung six feet or more and pinned beneath the house, where he struggled for some time.

やがて隙間すきまがあるのに気きづき、そこから這はい出だすと、工場こうじょうの方ほうでは、学徒がくとが救すくいを求もとめて喚叫かんきょうしている――兄あにはそれを救すくい出だすのに大だい奮闘ふんとうした。Eventually he noticed a gap and crawled out through it, and over by the factory the student workers were screaming for help; my brother threw himself into the struggle to get them out.

妹いもうとは玄関げんかんのところで光線こうせんを見み、大急おおいそぎで階段かいだんの下したに身みを潜ひそめたため、あまり負傷ふしょうを受うけなかった。My sister had seen the flash while she was at the entrance hall and quickly hid herself under the stairs, so she was not badly hurt.

みんな、はじめ自分じぶんの家いえだけ爆撃ばくげきされたものと思おもい込こんで、外そとに出でてみると、何処どこも一様いちようにやられているのに唖然あぜんとした。At first all of them had assumed that only their own house had been bombed, and when they went outside they were stunned to find that everywhere had been hit alike.

それに、地上ちじょうの家屋かおくは崩壊ほうかいしていながら、爆弾ばくだんらしい穴あながあいていないのも不思議ふしぎであった。It was strange, too, that although the houses had collapsed, there were no holes that looked as if a bomb had made them.

あれは、警戒けいかい警報けいほうが解除かいじょになって間まもなくのことであった。It had happened shortly after the air-raid alert was lifted.

ピカッと光ひかったものがあり、マグネシュームを燃もすようなシューッという軽かるい音おととともに一瞬いっしゅんさっと足あしもとが回転かいてんし、……それはまるで魔術まじゅつのようであった、と妹いもうとは戦おののきながら語かたるのであった。Something flashed, and with a faint hissing, like magnesium burning, the ground under her feet spun round in an instant... it was just like magic, my sister told us, trembling.