夏の花 Natsu no Hana, part 9: A Nephew's Return and N's Search

この村むらへ移うつって四五日目しごにちめに、行方ゆくえ不明ふめいであった中学生ちゅうがくせいの甥おいが帰かえって来きた。On the fourth or fifth day after we moved to this village, my nephew, the middle-school boy who had been missing, came back.

彼かれはあの朝あさ、建たてもの疎開そかいのため学校がっこうへ行いったが恰度ちょうど、教室きょうしつにいた時光ときひかりを見みた。That morning he had gone to school to help pull down buildings for firebreaks, and he happened to be in the classroom when he saw the flash.

瞬間しゅんかん、机つくえの下したに身みを伏ふせ、次ついで天井てんじょうが墜おちて埋うもれたが、隙間すきまを見みつけて這はい出だした。In that instant he threw himself under his desk. Then the ceiling fell in and buried him, but he found a gap and crawled out.

這はい出だして逃にげのびた生徒せいとは四五名しごめいにすぎず、他たは全部ぜんぶ、最初さいしょの一撃いちげきで駄目だめになっていた。Only four or five pupils crawled out and got away; all the rest had been finished by that first blow.

彼かれは四五名しごめいと一緒いっしょに比治山ひじやまに逃にげ、途中とちゅうで白しろい液体えきたいを吐はいた。He fled to Hijiyama with those four or five, and on the way he vomited a white liquid.

それから一緒いっしょに逃にげた友人ゆうじんの処ところへ汽車きしゃで行いき、そこで世話せわになっていたのだそうだ。After that, he said, he had gone by train to the home of a friend who had escaped with him, and had been looked after there.

しかし、この甥おいもこちらへ帰かえって来きて、一週間いっしゅうかんあまりすると、頭髪とうはつが抜ぬけ出だし、二日位ふつかぐらいですっかり禿はげになってしまった。But a little over a week after this nephew came back here, his hair began to fall out too, and within about two days he was completely bald.

今度こんどの遭難者そうなんしゃで、頭髪とうはつが抜ぬけ鼻血はなじが出でだすと大概たいがい助たすからない、という説せつがその頃ころ大分だいぶひろまっていた。By then a belief had spread widely that when victims of this disaster lost their hair and began to have nosebleeds, they could usually not be saved.

頭髪とうはつが抜ぬけてから十じゅう二に三さん日にち目めに、甥おいはとうとう鼻血はなじを出だしだした。Twelve or thirteen days after his hair fell out, my nephew at last began to bleed from the nose.

医者いしゃはその夜よるが既すでにあぶなかろうと宣告せんこくしていた。The doctor had declared that he would probably not last the night.

しかし、彼かれは重態じゅうたいのままだんだん持もちこたえて行いくのであった。Yet, still in critical condition, he gradually held on.

Ｎは疎開そかい工場こうじょうの方ほうへはじめて汽車きしゃで出掛でかけて行いく途中とちゅう、恰度ちょうど汽車きしゃがトンネルに入はいった時とき、あの衝撃しょうげきを受うけた。N was on his way by train to the evacuated factory for the first time, and just as the train entered a tunnel, he felt that shock.

トンネルを出でて、広島ひろしまの方ほうを見みると、落下傘らっかさんが三みっつ、ゆるく流ながれてゆくのであった。When the train came out of the tunnel and he looked toward Hiroshima, three parachutes were drifting slowly away.

それから次つぎの駅えきに汽車きしゃが着つくと、駅えきのガラス窓まどがひどく壊こわれているのに驚おどろいた。Then, when the train pulled into the next station, he was startled to see how badly the station's glass windows had been smashed.

やがて、目的地もくてきちまで達たっした時ときには、既すでに詳くわしい情報じょうほうが伝つたわっていた。By the time he reached his destination, detailed news had already come through.

彼かれはその足あしですぐ引返ひきかえすようにして汽車きしゃに乗のった。He turned straight round as he was and caught a train back.

擦すれ違ちがう列車れっしゃはみな奇怪きっかいな重傷じゅうしょう者しゃを満載まんさいしていた。Every train they passed was packed with grotesquely wounded people.

彼かれは街まちの火災かさいが鎮しずまるのを待まちかねて、まだ熱あついアスファルトの上うえをずんずん進すすんで行いった。Unable to wait any longer for the fires in the city to die down, he pressed steadily on over the asphalt, which was still hot.

そして一番いちばんに妻つまの勤つとめている女学校じょがっこうへ行いった。He went first of all to the girls' school where his wife worked.

教室きょうしつの焼跡やけあとには、生徒せいとの骨ほねがあり、校長こうちょう室しつの跡あとには校長こうちょうらしい白骨はっこつがあった。In the burnt ruins of the classrooms lay the bones of pupils, and where the principal's office had stood lay white bones that seemed to be the principal's.

が、Ｎの妻つまらしいものは遂ついに見出みいだせなかった。But in the end he could not find anything that looked like N's wife.

彼かれは大急おおいそぎで自宅じたくの方ほうへ引返ひきかえしてみた。He hurried back toward his home to look.

そこは宇品うじなの近ちかくで家いえが崩くずれただけで火災かさいは免まぬがれていた。It was near Ujina, and the house had only collapsed; it had escaped the fire.

が、そこにも妻つまの姿すがたは見みつからなかった。But there was no sign of his wife there either.

それから今度こんどは自宅じたくから女学校じょがっこうへ通つうじる道みちに斃たおれている死体したいを一ひとつ一ひとつ調しらべてみた。Next he examined, one by one, the corpses lying fallen along the road from his home to the girls' school.

大概たいがいの死体したいが打伏うつぶせになっているので、それを抱だき起おこしては首実検くびじっけんするのであったが、どの女おんなもどの女おんなも変かわりはてた相そうをしていたが、しかし彼かれの妻つまではなかった。Most of the bodies lay face down, so he would lift each one in his arms and look at the face. Every woman, every single one, was changed past recognition, but none of them was his wife.

しまいには方角ほうがく違ちがいの処ところまで、ふらふらと見みて廻まわった。In the end he wandered unsteadily around, looking even in places that lay in quite the wrong direction.

水槽すいそうの中なかに折重おりかさなって漬つかっている十じゅうあまりの死体したいもあった。There were more than ten bodies piled on top of one another, soaking in a water tank.

河岸かしに懸かかっている梯子はしごに手てをかけながら、その儘まま硬直こうちょくしている三みっつの死骸しがいがあった。There were three corpses with their hands on a ladder hanging from the riverbank, stiffened just as they were.

バスを待まつ行列ぎょうれつの死骸しがいは立たったまま、前まえの人ひとの肩かたに爪つめを立たてて死しんでいた。The corpses in a queue for a bus had died standing up, their nails dug into the shoulders of the person in front.

郡部ぐんぶから家屋かおく疎開そかいの勤労きんろう奉仕ほうしに動員どういんされて、全滅ぜんめつしている群むれも見みた。He also saw a group who had been mobilised from the country districts for volunteer labour on house demolition, wiped out to the last one.

西にし練兵れんぺい場じょうの物凄ものすごさといったらなかった。The horror of Nishi Renpeijō (West Parade Ground) was beyond words.

そこは兵隊へいたいの死しの山やまであった。It was a mountain of dead soldiers.

しかし、どこにも妻つまの死骸しがいはなかった。But nowhere was there any trace of his wife's body.

Ｎはいたるところの収容しゅうよう所しょを訪たずね廻まわって、重傷じゅうしょう者しゃの顔かおを覗のぞき込こんだ。N went round every relief shelter he could find and peered into the faces of the badly injured.

どの顔かおも悲惨ひさんのきわみではあったが、彼かれの妻つまの顔かおではなかった。Every face showed misery at its utmost, but none of them was his wife's.

そうして、三日三晩みっかみばん、死体したいと火傷やけど患者かんじゃをうんざりするほど見みてすごした挙句あげく、Ｎは最後さいごにまた妻つまの勤つとめ先さきである女学校じょがっこうの焼跡やけあとを訪おとずれた。And so, after three days and three nights of looking at corpses and burn victims until he was sick of them, N went one last time to the burnt ruins of the girls' school where his wife had worked.

（昭和しょうわ二十二にじゅうに年ねん六ろく月がつ号ごう『三田みた文学ぶんがく』）(Mita Bungaku, June 1947 issue)