鮨 Sushi, part 10: The Sensei Disappears from Fukuzushi

家いえは全まったく潰つぶれ、父母ふぼや兄姉けいしも前後ぜんごして死しんだ。The family was utterly ruined, and his father and mother and his elder brothers and sisters died one after another.

息子むすこ自身じしんは頭あたまが好よくて、何処どこへ行いっても相当そうとうに用もちいられたが、何故なぜか、一家いっかの職しょくにも、栄達えいたつにも気きが進すすまなかった。The son himself was bright, and wherever he went he was valued and given fair employment, yet for some reason he had no inclination either for the family trade or for worldly advancement.

二に度目どめの妻つまが死しんで、五十ごじゅう近ちかくなった時とき、一寸ちょっとした投機とうきでかなり儲もうけ、一生いっしょう独ひとりの生活せいかつには事ことかかない見極みきわめのついたのを機きに職業しょくぎょうも捨すてた。When his second wife died and he was nearly fifty, he made a fair amount of money on a small speculation, and once he was sure he would never want for anything living alone for the rest of his life, he took the chance to give up his profession as well.

それから後あとは、茲ここのアパート、あちらの貸家かしやと、彼かれの一所いっしょ不定ふていの生活せいかつが始はじまった。From then on began his life with no fixed home: an apartment here, a rented house there.

今いまのはなしのうちの子供こども、それから大おおきくなって息子むすこと呼よんではなしたのは私わたくしのことだと湊みなとは長ながい談話だんわのあとで、ともよに云いった。After his long account, Minato told Tomoyo that the child in the story he had just told, and the one he had gone on to call "the son" once he grew up, was himself.

「ああ判わかった。それで先生せんせいは鮨すしがお好すきなのね」"Oh, now I understand. So that's why you like sushi, Sensei."

「いや、大人おとなになってからは、そんなに好すきでもなくなったのだが、近頃ちかごろ、年としをとったせいか、しきりに母親ははおやのことを想おもい出だすのでね。鮨すしまでなつかしくなるんだよ」"No, once I grew up I stopped liking it all that much, but lately, maybe because I'm getting old, I keep thinking of my mother. Even sushi makes me feel nostalgic."

二人ふたりの坐すわっている病院びょういんの焼跡やけあとのひとところに支ささえの朽くちた藤棚ふじだながあって、おどろのように藤蔓ふじづるが宙ちゅうから地上ちじょうに這はい下おり、それでも蔓つるの尖さきの方ほうには若葉わかばを一いっぱいつけ、その間あいだから痩やせたうす紫むらさきの花房はなぶさが雫しずくのように咲さき垂たれている。In one corner of the burnt-out hospital grounds where the two of them sat stood a wisteria trellis with rotted supports, and the wisteria vines crawled down from midair to the ground like a tangle of brambles; even so, the tips of the vines were thick with young leaves, and from among them thin, pale purple clusters of blossoms hung down like drops of water.

庭石にわいしの根締ねじめになっていたやしおの躑躅つつじが石いしを運はこび去さられたあとの穴あなの側がわに半面はんめん、黝あおぐろく枯かれて火ひのあおりのあとを残のこしながら、半面はんめんに白しろい花はなをつけている。The yashio azalea that had been planted around the base of a garden stone stood beside the hole left after the stone was carried away; one half of it was withered dark and blackish, still showing the scorch of the fire, while the other half bore white flowers.

庭にわの端はしの崖下がけしたは電車でんしゃ線路せんろになっていて、ときどき轟々ごうごうと電車でんしゃの行いき過すぎる音おとだけが聞きこえる。Below the cliff at the edge of the garden ran the train tracks, and from time to time the only sound was the roar of a passing train.

竜りゅうの髭ひげのなかのいちはつの花はなの紫むらさきが、夕風ゆうかぜに揺ゆれ、二人ふたりのいる近ちかくに一本いっぽん立たっている太ふとい棕梠しゅろの木きの影かげが、草叢くさむらの上うえにだんだん斜しゃにかかって来きた。The purple of the iris flowers among the mondo grass swayed in the evening breeze, and the shadow of a single thick hemp palm standing near the two of them slowly slanted across the grass.

ともよが買かって来きてそこへ置おいた籠かごの河鹿かじかが二声ふたこえ、三声みこえ、啼なき初そめた。The singing frog in the cage that Tomoyo had bought and set down there began to call, two or three times.

二人ふたりは笑わらいを含ふくんだ顔かおを見合みあわせた。The two looked at each other with smiles on their faces.

「さあ、だいぶ遅おそくなった。ともちゃん、帰かえらなくては悪わるかろう」"Well, it's gotten quite late. Tomo-chan, you'd better be going home."

ともよは河鹿かじかの籠かごを捧ささげて立たち上あがった。Tomoyo stood up, holding the frog's cage before her in both hands.

すると、湊みなとは自分じぶんの買かった骨ほねの透すき通とおって見みえる髑髏魚ゴーストフィッシュをも、そのままともよに与あたえて立たち去さった。Then Minato also gave Tomoyo the ghostfish he had bought himself, the one whose bones showed through its body, just as it was, and walked away.

湊みなとはその後ご、すこしも福ふくずしに姿すがたを見みせなくなった。After that, Minato never showed himself at Fukuzushi again.

「先生せんせいは、近頃ちかごろ、さっぱり姿すがたを見みせないね」"Sensei hasn't been around at all lately, has he?"

常連じょうれんの間あいだに不審ふしんがるものもあったが、やがてすっかり忘わすられてしまった。Some of the regulars wondered about it, but before long he was completely forgotten.

ともよは湊みなとと別わかれるとき、湊みなとがどこのアパートにいるか聞ききもらしたのが残念ざんねんだった。Tomoyo regretted that when she parted from Minato she had failed to ask which apartment he lived in.

それで、こちらから訪たずねても行いけず病院びょういんの焼跡やけあとへ暫しばらく佇たたずんだり、あたりを見廻みまわし乍ながら石いしに腰こしかけて湊みなとのことを考かんがえ時々ときどきは眼めにうすく涙なみださえためてまた茫然ぼうぜんとして店みせへ帰かえって来くるのであったが、やがてともよのそうした行為こういも止やんで仕舞しまった。So she could not go and visit him herself, and instead she would stand for a while in the burnt-out hospital grounds, or sit on a stone looking around and thinking about Minato, sometimes even with faint tears in her eyes, and then come back to the shop in a daze; but before long she stopped doing even that.

此頃このごろでは、ともよは湊みなとを思おもい出だす度たびにThese days, whenever Tomoyo remembers Minato,

「先生せんせいは、何処どこかへ越こして、また何処どこかの鮨すし屋やへ行いってらっしゃるのだろう――鮨すし屋やは何処どこにでもあるんだもの――」"Sensei has probably moved somewhere and is going to some other sushi shop. After all, there are sushi shops everywhere."

と漠然ばくぜんと考かんがえるに過すぎなくなった。is all she vaguely thinks.