鮨 Sushi, part 3: Fish in a Stream and a Quiet Regular

ともよは学校がっこうの遠足えんそく会かいで多摩川たまがわべりへ行いったことがあった。Tomoyo had once gone to the banks of the Tamagawa on a school outing.

春はるさきの小川おがわの淀よどみの淵ふちを覗のぞいていると、いくつも鮒ふなが泳およぎ流ながれて来きて、新茶しんちゃのような青あおい水みずの中なかに尾鰭おひれを閃ひらめかしては、杭根くいねの苔こけを食はんで、また流ながれ去さって行いく。As she peered into a deep, still pool in a little stream in early spring, crucian carp came swimming down with the current one after another. Flicking their tails and fins in the water, which was as green as new-season tea, they nibbled at the moss on the base of a stake and then drifted away again.

するともうあとの鮒ふなが流ながれ溜たまって尾鰭おひれを閃ひらめかしている。And then other carp had already drifted in and gathered there, flicking their tails and fins.

流ながれ来きたり、流ながれ去さるのだが、その交替こうたいは人間にんげんの意識いしきの眼めには留とどまらない程ほどすみやかでかすかな作業さぎょうのようで、いつも若干じゃっかんの同おなじ魚さかなが、其処そこに遊あそんでいるかとも思おもえる。They came and they went, yet the changeover seemed so swift and so faint that the human eye never caught it, and one could almost believe that the same few fish were always playing there.

ときどきは不精ぶしょうそうな鯰なまずも来きた。Now and then a lazy-looking catfish came along too.

自分じぶんの店みせの客きゃくの新陳しんちん代謝たいしゃはともよにはこの春はるの川かわの魚さかなのようにも感かんぜられた。To Tomoyo, the turnover of customers at her family's shop seemed rather like the fish in that spring stream.

（たとえ常連じょうれんというグループはあっても、そのなかの一人々々ひとりひとりはいつか変かわっている）自分じぶんは杭くい根ねのみどりの苔こけのように感かんじた。(Even if there was a group you could call regulars, each one of them had changed before you knew it.) She felt like the green moss on the base of the stake.

みんな自分じぶんに軽かるく触ふれては慰なぐさめられて行いく。Everyone brushed lightly against her, took a little comfort, and moved on.

ともよは店みせのサーヴィスを義務ぎむとも辛抱しんぼうとも感かんじなかった。Tomoyo felt that serving in the shop was neither a duty nor something to endure.

胸むねも腰こしもつくろわない少女しょうじょじみたカシミヤの制服せいふくを着きて、有合ありあわせの男おとこ下駄げたをカランカラン引ひきずって、客きゃくへ茶ちゃを運はこぶ。Dressed in a girlish cashmere school uniform that did nothing to shape her bust or hips, and dragging along a pair of men's wooden clogs she had found lying about, clattering as she went, she carried tea out to the customers.

客きゃくが情事じょうじめいたことをいって揶揄からかうと、ともよは口くちをちょっと尖とがらし、片方かたほうの肩かたを一いっしょに釣上つりあげてWhen a customer teased her with some flirtatious remark, Tomoyo would purse her lips a little, hitch up one shoulder at the same time, and

「困こまるわそんなこと、何なんとも返事へんじできないわ」"Oh, don't say things like that, I've no idea how to answer you."

という。she would say.

さすがに、それには極ごく軽かるい媚こびが声こえに捩よじれて消きえる。Even so, at such moments the faintest trace of coquetry twisted into her voice and faded away.

客きゃくは仄ほのかな明あかるいものを自分じぶんの気持きもちのなかに点てんじられて笑わらう。The customer would laugh, feeling something softly bright kindled within him.

ともよは、その程度ていどの福ふくずしの看板娘かんばんむすめであった。That, more or less, was the modest extent to which Tomoyo served as Fukuzushi's signboard girl.

客きゃくのなかの湊みなとというのは、五十ごじゅう過すぎぐらいの紳士しんしで、濃こい眉まゆがしらから顔かおへかけて、憂愁ゆうしゅうの蔭かげを帯おびている。Among the customers was one called Minato, a gentleman of somewhat over fifty, whose face, from the heavy inner ends of his eyebrows downward, was touched by a shadow of melancholy.

時ときによっては、もっと老ふけて見みえ、場合ばあいによっては情熱的じょうねつてきな壮年そうねん者しゃにも見みえるときもあった。At times he looked older still, and at others he might even seem a passionate man in the prime of life.

けれども鋭するどい理智りちから来くる一種いっしゅの諦念ていねんといったようなものが、人柄ひとがらの上うえに冴さえて、苦味にがみのある顔かおを柔和にゅうわに磨みがいていた。Yet a kind of resignation, born of a keen intellect, shone clearly through his character and had polished his rather bitter face into gentleness.

濃こく縮ちぢれた髪かみの毛けを、程ほどよくもじょもじょに分わけ仏蘭西ふらんす髭ひげを生はやしている。His thick, curly hair was parted into a pleasantly loose tousle, and he wore a French-style beard.

服装ふくそうは赫あかい短靴たんぐつを埃ほこりまみれにしてホームスパンを着きている時ときもあれば、少すこし古ふるびた結城ゆうきで着流きながしのときもある。As for his clothes, sometimes he wore homespun, with his red low shoes covered in dust, and at other times a somewhat worn kimono of Yūki silk, worn casually without a formal overskirt.

独身者どくしんしゃであることはたしかだが職業しょくぎょうは誰だれにも判わからず、店みせではいつか先生せんせいと呼よび馴なれていた。That he was a bachelor was certain, but no one knew what he did for a living, and at the shop they had at some point grown used to calling him Sensei.

鮨すしの食たべ方かたは巧者こうしゃであるが、強しいて通つうがるところも無なかった。He ate sushi like an expert, yet there was nothing forced about him, no effort to show off as a connoisseur.

サビタのステッキを床ゆかにとんとつき、椅子いすに腰こしかけてから体からだを斜しゃに鮨すしの握にぎり台だいの方ほうへ傾かたむけ、硝子がらす箱ばこの中なかに入はいっている材料ざいりょうを物憂ものうそうに点検てんけんする。He would tap his hydrangea-wood walking stick on the floor, sit down on a chair, lean sideways toward the sushi counter, and languidly inspect the ingredients in the glass case.

「ほう。今日きょうはだいぶ品数しなかずがあるな」"Well, now. You've quite a selection today."

と云いってともよの運はこんで来きた茶ちゃを受うけ取とる。he would say, taking the tea that Tomoyo had brought him.

「カンパチが脂あぶらがのっています、それに今日きょうは蛤はまぐりも――」"The amberjack is nice and rich, and today we've got clams too—"

ともよの父親ちちおやの福ふくずしの亭主ていしゅは、いつかこの客きゃくの潔癖けっぺきな性分しょうぶんであることを覚おぼえ、湊みなとが来くると無意識むいしきに俎板まないたや塗ぬり盤ばんの上うえへしきりに布巾ふきんをかけながら云いう。Tomoyo's father, the owner of Fukuzushi, had at some point come to realise that this customer was fastidious about cleanliness, and whenever Minato came, he would say this while unconsciously wiping the chopping board and the lacquered serving board over and over with a cloth.

「じゃ、それを握にぎって貰もらおう」"Then I'll have you make me some of those."

「はい」"Yes, sir."

亭主ていしゅはしぜん、ほかの客きゃくとは違ちがった返事へんじをする。Without thinking, the owner answered him in a different way from his other customers.

湊みなとの鮨すしの喰たべ方かたのコースは、いわれなくともともよの父親ちちおやは判わかっている。Even without being told, Tomoyo's father knew the course Minato followed when he ate sushi.

鮪まぐろの中ちゅうとろから始はじまって、つめのつく煮にものの鮨すしになり、だんだんあっさりした青あおい鱗うろこのさかなに進すすむ。He began with medium-fatty tuna, went on to sushi of simmered toppings brushed with sweet tsume glaze, and gradually moved on to lighter, blue-scaled fish.

そして玉子たまごと海苔のり巻まきに終おわる。And he finished with egg and seaweed rolls.

それで握にぎり手ては、その日ひの特別とくべつの注文ちゅうもんは、適宜てきぎにコースの中なかへ加くわえればいいのである。So the man making the sushi needed only to slip that day's special items into the course wherever they suited.

湊みなとは、茶ちゃを飲のんだり、鮨すしを味あじわったりする間あいだ、片手かたてを頬ほおに宛あてがうか、そのまま首くびを下さげてステッキの頭あたまに置おく両手りょうての上うえへ顎あごを載のせるかして、じっと眺ながめる。While drinking his tea or savouring his sushi, Minato would either rest one hand against his cheek, or else lower his head and set his chin on his two hands, which lay on top of his stick, and gaze steadily.

眺ながめるのは開あけ放はなしてある奥座敷おくざしきを通とおして眼めに入はいる裏うらの谷合たにあいの木こがくれの沢地さわちか、水みずを撒まいてある表通おもてどおりに、向むこうの塀へいから垂たれ下さがっている椎しいの葉はの茂しげみかどちらかである。What he gazed at was either the marshy ground hidden among the trees in the hollow of the valley behind the shop, seen through the inner room that had been left wide open, or the thick leaves of a chinquapin tree hanging down from the wall opposite, over the front street that had been sprinkled with water.