鮨 Sushi, part 6: A Boy Who Could Not Eat

その子供こどもは小ちいさいときから甘あまいものを好このまなかった。From the time he was small, the child did not care for sweet things.

おやつにはせいぜい塩しお煎餅せんべいぐらいを望のぞんだ。For a snack he would ask for a salted rice cracker at most.

食たべるときは、上歯うわばと下歯したばを叮嚀ていねいに揃そろえ円まるい形かたちの煎餅せんべいの端はしを規則きそく正ただしく噛かみ取とった。When he ate one, he would carefully line up his upper and lower teeth and bite off the edge of the round cracker in a neat, regular way.

ひどく湿しめっていない煎餅せんべいなら大概たいがい好よい音おとがした。As long as the cracker was not too damp, it usually made a pleasing sound.

子供こどもは噛かみ取とった煎餅せんべいの破片はへんをじゅうぶんに咀嚼そしゃくして咽喉のどへきれいに嚥のみ下くだしてから次つぎの端はしを噛かみ取とることにかかる。The child would chew the broken-off piece thoroughly and swallow it cleanly down his throat before setting about biting off the next edge.

上歯うわばと下歯したばをまた叮嚀ていねいに揃そろえ、その間あいだへまた煎餅せんべいの次つぎの端はしを挟はさみ入いれる――いざ、噛かみ破やぶるときに子供こどもは眼めを薄うすく瞑つぶり耳みみを澄すます。Once again he carefully lined up his upper and lower teeth, and once again slipped the next edge of the cracker between them. Then, at the very moment of biting through, the child half closed his eyes and listened intently.

ぺちんPechin.

同おなじ、ぺちんという音おとにも、いろいろの性質たちがあった。Even that same pechin sound came in many different kinds.

子供こどもは聞きき慣なれてその音おとの種類しゅるいを聞きき分わけた。The child had grown so used to it that he could tell the kinds of sound apart.

ある一定いっていの調子ちょうしの響ひびきを聞きき当あてたとき、子供こどもはぷるぷると胴慄どうぶるいした。When he caught one particular tone ringing out, the child would shiver all over.

子供こどもは煎餅せんべいを持もった手てを控ひかえて、しばらく考かんがえ込こむ。He would hold back the hand that held the cracker and sink into thought for a while.

うっすら眼めに涙なみだを溜ためている。His eyes would be faintly brimming with tears.

家族かぞくは両親りょうしんと、兄あにと姉あねと召使めしつかいだけだった。The family was just his parents, an elder brother, an elder sister, and the servants.

家中うちじゅうで、おかしな子供こどもと云いわれていた。Everyone in the house called him a strange child.

その子供こどもの喰たべものは外ほかにまだ偏かたよっていた。His eating was lopsided in other ways too.

さかなが嫌きらいだった。He disliked fish.

あまり数かずの野菜やさいは好すかなかった。He did not like many vegetables.

肉類にくるいは絶対ぜったいに近ちかづけなかった。Meat of any kind he would not go near.

神経質しんけいしつのくせに表面ひょうめんは大おおように見みせている父親ちちおやはときどきHis father, a nervous man who nevertheless put on an easygoing air, would sometimes

「ぼうずはどうして生いきているのかい」"How on earth does the boy stay alive?"

と子供こどもの食事しょくじを覗のぞきに来きた。he would say, coming to peer at the child's meal.

一ひとつは時勢じせいのためでもあるが、父親ちちおやは臆病おくびょうなくせに大おおように見みせたがる性分しょうぶんから、家いえの没落ぼつらくをじりじり眺ながめ乍ながら「なに、まだ、まだ」とまけおしみを云いって潰つぶして行いった。Partly it was the times, but the father was timid by nature and always wanted to look easygoing. He watched the family's fortunes slowly sink, saying stubbornly, "Oh, it's nothing, not yet, not yet," and so let everything go to ruin.

子供こどもの小ちいさい膳ぜんの上うえには、いつものように炒いり玉子たまごと浅草あさくさ海苔のりが、載のっていた。On the child's small meal tray there was, as always, scrambled egg and dried Asakusa seaweed.

母親ははおやは父親ちちおやが覗のぞくとその膳ぜんを袖そでで隠かくすようにしてWhenever the father peeped in, the mother would half hide the tray with her sleeve and say,

「あんまり、はたから騒さわぎ立たてないで下ください、これさえ気きまり悪わるがって喰たべなくなりますから」"Please don't make such a fuss from the side. He'll get embarrassed and stop eating even this."

その子供こどもには、実際じっさい、食事しょくじが苦痛くつうだった。For that child, in truth, meals were torment.

体内たいないへ、色いろ、香か、味あじのある塊団かたまりを入いれると、何なんか身みが穢けがれるような気きがした。Whenever he put a lump of something with colour, smell and taste inside his body, he felt as though he were somehow being defiled.

空気くうきのような喰たべものは無ないかと思おもう。He wondered whether there might be some food that was like air.

腹はらが減へると饑うえは充分じゅうぶん感かんじるのだが、うっかり喰たべる気きはしなかった。When his stomach was empty he felt the hunger well enough, but he could not bring himself to simply eat.

床とこの間まの冷つめたく透すき通とおった水晶すいしょうの置おきものに、舌したを当あてたり、頬ほおをつけたりした。He would press his tongue or lay his cheek against the cold, clear crystal ornament in the alcove.

饑うえぬいて、頭あたまの中なかが澄すみ切きったまま、だんだん、気きが遠とおくなって行いく。Starved through and through, his head perfectly clear, he would gradually grow faint.

それが谷地やちの池水ちすいを距へだててＡ―丘おかの後うしろへ入はいりかける夕陽ゆうひを眺ながめているときででもあると（湊みなとの生うまれた家いえもこの辺へんの地勢ちせいに似にた都会とかいの一隅いちぐうにあった。）子こどもはこのままのめり倒たおれて死しんでも関かまわないとさえ思おもう。If this happened while he was gazing across the pond in the hollow at the evening sun beginning to sink behind A— Hill (the house where Minato was born was also in a corner of the city whose lie of the land resembled this area), the child would even think he would not mind pitching forward just as he was and dying.

だが、この場合ばあいは窪くぼんだ腹はらに緊きつく締しめつけてある帯おびの間あいだに両手りょうてを無理むりにさし込こみ、体からだは前まえのめりのまま首くびだけ仰あおのいてBut at such times he would force both hands into the sash tied tightly round his hollow belly, and with his body still bent forward, tilt only his head back and

「お母かあさあん」"Mo-ther!"

と呼よぶ。he would call.

子供こどもの呼よんだのは、現在げんざいの生うみの母ははのことではなかった。The one the child was calling was not the mother he had now, the one who had given birth to him.

子供こどもは現在げんざいの生うみの母ははは家族かぞくじゅうで一番いちばん好すきである。Of all his family, the child loved that mother, the one who had borne him, best.

けれども子供こどもにはまだ他ほかに自分じぶんに「お母かあさん」と呼よばれる女性じょせいがあって、どこかに居いそうな気きがした。Yet he felt that there was still another woman whom he could call "Mother", and that she might be somewhere.

自分じぶんがいま呼よんで、もし「はい」といってその女性じょせいが眼めの前まえに出でて来きたなら自分じぶんはびっくりして気絶きぜつして仕舞しまうに違ちがいないとは思おもう。He did think that if, when he called now, that woman were to answer "Yes" and appear before his eyes, he would surely be so startled that he would faint.

しかし呼よぶことだけは悲かなしい楽たのしさだった。But the calling itself was a sad kind of pleasure.

「お母かあさあん、お母ははさあん」"Mo-ther, Mo-ther!"

薄紙うすがみが風かぜに慄ふるえるような声こえが続つづいた。The voice went on, like thin paper trembling in the wind.

「はあい」"Ye-es,"

と返事へんじをして現在げんざいの生うみの母親ははおやが出でて来きた。answered the mother who had borne him, coming out.

「おや、この子こは、こんな処ところで、どうしたのよ」"Why, child, what are you doing in a place like this?"

肩かたを揺ゆすって顔かおを覗のぞき込こむ。She shook his shoulder and peered into his face.

子供こどもは感違かんちがいした母親ははおやに対たいして何なんだか恥はずかしく赫あかくなった。The child somehow felt ashamed before his mother, who had misunderstood, and turned red.

「だから、三度々々さんどさんどちゃんとご飯はん喰たべてお呉くれと云いうに、さ、ほんとに後生ごしょうだから」"That's why I keep telling you to eat your meals properly, three times a day. Come now, I'm begging you, really."