トロッコ Torokko, part 3: The Long Run Home in the Dark

ところが土工どこうたちは出でて来くると、車くるまの上うえの枕木まくらぎに手てをかけながら、無造作むぞうさに彼かれにこう云いった。But when the labourers came out, they put their hands on the sleepers loaded on the cart and said to him, quite offhandedly:

「われはもう帰かえんな。おれたちは今日きょうは向むこう泊どまりだから」"You go on home now. We're stopping the night over there today."

「あんまり帰かえりが遅おそくなるとわれの家うちでも心配しんぱいするずら」"If you're back too late, your folks'll be worrying."

良平りょうへいは一瞬いっしゅん間かん呆気あっけにとられた。For a moment Ryōhei was struck dumb.

もうかれこれ暗くらくなる事こと、去年きょねんの暮くれ母ははと岩村いわむらまで来きたが、今日きょうの途みちはその三四さんし倍ばいある事こと、それを今いまからたった一人ひとり、歩あるいて帰かえらなければならない事こと、――そう云いう事ことが一時いちじにわかったのである。That it would soon be getting dark; that although he had walked as far as Iwamura with his mother at the end of last year, today's road was three or four times as long; that he would now have to walk all the way back entirely on his own: all of this dawned on him at once.

良平りょうへいは殆ほとんど泣なきそうになった。Ryōhei was very nearly in tears.

が、泣ないても仕方しかたがないと思おもった。But he thought that crying would do no good.

泣ないている場合ばあいではないとも思おもった。He also thought that this was no time for crying.

彼かれは若わかい二人ふたりの土工どこうに、取とって附つけたような御時宜おじぎをすると、どんどん線路せんろ伝つたいに走はしり出だした。He gave the two young labourers an awkward, hasty bow, then set off at a run along the tracks.

良平りょうへいは少時しばらく無我むが夢中むちゅうに線路せんろの側がわを走はしり続つづけた。For a while Ryōhei ran on beside the rails, blind to everything else.

その内うちに懐ふところの菓子かし包つつみが、邪魔じゃまになる事ことに気きがついたから、それを路側みちばたへ抛ほり出だす次手ついでに、板草履いたぞうりも其処そこへ脱ぬぎ捨すててしまった。Before long he noticed that the packet of sweets in the front of his kimono was getting in his way, so he flung it to the roadside, and while he was at it he kicked off his wooden sandals there as well.

すると薄うすい足袋たびの裏うらへじかに小石こいしが食くいこんだが、足あしだけは遙はるかに軽かるくなった。Then the pebbles dug straight into the thin soles of his tabi socks, but his feet felt far lighter.

彼かれは左ひだりに海うみを感かんじながら、急きゅうな坂路さかみちを駈かけ登のぼった。With the sea on his left, he raced up the steep slope.

時時ときどき涙なみだがこみ上あげて来くると、自然しぜんに顔かおが歪ゆがんで来くる。Every now and then tears welled up, and his face would twist of its own accord.

――それは無理むりに我慢がまんしても、鼻はなだけは絶たえずくうくう鳴なった。Even when he forced himself to hold them back, his nose kept snuffling and whimpering.

竹藪たけやぶの側がわを駈かけ抜ぬけると、夕焼ゆうやけのした日金山ひがねさんの空そらも、もう火照ほてりが消きえかかっていた。By the time he had dashed past the bamboo thicket, the glow in the sunset sky over Higanesan was already fading.

良平りょうへいは、愈いよいよ気きが気きでなかった。Ryōhei grew more and more frantic.

往ゆきと返かえりと変かわるせいか、景色けしきの違ちがうのも不安ふあんだった。Perhaps because going and coming back are different, the unfamiliar look of the scenery frightened him too.

すると今度こんどは着物きものまでも、汗あせの濡ぬれ通とおったのが気きになったから、やはり必死ひっしに駈かけ続つづけたなり、羽織はおりを路側みちばたへ脱ぬいで捨すてた。Next it began to bother him that even his kimono was soaked through with sweat, so, still running desperately, he pulled off his haori jacket and threw it to the roadside.

蜜柑みかん畑はたけへ来くる頃ころには、あたりは暗くらくなる一方いっぽうだった。By the time he reached the mandarin orchards, everything around him was growing darker and darker.

「命いのちさえ助たすかれば――」良平りょうへいはそう思おもいながら、辷すべってもつまずいても走はしって行いった。"If only I can stay alive…" With that thought in his mind, Ryōhei ran on, slipping and stumbling.

やっと遠とおい夕闇ゆうやみの中なかに、村外むらはずれの工事場こうじばが見みえた時とき、良平りょうへいは一思ひとおもいに泣なきたくなった。When at last he saw the construction site at the edge of the village far off in the dusk, Ryōhei wanted to burst out crying all at once.

しかしその時ときもべそはかいたが、とうとう泣なかずに駈かけ続つづけた。But even then, though his face puckered, he kept running without crying after all.

彼かれの村むらへはいって見みると、もう両側りょうがわの家家いえいえには、電燈でんとうの光ひかりがさし合あっていた。When he came into his village, the electric lights in the houses on both sides were already shining out across the street.

良平りょうへいはその電燈でんとうの光ひかりに、頭あたまから汗あせの湯気ゆげの立たつのが、彼かれ自身じしんにもはっきりわかった。In that light Ryōhei could see clearly for himself the steam of his sweat rising from his head.

井戸端いどばたに水みずを汲くんでいる女衆おんなしゅうや、畑はたけから帰かえって来くる男衆おとこしゅうは、良平りょうへいが喘あえぎ喘あえぎ走はしるのを見みては、「おいどうしたね？」などと声こえをかけた。The women drawing water at the well and the men coming home from the fields called out things like "Hey, what's the matter?" when they saw him running along, gasping and panting.

が、彼かれは無言むごんのまま、雑貨屋ざっかやだの床屋とこやだの、明あかるい家いえの前まえを走はしり過すぎた。But he ran past without a word, past the general store, the barber's and the other brightly lit houses.

彼かれの家うちの門口かどぐちへ駈かけこんだ時とき、良平りょうへいはとうとう大声おおごえに、わっと泣なき出ださずにはいられなかった。When he dashed in through the gate of his own house, Ryōhei could no longer keep from bursting into loud wails.

その泣なき声ごえは彼かれの周囲まわりへ、一時いちじに父ちちや母ははを集あつまらせた。At the sound of his crying, his father and mother came rushing to him at once.

殊ことに母ははは何なんとか云いいながら、良平りょうへいの体からだを抱かかえるようにした。His mother in particular, saying something or other, tried to take him in her arms.

が、良平りょうへいは手足てあしをもがきながら、啜すすり上あげ啜すすり上あげ泣なき続つづけた。But Ryōhei, thrashing his arms and legs, went on crying and sobbing and sobbing.

その声こえが余あまり激はげしかったせいか、近所きんじょの女衆おんなしゅうも三四人さんよにん、薄暗うすぐらい門口かどぐちへ集つどって来きた。Perhaps because he was crying so hard, three or four women from the neighbourhood also gathered at the dim gateway.

父母ふぼは勿論もちろんその人ひとたちは、口口くちぐちに彼かれの泣なく訣わけを尋たずねた。His parents, and of course these women too, all asked him why he was crying.

しかし彼かれは何なんと云いわれても泣なき立たてるより外ほかに仕方しかたがなかった。But whatever they said to him, there was nothing he could do but go on wailing.

あの遠とおい路みちを駈かけ通とおして来きた、今いままでの心細こころぼそさをふり返かえると、いくら大声おおごえに泣なき続つづけても、足たりない気きもちに迫せまられながら、…………As he looked back on the helpless loneliness he had felt all the way along that long road, he was gripped by the feeling that no amount of loud crying would ever be enough…

良平りょうへいは二十六にじゅうろくの年とし、妻子さいしと一いっしょに東京とうきょうへ出でて来きた。When he was twenty-six, Ryōhei moved to Tokyo with his wife and child.

今いまでは或ある雑誌ざっし社しゃの二に階かいに、校正こうせいの朱筆しゅひつを握にぎっている。Now, in an upstairs room of a certain magazine publisher, he grips a proofreader's red brush.

が、彼かれはどうかすると、全然ぜんぜん何なんの理由りゆうもないのに、その時ときの彼かれを思おもい出だす事ことがある。Yet at times, for no reason at all, he finds himself remembering the boy he was then.

全然ぜんぜん何なんの理由りゆうもないのに？For no reason at all?

――塵労じんろうに疲つかれた彼かれの前まえには今いまでもやはりその時ときのように、薄暗うすぐらい藪やぶや坂さかのある路みちが、細細ほそぼそと一ひとすじ断続だんぞくしている。Before him, worn out by the drudgery of the world, there still stretches, just as it did then, a single thin road through dim thickets and up slopes, broken off here and there and going on again.

……………