ざしき童子のはなし Zashikibokko no Hanashi, part 1: Broom Sounds, Extra Children, and a Ferry

ぼくらの方ほうの、ざしき童子ぼっこのはなしです。This is a tale of the parlour children from our part of the country.

あかるいひるま、みんなが山やまへはたらきに出でて、こどもがふたり、庭にわであそんでおりました。One bright afternoon, when everyone had gone off to work in the hills, two children were playing in the garden.

大おおきな家いえにだれもおりませんでしたから、そこらはしんとしています。There was nobody at all in the big house, so everything around was hushed and still.

ところが家いえの、どこかのざしきで、ざわっざわっと箒ほうきの音おとがしたのです。But then, from somewhere in the house, in one of the tatami rooms, came a swish, swish: the sound of a broom.

ふたりのこどもは、おたがい肩かたにしっかりと手てを組くみあって、こっそり行いってみましたが、どのざしきにもたれもいず、刀かたなの箱はこもひっそりとして、かきねの檜ひのきが、いよいよ青あおく見みえるきり、たれもどこにもいませんでした。The two children held each other tight by the shoulders and crept off to look, but there was no one in any of the rooms. The sword box sat silent, and the cypresses in the hedge only looked greener than ever. There was no one anywhere.

ざわっざわっと箒ほうきの音おとがきこえます。Swish, swish, went the sound of the broom.

とおくの百舌もずの声こえなのか、北上きたかみ川かわの瀬せの音おとか、どこかで豆まめを箕みにかけるのか、ふたりでいろいろ考かんがえながら、だまって聴きいてみましたが、やっぱりどれでもないようでした。Was it a shrike calling far away? The rapids of the Kitakami River? Someone somewhere sifting beans in a winnowing basket? The two of them thought of all sorts of things as they listened in silence, but it didn't seem to be any of those after all.

たしかにどこかで、ざわっざわっと箒ほうきの音おとがきこえたのです。Somewhere, for certain, they had heard that swish, swish of a broom.

も一いちどこっそり、ざしきをのぞいてみましたが、どのざしきにもたれもいず、ただお日ひさまの光ひかりばかりそこらいちめん、あかるく降ふっておりました。Once more they crept up and peeked into the rooms, but there was no one in any of them. There was only the sunlight, pouring down bright over everything.

こんなのがざしき童子ぼっこです。That's the kind of thing a parlour child is.

「大道だいどうめぐり、大道だいどうめぐり」"Round the big road, round the big road!"

一生いっしょうけん命めい、こう叫さけびながら、ちょうど十人じゅうにんの子供こどもらが、両手りょうてをつないでまるくなり、ぐるぐるぐるぐる座敷ざしきのなかをまわっていました。Shouting this for all they were worth, exactly ten children held hands in a ring and went round and round and round inside the room.

どの子こもみんな、そのうちのお振舞ふるまいによばれて来きたのです。Every one of them had been invited to a party at that house.

ぐるぐるぐるぐる、まわってあそんでおりました。Round and round and round they went, playing.

そしたらいつか、十一じゅういち人にんになりました。And then, before anyone noticed, there were eleven.

ひとりも知しらない顔かおがなく、ひとりもおんなじ顔かおがなく、それでもやっぱり、どう数かぞえても十一じゅういち人にんだけおりました。There wasn't a single face they didn't know, and no two faces were the same. And yet, however they counted, there were still eleven of them.

そのふえた一人ひとりがざしきぼっこなのだぞと、大人おとなが出でて来きて言いいました。"The extra one is a parlour child, you know," said a grown-up who came out to see.

けれどもたれがふえたのか、とにかくみんな、自分じぶんだけは、どうしてもざしきぼっこでないと、一生いっしょうけん命めい眼めを張はって、きちんとすわっておりました。But who was the extra one? Each and every child was quite sure that they at least were not the parlour child, and sat up straight with their eyes open as wide as they could.

こんなのがざしきぼっこです。That's the kind of thing a parlour child is.

それからまたこういうのです。And then there's this kind too.

ある大おおきな本家ほんけでは、いつも旧きゅうの八はち月がつのはじめに、如来にょらいさまのおまつりで分家ぶんけの子供こどもらをよぶのでしたが、ある年としその一人ひとりの子こが、はしかにかかってやすんでいました。In a certain big main household, they always invited the children of the branch families at the start of the eighth month of the old calendar for the festival of the Buddha. But one year one of those children caught measles and was laid up in bed.

「如来にょらいさんの祭まつりへ行いきたい。如来にょらいさんの祭まつりへ行いきたい」と、その子こは寝ねていて、毎日まいにち毎日まいにち言いいました。"I want to go to the Buddha's festival. I want to go to the Buddha's festival," the child said from bed, day after day.

「祭まつり延のばすから早はやくよくなれ」本家ほんけのおばあさんが見舞みまいに行いって、その子この頭あたまをなでて言いいました。"We'll put off the festival, so hurry up and get better," said the grandmother of the main house when she went to visit, stroking the child's head.

その子こは九きゅう月がつによくなりました。The child got better in the ninth month.

そこでみんなはよばれました。So everyone was invited.

ところがほかの子供こどもらは、いままで祭まつりを延のばされたり、鉛なまりの兎うさぎを見舞みまいにとられたりしたので、なんともおもしろくなくてたまりませんでした。But the other children were thoroughly fed up. The festival had been put off all this time, and their lead rabbits had been taken from them as get-well presents.

「あいつのためにひどいめにあった。もう今日きょうは来きても、どうしたってあそばないぞ」と約束やくそくしました。"We've had a rotten time because of him. Even if he comes today, we're not playing with him, no matter what," they promised one another.

「おお、来きたぞ、来きたぞ」みんながざしきであそんでいたとき、にわかに一人ひとりが叫さけびました。"Hey, he's here, he's here!" one of them suddenly shouted while they were all playing in the room.

「ようし、かくれろ」みんなは次つぎの、小ちいさなざしきへかけ込こみました。"Right, hide!" They all ran into the next room, a small one.

そしたらどうです。And what do you think?

そのざしきのまん中なかに、今いまやっと来きたばっかりのはずの、あのはしかをやんだ子こが、まるっきりやせて青あおざめて、泣なきだしそうな顔かおをして、新あたらしい熊くまのおもちゃを持もって、きちんとすわっていたのです。There in the middle of that room, sitting up properly, was the child who'd had measles. He was surely only just arriving, yet there he was, terribly thin and pale, looking as if he was about to cry, holding a new toy bear.

「ざしきぼっこだ」一人ひとりが叫さけんでにげだしました。"It's a parlour child!" one of them shouted, and ran off.

みんなもわあっとにげました。All the rest ran away too, shrieking.

ざしきぼっこは泣なきました。The parlour child cried.

こんなのがざしきぼっこです。That's the kind of thing a parlour child is.

また、北上きたかみ川かわの朗妙寺ろうみょうじの淵ふちの渡わたし守もりが、ある日ひわたしに言いいました。And once, the ferryman at the deep pool by Rōmyōji on the Kitakami River said to me:

「旧暦きゅうれき八はち月がつ十七日じゅうしちにちの晩ばん、おらは酒さけのんで早はやく寝ねた。おおい、おおいと向むこうで呼よんだ。起おきて小屋こやから出でてみたら、お月つきさまはちょうどそらのてっぺんだ。"On the night of the seventeenth of the eighth month, old calendar, I'd had a drink and turned in early. Somebody called from the far side, 'Hey there! Hey there!' I got up and came out of my hut, and the moon was right up at the top of the sky.

おらは急いそいで舟ふねだして、向むこうの岸きしに行いってみたらば、紋付もんつきを着きて刀かたなをさし、袴はかまをはいたきれいな子供こどもだ。I got the boat out quick and went across to the other bank, and there's a fine-looking child in a crested kimono and hakama, with a sword in his sash.

たった一人ひとりで、白緒しろおのぞうりもはいていた。渡わたるかと言いったら、たのむと言いった。子こどもは乗のった。All on his own, and wearing sandals with white thongs, too. I said, 'You crossing?' and he said, 'Please.' The child got in.

舟ふねがまん中なかごろに来きたとき、おらは見みないふりしてよく子供こどもを見みた。きちんと膝ひざに手てを置おいて、そらを見みながらすわっていた。When the boat got about halfway across, I made like I wasn't looking and took a good look at him. He was sitting there proper, hands on his knees, looking up at the sky.

お前まえさん今いまからどこへ行いく、どこから来きたってきいたらば、子供こどもはかあいい声こえで答こたえた。I asked him, 'Where you off to now, then, and where've you come from?' and the child answered in a sweet little voice:

そこの笹田ささだのうちにずいぶんながくいたけれど、もうあきたから他ほかへ行いくよ。'I was at the Sasadas' place over there a good long while, but I've had enough of it, so I'm off somewhere else.'

なぜあきたねってきいたらば、子供こどもはだまってわらっていた。I asked, 'Why'd you get tired of it?' and the child just smiled and said nothing.

どこへ行いくねってまたきいたらば、更木さらきの斎藤さいとうへ行いくよと言いった。I asked again, 'Where you going, then?' and he said, 'To the Saitōs in Saraki.'

岸きしについたら子供こどもはもういず、おらは小屋こやの入口いりぐちにこしかけていた。When we reached the bank the child was gone, and there I was, sitting at the door of my hut.

夢ゆめだかなんだかわからない。Dream or what, I can't tell.

けれどもきっと本当ほんとうだ。But it's true, sure enough.

それから笹田ささだがおちぶれて、更木さらきの斎藤さいとうでは病気びょうきもすっかり直なおったし、むすこも大学だいがくを終おわったし、めきめき立派りっぱになったから」'Cause after that the Sasadas went to ruin, and over at the Saitōs in Saraki the sickness cleared right up, the son finished university, and they came up fine and grand in no time."

こんなのがざしき童子ぼっこです。That's the kind of thing a parlour child is.