藤沢周平『時雨のあと』+α　ダイジェスト（英語対訳）７　　　　　　　　Fujisawa Shuhei's "After the Drizzling Rain" + α 　A Digest (English Translation)７

『時雨のあと』７　「果し合い」

　五十八の庄司佐之助は、若い頃の果し合いが原因で、甥の家族に部屋住みとして面倒を見てもらっているが、疎んじられている。
　佐之助に唯一優しい甥の娘美也が、松崎信次郎に思いを寄せ、縄手達之助との縁談を断ると、達之助は信次郎に果し合いを申し込んだ。
　美也は剣技が不得手の信次郎を心配して、佐之助に助けを求めた。
　佐之助を無気力にさせてしまうほどの過去は悔恨に満ち、美也と信次郎の姿に過去の自分を重ね合わせて、自分に優しくしてくれた美也に後悔をさせまいとする思いがとても力強く、暖かい。
　　「ーーいまごろは　だいぶ行ったろう。
　佐之助は江戸を目ざして旅立って行った二人のことを考えていた。美也は部屋を出るとき、佐之助にとり縋ってちょっと 泣いたが、簡単な旅支度に装った姿には、隠しきれない弾みのようなものがあった。
　－－あれでいいのさ。
　佐之助はそう思った。そう思う佐之助の心に、微かな悔恨がよみがえる。信次郎と美也の姿に、佐之助は自分と 牧江といった御盾町の橋川の娘の姿を重ねてみる。
　夜が明けはなたれたら、佐之助は、ゆうべ縄手達之助と果し合いをした、と大目付に届け出るつもりだった。 その理由は、達之助が佐之助にしかけた侮辱である。そして、あるいは腹を切ることになるかも知れない、と思うが、 それは別に恐いとは思わなかった。」 　

Fujisawa Shuhei's "After the Drizzling Rain" + α 　A Digest (English Translation)
“After the Drizzling Rain" 7 "A Duel"

 
　　　Sanosuke Shoji, 58, is being looked after by his nephew's family as a roommate due to a duel he had in his youth, but he is neglected.
 
　　　Miya, the only nephew who is kind to Sanosuke, falls in love with Matsuzaki Shinjiro and turns down an arranged marriage with Nawate Tatsunosuke. Tatsunosuke challenges Shinjiro to a duel.
 
　　　Worried about Shinjiro's lack of skill in swordsmanship, Miya asks Sanosuke for help.
 
　　　Sanosuke is filled with regret for his past, which has made him listless, and as he sees Miya and Shinjiro as his past self, his desire to prevent Miya, who was kind to him, from regretting anything is very strong and warm.
 
"--They must have been there a long time by now.
 
　　　Sanosuke was thinking about the two of them who had set off on a journey to Edo. When Miya left the room, she clung to Sanosuke and cried a little, but there was something about her appearance, dressed simply for the journey, that was a kind of momentum that could not be hidden.
--That's fine.
 
　　　Sanosuke thought. As he thought this, a faint feeling of regret returned to his heart. In the sight of Shinjiro and Miya, Sanosuke saw himself and Makie, the daughters of Hashikawa from Mitate-cho.
 
　　　When dawn broke, Sanosuke intended to report to the Oometsuke that he had had a duel with Nawate Tatsunosuke last night. The reason for this was because of the insult Tatsunosuke had inflicted on Sanosuke. He thought that he might have to commit suicide by disembowelment, but he didn't feel that it was particularly frightening."　（To be continued）