『蝉しぐれ』(藤沢周平)紹介・英語対訳（１９）

An Introduction to “The Cicada Buzz”（Fujisawa Shuhei）・English Translation（１９）

１９　ふくからの手紙

 ＊欅御殿事件では、一時避難した藤次郎宅から加治織部正の屋敷まで、ふくは文四郎に連れられて逃避行をした。事件の後、側室おまんに代わって城奥の支配者となり、文四郎と直接会うことは長らく無かった。しかし、20数年後、側室として仕えた前藩主が亡くなり、その一周忌を前にして白蓮院の尼になることを決めた。そして、その前に文四郎に会いたいと手紙を送る。

 　二十年余の歳月が過ぎた。
　若いころの通称を文四郎と言った郡奉行牧助左衛門は、大浦郡矢尻村にある代官屋敷の庭に入ると、馬を降りた。
　かがやく真夏の日が領内をくまなく照らし、風もないので肺に入る空気まで熱くふくらんで感じられる日だった。助左衛門は馬を牽いて、生け垣の内にある李(すもも)の木陰に入れてやった。
　すると、馬の足音にきづいたらしい下男の徳助が家の中から出て来た。
　「おもどりなされませ」
　徳助は走り寄って来た。
　「八ツ(午後二時)すぎになるかと思いましたが、存外おはやいお帰りで。さぞ、暑かったでござんしょう」
　「桑村どのは、おられるか」
　助左衛門が代官の名前を言うと、徳助は首を振った。
　「朝早くお城に参られまして、帰りは夕方になるとおことわりでした。ところでお昼は何にしましよう。冷や飯もありますが、おいそぎでなければばあさんにそうめんでもつくらせましようか」
　徳助は若いころは城下の家中屋敷で下男奉公をした男で、いまは夫婦住み込みで代官屋敷で働いている。
　「この暑い日に煮炊きをするのは大変だ。冷や飯があればそれでけっこう。その前に水を使おうか。汗でどうしようもない」
　馬に水をやってくれと言い置いて、助左衛門は屋敷の中に入った。矢尻村の代官屋敷は、はじめからそのために建てた役所ではなく、もとは富裕だった潰れ家を未納の年貢がわりに取り上げて、多少執務屋敷らしく模様替えしたのだという。したがってつくりそのものは、農家そのままだった。
　土間に入って草鞋(わらじ)を解いていると、徳助とのやりとりをききつけたのか、奥から代官手代の中山茂十郎、ほか三人の下役人が顔を出して、くちぐちに助左衛門の労をねぎらった。
　助左衛門はこの夏に入ってから大浦郡の山林に入り、去年植付けた杉林を見回っていて、その間ひと月余りも矢尻村の代官所を宿所にしているのだった。今日も三日ぶりに山村から宿所に戻って来たのである。
　助左衛門はあたえられた自分の部屋に入って、着替えの肌着を出すと裏庭の井戸端に出た。そこでふんどしひとつになって、身体にこびりついた垢(あか)と汗を流した。
　　------あと一カ所でおわりだな。
　と思っていた。植付場所の見回りは、もう一カ所、杉沢という山村の奥にある植林を視察し、手当を終われば完了する。その手当ては、配下者が村に泊まりこんで村人を指揮するのだが、場所によっては今度のように助左衛門自身も泊まりこまなければならないときもある。
　つめたい水を浴びるとほてった身体がさっぱりとし、生き返った気分になった。着替えて家のなかにもどると、中山が今朝客がありましたと言った。
　「客？　わしにか？」
　「はい、箕浦の三国屋の番頭がこれを持って参りました」
　中山は助左衛門に一通の封書をわたした。嵩(かさ)なく、手触りもうすい封筒は、上書きに牧助左衛門様とあるだけで署名がなかった。
　「ほかに伝言は？」
　と助左衛門は言ったが、中山はただこれをおわたししてくれと置いて行っただけですと言った。
　首をひねりながら助左衛門は自分の部屋に入った。机の前に坐って封書をひらいたが、簡単な文言を読みくだすとともに、助左衛門は顔から血の気がひくのを感じた。
　このたび白蓮院の尼になると心を決め、この秋に髪をおろすことにした。しかしながら今生に残るいささかの未練に動かされて、あなたさまにお目にかかる折りもがなと、箕浦まで来ている。お目にかかればこの上の喜びはないが、無理にとねがうものではない。万一の幸運をたのんでこの手紙をとどけさせると文言は閉じられ、文四郎さままいると書いてあった。そこにも署名はないが、それがお福さまがよこした手紙であることは疑う余地がなかった。
　　------尼になられるのか。
　と助左衛門は思った。白蓮院は藩主家ゆかりの尼寺である。さきの藩主が病死して一年近い月日がたっていた。おそらくお福さまは、その一周忌を前に髪をおろすつもりなのだろう。

　　------しかし・・・・。
　それにしても大胆なことをなされる、と思いながら、助左衛門は本文から少しはなして二行に書いてある二十日には城にもどる心づもりに候、という文句をじっと見つめた。二十日といえば今日のことである。その二行の文字は、助左衛門に決断を迫っているようにも見えた。
　助左衛門は立ち上がって着替えた。決心がつくと、仕度する手ははやくなった。部屋を出ると中山を呼んで外出を告げ、さらに台所をのぞいて徳助に飯はいらないとことわった。
　馬に乗って外に出ると、また真昼の暑熱が助左衛門を厚くつつんで来た。菅笠(すげがさ)をかぶっていても、暑熱は地面からはね返って来て顔を焼く、たちまち汗が流れ出た。
　村を抜けて田圃道に入ると、左手に遠く、亀がうずくまるような小丘が見えて来た。松と杉に覆われて、田圃のなかに隆起するその丘は、かつておびただしい石鏃(せきぞく・石のやじり)が出た場所で、矢尻村の名称はそこから来ている。
　およそ二里ほど道を馬で駆け、三つほどの村を通り過ぎると道はなだらかに起伏する砂丘に入った。そして冬のつよい海風のために幹が斜めに傾いている黒松の林を抜けると、磯の香りがし、波の音が聞こえて来た。
　箕浦は小さな港を持つ魚師村だが、それよりも村はずれにある十軒ほどの湯宿で知られている村である。その家々と湯けむりが見えて来た。　(藤沢周平『蝉しぐれ』―蝉しぐれ　一)

19 　A Letter from Fuku

 ＊I n the case of the Keyaki Palace, Bunshiro took Fuku to escape from Tojiro's house, which was temporarily evacuated, to Kaji Oribe no Sho's residence. After the incident, in place of the concubine Oman, Fuku became the ruler of the castle, and had not met Bunshiro in person for a long time. However, 20 years later, the former feudal lord who she served as a concubine died, and she decided to become a nun of Byakuren-in before the first anniversary of the feudal lord's death. And before that, she sent a letter to meet Bunshiro. 

 　　　It has passed more than 20 years. The county magistrate Maki Sukezaemon, who was commonly known as Bunshiro when he was young, got off his horse when he entered the garden of the magistrate's residence in Yajiri-mura, Oura-gun. 

            The bright midsummer day illuminated all over the territory, and there was no wind, so it was a day when the air entering the lungs felt hot and swelling. Sukezaemon pulled the horse and put it in the shade of a plum tree in the hedge. 

　　　　　Then, Tokusuke, a younger man who seems to have noticed the footsteps of a horse, came out of the house. "Don't come back" Tokusuke ran up. "I thought it would be past eight (2:00 pm), but it was surprisingly quick to return. Let's go because it was hot." "Which is Kuwamura?" Sukezaemon said the name of the deputy officer, Tokusuke shook his head. "I came to the castle early in the morning, and I told you that I would return in the evening. By the way, what should I do for lunch? I have cold rice, but if you are not busy, let　Osan make somen noodles." Tokusuke was a man who served as a young man in a castle house when he was young, and now he lives with a couple and works in a magistrate residence. "It's hard to cook on this hot day. If you have cold rice, that's fine. Should I use water before that? I can't help with sweat." 

 　　　　　Sukezaemon entered the residence, asking the horse to water it. It is said that the magistrate's residence in Yajiri Village was not the government office built for that purpose from the beginning, but rather the crushed house, which was originally wealthy, was taken up instead of the unpaid annual tribute and remodeled to look like an official residence. Therefore, the production itself was the same as that of a farmer. 

            When he entered the dirt floor and unraveled the straw shoes, they heard the conversation with Tokusuke, and from the back, Shigeru Nakayama, a lieutenant, and three other subordinates appeared, and they appreciated the pains Sukezaemon took.

　　　 Sukezaemon entered the forest of Oura-gun at the beginning of this summer and was looking around the cedar forest planted last year, during which time he had been staying at the magistrate's residence in Yajiri village for over a month. He returned to the inn from Yamamura for the first time in three days today. Sukezaemon entered his room, and when he put on his underwear to change clothes, he went out to the end of the well in the backyard. There, he became one and sweated with the dirt that stuck to his body. 

           ----- It's over in one place. He thought. The tour of the planting site will be completed once the allowance is completed by inspecting another planting site in the back of a mountain village called Sugisawa. The allowance is that the subordinates stay in the village and command the villagers, but depending on the location, Sukezaemon himself may have to stay as well. When he bathed in the water, his hot body was refreshed and he felt revived. 

              When he changed his clothes and returned to the house, Nakayama said that there was a guest this morning. "A customer? For me?" "Yes, the head of Mikuniya in Minoura brought this." Nakayama sent a letter to Sukezaemon. The envelope, which was not bulky and had a light touch, was overwritten with Maki Sukezsaemon-sama and had no signature. "Any other message?"　Sukezaemon said, but Nakayama just said that he left it for me. Sukezaemon entered his room, twisting his neck. He sat at his desk and opened the envelope, but as he read the simple words, Sukezaemon felt blood bleeding from his face. 

　　　I decided to become a nun of Byakuren-in and decided to pull down my hair this fall. However, I have come to Minoura, as I have been moved by some of the unregretful things that remain in my life. If you see me, I'm not overjoyed, but I don't want to force you to come. In the hope of her good luck, her words were closed and she said she would send this letter to Bunshiro. There was no signature there either, but there was no doubt that it was a letter sent by Fuku.

          ------ Can she become a nun? Sukezaemon thought. Byakuren-in is a Buddhist nun temple associated with the feudal lord. Almost a year has passed since the lord of the previous lord died of illness. Perhaps Fuku-sama intends to pull down his hair before the first anniversary. 

         ------However····. While thinking that something bold would be done, Sukezaemon stared at the phrase, which was written in two lines on the 20th, with the intention of returning to the castle. The twentieth day is today. The two lines of letters seemed to force Sukezaemon to make a decision. Sukezaemon stood up and changed his clothes. When he made up his mind, he was quick to prepare. When he left the room, he called Nakayama to tell him to go out, and he told Tokusuke in the kitchen that he didn't need food. 

　　　When he got on a horse and went outside, the heat of midday again thickly wrapped Sukezaemon. Even though he was wearing a sedge, the heat bounced off the ground and burned his face, and sweat began to flow immediately. As he passed through the village and entered the rice field road, he saw a hill with a crouching turtle in the distance to his left. The hill, which is covered with pine and cedar and rises in the rice fields, was once the place where a large number of stone irons (Sekizoku, stone yajiri) came out, and the name of Yajiri village comes from there. Approximately two Ris on the road, after passing about three villages, the road entered a gently undulating sand dune. Then, as he passed through the black pine forest whose trunk was tilted due to the strong sea breeze in winter, he could smell the shore and hear the sound of the waves. Minoura is a fish village with a small harbor, but it is a village known for about 10 hot spring inns on the outskirts of the village. He could see the houses and the steam.　 (Fujisawa Shuhei "The Cicada Buzz" -The Cicada Buzz 1)　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　(To be continued)