『蝉しぐれ』(藤沢周平)紹介・英語対訳（１０）

An Introduction to “The Cicada Buzz”（Fujisawa Shuhei）・English Translation（１０）

１０ 　父の切腹と遺体運び　(2)

　武家町や寺町といった、人通りの少ない道に入るとほっとした。文四郎は道に梶棒(かじぼう)をおろし、喘(あえ)ぎを静めながらさかさまに天を指している青白くて大きい父の足を見る。すると、いかにもいま父と二人きりでいるという気がして来るのだった。
　父上、いま少しの辛抱ですぞ、と文四郎は胸の中でささやきかけて梶棒をにぎり直した。実際にそう思ったあとは、いくらか元気がもどって来る気がした。
　しかし道はまたすぐに、にぎやかな商人町にさしかかる。文四郎はうつむいて車をひいた。左右の軒下からそそがれる視線に堪え乍ら歩いて行くと、いきなり聞き覚えのある声が聞こえた。
　「ほう、罪人の子が死人をはこんで来たぞ」
　文四郎は顔を上げた。顔を見るまでもなく、相手は誰かはわかっていた。居駒塾で同門の江森利弥である。
　しかし上げた眼に入って来たのは、江森一人ではなかった。山根清次郎と数人の取り巻きが、腕組みをしてじっとこちらを見ていた。その顔に、言い合わせたように嘲(あざけ)り笑ういろがうかんでいるのを見て、文四郎は車をとめた。熱い怒りが胸にこみ上げて来た。梶棒をおろして、眼の前の無礼な男たちと殴り合いたい気持ちだった。
　だが、文四郎は怒りを抑えた。足を突き出して横になっている車の上の父が、父をはじてはならんと言ったような気がした。文四郎は胸を張って一人一人の顔に鋭い眼をそそいでから、また重い車をひき出した。男たちはそれ以上は揶揄(やゆ)の言葉を投げかけなかったが、文四郎との間にかなり距離が出来てから、誰かがうしろで叫んだのが聞こえた。
　「しっかりせんか、牧文四郎。腰がひょろついているぞ」
　つづいて男たちがどっと笑う声がしたが、文四郎は振り向かなかった。一歩一歩足を踏みしめるように前にすすみながら、胸の中で父を恥てはならんとつぶやいた。眼に汗が入り、それを拭(ふ)こうと手を上げたとき、堪え難いほどの疲れが襲って来た。文四郎は通行の人びとの好奇の眼にさらされながら、のろのろと車をひき、河岸の道に出た。そして道を右に曲がった。
　その道は矢場町に出る近道だった。町家のしもた屋と足軽屋敷が混在する静かな場所だが、矢場町の通りに出る前に、わずかに道がのぼりになる。近道に曲がったものの、文四郎はあそこをのぼり切れるだろうかと危うんでいた。ふだんは気にもとめない、坂道とも言えないそののぼりがひどく気になるのは、疲れがきわまって来たからだろう。
　 (『蝉しぐれ』－蟻のごとく　３)

10 　Father's Seppuku and Carrying the Dead Body (2)

　　　He was relieved to enter a low-traffic road such as Samurai Town or Teramachi. Bunshiro puts down a shaft on the road and looks upside down at his father's feet, which are pale and big, pointing upside down while calming his gasping. Then he felt like he was alone with his father. 

           My father, you should be a little patient now, Bunshiro whispered in his heart and grabbed his rice ball. After actually thinking so, he felt a little rejuvenated. 

           However, the road will soon reach a busy merchant town. Bunshiro turned down and pulled the car. As he walked, enduring the line of sight from the bottoms of the left and right eaves, he suddenly heard a familiar voice. "Well, the child of the sinner has come with the dead." 

          Bunshiro raised his face. He didn't even have to look at the face, he knew who he was. He is Toshiya Emori of the same class at Ikoma tutoring school. 

          However, Emori was not the only one who came into his raised eyes. Seijiro Yamane and several people around him were looking at us with their arms folded. Bunshiro stopped the car when he saw the ridiculous ridicule on his face. Hot anger came up to his heart. He wanted to lower the shaft and hit the rude men in front of him. 

          However, Bunshiro suppressed his anger. He felt like his dad on the car lying with his legs sticking out telling him not to repel his dad. Bunshiro stretched his chest, squinted at each person's face, and then pulled out a heavy car again. The men didn't throw any more ridiculous words but after a considerable distance from Bunshiro. He heard someone yelling behind them. "Surely, Bunshiro Maki. Your hips are staggering." The men laughed at him, but Bunshiro didn't turn around. He muttered in his heart not to be ashamed of his father, step by step as he stepped forward. When he got sweat in his eyes and raised his hand to wipe it, he was unbearably tired. Bunshiro slowly pulled a car and went out to the riverbank road, exposed to the curiosity of the passers-by. And he turned right on the road. 

　　　The road was a shortcut to Yaba-cho. It is a quiet place where Machiya Shimotaya and Ashigaru residences coexist, but before going out to the streets of Yabacho, the road is slightly uphill. Although he made a shortcut, Bunshiro was wondering if he could climb over there. He doesn't usually care about it, and he is really worried about the climb, which can't be called a slope, probably because he is getting tired.
(Fujisawa Shuhei “The Cicada Buzz” -Like an Ant 3)

　　　　　                                               　（To be continued）