The Fairy Bonze

In a certain well-known and populous city in one of the north-western provinces of China, there once resided a man of the name of Meng. Everyone knew about him. His fame had spread not only throughout the town, but also far away into the country beyond; for of all the merchants who carried on business in this great commercial centre he was the wealthiest and the most enterprising.

中国の西北のある省の、名の知れた人口の多い町に、かつて孟(モウ)という名の男が住んでいた。誰もが彼のことを知っていた。その名声は町じゅうばかりでなく、遠く郊外の田舎にまで広まっていた。この大きな商都で商いを営む商人のうちで、彼はもっとも富み、もっとも進取の気に富んでいたからである。

He had begun life as a poor lad; but through great strength of purpose and positive genius for business, he had steadily risen step by step, until by the time our story opens, he had become exceedingly wealthy and was the acknowledged leader in all the great undertakings for which the city was famous.

彼は貧しい少年として世に出たが、並外れた志の強さと、商いに対する天賦の才によって、一歩また一歩と着実に身を起こし、この物語の始まるころには、たいそう豊かになり、この町が名を馳せるあらゆる大事業において、押しも押されもせぬ第一人者と認められていた。

Meng had always gained the admiration and affection of every one who became acquainted with him. He was of an artless, open-hearted disposition which won men to him, and his reputation for generosity made his name fragrant throughout the entire region in which he lived.

孟はつねに、知り合った者すべての称賛と愛情を得てきた。飾り気がなく心を開いた気質は人を惹きつけ、その気前のよさの評判は、彼の住む地方一帯にその名を芳しく響かせていた。

Forty years ago he had come to the city in search of employment. His father was a farmer in one of the outlying country districts; but Meng, discontented with the dulness of the life and with the strain and trouble brought upon his home by bad seasons, started out for the great town to make his fortune.

四十年前、彼は職を求めてこの町へ来た。父は郊外の田舎の一つで百姓をしていたが、孟はその暮らしの退屈さと、不作が家にもたらす切迫と苦労に飽き足らず、身代を築こうと大きな町へ出てきたのである。

All that he possessed he carried on his person. His stock-in-trade consisted simply of a stout bamboo pole and a good strong rope, the usual signs of a porter; but his willingness to oblige, and the hearty, pleasant way in which he performed his arduous duties, gained him the goodwill of all who employed him. Before many months had passed he was in constant demand, and was slowly saving up money that was to enable him to rise from the position of a coolie and to enter some business which would give him a more honourable place in society.

持ち物はすべて身につけて運んだ。その商売道具といえば、丈夫な竹の天秤棒と上等の太縄一本きり——荷担ぎのしるしそのものであった。しかし人に尽くそうとする心と、その骨の折れる務めを果たすときの快活で気持ちのよいやり口が、彼を雇う者すべての好意を得た。何か月も経たぬうちに引く手あまたとなり、少しずつ金を貯めていった。それは苦力の身から立ち上がり、世間でもっと立派な地位を与えてくれる何かの商いに入るための元手であった。

He had a shrewd and common-sense mind which enabled him to take advantage of any trade-opening that presented itself, and as he had a genial and happy disposition, everyone who had had any business relations with him was glad to do all in his power to give him a lift in the upward road along which he had made up his mind to travel. The result was that before many years had passed away he had established himself in a very lucrative line of business which brought a steady flow of wealth into his coffers.

彼は抜け目のない常識に富んだ頭を持っていて、目の前に現れるどんな商機も活かすことができた。そのうえ気立てがよく快活だったので、商いで関わった者は誰もが、彼が進むと心に決めたその上り坂を、力の及ぶかぎり後押ししてやりたいと思った。その結果、幾年も経たぬうちに、彼はたいそう実入りのよい商いに身を据え、絶え間ない富の流れを金庫に呼び込むようになった。

In time he opened branches in distant cities, and his fame reached the far-off provinces in the East, where the merchant-princes who had dealings with him counted him as one of the most trustworthy of their clients, to whom they were glad to give as much credit as he might desire.

やがて遠方の町にも支店を開き、その名声は遥か東の諸省にまで届いた。そこで彼と取引をする豪商たちは、彼を最も信の置ける取引先の一人と見なし、望むだけの信用を喜んで与えたのである。

There was one delightful feature about Meng, and that was the intense sympathy he had for his fellow-creatures. He had a heart of gold that no prosperity could spoil; no one who ever applied to him for relief was sent away empty-handed. The struggling shopkeeper made his humble appeal when fate seemed determined to crush him, and the substantial loan that Meng made to him without hesitation kept him from closing his shutters and once more set him on his feet to commence the struggle again. The widow who had been left in absolute poverty had but to state her case, when with a countenance beaming with compassion and with eyes moist at her piteous story, Meng would make such arrangements for her and her children that the terror of starvation was lifted from her heart, and she left his presence with a smiling face and with heart-felt words of praise for the man who by his generosity had given her a new glimpse of life.

孟には一つ、たいそう心を打つところがあった。同じ人間に対する深い同情である。どんな繁栄も損なうことのできない黄金の心を持っていた。救いを求めて彼を頼った者で、手ぶらで帰された者は一人もいない。運命に押し潰されそうになった小商人がつつましく訴え出れば、孟はためらいもせずまとまった額を貸し与え、店の戸を閉めずに済ませ、ふたたび足で立って戦いを始められるようにしてやった。まったくの貧窮に取り残された寡婦は、事情を述べさえすればよかった。憐れみに輝く面持ちで、その痛ましい話に目を潤ませながら、孟は彼女と子どもたちのために手立てを整え、飢えの恐怖はその胸から取り除かれた。そして彼女は笑顔で、その気前のよさによって人生の新たな一片を見せてくれた人への、心からの賛辞を口にしながら、その前を辞するのだった。

The character of Meng's mind may well be discovered from the manner in which he distributed a considerable portion of his riches amongst those who had been born under an unlucky star, and upon whom an unhappy fate had pressed heavily in the distribution of this world's goods and favours.

孟の心の質は、その富のかなりの部分を、不運な星のもとに生まれ、この世の財と恵みの分配において不幸な運命に重くのしかかられた人々のあいだに分け与えた、そのやり方によく現れている。

The generous men in China are not the rich. It is true that occasionally one does hear of a munificent donation having been made by some millionaire, but the public is never deceived by these unusual outbursts of generosity. There is a selfish motive at the back of nearly every one of them, for the hope of the donors is that by gaining the favour of the mandarins they may obtain some high official position which will enable them to recoup themselves most handsomely for any sums they may have expended in charity.

中国において気前のよい人とは、富んだ人ではない。なるほど、どこかの大富豪が惜しみない寄進をしたという話を、たまに耳にすることはある。しかし世間は、こうした珍しい気前のよさの発露に決して欺かれはしない。そのほとんどすべての背後には利己の動機があるからだ。寄進する者の望みは、役人の覚えをめでたくすることで何らかの高い官位を得て、慈善に費やした額を存分に取り戻すことなのである。

Meng's deeds, however, were always purely unselfish, and no idea of reward ever entered his head. He was moved solely by a sincere desire to alleviate human suffering. The look of gladness that flashed over the faces of those whom he assisted, their gleaming eyes, and the words of gratitude that burst from their lips, were to him the sweetest payment that could possibly be made to him in return for the sums he had given away.

しかし孟の行いはつねに純粋に無私であり、報いという考えが頭に浮かんだことは一度もなかった。彼を動かしていたのは、ひとえに人の苦しみを和らげたいという誠の願いであった。助けた者の顔にひらめく喜びの色、その輝く目、唇からほとばしる感謝の言葉——それこそが、与えた金への返礼としてありうるかぎり最も甘美な支払いであった。

That Meng's fame had travelled far was shown by an occurrence which was destined to have a considerable influence on the fortunes of his only son, Chin, in whom his whole soul was bound up.

孟の名声が遠くまで届いていたことは、彼が魂のすべてを傾けていた一人息子、欽(キン)の運命に大きな影響を及ぼすことになる出来事によって示された。

One day he received a letter from the head of a most aristocratic family in a distant city, begging that he would consent to an alliance with him. This man wrote that he had a daughter, who was declared by all who saw her to be possessed of no ordinary beauty, and he wished to have her betrothed to Meng's son. Meng's reputation for goodness and for love to his fellow-men had reached his ears, and he was anxious that their families should be united by the marriage of two young people.

ある日、彼は遠くの町のたいそう高貴な家の当主から手紙を受け取った。縁組みを承知してほしいという願いであった。その男の書くところによれば、自分には娘があり、見た者みなが並外れた美しさの持ち主だと言う。その娘を孟の息子と婚約させたいというのである。孟の善良さと人への愛の評判はその耳に届いており、二人の若者の婚姻によって両家が結ばれることを願っていた。

The rich merchant, whose heart always retained its child-like spirit, was delighted with this proposal, which had come to him spontaneously, and not through the intrigues of a middle-woman. He was also touched by the apparently generous spirit of the writer, so he at once responded to the appeal. After some little correspondence, the betrothal was drawn up in due form, and the young couple were bound to each other by legal ties which no court in the Empire would ever dream of unloosing.

つねに童心を失わぬ心を持つこの富商は、この申し出に喜んだ。仲人の駆け引きを通してではなく、自然に舞い込んできたものだったからである。書き手のいかにも寛やかな精神にも心を動かされ、彼はただちにその願いに応えた。幾度かの書簡のやりとりののち、婚約はしかるべき形で取り交わされ、若い二人は、帝国のいかなる法廷も解こうとは夢にも思わぬ法の絆で結ばれた。

Just at this juncture, when the tide in Meng's affairs seemed at its highest, there appeared at his doors one day a venerable-looking bonze, who asked to be received as a guest for a few days, as he was on a pilgrimage to a famous shrine and was tired out with the long journey that he had already made.

ちょうどそのころ、孟の運が絶頂に見えたそのとき、ある日その戸口に、いかにも徳の高そうな一人の僧が現れた。名高い聖地へ巡礼する途中で、これまでの長い旅に疲れ果てたので、数日のあいだ客として迎えてほしいと願い出たのである。

Meng, who was a very devout and religious man, gave the old priest a most hearty welcome. He placed one of the best rooms in the house at his disposal, and treated him with all the generous hospitality which he was accustomed to bestow upon men of his profession, who in travelling from one monastery to another had very often stayed with him for a night or two before proceeding further on their way.

たいそう信心深く敬虔であった孟は、この老僧を心から歓迎した。家の中でも最上の部屋の一つをあてがい、この身分の人々にいつも示してきたあらゆる寛やかなもてなしをもって遇した。僧院から僧院へ渡る者たちは、しばしば一夜二夜を彼のもとで過ごしてから先へ進んでいくのが常であった。

Now, this priest had such pleasing manners, and was so refined and cultivated, that he completely captured the hearts of all the household, so much so that Meng insisted upon his prolonging his stay. The result was that months went by and the bonze still remained with him as his guest.

さてこの僧は、たいそう好ましい物腰で、洗練され教養に富んでいたので、家じゅうの者の心をすっかり掴んでしまった。それで孟は、もっと長く滞在するようにと強く勧めた。その結果、幾月も過ぎたが、僧はなおも客として留まっていた。

Everyone in the house seemed to be attracted by this stranger, so winning were his ways, and so full of quiet power were his whole bearing and character. He was affable and pleasant with all, but he seemed to take most pleasure in the company of Chin, over whom he soon came to exercise a very powerful influence.

その物腰は人を惹きつけ、その挙措と人柄には静かな力が満ちていたので、家の誰もがこの見知らぬ人に引き寄せられるようであった。僧は誰とも愛想よく気持ちよく接したが、とりわけ欽と過ごすことを喜んでいるようで、まもなくこの若者にたいそう強い影響を及ぼすようになった。

Their habit was to wander about on the hillside, when the priest would entertain his young friend with stories of the wonderful things he had seen and the striking adventures he had met with. His whole aim, however, seemed to be not so much to amuse Chin as to elevate his mind with lofty and noble sentiments, which were instilled into him on every possible occasion.

二人は丘の中腹をそぞろ歩くのを常とし、そこで僧は、自分が見てきた不思議なものや、遭遇した目覚ましい冒険の話で、この若い友をもてなした。しかしその狙いはどうやら、欽を楽しませることよりも、その心を気高く高貴な思いによって引き上げることにあるらしく、それは機会あるごとに彼に注ぎ込まれた。

It was also their custom to retire every morning to some outhouses at the extremity of the large garden attached to the dwelling-house, where undisturbed they could converse together upon the many questions upon which the bonze was ready to discourse. One thing, however, struck Chin as very singular, and this was that the bonze made him collect certain curiously-shaped tiles, and bury them in the earthen floors of these little-used buildings. Chin would have rebelled against what he considered a child-like proceeding, but he was restrained by the profound love and veneration he felt for his companion.

また二人は毎朝、住まいに付いた広い庭のいちばん端にある離れへ引きこもるのを常としていた。そこでなら、僧が語ろうとする数多くの問いについて、邪魔されずに語り合うことができた。しかし一つ、欽にはたいそう奇妙に思えることがあった。僧が彼に、奇妙な形をした瓦をいくつも集めさせ、このほとんど使われない建物の土の床に埋めさせたのである。子どもじみた振る舞いだと思って欽は逆らいたくもなったが、この連れに対する深い愛情と敬いがそれを押しとどめた。

At length the day came when the bonze announced that he must proceed upon his journey. He had already, he declared, stayed much longer than he had originally intended, and now the imperative call of duty made it necessary that he should not linger in the house where he had been so royally treated.

とうとう、僧が旅立たねばならぬと告げる日が来た。もともと考えていたよりずっと長く留まってしまったと言い、いまや務めの声がやみがたく、こうして王侯のようにもてなされた家に長居はできぬというのである。

Seeing that he was determined in his purpose, Meng wanted to press upon him a considerable sum of money to provide for any expenses to which he might be put in the future. This, however, the bonze absolutely refused to accept, declaring that his wants were few, and that he would have no difficulty in meeting them by the donations he would receive from the different temples he might pass on his way to his destination.

その決意が固いと見て、孟はこの先の入用に備えて、まとまった額を受け取ってほしいと勧めた。しかし僧はこれを断固として断り、自分の入用はごくわずかであり、目的地へ向かう道々で通りかかる寺々から受ける施しで、事欠くことはないと言った。

Little did Meng dream that the guest from whom he was parting with so heavy a heart was a fairy in disguise. Yet such was the case. The rulers of the far-off Western Heaven, who had been greatly moved by Meng's noble and generous life in succouring the distressed and the forlorn, had sent the bonze to make arrangements to meet a certain calamitous crisis which was soon to take place in the home of the wealthy merchant.

こうして重い心で別れようとしているその客が、姿を変えた仙人であるとは、孟は夢にも思わなかった。しかしそれが事実であった。遥かな西方の天を治める者たちは、苦しむ者、寄る辺なき者を救う孟の気高く寛やかな生き方に深く心を動かされ、この富商の家にまもなく訪れる災いの危機に備えるために、この僧を遣わしたのである。

A few months after the good bonze had left them, a series of disasters fell with crushing effect upon the house of Meng. Several firms which owed him very large sums of money suddenly failed, and he found himself in such financial difficulties that it was utterly impossible for him to pay his debts.

善き僧が去って数か月後、一連の災難が孟の家に打ち砕くような勢いで降りかかった。彼に多額の借りのあった幾つもの商家が突然潰れ、彼は自分の負債を返すことがまったく不可能なほどの窮地に陥った。

In consequence, Meng was utterly ruined, and after paying out all that he possessed, even to the uttermost cash, found himself absolutely penniless. This so wrought upon his mind that he became seriously ill, and after a few days of intense agony, his spirit vanished into the Land of Shadows, and his wife and son were left desolate and bereaved.

その結果、孟は完全に没落した。持てるものを最後の一文まで払い出し、彼はまったくの無一文となった。これが心をひどく蝕んで重い病に倒れ、数日の激しい苦しみののち、その魂は冥府の国へ去った。妻と息子はうち捨てられ、寄る辺を失った。

After a time Chin bethought himself of the wealthy and distinguished man who had been so anxious to recognize him as a son-in-law, and after consultation with his mother, who was completely broken-hearted, he set off for the distant city in which his proposed father-in-law lived. Chin hoped that the latter's heart would be moved by the disasters which had befallen his father, and that he would be willing to extend him a helping hand in his hour of dire sorrow, when even Heaven itself seemed to have abandoned him and to have heaped upon his head calamities such as do not often occur to the vilest of men.

しばらくして、欽は、あれほど熱心に自分を婿として迎えたがっていた、あの富裕で名の通った人物のことを思い出した。そして、すっかり心を打ち砕かれていた母と相談したうえで、婿になるはずだった相手の住む遠い町へ出かけた。欽は、父に降りかかった災いにその人の心が動かされ、この深い悲しみの時に——天までもが自分を見捨て、いかに卑しい者にもめったに降りかからぬような災いを頭上に積み上げたかに見えるこの時に——手を差し伸べてくれることを望んでいた。

Weary and worn with the long journey, which he had been compelled to make on foot, he arrived one day about noon at the gates which led into the spacious courtyard of the palatial mansion in which his father-in-law lived. The doors, however, were shut and barred, as though some enemy was expected to storm them and carry off the property within.

徒歩で行かねばならなかった長い旅に疲れ果て、ある日の正午ごろ、彼は義父の住む豪奢な屋敷の広い中庭へ通じる門にたどり着いた。しかし門は閉じられ、閂がかけられていた。まるで敵が押し寄せて中の財を奪い去ろうとしているかのように。

Chin called loudly to the porter to open them for him, but to his amazement he was told that orders had been received from the master of the house that he was not to be admitted on any terms whatsoever.

欽は門番に大声で開けてくれと呼ばわったが、驚いたことに、主人から、いかなる条件であろうとこの者を通してはならぬとの命が出ていると告げられた。

"But are you aware who I am?" he asked. "Do you not know that the man who owns this building is my father-in-law, and that his daughter is my promised wife? It ill becomes you therefore to keep me standing here, when I should be received with all the honours that a son-in-law can claim."

「だが、わたしが誰か分かっているのか」と彼は尋ねた。「この屋敷の主はわたしの義父であり、その娘はわたしの許婚だと知らないのか。ならばわたしをここに立たせておくのは筋が通るまい。婿として受けるべきあらゆる礼をもって迎えられるべきなのだから。」

"But I have been specially warned against you," replied the surly gatekeeper. "You talk of being a son-in-law, but you are greatly mistaken if you imagine that any such kinship is going to be recognized in this house. News has reached my master of the utter failure of your father's business, and of his death, and he declares that he does not wish to be mixed up in any way with doubtful characters or with men who have become bankrupt."

「だがわたしは、あんたのことを特に警戒せよと言われている」と無愛想な門番は答えた。「婿だなどと言うが、この家でそんな縁が認められると思っているなら、大きな思い違いだ。あんたの父御の商いが完全に潰れたこと、そして亡くなったことは、うちの主人の耳に届いている。そして主人は、素性の怪しい者や破産した者と、どんな形であれ関わりたくないと言っておられる。」

Chin, who was imbued with the fine and generous spirit of his father, was so horrified at these words that he fled from the gate, determined to suffer any indignity rather than accept a favour from a man of such an ignoble disposition as his father-in-law apparently possessed.

父の高潔で寛やかな気風を受け継いでいた欽は、この言葉に慄然として門から逃げ出した。義父が持ち合わせているらしいこれほど卑しい気質の男から施しを受けるくらいなら、どんな屈辱にも耐えようと心に決めたのである。

He was crossing the road with his heart completely cast down, and in absolute despair as to how he was ever to get back to his home again, when a woman in one of the low cottages by the roadside, beckoned him to come in and sit down.

心をすっかり打ちひしがれ、どうやって家へ帰ればよいのかもまるで分からぬ絶望のうちに道を渡っていると、道端の低い小屋の一つから、一人の女が中へ入って腰を下ろすようにと手招きした。

"You seem to be in distress, sir," she said, "and to be worn out with fatigue, as though you had just finished a long journey. My children and I are just about to sit down to our midday meal, and we shall be so pleased if you will come and partake of it with us. I have just been watching you as you stood at the gate of that wealthy man's house, and I saw how roughly you were treated. Never mind," she continued, "Heaven knows how you have been wronged, and in time you will be avenged for all the injury you have suffered."

「お困りのようですね、旦那さま」と女は言った。「そして長い旅を終えたばかりのように疲れ切っておいでのようだ。わたしと子どもたちはちょうど昼餉にかかるところです。ご一緒に召し上がってくださるなら、こんなに嬉しいことはありません。あなたがあの金持ちの門の前に立っておられるのを、ちょうど見ておりました。どれほどぞんざいに扱われたかも見ました。お気になさいますな」と女は続けた。「あなたがどんなに不当な仕打ちを受けたか、天はご存じです。そしていつか、受けた傷のすべてに報いが下るでしょう。」

Comforted and gladdened by these kindly words and by the motherly reception given him by this poor woman, Chin started out on his return journey, and after much suffering finally reached his home. Here he found his mother in the direst poverty, and with a heart still full of the deepest woe because of the death of her noble-minded husband.

この優しい言葉と、この貧しい女が示した母のようなもてなしに慰められ、心を明るくして、欽は帰路についた。そして多くの苦しみののち、ついに我が家にたどり着いた。そこで彼は、母がこの上ない貧窮のうちにあり、その心はなお、気高い夫の死ゆえの深い悲しみで満たされているのを見た。

Almost immediately after Chin had been refused admission to the house of his father-in-law, the latter's daughter, Water-Lily, became aware of the insulting way in which he had been treated. She was grieved beyond measure, and with tears in her eyes and her voice full of sorrow, she besought her mother to appeal to her father on her behalf, and to induce him to give up his purpose of arranging a marriage for her with a wealthy man in the neighbourhood.

欽が義父の家への出入りを拒まれた直後、その娘、水蓮(スイレン)は、彼が受けた侮辱を知った。彼女は限りなく嘆き、目に涙を浮かべ、声を悲しみに満たして、自分に代わって父に訴えてほしい、近隣の富裕な男との縁組みを進める考えをやめさせてほしいと母に願った。

"My father may plan another husband for me," she said, "but I shall never consent to be married to anyone but Chin. All the rites and ceremonies have been gone through which bind me to him as long as I live, and to cast him off now because calamity has fallen upon his home is but to invite the vengeance of the Gods, who will surely visit us with some great sorrow if we endeavour to act in a way contrary to their laws."

「父は別の夫をわたくしに立てるかもしれません」と彼女は言った。「けれどわたくしは、欽さま以外の誰とも結ばれることを承知いたしません。生きているかぎりわたくしをあの方に結びつける儀式はすべて済んでおります。それを、家に災いが降りかかったからといっていま捨てるのは、神々の報いを招くだけです。神々の法に背くように振る舞おうとすれば、きっと大きな悲しみをもってわたくしたちを訪れるでしょう。」

The piteous appeals of Water-Lily had no effect upon her father, who hurried on the arrangements for his daughter's wedding to the new suitor, anxious to marry her off in order to prevent the unfortunate Chin from appearing again to claim her as his wife.

水蓮の痛切な訴えは父に何の効き目もなかった。父は娘の新しい求婚者との婚礼の支度を急いだ。あの不運な欽がふたたび現れて娘を妻と主張するのを防ぐため、早く嫁がせてしまいたかったのである。

She, however, was just as determined as her father, and when she realized that all her entreaties and prayers had produced not the slightest effect upon him, and that in the course of a few days the crimson bridal chair would appear at the door to carry her away to the home of her new husband, she determined to adopt heroic methods to prevent the accomplishment of such a tragedy.

しかし彼女もまた父に劣らず心を決めていた。そして懇願も祈りも父にはかけらほどの効き目もないこと、そして数日のうちには緋色の婚礼の輿が戸口に現れて、自分を新しい夫の家へ運び去ることを悟ると、そのような悲劇が成就するのを防ぐために、思い切った手立てを取ろうと決意した。

Next morning, as dawn began to break, the side-gate of the rich man's house was stealthily opened, and a degraded-looking beggar-woman stepped out into the dull grey streets, and proceeded rapidly towards the open country beyond.

翌朝、夜が明けはじめるころ、富豪の家の脇門がそっと開き、身を落としたなりの物乞いの女が一人、鈍い灰色の街路へ出て、その先の開けた田舎のほうへ足早に進んでいった。

She was as miserable a specimen of the whining, cringing beggar as could have been met with in any of the beggar-camps where these unhappy outcasts of society live. She was dressed in rags which seemed to be held together only by some invisible force. Her hair was tied up in disjointed knots, and looked as if no comb had ever tried to bring it into order. Her face was black with grime, and a large, dirty patch was plastered over one of her ears in such a way that its shape was completely hidden from the gaze of those who took the trouble to cast a passing glance upon her.

彼女は、こうした社会の不幸なはみ出し者たちが暮らすどんな乞食の宿でも見かけるような、めそめそとへつらう乞食の、この上なく惨めな見本であった。何か目に見えぬ力だけでかろうじて繋ぎ止められているような襤褸をまとっていた。髪はばらばらの結び目に括られ、櫛など一度も通したことがないように見えた。顔は垢で黒ずみ、片方の耳には大きな汚れた当て布が貼られていて、通りすがりに目を留めるほどの者にも、その形がまったく見えないようになっていた。

Altogether she was a most unattractive object; and yet she was the most lovely woman in all that region, for she was none other than Water-Lily, the acknowledged beauty of the town, who had adopted this disguise in order to escape from the fate which her father had planned for her.

何もかもひっくるめて、彼女はこの上なく人目を引かぬ姿であった。それでいて彼女は、この地方でもっとも美しい女性だった。ほかならぬ水蓮、この町の誰もが認める美女であって、父が定めた運命から逃れるためにこの装いをまとっていたのである。

For several weary months she travelled on, suffering the greatest hardships, and passing through adventures, which, if some gifted writer had collected them into a volume, would have thrilled many a reader with admiration for this brave young maiden. Though reared and nurtured in a home where every luxury was supplied her, yet she endured the degradation and privations of a beggar's life rather than be forced to be untrue to the man whom she believed Heaven had given her as a mate.

幾月ものあいだ、彼女は疲れ果てて旅を続け、この上ない辛苦に耐え、数々の出来事をくぐり抜けた。もし才ある書き手がそれを一冊にまとめていたなら、多くの読者をこの勇敢な乙女への称賛で震わせたであろう。あらゆる贅沢を与えられた家で育まれながら、彼女は、天が伴侶として与えたと信じる人に不実であることを強いられるくらいなら、乞食の暮らしの零落と欠乏に耐えるほうを選んだのである。

One evening, as the shadows were falling thickly on the outer courtyard of the desolate house where Chin lived, a pitiful-looking beggar-woman stood timidly at the front door, gazing with wistful looks into the room which faced the street. Not a sound did she utter, not a single word escaped her lips to indicate that she had come there to obtain charity.

ある夕方、欽の住む荒れ果てた家の外庭に影が厚く落ちるころ、痛ましい姿の物乞いの女が一人、おずおずと表の戸口に立ち、通りに面した部屋を物欲しげに見つめていた。ひと言も発せず、施しを求めに来たことを示す言葉一つ漏らさなかった。

In a few minutes Chin's mother came out from a room beyond. When she saw this ragged, forlorn creature standing silently as though she were afraid that some word of scorn and reproach would be hurled at her, she was filled with a great and overmastering pity, and stepping up to her she began to comfort her in loving, gentle language.

ほどなく、奥の部屋から欽の母が出てきた。この襤褸をまとった寄る辺ない者が、いまにも蔑みと叱責の言葉を投げつけられるのを恐れるように黙って立っているのを見て、母は大きな、抗いがたい憐れみに満たされ、歩み寄って、慈しみのこもった優しい言葉で慰めはじめた。

To her astonishment this draggled, uncleanly object became violently affected by the tender, motherly way in which she was addressed. Great tear-drops trickled down her grimy face, leaving a narrow, snow-like line in their wake. Presently she was convulsed with sobs that shook her whole body, whilst she wrung her hands as though some great sorrow was gripping her heart.

驚いたことに、この薄汚れた身なりの者は、そうした優しく母親らしい言葉のかけられように、激しく心を動かされた。大粒の涙が垢だらけの顔を伝い落ち、その跡に雪のように細い筋を残した。まもなく彼女は全身を揺さぶるすすり泣きに襲われ、大きな悲しみが胸を掴んでいるかのように両手をもみしだいた。

Mrs. Meng was deeply affected by the sight of this unhappy woman, and whilst she was gazing at her with a look of profound sympathy, the broad patch which had concealed and at the same time disfigured the beggar's countenance, suddenly dropped to the ground.

孟夫人はこの不幸な女の姿に深く心を打たれた。そして深い同情の面持ちで見つめていると、乞食の顔を隠し、同時に醜くしていたあの幅広の当て布が、突然地面に落ちた。

The effect of this was most startling, for a pair of as beautiful black eyes as ever danced in a woman's head were now revealed to Mrs. Meng's astonished gaze. Looking at the stranger more intently, she saw that her features were exquisitely perfect, and had the grace and the poetry which the great painters of China have attributed to the celebrated beauties of the Empire.

その効果は驚くべきものであった。女の頭に宿ったものとしてこれ以上ないほど美しい黒い一対の目が、いま孟夫人の驚いた視線の前に現れたのである。この見知らぬ人をさらに念入りに見ると、その顔立ちはこの上なく整っており、中国の偉大な画家たちが帝国の名高い美女に与えてきた優美さと詩情を備えていた。

"Tell me who you are," she cried, as she laid her hand tenderly and affectionately on her shoulder, "for that you are a common beggar-woman I can never believe. You must be the daughter of some great house, and have come here in this disguise in order to escape some great evil.

「あなたが誰なのか教えてください」と夫人は、その肩に優しく慈しみをこめて手を置きながら言った。「あなたがただの乞食の女だなどとは、決して信じられません。きっとどこかの大家の娘御で、何か大きな災いから逃れるために、この装いでここへ来られたのでしょう。

"Confide in me," she continued, "and everything that one woman can do for another, I am willing to do for you. But come in, dear child, and let us talk together and devise some plan by which I can really help you, for I feel my heart drawn towards you in a way I have never felt for any stranger before."

「わたしを信じてください」と夫人は続けた。「女が女のためにできることなら、何でもあなたのためにいたしましょう。さあお入りなさい、いとしい子よ。二人で話し合って、わたしが本当にあなたを助けられる手立てを考えましょう。よその人にこんな気持ちを抱いたことは一度もないのに、あなたには心が引き寄せられるのです。」

Mrs. Meng then led her into her bedroom, where Water-Lily threw off the outer garments in which she had appeared to the public as a beggar, and telling her wonderful story to Chin's mother, she revealed herself as her daughter-in-law.

そこで孟夫人は彼女を寝間へ導いた。そこで水蓮は、乞食として人前に現れるための外衣を脱ぎ捨て、その不思議な身の上を欽の母に語って、自分がその嫁であることを明かした。

But though her romantic arrival into this gloomy and distressed home brought with it a sudden gleam of happiness, the great question as to how they were to live had still to be solved. They were absolutely without means, and they could only hope to meet their meagre expenses by the sale of the house in which they were living.

しかし、この物語めいた到来がこの陰鬱で苦しい家に突然の幸せの光をもたらしたとはいえ、どうやって生きていくかという大きな問いはなお解かれずに残っていた。三人には手立てがまったくなく、いま住んでいる家を売るほかに、わずかな入用を賄う望みはなかった。

At last this plan was discussed, and it was decided that the unused buildings, in which Chin and the Buddhist priest had been accustomed to spend a part of every day together, should be first of all disposed of.

とうとうこの案が話し合われ、まず欽と仏僧が毎日いくらかの時をともに過ごしていた、あの使われていない建物から手放すことに決まった。

In order to have some idea as to how much these outhouses were worth, Chin went to see what condition they were in, so that he might fix a price for them. As they had not been used for some time, the grass had grown rank about them, and they had a dilapidated and forlorn air which made Chin fear that their market value would not be very great.

この離れがどれほどの値になるかの見当をつけるため、欽はその状態を見に行った。値をつけるためである。しばらく使われていなかったので、まわりには草が伸び放題で、荒れて寄る辺ない気配が漂っていた。それを見て欽は、市場での値はさほど高くなるまいと案じた。

Entering in by an open door, which a creeping vine, with the luxuriance of nature, was trying to block up, Chin looked round with a feeling of disappointment sending a chill into his very heart.

自然の勢いのままに這う蔓が塞ごうとしている開いた戸口から入ると、欽はあたりを見まわし、落胆が心の底まで冷たく染み入るのを感じた。

The air of the place was damp and musty. The white mould could be seen gleaming on the walls, as if it wished to give a little colour to the sombre surroundings. Great cobwebs flung their streaming banners from the beams and rafters overhead, whilst smaller ones, with delicate lace-like tracery, tried to beautify the corners of the windows, through which the light from the outside world struggled to enter the gloomy room.

その場所の空気は湿って黴臭かった。白い黴が壁に光って見え、まるでこの陰気なまわりに少し色を添えようとしているかのようであった。頭上の梁と垂木からは大きな蜘蛛の巣が旗のように垂れ下がり、より小さな巣は繊細なレースのような網目で、窓の隅を飾ろうとしていた。その窓から、外の世界の光がこの薄暗い部屋へ入ろうともがいていた。

Throwing the windows wide open to let in as much sunshine as was possible, Chin soon became convinced that the market value of this particular part of his property would be very small, and that unless he carried out extensive repairs, it would be impossible to induce any one to entertain the idea of buying it.

できるだけ日を入れようと窓を大きく開け放つと、欽はまもなく、この一画の市場での値はごくわずかであり、大がかりな修繕をしないかぎり、買おうという気を誰にも起こさせられまいと確信した。

While he was musing over the problem that lay before him, his eye caught a silvery gleam from a part of the earthen floor, where the surface had evidently been scratched away by some animal that had wandered in.

目の前に横たわるこの問題を思案していると、彼の目は土の床の一部から放たれる銀色の輝きを捉えた。そこは、迷い込んだ何かの獣が引っ掻いて表土を除いたらしい場所であった。

Looking down intently at the white, shining thing which had caught his attention, Chin perceived that it was one of the tiles that the bonze had made him bury in the earth, and when he picked it up, he discovered to his amazement that in some mysterious manner it had been transformed into silver! Digging further into the earth, he found that the same process had taken place with every tile that had been hidden away beneath the floor of this old and apparently useless building.

目を引いたその白く輝くものをじっと見おろすと、欽はそれが、あの僧に土へ埋めさせられた瓦の一枚であることに気づいた。そして拾い上げてみて、驚いたことに、それが何か不思議な仕方で銀に変わっているのを見出したのである! さらに土を掘ってみると、この古びた、一見無用の建物の床の下に隠されていた瓦のすべてに、同じことが起こっていた。

After some days occupied in transporting his treasure to a safe place in his dwelling-house, Chin realized by a rough calculation that he was now the possessor of several millions' worth of dollars, and that from being one of the poorest men in the town he had become a millionaire with enormous wealth at his command.

宝を住まいの安全な場所へ運ぶのに数日を費やしたのち、欽は大まかな計算によって、自分がいまや数百万ドルにのぼる財の持ち主であること、そして町でもっとも貧しい者の一人から、莫大な富を手中にする長者になったことを悟った。

Thus did the Gods show their appreciation of the noble life of Mr. Meng, and of his loving sympathy for the poor and the distressed, by raising his fallen house to a higher pinnacle of prosperity than it had ever attained even during his lifetime.

こうして神々は、孟氏の気高い生涯と、貧しく苦しむ者への慈しみ深い同情への評価を示された。倒れたその家を、彼の存命中にすら達したことのない、より高い繁栄の頂へと引き上げることによって。