The Vengeance of the Goddess

In a certain temple in the northern part of the Empire, there once lived a famous priest named Hien-Chung, whose reputation had spread far and wide, not merely for the sanctity of his life, but also for the supernatural powers which he was known to possess, and which he had exhibited on several remarkable occasions. Men would have marvelled less about him had they known that the man dressed in the long slate-coloured robe, with shaven head, and saintly-looking face, over which no one had ever seen a smile flicker, was in reality a pilgrim on his way to the Western Heaven, which he hoped to reach in time, and to become a fairy there.

帝国の北部のある寺に、かつて賢忠(ケンチュウ)という名の高名な僧が住んでいた。その名声は遠く広く伝わっていたが、それはその生の清らかさゆえばかりでなく、この僧が備えていると知られ、幾度かの目覚ましい折に示してみせた超自然の力ゆえでもあった。もし人々が、この石板色の長衣をまとい、頭を剃り、誰一人その上に笑みのひらめきを見たことのない聖者めいた顔をした男が、じつは西方の天へ向かう巡礼であり、やがてそこへ至って仙人になろうと望んでいるのだと知っていたなら、驚きはもっと小さかったであろう。

One night Hien-Chung lay asleep in a room opening out of the main hall in which the great image of the Goddess of Mercy, with her benevolent, gracious face, sat enshrined amidst the darkness that lay thickly over the temple. All at once, there stood before him a most striking and stately-looking figure. The man had a royal look about him, as though he had been accustomed to rule. On his head there was a crown, and his dress was such as no mere subject would ever be allowed to wear.

ある夜、賢忠は大広間に続く一室で眠っていた。その広間には、慈悲深く優しい面立ちの観音菩薩の大きな像が、寺を厚く覆う闇のただ中に祀られていた。すると突然、この上なく目を引く堂々たる姿の者が、彼の前に立っていた。その男には王者の風があり、人を治めることに慣れているように見えた。頭には冠をいただき、その装いは、ただの臣下では決して許されぬものであった。

Hien-Chung gazed at him in wonder, and was at first inclined to believe that he was some evil spirit who had assumed this clever disguise in order to deceive him. As this thought flashed through his mind, the man began to weep. It was pitiable indeed to see this kingly person affected with such oppressive grief that the tears streamed down his cheeks, and with the tenderness that was distinctive of him Hien-Chung expressed his deep sympathy for a sorrow so profound.

賢忠は驚いてその姿を見つめ、はじめは、自分を欺くためにこの巧みな装いをまとった悪しき霊ではないかと疑った。その考えが胸をよぎったとき、男は泣きはじめた。この王者めいた人物が、頬を涙が流れ落ちるほどの重い悲しみに打ちひしがれているのは、まことに痛ましい眺めであった。そして賢忠は、その持ち前の優しさをもって、これほど深い悲しみへの心からの同情を口にした。

"Three years ago," said his visitor, "I was the ruler of this 'Kingdom of the Black Flower.' I was indeed the founder of my dynasty, for I carved my own fortune with my sword, and made this little state into a kingdom. For a long time I was very happy, and my people were most devoted in their allegiance to me. I little dreamed of the sorrows that were coming on me, and the disasters which awaited me in the near future.

「三年前」と客人は言った。「わたしはこの『黒花の国』の統治者であった。まことにわが王朝の創始者であって、自らの剣で運を切り開き、この小さな国を一つの王国にしたのだ。長いあいだわたしはたいそう幸せであり、民はこの上なく忠実に仕えてくれた。わが身に迫る悲しみも、近い将来に待ち受ける災いも、思いもよらなかった。

"Five years ago my kingdom was visited with a very severe drought. The rains ceased to fall; the streams which used to fall down the mountain-sides and irrigate the plains dried up; and the wells lost the fountains which used to fill them with water. Everywhere the crops failed, and the green herbage on which the cattle browsed was slowly blasted by the burning rays of the sun.

「五年前、わが国はたいそう厳しい旱魃に見舞われた。雨は降らなくなり、山の斜面を流れ下って平野を潤していた川は涸れ、井戸を満たしていた水脈は失われた。どこでも作物は実らず、牛の食む緑の草も、灼けつく日の光に少しずつ焼かれていった。

"The common people suffered in their homes from want of food, and many of the very poorest actually died of starvation. This was a source of great sorrow to me, and every day my prayers went up to Heaven, that it would send down rain upon the dried-up land and so deliver my people from death. I knew that this calamity had fallen on my kingdom because of some wrong that I had done, and so my heart was torn with remorse.

「民は家々で食べ物に窮し、もっとも貧しい者の多くは実際に飢えて死んだ。これはわたしにとって大きな悲しみの種であり、毎日、涸れた地に雨を降らせて民を死から救ってくださるようにと、天へ祈りを捧げた。この災いがわが国に降りかかったのは、わたしが何か過ちを犯したからだと分かっていたので、心は悔いに引き裂かれていた。

"One day while my mind was full of anxiety, a man suddenly appeared at my palace and begged my ministers to be allowed to have an audience with me. He said that it was of the utmost importance that he should see me, for he had come to propose a plan for the deliverance of my country.

「ある日、心が不安でいっぱいだったとき、一人の男が突然わが宮殿に現れ、拝謁を許してほしいと大臣たちに願い出た。どうしてもわたしに会わねばならぬ、国を救う策を申し上げに来たのだと言うのである。

"I gave orders that he should instantly be brought into my presence, when I asked him if he had the power to cause the rain to descend upon the parched land.

「わたしはただちにその者を前へ通すよう命じ、この乾ききった地に雨を降らせる力があるのかと尋ねた。

"'Yes,' he replied, 'I have, and if you will step with me now to the front of your palace I will prove to you that I have the ability to do this, and even more.'

「『はい』と男は答えた。『ございます。いま宮殿の正面までご一緒くだされば、それができること、いやそれ以上のことができることを、お目にかけましょう。』

"Striding out to a balcony which overlooked the capital, and from which one could catch a view of the hills in the distance, the stranger lifted up his right hand towards the heavens and uttered certain words which I was unable to understand.

「都を見渡し、遠くの山々まで望める露台へ大股に出ていくと、この見知らぬ男は右手を天へ掲げ、わたしには解せぬ幾つかの言葉を唱えた。

"Instantly, and as if by magic, a subtle change crept through the atmosphere. The sky became darkened, and dense masses of clouds rolled up and blotted out the sun. The thunder began to mutter, and vivid flashes of lightning darted from one end of the heavens to the other, and before an hour had elapsed the rain was descending in torrents all over the land, and the great drought was at an end.

「たちまち、魔法のように、空気に微かな変化が忍び入った。空は暗くなり、厚い雲の塊が湧き上がって日を覆い隠した。雷が唸りはじめ、鮮やかな稲妻が天の端から端へと走り、一時間もたたぬうちに、雨が国じゅうに滝のように降り注ぎ、大旱魃は終わった。

"My gratitude to this mysterious stranger for the great deliverance he had wrought for my kingdom was so great that there was no favour which I was not willing to bestow upon him. I gave him rooms in the palace, and treated him as though he were my equal. I had the truest and the tenderest affection for him, and he seemed to be equally devoted to me.

「この不思議な客人がわが国のために成し遂げた大いなる救いへのわたしの感謝はあまりに大きく、この者に与えたくない恩恵など一つもなかった。宮殿に部屋を与え、対等の者であるかのように遇した。わたしはこの上なく真実で優しい情をこの者に抱き、この者もまた同じようにわたしに尽くしているように見えた。

"One morning we were walking hand in hand in the royal gardens. The peach blossoms were just out, and we were enjoying their perfume and wandering up and down amongst the trees which sent forth such exquisite fragrance.

「ある朝、わたしたちは手を取り合って王宮の庭を歩いていた。桃の花がちょうど咲きはじめており、その香りを楽しみながら、えもいわれぬ芳しさを放つ木々のあいだをそぞろ歩いていた。

"As we sauntered on, we came by-and-by upon a well which was hidden from sight by a cluster of oleander trees. We stayed for a moment to peer down its depths and to catch a sight of the dark waters lying deep within it. Whilst I was gazing down, my friend gave me a sudden push and I was precipitated head first into the water at the bottom. The moment I disappeared, he took a broad slab of stone and completely covered the mouth of the well. Over it he spread a thick layer of earth, and in this he planted a banana root, which, under the influence of the magic powers he possessed, in the course of a few hours had developed into a full-grown tree. I have lain dead in the well now for three years, and during all that time no one has arisen to avenge my wrong or to bring me deliverance."

「そうして歩くうちに、やがて夾竹桃の茂みに隠れた井戸のところへ来た。わたしたちはしばし立ち止まってその深みを覗き込み、奥深くに横たわる暗い水を見ようとした。わたしが覗き込んでいると、友は不意にわたしを突き飛ばし、わたしは底の水へ真っ逆さまに落ちた。わたしが消えた瞬間、あの男は幅の広い石板を取って井戸の口を完全に覆った。その上に厚く土をかぶせ、そこに芭蕉の根を植えた。そしてその根は、あの男の持つ魔力によって、数時間のうちに立派な木に育った。わたしはもう三年のあいだ井戸の中で死んで横たわっており、そのあいだずっと、わたしの無念を晴らそうとする者も、救い出そうとする者も現れなかった。」

"But have your ministers of State made no efforts during all these three years to discover their lost king?" asked Hien-Chung. "And what about your wife and family? Have they tamely submitted to have you disappear without raising an outcry that would resound throughout the whole kingdom? It seems to me inexplicable that a king should vanish from his palace and that no hue and cry should be raised throughout the length and breadth of the land until the mystery should be solved and his cruel murder fully avenged."

「しかし、この三年のあいだ、あなたの大臣たちは失われた王を探そうと何の手も打たなかったのですか」と賢忠は尋ねた。「それにご家族はどうなのです。あなたが姿を消したというのに、国じゅうに響き渡るような騒ぎも起こさず、おとなしく受け入れたのですか。王が宮殿から消えたというのに、この謎が解かれ、その無残な殺害が十分に報いられるまで、国の隅々まで捜索の声が上がらないなど、わたしには解せません。」

"It is here," replied the spirit of the dead king, "that my enemy has shown his greatest cunning. The reason why men never suspect that any treason has been committed is because by his enchantments he has transformed his own appearance so as to become the exact counterpart of myself. The man who called down the rain and saved my country from drought and famine has simply disappeared, so men think, and I the King still rule as of old in my kingdom. Not the slightest suspicion as to the true state of things has ever entered the brain of anyone in the nation, and so the usurper is absolutely safe in the position he occupies to-day."

「そこにこそ」と死んだ王の霊は答えた。「わが敵の最大の狡猾さが現れているのだ。誰一人として反逆が行われたと疑わないのは、あの者が呪術によって自らの姿を変え、わたしとそっくり同じ者になっているからである。雨を呼び、わが国を旱魃と飢饉から救ったあの男はただ姿を消しただけ——人々はそう思っており、王であるわたしは以前と変わらず国を治めている。事の真相への疑いは、この国の誰の頭にもかけらほども浮かんだことがない。それゆえ簒奪者は、いま占めているその地位にまったく安泰なのだ。」

"But have you never appealed to Yam-lo, the ruler of the Land of Shadows?", asked Hien-Chung. "He is the great redresser of the wrongs and crimes of earth, and now that you are a spirit and immediately within his jurisdiction, you should lay your complaint before him and pray him to avenge the sufferings you have been called upon to endure."

「しかし、冥府の支配者である閻魔に訴え出たことはないのですか」と賢忠は尋ねた。「閻魔はこの世の不正と罪を正す偉大な者です。いまやあなたは霊であり、その支配の内にあるのですから、訴えを申し立て、耐えねばならなかった苦しみに報いてくださるよう願うべきでしょう。」

"You do not understand," the spirit hastily replied. "The one who has wrought such ruin in my life is an evil spirit. He has nothing in common with men, but has been let loose from the region where evil spirits are confined to punish me for some wrong that I have committed in the past. He therefore knows the ways of the infernal regions, and is hand in glove with the rulers there, and even with Yam-lo himself. He is, moreover, on the most friendly terms with the tutelary God of my capital, and so no complaint of mine would ever be listened to for a moment by any of the powers who rule in the land of the dead.

「そなたは分かっておらぬ」と霊は急いで答えた。「わが生をかくも滅ぼした者は悪霊である。人とは何のかかわりもなく、わたしが過去に犯した過ちを罰するために、悪霊の閉じ込められている領域から解き放たれたのだ。それゆえ冥府の道に通じており、そこを治める者たちと、いや閻魔その人とさえ、ぐるになっている。そのうえ、わが都の守り神とも至って親しい間柄なのだ。だからわたしの訴えなど、死者の国を治めるどの力ある者にも、一瞬たりとも聞き入れられはすまい。

"There is another very strong reason, too, why any appeal that I might make for justice would be disregarded. My soul has not yet been loosed from my body, but is still confined within it in the well. The courts of the Underworld would never recognize me, because I still belong to this life, over which they have no control.

「わたしが正義を求めても顧みられまい理由が、もう一つある。わが魂はまだ体から解き放たれておらず、いまも井戸の中の体に閉じ込められている。冥府の法廷はわたしを認めまい。わたしはまだこの世に属しており、彼らはこの世を支配してはいないからだ。

"Only to-day," he continued, "a friendly spirit whispered in my ear that my confinement in the well was drawing to a close, and that the three years I had been adjudged to stay there would soon be up. He strongly advised me to apply to you, for you are endowed, he said, with powers superior to those possessed by my enemy, and if you are only pleased to exercise them I shall speedily be delivered from his evil influence."

「ちょうど今日」と霊は続けた。「一人の親切な霊がわたしの耳にささやいた。井戸への閉じ込めが終わりに近づいており、そこにいるよう定められた三年がまもなく満ちる、と。そしてそなたに頼るように強く勧めたのだ。そなたは、わが敵の持つ力より優れた力を授かっているという。そなたがそれを振るってくださりさえすれば、わたしはたちまちその邪悪な支配から解き放たれるであろう。」

Now the Goddess of Mercy had sent Hien-Chung a number of familiar spirits to be a protection to him in time of need. Next morning, accordingly, he summoned the cleverest of these, whose name was Hing, in order to consult with him as to how the king might be delivered from the bondage in which he had been held for the three years.

さて観音菩薩は、必要なときに賢忠を守るため、数多くの使いの霊を彼に遣わしていた。そこで翌朝、賢忠はその中でもっとも聡いもの——名を興(コウ)といった——を呼び、王を三年のあいだ囚われていた縛めからどう解き放つべきかを相談した。

"The first thing we have to do," said Hing, "is to get the heir to the Throne on our side. He has often been suspicious at certain things in the conduct of his supposed father, one of which is that for three years he has never been allowed to see his mother. All that is needed now is to get some tangible evidence to convince him that there is some mystery in the palace, and we shall gain him as our ally.

「まずしなければならないのは」と興は言った。「王位を継ぐ者をこちらの味方につけることです。あの方は、父と思っている人物の振る舞いのいくつかに、たびたび疑いを抱いてこられました。その一つが、三年のあいだ母君に会うことを一度も許されていないということです。いま必要なのは、宮殿に何か秘密があると納得させるだけの、手に取れる証拠を得ることだけ。そうすればあの方は味方になってくださいます。

"I have been fortunate," he continued, "in obtaining one thing which we shall find very useful in inducing the Prince to listen to what we have to say to him about his father. You may not know it, but about the time when the King was thrown into the well, the seal of the kingdom mysteriously disappeared and a new one had to be cut.

「幸い」と興は続けた。「父君について申し上げることに王子が耳を傾けてくださるうえで、たいそう役立つものを一つ手に入れました。ご存じないかもしれませんが、王が井戸へ投げ込まれたころ、国璽が不思議にも失われ、新しいものを彫らねばなりませんでした。

"Knowing that you were going to summon me to discuss this case, I went down into the well at dawn this morning, and found the missing seal on the body of the King. Here it is, and now we must lay our plans to work on the mind of the son for the deliverance of the father. To-morrow I hear that the Prince is going out hunting on the neighbouring hills. In one of the valleys there is a temple to the Goddess of Mercy, and if you will take this seal and await his coming there, I promise you that I will find means to entice him to the shrine."

「この件を相談するためにお呼びになると分かっておりましたので、今朝の夜明けに井戸へ降りていき、王の亡骸の上に、失われたあの国璽を見つけました。これがそれです。さあ、父君を救うために、ご子息の心へ働きかける策を立てねばなりません。明日、王子が近くの山へ狩りに出かけると聞いております。その谷の一つに観音菩薩の廟があります。この国璽を持ってそこで王子をお待ちくだされば、わたしが必ずや廟へお誘いする手立てを見つけましょう。」

Next morning the heir to the Throne of the "Kingdom of the Black Flower" set out with a noisy retinue to have a day's hunting on the well-wooded hills overlooking the capital. They had scarcely reached the hunting grounds when great excitement was caused by the sudden appearance of a remarkable-looking hare. It was decidedly larger than an ordinary hare, but the curious feature about it was its colour, which was as white as the driven snow.

翌朝、「黒花の国」の王位継承者は、賑やかな供回りを連れ、都を見おろす木々の茂った山で一日狩りをしようと出かけた。狩場に着くやいなや、目を引く一匹の兎が突然現れて、大変な興奮が巻き起こった。普通の兎よりはっきりと大きかったが、何より奇妙なのはその色で、降りたての雪のように真っ白であった。

No sooner had the hounds caught sight of it, than with loud barkings and bayings they dashed madly in pursuit. The hare, however, did not seem to show any terror, but with graceful bounds that carried it rapidly over the ground, it easily out-distanced the fleetest of its pursuers. It appeared, indeed, as though it were thoroughly enjoying the facility with which it could outrun the dogs, while the latter grew more and more excited as they always saw the quarry before them and yet could never get near enough to lay hold upon it.

猟犬たちはそれを目にするやいなや、けたたましく吠え立てて狂ったように追いかけた。ところが兎はまるで怯えた様子を見せず、優雅な跳躍で地面を素早く進み、追う者のうちいちばん足の速いものさえ楽々と引き離した。まるで犬より速く走れることを心から楽しんでいるかのようで、犬のほうは、獲物が始終目の前に見えているのに決して掴めるほど近づけないので、ますます興奮していった。

Another extraordinary thing was that this hare did not seem anxious to escape. It took no advantage of undergrowth or of clumps of trees to hide the direction in which it was going. It managed also to keep constantly in view of the whole field; and when it had to make sudden turns in the natural windings of the road which led to a valley in the distance, where there stood a famous temple, it hesitated for a moment and allowed the baying hounds to come perilously near, before it darted off with the speed of lightning and left the dogs far behind it.

もう一つ並外れていたのは、この兎が逃げおおせたがっている様子を見せなかったことである。下生えや木立を使って、自分の行く方角を隠そうとしなかった。それどころか、狩りの一団全体からつねに見える位置を保ち続けた。そして遠くの谷——そこには名高い廟があった——へ通じる道の自然な曲がり角で急に向きを変えねばならないときには、一瞬ためらって吠える犬を危ういほど近づけさせ、それから稲妻の速さで駆け出して、犬をはるか後ろに置き去りにするのだった。

Little did the hunters dream that the beautiful animal which was giving them such an exciting chase was none other than the fairy Hing, who had assumed this disguise in order to bring the Prince to the lonely temple in the secluded valley, where, beyond the possibility of being spied upon by his father's murderer, the story of treachery could be told, and means be devised for his restoration to the throne.

この美しい獣が——これほど胸躍る追跡をさせてくれたこの獣が——ほかならぬ仙の興であるとは、狩人たちは夢にも思わなかった。興はこの姿を借りて、人里離れた谷の寂しい廟へ王子を連れていこうとしていたのである。そこでなら、父の殺害者に見張られる恐れもなく、裏切りの物語を語り、王を位に戻す手立てを講じることができる。

Having arrived close to the temple, the mysterious hare vanished as suddenly as it had appeared, and not a trace was left to enable the dogs, which careered wildly round and round, to pick up the scent.

廟の近くまで来ると、この不思議な兎は現れたときと同じく突然に消え失せ、狂ったようにぐるぐる駆けまわる犬たちが匂いを拾える手がかりは、何一つ残らなかった。

The Prince, who was a devoted disciple of the Goddess of Mercy, now dismounted and entered the temple, where he proceeded to burn incense before her shrine and in muttered tones to beseech her to send down blessings upon him.

観音菩薩に篤く帰依していた王子は、馬を降りて廟に入り、その祀られた前で香を焚き、低い声で加護を垂れたまえと祈りはじめた。

After a time, he became considerably surprised to find that the presiding priest of the temple, instead of coming forward to attend upon him and to show him the courtesies due to his high position, remained standing in a corner where the shadows were darkest, his eyes cast upon the ground and with a most serious look overspreading his countenance.

しばらくして王子は、たいそう不審に思いはじめた。この廟を預かる僧が、進み出て給仕し、高い身分にふさわしい礼を尽くすどころか、いちばん影の濃い隅に立ったまま、目を地に落とし、この上なく深刻な面持ちを顔じゅうに浮かべていたからである。

Accordingly, when he had finished his devotions to the Goddess, the Prince approached the priest, and asked him in a kindly manner if anything was distressing him.

そこで菩薩への勤めを終えると、王子は僧に近づき、何か心を痛めていることがあるのかと優しく尋ねた。

"Yes," replied Hien-Chung, "there is, and it is a subject which materially affects your Royal Highness. If you will step for a moment into my private room, I shall endeavour to explain to you the matter which has filled my mind with the greatest possible anxiety."

「はい」と賢忠は答えた。「ございます。しかもそれは、殿下ご自身に深くかかわる事柄でございます。しばしわたしの私室へお運びくださいますなら、わたしの心を限りない不安で満たしているその事柄を、お話し申し上げましょう。」

When they entered the abbot's room, Hien-Chung handed the Prince a small box and asked him to open it and examine the article it contained.

住持の部屋に入ると、賢忠は王子に小さな箱を手渡し、開けて中のものをお改めくださいと言った。

Great was the Prince's amazement when he took it out and cast a hurried glance over it. A look of excitement passed over his face and he cried out, "Why, this is the great seal of the kingdom which was lost three years ago, and of which no trace could ever be found! May I ask how it came into your possession and what reason you can give for not having restored it to the King, who has long wished to discover it?"

取り出して急いで一目見たとき、王子の驚きは大きかった。興奮の色がその顔に走り、王子は叫んだ。「これは、三年前に失われて跡形も見つからなかった、あの国璽ではないか! どうしてそなたの手に渡ったのか、そして長らく探し求めておられる王に、なぜお返ししなかったのか、聞かせてもらおう。」

"The answer to that is a long one, your Highness, and to satisfy you, I must go somewhat into detail."

「その答えは長うございます、殿下。ご得心いただくためには、いささか細かくお話しせねばなりません。」

Hien-Chung then told the Prince of the midnight visit his father had made him, and the tragic story of his murder by the man who was now posing as the King, and of his appeal to deliver him from the sorrows of the well in which he had been confined for three years.

そこで賢忠は、父君が真夜中に自分を訪ねてきたこと、いま王を装っている男に殺されたという痛ましい物語、そして三年のあいだ閉じ込められてきたあの井戸の苦しみから救い出してほしいという訴えを、王子に語った。

"With regard to the finding of the seal," he continued, "my servant Hing, who is present, will describe how by the supernatural powers with which he is endowed, he descended the well only this very morning and discovered it on the body of your father."

「国璽が見つかった件については」と彼は続けた。「ここにおります下僕の興が、その授かった超自然の力によって、まさに今朝がた井戸へ降り、父君の亡骸の上でこれを見つけた次第をご説明いたしましょう。」

"We have this absolute proof," he said, "that the vision I saw only two nights ago was not some imagination of the brain, but that it was really the King who appealed to me to deliver him from the power of an enemy who seems bent upon his destruction.

「わたしどもはこの動かぬ証を得ました」と彼は言った。「二晩前にわたしが見たものは頭の中の幻ではなく、まことに王が、ご自分を滅ぼそうと執念を燃やす敵の力から救い出してくれと、わたしに訴えられたのだということの証です。

"We must act, and act promptly," he went on, "for the man who is pretending to be the ruler of your kingdom is a person of unlimited ability, and as soon as he gets to know that his secret has been divulged, he will put into operation every art he possesses to frustrate our purpose.

「わたしどもは動かねばなりません。しかも速やかに」と彼は続けた。「殿下の王国の統治者を装っているあの男は、限りない力を持つ者です。秘密が明かされたと知るやいなや、わたしどもの企てを挫くために、持てるかぎりの術を働かせるでしょう。

"What I propose is that your Highness should send back the greater part of your retinue to the palace, with an intimation to the effect that you are going to spend the night here in a special service to the Goddess, whose birthday it fortunately happens to be to-day. After night has fallen upon the city, Hing shall descend into the well and bring the body of your father here. You will then have all the proof you need of the truth of the matter, and we can devise plans as to our future action."

「わたしが申し上げたいのは、殿下が供回りの大半を宮殿へ帰し、幸いにも今日は菩薩のご誕生日にあたりますので、ここで一夜、特別の勤めを行うと伝えさせることです。都に夜が下りましたら、興が井戸へ降り、父君の亡骸をここへお運びします。そうすれば、この件が真実であるという証はすべて揃います。そのうえで、この先どう動くかの策を講じましょう。」

A little after midnight, Hing having faithfully carried out the commission entrusted to him by Hien-Chung, arrived with the body of the King, which was laid with due ceremony and respect in one of the inner rooms of the temple. With his marvellous wonder-working powers and with the aid of invisible forces which he had been able to summon to his assistance, he had succeeded in transporting it from the wretched place where it had lain so long to the friendly temple of the Goddess of Mercy.

真夜中を少し過ぎたころ、賢忠から託された務めを忠実に果たした興が、王の亡骸とともに到着した。亡骸は、しかるべき儀と敬意をもって、廟の奥の一室に安置された。興はその驚くべき法力と、助けに呼び寄せることのできた目に見えぬ力の助けを借りて、長らく横たわっていたあの惨めな場所から、慈悲深い観音の廟へと運び出すことに成功したのである。

The Prince was deeply moved by the sight of his father's body. Fortunately it had suffered no change since the day when it was thrown to the bottom of the well. Not a sign of decay could be seen upon the King's noble features. It seemed as though he had but fallen asleep, and presently would wake up and talk to them as he used to do. The fact that in some mysterious way the soul had not been separated from the body accounted for its remarkable preservation. Nevertheless to all appearance the King was dead, and the great question now was how he could be brought back to life, so that he might be restored to his family and his kingdom.

王子は父の亡骸を目にして深く心を動かされた。幸いにも、井戸の底へ投げ込まれた日から何一つ変わっていなかった。王の気高い面立ちには、朽ちの徴一つ見られない。ただ眠りに落ちただけで、いまにも目を覚まして、いつものように話しかけてくるかのようであった。何か不思議な仕方で魂が体から離れていなかったことが、この驚くべき保存の理由であった。それでも見た目には王は死んでおり、いまや大きな問いは、どうすればふたたび命を得て、家族と王国へ戻れるか、ということであった。

"The time has come," said Hien-Chung, "when heroic measures will have to be used if the King is ever to live again. Two nights ago he made a passionate and urgent request to me to save him, for one of the gods informed him that I was the only man who could do so. So far, we have got him out of the grip of the demon that compassed his death, and now it lies with me to provide some antidote which shall bring back the vital forces and make him a living man once more.

「時が来ました」と賢忠は言った。「王がふたたび生きられるとすれば、思い切った手立てを取らねばなりません。二晩前、王はわたしに、救ってくれと切なる訴えをなさいました。それができるのはわたしだけだと、神の一柱が告げたからです。ここまでで、死をもたらした悪鬼の手からはお救いした。そしていまや、生命の力を呼び戻してふたたび生きた人にする薬を用意するのは、わたしの務めです。

"I have never had to do with such a serious case as this before, but I have obtained from the Patriarch of the Taoist Church a small vial of the Elixir of Life, which has the marvellous property of prolonging the existence of whoever drinks it. We shall try it on the King and, as there is no sign of vital decay, let us hope that it will be effective in restoring him to life."

「これほど重い例を扱ったことはこれまでありませんが、道教の宗主から、飲む者の命を延ばす驚くべき効き目を持つ不老不死の霊薬を、小瓶に一つ頂いております。それを王に試みましょう。生命の朽ちの徴が見えないのですから、命を取り戻すのに効き目があることを願おうではありませんか。」

Turning to a desk that was kept locked, he brought out a small black earthenware bottle, from which he dropped a single drop of liquid on to the lips of the prostrate figure. In a few seconds a kind of rosy flush spread over the King's features. Another drop, and a look of life flashed over the pallid face. Still another, and after a short interval the eyes opened and looked with intelligence upon the group surrounding his couch. Still one more, and the King arose and asked how long he had been asleep, and how it came about that he was in this small room instead of being in his own palace.

彼は施錠しておいた文机に向かい、小さな黒い土焼きの瓶を取り出して、横たわる姿の唇に液を一滴たらした。数秒のうちに、王の面立ちに薔薇色の血の気のようなものが広がった。もう一滴たらすと、蒼白な顔に生気の色がひらめいた。さらにもう一滴。しばしの間ののち、目が開き、寝台を囲む一同を意識をもって見つめた。もう一滴。すると王は起き上がり、どれほど眠っていたのか、そして自分の宮殿ではなくこの小さな部屋にいるのはどうしたわけかと尋ねた。

He was soon restored to his family and to his position in the State, for the usurper after one or two feeble attempts to retain his power ignominiously fled from the country.

王はまもなく家族のもとへ、そして国におけるその位へ戻された。簒奪者は、力を保とうと一度二度と弱々しい試みをしたのち、恥辱にまみれて国から逃げ去ったからである。

A short time after, Hien-Chung had a private interview with the King. "I am anxious," he said, "that your Majesty should understand the reason why such a calamity came into your life.

しばらくして、賢忠は王と二人だけで会った。「気がかりでございます」と彼は言った。「陛下には、なぜこれほどの災いがご生涯に降りかかったのか、その理由をお分かりいただきたいのです。

"Some years ago without any just reason you put to death a Buddhist priest. You never showed any repentance for the great wrong you had done, and so the Goddess sent a severe drought upon your Kingdom. You still remained unrepentant, and then she sent one of her Ministers to afflict you, depriving you of your home and your royal power. The man who pushed you down the well was but carrying out the instructions he had received from the Goddess. Your stay down the well for three years was part of the punishment she had decreed for your offence, and when the time was up, I was given the authority to release you.

「幾年か前、陛下は正当な理由もなく一人の仏僧を死罪になさいました。犯された大きな過ちについて、悔いを何一つお示しにならなかった。それゆえ菩薩は、陛下の王国に厳しい旱魃を送られたのです。それでも悔い改めようとなさらなかったので、菩薩はその使いの一人を遣わして陛下を苦しめ、住まいと王としての力を奪われました。陛下を井戸へ突き落とした男は、菩薩から受けた指図を実行したにすぎません。三年のあいだ井戸に留められたのは、その罪に対して菩薩が定められた罰の一部であり、その期限が満ちたので、わたしが陛下をお解き放ちする権を与えられたのです。

"Kings as well as their subjects are under the great law of righteousness, and if they violate it they must suffer like other men. I would warn your Majesty that unless you show some evidence that you have repented for taking away a man's life unjustly, other sorrows will most certainly fall upon you in the future."

「王もまたその臣民と同じく、正しさという大いなる法の下にあります。それを破れば、他の人と同じように苦しまねばなりません。陛下に申し上げておきます。人の命を不当に奪ったことを悔い改めたという何らかの証をお示しにならないかぎり、この先ほかの悲しみが必ずや降りかかることでしょう。」