The Tragedy of the Yin Family

In a certain district in one of the central provinces of China, there lived a man of the name of Yin. He was possessed of considerable property, with a great ambition to become distinguished in life. The one desire of his heart, which seemed to master every other, was that his family should become an aristocratic one.

中国の中部のある省のある県に、殷という名の男が住んでいた。かなりの財産を持ち、世に名を上げたいという大きな野心を抱いていた。ほかのあらゆる望みを圧してしまうほどの彼の心のただ一つの願いは、自分の一族を名門にすることだった。

So far as he knew, none of his immediate predecessors had ever been a conspicuous scholar, or had gained any honour in the great triennial examinations. The result was that his family was a plebeian one, from which no mandarin had ever sprung. In what way, then, could he secure that the fame and dignities, which had come to some of the clans in the region in which he lived, should descend upon his home and upon his grandsons?

彼の知るかぎり、すぐ前の先祖のだれ一人として際立った学者になったこともなければ、三年ごとの大試験で何の栄誉を得たこともなかった。その結果、彼の一族は庶民の家で、役人を一人も出したことがなかった。では、自分の住む地方のいくつかの一族にもたらされた名声と位を、どうすれば自分の家と孫たちの上に降らせることができるだろうか。

He was a rich man, it is true, but he was entirely illiterate, and all his money had been made in trade. As a lad his education had been neglected, for his early life had been spent in the mere struggle for existence. He had been more than successful, but the honours of the student never could be his, and never could he act as one of the officials of the Empire. It occurred to him, however, that though it was impossible that he himself should ever be classed amongst the great scholars of China, his sons and grandsons might be so honoured. In that case the glory of their success would be reflected upon him, and men would talk of him as the head of a family which had become distinguished for scholarship and high dignities in the State.

たしかに彼は金持ちだったが、まったくの無学で、財産はすべて商売で築いたものだった。若いころはただ生きていくことに追われて、教育はおろそかにされていた。商売ではこのうえなく成功したが、学者の栄誉は決して自分のものにはならず、帝国の役人の一人として務めることも決してできなかった。けれども彼は思いついた。自分自身が中国の大学者の列に加わることはできなくても、息子や孫たちがそうした栄誉を受けることはできるかもしれない。そうなれば、彼らの成功の栄光は自分にも照り返し、人々は自分のことを、学問と国の高い位で名を上げた一族の長として語るだろう。

He finally came to the conclusion that the most effectual way of accomplishing this was to secure a lucky burying-ground in which he could lay the bodies of his father and his grandfather, who had departed this life some years before. The universal belief that in some mysterious way the dead have the power of showering down wealth and honours and prosperity upon the surviving members of their families, was held most tenaciously by Mr. Yin. This belief pointed out to him how he could emerge from the common and dreary road along which his ancestors had travelled, into the one where royal favours and official distinction would mark out his posterity in the future.

とうとう彼は、それを果たすもっとも効き目のある方法は、何年か前にこの世を去った父と祖父の遺体を納められる、縁起のよい墓地を手に入れることだと結論した。死者はなんらかの不思議なやり方で、生き残った家族の上に富と栄誉と繁栄を降り注ぐ力を持つという、世に遍く行き渡った信仰を、殷氏はこのうえなく固く抱いていた。この信仰は、先祖たちが歩んできたありふれた退屈な道から抜け出して、天子の恩寵と官の栄達がこれから先の子孫を際立たせる道へ入るにはどうすればよいかを、彼に指し示していた。

As he had retired from business, he was able to spend nearly the whole of his time in searching the country for the spots where certain unseen forces are supposed to collect with such dominant and overmastering power that the body of any person laid to rest amongst them will be found to dispense untold riches and dignities upon his nearest relatives. Accordingly, attended by a professor of the art, whose study of this intricate science enable him to detect at a glance the places which fulfilled the required conditions, Yin made frequent excursions in the regions around his home.

商売から身を引いていたので、彼はほとんどすべての時間を、ある目に見えない力がきわめて強大に集まっていて、そのなかに葬られた人の遺体がもっとも近い身内に計り知れない富と位を授けるとされる場所を探して、国じゅうを歩き回ることに費やすことができた。そこで、この込み入った学問を修めてそうした条件を満たす場所をひと目で見分けられる、その道の師を伴って、殷は家のまわりの地方へたびたび出かけた。

The valleys through which the streams ran, and where the sound of the running waters could be heard day and night as they sang their way to the sea, were all explored. Wherever water and hills were to be found in a happy conjunction, there these two men were to be seen peering over the ground, and with the aid of a compass which the professor carried with him in a cloth bag, marking whether the lines upon which they ran indicated that the mysterious Dragon had his residence beneath.

小川が流れ、海へと歌いながら流れていく水の音が昼も夜も聞こえる谷は、すべて探し回られた。水と山がめでたく結びついているところならどこでも、この二人が地面をのぞき込み、師が布袋に入れて持ち歩いている羅盤の助けを借りて、その線の走り方が、不思議な竜がその下に住んでいることを示しているかどうかを確かめている姿が見られた。

Innumerable places were carefully examined, and whilst some of them would have been admirably suited for a person of ordinary ambition, they did not satisfy the large expectations for the future which were cherished by Mr. Yin. The rising knolls and winding streams and far-off views of hills lying in the mist-like distance, showed perhaps that moderate prosperity would be the lot of those whose kindred might be buried there; but there were no signs of preƫminence in scholarship, or of mandarins riding on horseback or in sedan-chairs, with great retinues attending them, as they proceeded in haughty dignity through the streets of the city in which they lived as rulers. Such places were therefore rejected as unsuitable.

数えきれないほどの場所が念入りに調べられた。なかには、並の野心の持ち主にならば見事にふさわしい場所もあったが、殷氏の抱く行く末への大きな期待を満たすものではなかった。盛り上がった小山や曲がりくねった流れ、霧のような彼方に横たわる遠い山並みの眺めは、そこに身内が葬られた者にはほどほどの繁栄が授かるだろうことを示してはいたかもしれない。けれども学問で抜きん出るしるしも、役人たちが大勢の供を従えて馬や轎に乗り、支配者として住む町の通りを傲然と威厳をもって進んでいくしるしも、そこにはなかった。そこでそうした場所はふさわしくないとして退けられた。

Days and months went by in this search for a spot with which the fortunes of the Yin family were to be linked for many generations yet to come; but every place failed in some one or two particulars which would have marred the splendid prospect that ambition had pictured before the vision of this wealthy man.

これから先の幾世代にもわたって殷家の運命が結びつけられる場所を探して、幾日も幾月も過ぎた。けれども、どの場所も一つか二つの点で欠けていて、それが、野心がこの金持ちの男の目の前に描いてみせた輝かしい展望を損なってしまうのだった。

At last, as they were sauntering along one day with eyes keen and alert, they stayed for a moment to rest on the top of a low hill which they had just ascended. Hardly had they cast a rapid glance over the beautiful scenery that lay stretched out before them, before the professor, with flashing eyes and unusual enthusiasm, exclaimed with excitement in his voice, "See! this is the very place we have been looking for all these days!

とうとうある日、鋭く油断のない目で二人がぶらぶら歩いていると、今しがた登った低い丘の頂でひと休みしようと足を止めた。目の前に広がる美しい景色にさっと目を走らせるか走らせないかのうちに、師は目を輝かせ、いつにない熱のこもった興奮した声で叫んだ。「ご覧なさい。こここそ、この何日もずっと探していたまさにその場所です。

"No more suitable spot could have been found in the whole of China than this. We stand, as it were, in the centre of a great amphitheatre in which have been gathered the finest forces of Fung-Shuy. Behind us the hill rises in a graceful semi-circular form to shield the spot, where the dead shall lie buried, from the northern blasts, and from the fierce and malignant spirits that come flying on the wings of the great gales which blow with the touch of the ice and snow in them.

「中国じゅうを探しても、ここよりふさわしい場所は見つからなかったでしょう。わたしたちは、いわば風水の最良の力が集められた大きな円形劇場の真ん中に立っているのです。背後には丘が優美な半円を描いてそびえ、死者の眠る場所を北風から、そして氷と雪の気配を帯びて吹きつける大風の翼に乗って飛んでくる猛々しく邪悪な霊から守っています。

"On the plain in front of us, scattered over its surface, are gentle risings showing where the Dragon lies reposing, waiting to dispense its favours to all who come within its magic influence. And then, behold how the river winds in and out, seemingly unwilling to leave a place where unseen influences are at work to enrich the homes and gladden the hearts of the men and women of this region. See how it flows out with a hasty rush towards the sea beyond, and how it threads its way round yonder cape and is lost to view. Then mark again how it would seem as though some force it could not control had swung it round in its course, for it winds back upon the plain with gleaming eyes and joyous looks as if it were glad to return once more towards the distant mountains from whence it took its rise.

「前の平野には、その表にあちこち穏やかな高まりが散らばっていて、竜が横たわって休み、その不思議な力の及ぶところに来るすべての者に恵みを授けようと待っていることを示しています。それから、ご覧なさい、川が行きつ戻りつ曲がりくねっているさまを。目に見えない力がこの地方の男女の家を豊かにし心を喜ばせようと働いているこの場所を、去りたくないかのようです。向こうの海へ向かってせわしく流れ出し、あそこの岬をまわって見えなくなるさまをご覧なさい。そしてまた、なんらかの抗えない力にその流れを振り向けられたかのように、輝く目と喜ばしげな顔つきで平野へと曲がり戻ってくるさまにご注目なさい。まるで、自分の源である遠い山々のほうへもう一度戻れるのを喜んでいるかのようです。

"The meaning of all this is," he continued, "that the prosperity, which the Dragon will bestow upon the living through the ministry of the dead lying within its domain, shall not soon pass away, but like the river that we see meandering before us, shall stay and comfort for many a long year those to whom it has been granted.

「これが意味するのは」と師は続けた。「竜がその領分に眠る死者の働きを通じて生きている者に授ける繁栄は、すぐには去らず、目の前に蛇行して見えるあの川のように、それを授かった者たちのもとに長い年月とどまって慰めを与える、ということです。

"That riches will come is certain, and official rank, and honours as well; for cast your eyes upon yonder ridge gleaming in the morning sun, and note the figure which rises up distinct and well-defined from its summit. It is simply a rock, it is true, but mark well its contour and you will note how the outline grows upon your vision until it assumes the form of a mandarin in full official robes standing with his face towards us.

「富が来るのは確かですし、官の位も栄誉も来ます。あそこの朝日に輝く尾根に目をやって、その頂からくっきりと際立ってそびえている形にご注目なさい。たしかにあれはただの岩ですが、その輪郭をよくご覧になれば、見ているうちにその形がしだいに浮かび上がって、正式の官服をまとい、こちらに顔を向けて立っている役人の姿になっていくのがおわかりでしょう。

"I would strongly advise you," concluded the professor, "to secure this plot of land on which we stand, whatever it may cost you, for every ambition that has ever filled your soul shall in time be satisfied by the wealth and honours which not only the Dragon but all his attendant spirits shall combine to pour into your home."

「強くお勧めしますが」と師は締めくくった。「どれほどお金がかかろうとも、わたしたちの立っているこの土地をお手に入れなさい。そうすれば、あなたの魂をこれまで満たしてきたあらゆる野心は、竜ばかりでなくそれに仕えるすべての霊が力を合わせてあなたの家に注ぎ込む富と栄誉によって、やがて満たされるでしょう」

Yin was entranced with the prospect which was pictured before him in such glowing language by the man at his side, and he heartily agreed with the proposal that he should stay his search and purchase the ground on which they were standing as a cemetery for his family.

殷は、かたわらの男がこれほど熱のこもった言葉で目の前に描いてみせた展望にうっとりとし、探索をやめて、立っている土地を一族の墓地として買い取るという申し出に心から賛成した。

Just at this moment a man came sauntering along to see what these two strangers were doing in this out-of-the-way place, to which no road ran and from which no by-paths led to the villages beyond.

ちょうどそのとき、道も通じておらず、向こうの村々へ抜ける小道もないこの辺鄙な場所で、この二人のよそ者が何をしているのか見ようと、一人の男がぶらぶらとやって来た。

"Can you tell me, my man," asked Yin, "to whom this piece of land belongs?"

「おい、この土地がだれのものか教えてくれないか」と殷は尋ねた。

"Yes, I can easily do that," he replied. "Do you see that dilapidated-looking cottage down by the riverside? Well, it is occupied by a man named Lin, together with his wife and a daughter about nineteen years of age. They are exceedingly poor, as you can see by their house. The only property Lin possesses is this plot of ground, which has come down to him from his forefathers, and which he hopes one day to dispose of to some well-to-do person as a burying-ground that may bring him good luck."

「ええ、お安いご用です」と男は答えた。「川べりのあそこに、崩れかけたような小屋が見えるでしょう。あそこには林という男が、女房と十九ぐらいの娘と一緒に住んでいます。家を見ればわかるとおり、ひどく貧乏な一家です。林の持っている財産はこの土地だけで、先祖から伝わってきたものです。いつか、運を運んでくれる墓地として、どこかの裕福な人に売りたいと思っているんですよ」

"I am very willing to buy the land, if I can only get it at a reasonable price," replied Yin, "and I shall be glad if you will consent to act as middleman and negotiate the matter for me. You might go at once and see Lin, and find out what are the terms upon which he is willing to transfer the property to me."

「手ごろな値で手に入るなら、ぜひその土地を買いたい」と殷は答えた。「仲立ちになってこの件をまとめてくれるとありがたい。すぐに林に会いに行って、どういう条件ならわしに譲ってくれるか聞いてきてくれないか」

On the morrow the middle-man returned and reported to Yin that Lin would on no consideration consent to let him have the ground. "The fact is," he continued, "that Lin has a settled purpose in his mind with which this particular plot of land has a good deal to do. He and his wife are getting on in years, and when the daughter is married off he is afraid that his branch of the family will become extinct; so he plans to get a husband for her who will come into the home and act the part of a son as well as that of son-in-law."

翌日、仲立ちの男が戻ってきて、林はどうあってもその土地を譲ることを承知しないと殷に報告した。「じつは」と男は続けた。「林には心に決めた目当てがあって、それにこの土地が大いにかかわっているんです。林も女房も年をとってきていて、娘を嫁に出してしまったら自分の家筋が絶えてしまうのを恐れています。それで、家に入って婿であると同時に息子の役も果たしてくれる夫を娘のために見つけようと考えているんです」

So determined, however, was Yin to gain possession of this particular piece of land that after considerable negotiations during which it seemed as though the old father would never be moved from his settled purpose, it was finally agreed that his daughter should be married to Yin's eldest son, Shung, and that her father and mother should remove to rooms in Yin's family mansion, where they should be maintained by him in ease and comfort as long as they lived. Had Yin been a large-hearted and generous person, this plan would have been an ideal one, but seeing that he was by nature a stingy, money-grubbing individual, it was attended with the most tragic results.

けれども殷はこの土地をどうしても手に入れようと決めていたので、老いた父親が心に決めた目当てから決して動かないのではないかと思われるほどの長い交渉の末、とうとう、娘を殷の長男の順に嫁がせ、娘の両親は殷家の屋敷の部屋に移って、生きているかぎり殷に安楽に養ってもらうという取り決めがなされた。もし殷が心の広い気前のよい人であったなら、この計画は申し分のないものだったろう。けれども殷は生まれつきけちで金に汚い人間だったので、この取り決めはこのうえなく悲惨な結末をもたらすことになった。

No sooner had the deeds of the coveted plot of ground been passed over to him than Yin had the body of his father, who had been buried in a place far removed from the influence of the Dragon, transferred to this new location, where he would be in touch with the higher spirits of the Underworld. Here, also, he could catch the eye of the mandarin, who day and night would have his face turned towards him, and who from the very fact of the sympathy that would grow up between them, must in time give him the mysterious power of turning his grandsons, and their sons after them, into scholars, who would obtain high positions in the service of the State.

待ち望んだ土地の証文が自分に渡されるやいなや、殷は、竜の力からずっと離れた場所に葬られていた父の遺体を、この新しい場所へ移させた。そこなら父は冥界の高位の霊たちと通じ合えるのだった。ここでまた、父は昼も夜も自分のほうに顔を向けているあの役人の目にとまることができ、二人のあいだに芽生えるはずの共感そのものによって、役人はやがて父に、孫たちとそのまた息子たちを国に仕えて高い地位を得る学者に変える不思議な力を授けるにちがいなかった。

In the meanwhile preparations were being made for the marriage of the young maiden of low degree to a man in a much higher social position than she could ever have aspired to in the ordinary course of events. Pearl was a sweet, comely-looking damsel, who would have made a model wife to one of her own station in life, but who was utterly unsuited for the new dignity which would be thrust upon her as soon as she crossed the threshold of the wealthy family of Yin. She was simply a peasant girl, without education and without refinement. Her days had been passed amidst scenes of poverty, and though she was a thoroughly good girl, with the high ideals that the commonest people in China everywhere have, her proper position was after all amongst the kind of people with whom she had lived all her life.

そのあいだに、身分の低い若い娘を、ふつうの成り行きでは望むべくもないほど社会的地位の高い男に嫁がせる支度が進められていた。珠は愛らしく器量のよい娘で、自分と同じ身分の者にならば模範的な妻となっただろうが、裕福な殷家の敷居をまたいだとたんに押しつけられる新しい身分には、まったく向いていなかった。彼女はただの百姓娘で、教育もなければ洗練もなかった。貧しさのなかで日々を過ごしてきた娘で、中国のどこでももっとも庶民的な人々が持っている高い理想を備えた根っからの善良な娘ではあったが、結局のところ、そのふさわしい居場所は、生まれてからずっとともに暮らしてきたような人々のあいだにあった。

Her father and mother had indeed all along been doubtful about the propriety of marrying their daughter into a family so much above them as the Yins, and for a long time they had stood out against all the arguments in favour of it. Finally, overborne by the impetuosity of Yin, and dazzled with the prospects which such an alliance offered not only to the girl herself but also to themselves by the agreement to keep them in comfort for the rest of their lives, they had given an unwilling consent.

じつは娘の父と母も、自分たちよりはるかに身分の高い殷家に娘を嫁がせることが妥当かどうか初めからずっと疑っていて、長いあいだ、それを勧めるあらゆる理屈に抗ってきた。けれどもとうとう、殷の強引さに押し切られ、また、この縁組が娘自身ばかりでなく、生涯安楽に養ってもらうという取り決めによって自分たちにももたらす見込みに目がくらんで、しぶしぶ承知したのだった。

In order that Pearl should suffer as little disgrace as possible when she appeared amongst her new relations, her father sold all his available belongings in order to procure suitable wedding-garments for her. His idea, however, of the fitness of things had been gathered from the humble surroundings in which he had lived all his days, and the silks and satins and expensive jewellery that adorn the brides of the wealthy had never come within the vision of his dreams. Still Pearl was a pretty girl, and with her piercing black eyes which always seemed to be suffused with laughter, and with a smile which looked like a flash from a summer sky, she needed but little adornment, and would have won the heart of any man who had the soul to appreciate a true woman when he saw one.

珠が新しい親族のあいだに姿を見せたとき、できるだけ恥をかかずにすむように、父親はふさわしい婚礼衣装を手に入れるため、売れる持ち物をすべて売り払った。けれども、何がふさわしいかという父親の考えは、生涯を過ごしてきたつましい暮らしから得たもので、裕福な家の花嫁を飾る絹や繻子や高価な宝飾品は、夢のなかでさえ見たことがなかった。それでも珠はきれいな娘で、いつも笑いをたたえているような鋭い黒い瞳と、夏空のひらめきのような微笑みを持っていたので、飾りなどほとんど要らず、真の女を見ればそれとわかる魂を持つ男なら、だれの心でも射止めただろう。

At last the day came, hurried on by the eager desire of Yin to have the whole thing settled, when the humble home was to be given up and its inmates transferred to the rich house that lay just over a neighbouring hill.

とうとう、事を早く片づけてしまいたいという殷のはやる思いにせかされて、つましい家を引き払い、その住人たちを隣の丘のすぐ向こうにある裕福な家へ移す日がやって来た。

A magnificent bridal chair, whose brilliant crimson colour made it a conspicuous object on the grey landscape, wound its way towards the cottage where the bride was attired all ready to step into it the moment it appeared at the door.

その鮮やかな深紅の色が灰色の風景のなかでひときわ目立つ壮麗な花嫁の駕籠が、小屋へと曲がりくねって進んでいった。小屋では、駕籠が戸口に現れたらすぐに乗り込めるよう、花嫁がすっかり支度を整えていた。

In front of it there marched a band, making the country-side resound with weird notes which seemed to fly on the air with defiance in their tones, and to send their echoes mounting to the tops of the hills and piercing down into the silent valleys. There were also crowds of retainers and dependants of the wealthy man. These were dressed in semi-official robes, and flocked along with smiling faces and joyous shouts. The occasion was a festal one, and visions of rare dishes and of generous feasting, kept up for several days, filled the minds of the happy procession as it went to meet the bride.

駕籠の前には楽隊が行進していて、奇妙な調べで田舎じゅうを響かせていた。その調べは挑むような調子で空を飛び、こだまを山の頂まで昇らせ、静まりかえった谷の底まで突き刺していくようだった。金持ちの男の家来や扶持を受ける者たちも大勢いた。彼らは半ば官服のような着物をまとい、にこにこ顔で歓声をあげながら群れをなしてついて行った。めでたい祝いの日で、何日も続く珍しいご馳走と気前のよい宴の光景が、花嫁を迎えに行く幸せな行列の人々の心を満たしていた。

The return of the party was still more boisterous in its merriment. The members of the band seemed inspired by the occasion and sent forth lusty strains, whilst the instruments, as if aware how much depended upon them, responded to the efforts of the performers and filled the air with joyful notes.

一行の帰り道は、さらに騒々しい陽気さに満ちていた。楽隊の者たちはこの日に奮い立ったように力強い調べを奏で、楽器も、自分たちにどれほど多くがかかっているかを心得ているかのように、奏者の努力に応えて、空を喜ばしい音で満たした。

A distinguished company had assembled to receive the bride, as she was led by her husband from the crimson chair and advanced with timid steps and faltering heart into the room that had been prepared for her reception. As she entered the house something in the air struck a chill into her heart and caused the hopes of happiness, which she had been cherishing, to die an almost instant death.

花嫁が夫に手を引かれて深紅の駕籠から降り、おずおずとした足取りとおののく心で、迎えるために用意された部屋へ進んでいくと、そこには名だたる人々が集まって彼女を迎えた。家に入ったとたん、あたりの空気のなかの何かが彼女の心を冷やし、抱いてきた幸せへの望みをほとんど一瞬のうちに死なせてしまった。

Shung, her husband, was a man of ignoble mind, and had always objected to marrying a woman so far beneath him. The sight of his bride, with her rustic air, and the ill-made commonplace-looking clothes in which she was dressed, made his face burn with shame, for he knew that a sneer was lurking on the face of everyone who had gathered to have a look at her.

夫の順は卑しい心の男で、自分よりはるかに身分の低い女と結婚することにずっと反対していた。田舎くさい様子で、仕立ての悪い平凡な着物をまとった花嫁を見て、彼は恥ずかしさに顔を火照らせた。彼女をひと目見ようと集まっただれの顔にも、冷笑が潜んでいるのを知っていたからである。

A profound feeling of hatred entered his narrow soul, and as the days went by the one purpose of his life was to humiliate this sweet-tempered woman, who had been sacrificed simply to further the ambitious schemes of her designing father-in-law, Mr. Yin. For a few weeks he simply ignored her, but by degrees he treated her so cruelly that many a time she had serious thoughts of putting an end to her life. It soon turned out that a systematic attempt was being made by both father and son to get rid of the whole family.

深い憎しみがその狭い魂に入り込み、日がたつにつれて、彼の生のただ一つの目的は、腹黒い義父の殷氏の野心的なたくらみを進めるためだけに犠牲にされた、この気立ての優しい女を辱めることになった。数週間のあいだ、順はただ彼女を無視していたが、しだいにあまりにむごく扱うようになったので、彼女は何度も本気で自ら命を絶とうと考えた。まもなく、父と息子の両方によって、一家をまるごと厄介払いしようという計画的な企てが進められていることが明らかになった。

The old father and mother, whom Yin had agreed to provide for during the rest of their lives, found things so intolerable that they voluntarily left the miserable quarters assigned to them and returned to their empty cottage. Every stick of furniture had been sold in order to buy their daughter's wedding garments, so that when they reached their old home they found absolutely nothing in it. With a few bundles of straw they made up a bed on the floor, but there was no food to eat, and not a single thing to comfort them in this their hour of darkest misery.

殷が生涯養うと約束した老いた父と母は、あまりに耐えがたい扱いを受けたので、あてがわれた惨めな住まいを自ら出て、空っぽの小屋へ戻った。娘の婚礼衣装を買うために家具は一つ残らず売り払われていたので、もとの家に帰り着いてみると、そこには何一つなかった。わずかな藁束で床に寝床をこしらえたが、食べるものもなく、このもっとも暗い惨めさの時に二人を慰めてくれるものは何一つなかった。

Sorrow for their daughter, and disappointment and anguish of heart at the thought of how they had been tricked and cheated by Mr. Yin in order that he might gain possession of their bit of land, so told upon their spirits that they both fell ill of a low fever, which laid them prostrate on their bed of straw. As they lived remote from other people, for some time no one knew that they were sick. Days went by without anyone visiting them, and when at last one kindly-hearted farmer came to make enquiries, he found to his horror that both husband and wife lay dead, side by side, in their miserable cabin.

娘への悲しみ、そして殷氏がわずかな土地を手に入れるために自分たちをだまし欺いたことを思う失望と心の苦しみが、あまりに二人の気力をむしばんだので、二人とも微熱の病にかかり、藁の寝床に倒れ伏した。ほかの人々から離れて住んでいたので、しばらくはだれも二人が病気だと知らなかった。だれも訪ねてこないまま幾日かが過ぎ、とうとう心優しい百姓が一人様子を見に来てみると、恐ろしいことに、夫婦はそろって惨めな小屋のなかで並んで死んでいた。

The news of their death produced the greatest pleasure in the mind of the wretched man who was really the cause of it. He was now freed from the compact compelling him to provide for them during their life, and so there would be an actual saving of the money which he would have had to spend in providing them with food and clothing. A cruel, wintry smile lingered on his hard face for several days after the poor old couple had been lain to rest on the hillside near their cottage, and this was the only look of mourning his features ever assumed.

二人の死の知らせは、実のところその死の原因である卑劣な男の心に、このうえない喜びをもたらした。これで二人を生涯養わねばならないという約束から解き放たれ、食べ物や着物をあてがうのに使わねばならなかったはずの金が、実際に浮くことになるのだった。気の毒な老夫婦が小屋の近くの丘の斜面に葬られてから数日のあいだ、その硬い顔には冷酷で冬のような微笑みが浮かんでいた。そしてそれが、彼の顔がかつて見せた唯一の喪の表情だった。

From this time Pearl's life became more and more of a burden to her. Love, the one element which would have filled her heart with happiness, was the one thing that was never offered her. Instead of affection there were cruel, cutting words and scornful looks and heavy blows--all these were plentifully bestowed upon her by the soulless man who was called her husband.

このときから、珠の生はますます重荷になっていった。彼女の心を幸せで満たしてくれたはずのただ一つのもの、愛こそ、決して与えられないただ一つのものだった。愛情の代わりに、夫と呼ばれる魂のない男から、むごく刺すような言葉とさげすみの眼差しと重い殴打が、たっぷりと浴びせられた。

At length, to show his utter contempt and abhorrence of her, he arranged with the connivance of his father to bring a concubine into his home. This lady came from a comparatively good family, and was induced to take this secondary position because of the large sum of money that was paid to her father for her. The misery of Pearl was only intensified by her appearance on the scene. Following the lead of her husband, and jealous of the higher position in the family that the law gave her rival, she took every means that a spiteful woman could devise to make her life still more miserable.

とうとう、彼女へのまったくの軽蔑と嫌悪を示すために、順は父の黙認のもと、妾を家に入れる手はずを整えた。この女は比較的良い家の出だったが、父親に大金が支払われたので、この日陰の立場を受け入れる気になったのだった。この女が現れたことで、珠の惨めさはいっそう募るばかりだった。女は夫にならい、法が恋敵に与えている家のなかでの上の立場を妬んで、意地の悪い女が考えつくかぎりのあらゆる手を使って、珠の生をさらに惨めなものにしようとした。

The death of her parents had filled Pearl's heart with such intense grief and sorrow that life had lost all its charm for her. She saw, moreover, from the sordid rejoicing that was openly made at their tragic end, that the Yins would never be satisfied until she too had followed them into the Land of Shadows. She would therefore anticipate the cruel purposes of her husband and his father, and so deliver herself from a persecution that would only cease with her death. So one midnight, when all the rest of the family were asleep, and nothing was heard outside but the moaning of the wind which seemed as though it was preparing to sing a requiem over her, she put an end to all her earthly troubles by hanging herself in her own room.

両親の死は珠の心をあまりに激しい嘆きと悲しみで満たしたので、生はその魅力をすっかり失ってしまった。そのうえ、二人の悲惨な最期におおっぴらに示されたあさましい喜びようから、殷家の者たちは自分も両親のあとを追って影の国へ行くまでは決して満足しないだろうと、彼女は悟った。それならば、夫とその父のむごい目論見に先んじて、死ぬまでやむことのない迫害から自らを救い出そう。そこである真夜中、家の者がみな眠り、外では、彼女のために鎮魂の歌を歌う支度をしているかのような風の呻きのほかは何も聞こえないとき、珠は自分の部屋で首を吊って、この世のあらゆる苦しみに終止符を打った。

When the body was found next day, suspended from a hook in one of the beams, a great cry of delight was uttered by Yin and his son. Without any violence on their part they had been set free from their alliance with this low-class family, and at a very small cost they had obtained firm possession of the land which was to enrich and ennoble their descendants.

翌日、梁の一つにある鉤から吊り下がった遺体が見つかると、殷とその息子は大きな喜びの声をあげた。自分たちが手を下すことなく、この身分の低い一家との縁組から解き放たれ、ごくわずかな費用で、子孫を富ませ貴くしてくれるはずの土地を確かに手に入れたのである。

And so whilst the poor girl lay dead, driven to an untimely end by spirits more fierce and malignant than any that were supposed to be flying with hatred in their hearts in the air around, smiles and laughter and noisy congratulations were indulged in by the living ghouls whose persecution had made this sweet-tempered woman's life unbearable.

こうして、あたりの空を心に憎しみを抱いて飛び回っているとされるどんな霊よりも猛々しく邪悪な者たちによって、非業の最期へと追いやられた哀れな娘が死んで横たわっているあいだ、その迫害によってこの気立ての優しい女の生を耐えがたいものにした生ける食屍鬼たちは、微笑み、笑い、にぎやかに祝い合っていたのである。

But retribution was at hand. Heaven moves slowly in the punishment of the wicked, but its footsteps are sure and they travel irresistibly along the road that leads to vengeance on the wrongdoer.

けれども報いは間近に迫っていた。天は悪人を罰するのに歩みが遅いが、その足取りは確かで、悪をなした者への復讐へと通じる道を、抗いがたく進んでいくのである。

One dark night, when the sky was overcast and neither moon nor stars were to be seen, and a storm of unusual violence was filling the air with a tumult of fierce and angry meanings, a weird and gruesome scene was enacted at the grave where the father of Yin had been buried. Hideous sounds of wailing and shrieking could be heard, as though all the demons of the infernal regions had assembled there to hold a night of carnival. Louder than the storm, the cries penetrated through the shrillest blasts, and people in their homes far away were wakened out of their sleep by the unearthly yells which froze their blood with terror. At last a thunderbolt rolled from the darkened heavens, louder than ever mortal man had heard. The lightnings flashed, and concentrating all their force upon the grave just where the coffin lay, they tore up a huge chasm in the earth, and gripping the coffin within their fiery fingers, they tossed it with disdain upon a hillside a mile away.

ある暗い夜、空は雲に覆われ、月も星も見えず、ただならぬ激しさの嵐が猛々しく怒り狂った響きの騒乱で空を満たしていたとき、殷の父が葬られた墓で、不気味でぞっとする光景が繰り広げられた。まるで地獄のあらゆる悪鬼がそこに集まって夜通しの宴を催しているかのように、おぞましい泣き叫ぶ声や金切り声が聞こえた。その叫びは嵐よりも大きく、もっとも甲高い突風をも突き抜けて響き、遠く離れた家々の人々も、血も凍るようなこの世ならぬわめき声に眠りから覚まされた。とうとう暗い空から、人間がかつて聞いたこともないほど大きな雷鳴が轟いた。稲妻がひらめき、その力のすべてを棺の横たわる墓のまさにその場所に集めて、地面に巨大な裂け目を引き裂き、燃える指で棺をつかむと、一マイル離れた丘の斜面へさげすむように放り投げた。

After a long search, Yin discovered it next day in the lonely spot where it had been cast, and was returning to make arrangements for its interment, when in a lonely part of the road two unearthly figures suddenly rose up before him. These, to his horror, he recognized as the spirits of Pearl's father and mother who had practically been done to death by him, and whom Yam-lo had allowed to revisit the earth in order to plague the man who was the author of their destruction. So terrified was Yin at their wild and threatening aspect, that he fell to the ground in a swoon, and thus he was found, hours afterwards, by his son, who had come out in search of him.

長いこと探した末、殷は翌日、棺が投げ捨てられた寂しい場所でそれを見つけ、埋葬し直す手はずを整えに戻る途中だった。すると、道の寂しいところで、この世のものならぬ二つの姿が突然彼の前に立ち現れた。恐ろしいことに、殷はそれが、自分が事実上死に追いやった珠の父と母の霊だとわかった。閻魔が、自分たちを滅ぼした張本人である男を悩ませるために、この世をふたたび訪れることを二人に許したのである。その荒々しく威嚇するような様子に殷はあまりに怯えて、気を失って地面に倒れ、何時間もたってから、捜しに出てきた息子にそのままの姿で見つけられた。

For several days he was tended with the greatest care, and the most famous physicians were called in to prescribe for him. He never rallied, however, and there was always a vague and haunted look in his eyes, as though he saw some terrible vision which frightened away his reasoning powers and prevented him from regaining consciousness. In this condition he died, without a look of recognition for those he loved, and without a word of explanation as to the cause of this tragic conclusion of a life that was still in its prime.

何日ものあいだ殷はこのうえなく手厚く看病され、もっとも名高い医者たちが呼ばれて薬を処方した。けれども殷は決して持ち直さず、その目にはいつも、理性を奪って意識を取り戻させない何か恐ろしい幻を見ているかのような、ぼんやりとした取り憑かれた表情が浮かんでいた。そうした状態のまま、愛する者たちをそれと認める眼差し一つなく、まだ働き盛りだった生のこの悲惨な結末のわけについて一言の説明もなく、殷は死んだ。

The eldest son was now master of his father's wealth; but instead of learning a lesson from the terrible judgment which had fallen on his home because of the injustice and wrong that had been committed on an innocent family, he only became more hard-hearted in his treatment of those who were within his power. He never dreamed of making any reparation for the acts of cruelty by which he had driven his wife to hang herself in order to escape his tyranny. But the steps of Fate were still moving on towards him. Leaden-footed they might be and slow, but with unerring certainty they were travelling steadily on to carry out the vengeance of the gods.

今や長男が父の富の主となった。けれども、罪のない一家になされた不正と悪行のゆえに自分の家に下った恐ろしい裁きから教訓を学ぶどころか、彼は自分の力の及ぶ者たちへの扱いをいっそう冷酷にするばかりだった。自分の暴虐から逃れるために妻を首吊りへと追いやったむごい仕打ちの償いをしようなどとは、夢にも思わなかった。けれども運命の足取りはなおも彼へと向かって進んでいた。その足は鉛のように重く遅いかもしれないが、誤ることのない確かさで、神々の復讐を果たそうと着実に進んでいたのである。

By-and-by the room in which Pearl had died became haunted. Her spectral figure could be seen in the gloaming, flitting about and peering out of the door with a look of agony on her face. Sometimes she would be seen in the early dawn, restless and agitated, as though she had been wandering up and down the whole night; and again she would flit about in the moonlight and creep into the shadow of the houses, but always with a ghost of the old look that had made her face so winning and so charming when she was alive.

やがて、珠が死んだ部屋に幽霊が出るようになった。黄昏どきには、苦しみの表情を顔に浮かべて、ひらひらと動き回ったり戸口からのぞいたりしている彼女の幻の姿が見られた。ときには明け方、夜通しさまよい歩いていたかのように落ち着きなく心乱れた様子で見られることもあった。またときには月明かりのなかをひらひらと動き回り、家々の影へと忍び込んでいったが、いつも、生きていたころにその顔をあれほど愛らしく魅力的にしていた昔の表情の面影をたたえていた。

When it was realized that it was her spirit which was haunting the house, the greatest alarm and terror were evinced by every one in it. There is nothing more terrible than the appearance of the spirits of those who have been wronged, for they always come with some vengeful purpose. No matter how loving the persons themselves may have been in life, with death their whole nature changes and they are filled with the most passionate desire to inflict injury and especially death upon the object of their hatred.

家に取り憑いているのが彼女の霊だとわかると、家じゅうの者がこのうえない恐れと怯えを見せた。ひどい仕打ちを受けた者の霊が現れることほど恐ろしいものはない。彼らはいつも何か復讐の目的を持ってやって来るからである。その人自身が生前どれほど愛情深かったとしても、死とともにその性質はすっかり変わり、憎しみの的に害を、とりわけ死をもたらしたいという激しい願いに満たされるのである。

The course of ill-usage which her husband Shung had cruelly adopted in order to drive Pearl to commit suicide was known to every one, and that she should now appear to wreak vengeance on him was not considered at all wonderful; but still every one was mortally afraid lest they should become involved in the punishment that was sure to be meted out.

珠を自殺に追いやるために夫の順がむごくも続けた虐待はだれもが知っていたので、彼女が今、彼に復讐しようと現れることは少しも不思議とは思われなかった。けれどもやはり、だれもが、きっと下されるにちがいない罰に自分も巻き込まれるのではないかと、死ぬほど恐れていた。

As the ghost continued to linger about and showed no signs of disappearing, Shung was at last seized with apprehension lest some calamity was about to fall upon his house. In order to protect himself from any unexpected attack from the spirit that wandered and fluttered about in the darkest and most retired rooms in his home, he provided himself with a sword which he had ground down to a very sharp edge and which he carried in his hand ready uplifted to lunge at Pearl should she dare to attack him.

幽霊がいつまでもとどまり、消える気配を見せなかったので、順もとうとう、何かの災いが自分の家に降りかかろうとしているのではないかという不安にとらわれた。家のもっとも暗く奥まった部屋をさまよいひらひらと動き回る霊の不意の襲撃から身を守るため、彼はとても鋭く研ぎ上げた剣を手に入れ、珠があえて襲いかかってきたらすぐに突きかかれるよう、それを振り上げて手に持ち歩いた。

One evening, unaware that his concubine was sitting in a certain room on which the shadows had thickly fallen, he was entering it for some purpose, when the spirit of his late wife gripped his hand with an overmastering force which he felt himself unable to resist, and forced him to strike repeated blows against the poor defenceless woman. Not more than a dozen of these had been given before she was lying senseless on the ground, breathing out her life from the gaping wounds through which her life-blood was flowing in streams.

ある晩、影が濃く落ちたある部屋に妾が座っているとは知らずに、何かの用でその部屋に入ろうとしたとき、亡き妻の霊が抗えないほどの圧倒的な力で彼の手をつかみ、この哀れな無防備な女に何度も打ちかからせた。十回も打たないうちに、女は意識を失って床に倒れ、命の血が流れとなってあふれ出る大きな傷口から、息を引き取っていった。

When the grip of the ghost had relaxed its hold upon him and he felt himself free to look at what he had done, Shung was horrified beyond measure as he gazed with staring eyes upon the dreadful sight before him, and realized the judgment that had come upon him for the wrongs he had done to Pearl and her family.

幽霊のつかむ力が緩み、自分のしたことを見られるようになると、順は目を見開いて目の前の恐ろしい光景を見つめ、限りない恐怖に襲われた。そして、珠とその家族に対して犯した悪行のゆえに自分に下った裁きを悟った。

As soon as the news of the murder of the woman was carried to her father, he entered a complaint before the nearest mandarin, who issued a warrant for Shung's apprehension. At his trial he attempted to defend himself by declaring that it was not he who had killed his concubine, but an evil spirit which had caught hold of his arm and had directed the blows that had caused her death.

女が殺されたという知らせが女の父親に届くとすぐ、父親はいちばん近くの役人に訴え出て、役人は順を捕らえる令状を出した。裁きの場で順は、妾を殺したのは自分ではなく、自分の腕をつかんで女を死なせた打撃を振るわせた悪霊なのだと言い立てて、身を守ろうとした。

The magistrate smiled at this extraordinary defence, and said that Shung must consider him a great fool if he thought for a moment that he would be willing to accept such a ridiculous excuse for the dreadful crime he had committed.

役人はこの途方もない申し開きに笑みを浮かべ、犯した恐ろしい罪について、そんなばかげた言い訳を自分が受け入れる気になると一瞬でも思うなら、順はよほど自分を大馬鹿者だと思っているにちがいない、と言った。

As Shung was a wealthy man and had the means of bribing the under-officials in the yamen, his case was remanded in order to see how much money could be squeezed out of him before the final sentence was given. The murder--apparently without reason or provocation--of a woman who had been a member of a prominent family in society, produced a widespread feeling of indignation, and public opinion was strong in condemnation of Shung. Every one felt that there ought to be exemplary punishment in his case; otherwise any man who had only money enough might be able to defy all the great principles established by Heaven for the government of society and for the prevention of crime.

順は金持ちで役所の下役人たちに賄賂を贈る手立てがあったので、最終の判決が下される前にどれだけの金を搾り取れるかを見るために、その件は差し戻された。社会で重きをなす家の一員であった女が、見たところ何の理由も挑発もなく殺されたことは、広く憤りの気持ちを引き起こし、世論は順を強く非難した。だれもが、彼の件には見せしめとなる罰があるべきだと感じた。さもなければ、金さえ十分に持っている男ならだれでも、社会を治め罪を防ぐために天が定めたあらゆる大原則を踏みにじることができてしまうからである。

In order to make it easy for Shung whilst he was in prison, his mother had to spend large sums in bribing every one connected with the yamen. Never before had such an opportunity for reaping a golden harvest been presented to the avaricious minions entrusted by the Emperor with the administration of justice amongst his subjects. In her anxiety for her son the poor woman sold field after field to find funds wherewith to meet the demands of these greedy officials. Dark hints had simply to be thrown out by some of these that Shung was in danger of his life, and fresh sales would be made to bribe the mandarin to be lenient in his judgment of him.

順が牢にいるあいだ楽に過ごせるように、母親は役所にかかわるあらゆる者に賄賂を贈るため大金を費やさねばならなかった。皇帝から臣民のあいだで裁きを行うことを託された強欲な手先たちに、これほど黄金の収穫を刈り取る機会がめぐってきたことは、かつてなかった。息子を案じるあまり、哀れな母親はこの貪欲な役人たちの要求に応える資金を工面するために、畑を一枚また一枚と売り払った。役人たちのだれかが、順の命が危ないと暗にほのめかしさえすれば、役人に手心を加えさせるための賄賂にと、また新たに土地が売られるのだった。

At length the property had all been disposed of, and when it was known that no further money could be obtained, sentence was given that Shung should be imprisoned for life. This was a cruel blow to his mother, who had all along hoped that he might be released. Full of sorrow and absolutely penniless in a few weeks she died of a broken heart, whilst the son, seeing nothing but a hopeless imprisonment before him, committed suicide and thus ended his worthless life.

とうとう財産はすべて処分され、もうそれ以上金を搾り取れないとわかると、順を終身の禁固に処するという判決が下された。これは、ずっと息子が釈放されるかもしれないと望んでいた母親にとってむごい打撃だった。悲しみに満ち、まったくの無一文となって、母親は数週間のうちに心を砕かれて死んだ。そして息子は、望みのない獄中の暮らしのほかに何も見えず、自ら命を絶って、そのくだらない生を終えた。

This tragic extinction of a family, which only a short year before was in the highest state of prosperity, was accepted by every one who heard the story as a just and righteous punishment from Heaven. For Heaven is so careful of human life that any one who destroys it comes under the inevitable law that he too shall in his turn be crushed under the wheels of avenging justice.

ほんの一年前には繁栄の絶頂にあった一族のこの悲惨な断絶は、この話を聞いただれにも、天からの正しく当然の罰として受け止められた。天は人の命をこのうえなく大切にするので、それを滅ぼす者はだれでも、今度は自分が報復の正義の車輪の下に押しつぶされるという、避けがたい掟の下に置かれるのである。