煙草と悪魔～撹川龍牌介～ Akutagawa Ryunosuke

[Mikawa Ossan]

第１０話

牛商人は、うっかり、悪魔の手にのったのを、後悔した。
このままで行けば、結局、あの「ぢやぼ」につかまって、
体も魂も、「亡ぶることなき猛火」に、焼かれなければ、ならない。
それでは、今までの宗旨をすてて、波宇寸低茂（はうすちも）をうけた甲斐が、
なくなってしまう。

が、御主耶蘇基督（キリスト）の名で、誓った以上、一度した約束は、
破る事が出来ない。勿論、フランシス上人でも、いたのなら、
またどうにかなる所だが、生憎、それも今は留守である。
そこで、彼は、三日の間、夜の眼もねずに、
悪魔の巧みの裏をかく手だてを考えた。それには、どうしても、
あの植物の名を、知るより外に、仕方がない。
しかし、フランシス上人でさえ、知らない名を、
どこに知っているものが、いるであろう・・・。

牛商人は、とうとう、約束の期限の切れる晩に、又あの黄牛をひっぱって、
そっと、伊留満の住んでいる家の側へ、忍んで行った。
家は畑とならんで、往来に向っている。行って見ると、
もう伊留満も寝しずまったと見えて、窓からもる灯さえない。
丁度、月はあるが、ぼんやりと曇った夜で、ひっそりした畑のそこここには、
あの紫の花が、心ぼそくうす暗い中に、ほのめいている。
元来、牛商人は、覚束ないながら、一策を思いついて、やっとここまで、
忍んで来たのであるが、このしんとした景色を見ると、何となく恐しくなって、
いっそ、このまま帰ってしまおうかと云う気にもなった。
殊に、あの戸の後では、山羊のような角のある先生が、
因辺留濃（いんへるの＝インフェルノ？）の夢でも見ているのだと思うと、
折角、はりつめた勇気も、意気地なく、くじけてしまう。
が、体と魂とを、「ぢやぼ」の手に、渡す事を思えば、
勿論、弱い音なぞを吐いているべき場合ではない。

 

[Mars Man]

Just wanted to encourage you in posting the continuation of this story. I would be tempted to say 'it's all Greek to me', except, I can actually read Greek a little more fluently....LOL.....hee, hee.....

Keep up the good work. I'm sure I'm not the only one who looks, reads some, and then comes back after a few weeks to read some more--it's good practice. Thanks !! MM

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

I'll take what I can get for this one! lol

The oxman regretted falling so completely into Satan's trap. If things continued exactly as there were now, he would be caught by this 'diablo' and both his body and soul would have to burn in the "Undying Inferno" forever. His instruction up to now would be cast away, and his baptism would have been for naught.

But, having sworn by the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, he was not able to break a promise once made. Of course, if perhaps the Father were here, something might be done, but alas! He was nowhere around.

So it was that he spent the next three days without a wink of sleep, pondering how to find some way to reverse the devil's machinations. There was nothing to be done other than find the namesake of that plant. And yet, where could one be who would know this name unknown even to the Father?

Finally, on the final night of his allotted time, he took his golden ox again and hid in the shadows of the Friar's dwelling. The house stood among the strange fields, rolling down the street. It appeared that the Friar had already laid down to sleep, for no light escaped from the window.

The moon was present, and those purple blossoms in the silent fields here and anon glimmered in the dim lonely light of this lazy clouded night.
The oxman had stole this far with his last precarious idea, but upon seeing this still landscape, an undescribable fear crept over him, and he decided to depart and go home. In particular, the thought that that man with the goat-like horns might now be dreaming of the Inferno cruelly shattered the courage that he had finally mustered.

Still, considering that his body and soul would soon pass to the hand of the 'Diablo', it was of course hardly a time to be cowering in fear.

 

[leonmarino]

Wow!! Looks like a very interesting story!!
However, the Kanji's look pretty tough hee-hee. I like J44xm's audio link too.. When I have the time I'll listen to it and read it at the same time.

Thanks Mikawa!!

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

Thanks! We're nearing the end of this story, and I'm afraid to say that I lost the link that I was using to copy and paste the Japanese text. I found another link, but this new link is even harder to read than the old link, as you will soon see! It's good practice, though!

(Disclaimer: The works of Akutagawa Ryunosuke are much like those of Shakespeare in the sense that they are public domain. The copyright ran out on them some time ago!)

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

第１１話

そこで、牛商人は、毘留善麻利耶（びるぜんまりや）の加護を願ひながら、思ひ切つて、予（あらかじめ）、もくろんで置いた計画を、実行した。計画と云ふのは、別でもない。――ひいて来た黄牛の綱（はづな）を解いて、尻をつよく打ちながら、例の畑へ勢よく追ひこんでやつたのである。
牛は、打たれた尻の痛さに、跳ね上りながら、柵を破つて、畑をふみ荒らした。角を家の板目（はめ）につきかけた事も、一度や二度ではない。その上、蹄（ひづめ）の音と、鳴く声とは、うすい夜の霧をうごかして、ものものしく、四方（あたり）に響き渡つた。すると、窓の戸をあけて、顔を出したものがある。暗いので、顔はわからないが、伊留満に化けた悪魔には、相違ない。気のせゐか、頭の角は、夜目ながら、はつきり見えた。
――この畜生、何だつて、己（おれ）の煙草畑を荒らすのだ。
悪魔は、手をふりながら、睡（ね）むさうな声で、かう怒鳴つた。寝入りばなの邪魔をされたのが、よくよく癪（しやく）にさはつたらしい。
が、畑の後へかくれて、容子（ようす）を窺（うかが）つてゐた牛商人の耳へは、悪魔のこの語（ことば）が、泥烏須（でうす）の声のやうに、響いた。……
――この畜生、何だつて、己の煙草畑を荒らすのだ。

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

Another 100 yen version. Do I hear 150?

So it was that the oxman, praying for the protection of the Virgin Mary, set about the execution of his premeditated plan. His place was nothing really special.--He removed the harness from his ox, and giving it a great thump on its hindquarters, chased it into the fields in question.

The ox, jumping up from the pain in its posterior, broke the fence and trampled madly through the fields. Its horns also struck through the house's papered walls more than just a couple of times. The roar of hooves and the sound of the ox's cry seemed to move the night's thin haze and reverberated in every direction.

At that time, the window opened and out struck a countenanced figure. Without a doubt, it was that evil doppelganger who had assumed the form of a good friar. It may have been a trick of the moonlight, but even in the still night, the horns on his head could clearly be seen.

"Ye foul and vile beast, why dost thou asunder mine tobacco field so!"

Satan, vociferously waving his hand, screamed thus in a voice laden with sleep. Having been so wakened just as he had drifted to sleep, he was apparently angered ever so much.

But to the the ears of the oxman, who had hidden behind the field and was quietly observing the scene, Satan's words echoed as sweetly as the voice of Christ himself.

Ye foul and vile beast, why dost thou asunder mine tobacco field so!

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

第１２話

それから、先の事は、あらゆるこの種類の話のやうに、至極、円満に完（をは）つてゐる。即（すなはち）、牛商人は、首尾よく、煙草と云ふ名を、云ひあてて、悪魔に鼻をあかさせた。さうして、その畑にはえてゐる煙草を、悉く自分のものにした。と云ふやうな次第である。
が、自分は、昔からこの伝説に、より深い意味がありはしないかと思つてゐる。何故と云へば、悪魔は、牛商人の肉体と霊魂とを、自分のものにする事は出来なかつたが、その代（かはり）に、煙草は、洽（あまね）く日本全国に、普及させる事が出来た。して見ると牛商人の救抜（きうばつ）が、一面堕落を伴つてゐるやうに、悪魔の失敗も、一面成功を伴つてゐはしないだらうか。悪魔は、ころんでも、ただは起きない。誘惑に勝つたと思ふ時にも、人間は存外、負けてゐる事がありはしないだらうか。

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

Another quickie!ﾂ (But this is my favorite part of this story!)

From that point on, as with all stories of this variety, everything turned out well in the end. That is to say, the oxman successfully guessed the tobacco's name and ended Satan's fun, and all of the tobacco growing in the field became that of the oxman.

However, I myself have long wondered whether there might not be another, deeper meaning to this particular legend. I say this because, although the Devil was unable to make the oxman's body and soul his own, he was thus successful in spreading tobacco throughout the entirety of Japan. Consider this, and just as the salvation of our oxman had an element of failure for Satan, it also had a certain element of accomplishment for him. When Satan stumbles, he does not do so lightly. Even when we humans think we are in victory over our temptations, somehow we yet fall prey to them.

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

第１３話 （最終話）

それから序（ついで）に、悪魔のなり行きを、簡単に、書いて置かう。彼は、フランシス上人が、帰つて来ると共に、神聖なペンタグラマの威力によつて、とうとう、その土地から、逐払（おひはら）はれた。が、その後も、やはり伊留満のなりをして、方々をさまよつて、歩いたものらしい。或記録によると、彼は、南蛮寺の建立（こんりふ）前後、京都にも、屡々（しばしば）出没したさうである。松永弾正（だんじやう）を飜弄（ほんろう）した例の果心居士（くわしんこじ）と云ふ男は、この悪魔だと云ふ説もあるが、これはラフカデイオ・ヘルン先生が書いてゐるから、ここには、御免を蒙（かうむ）る事にしよう。それから、豊臣徳川両氏の外教禁遏（ぐわいけうきんあつ）に会つて、始の中こそ、まだ、姿を現はしてゐたが、とうとう、しまひには、完（まつた）く日本にゐなくなつた。――記録は、大体ここまでしか、悪魔の消息を語つてゐない。唯、明治以後、再（ふたたび）、渡来した彼の動静を知る事が出来ないのは、返へす返へすも、遺憾（ゐかん）である。……

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

Final translation.

While I'm at it, I'll quickly recount what happened to Satan afterwards. When the Franciscan monk returned from his trip, Satan was exorcised from the land by means of the power of a holy pentagram. However, even after this, it seems he was known to continue to walk around under the guise of a friar. According to some records, he often would come and hide around the time of the founding of one of the foreigners' temples in Kyoto as well. There is even the theory that the man known as Kashin Koji, who held Matsunaga Danjo at his mercy, was Satan as well; however, as it was Lafcadio Hearn who posited this theory, we'll let it go and accept it on faith. Thereafter, with the banishment of foreign religions by both Toyotomi and Tokugawa, although Satan was still known to appear for a time, he eventually left Japan completely.--The records generally have no mention of Satan's whereabouts after this time.

It is only a truly regrettable thing that we cannot know of his current state since his reappearance during the Meiji era .

THE END

 

[nekopon]

interesting

thanks
I will go to the library to lend Akutagawa.

 

[Qu_Qu]

is this book available in english ?

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

This whole story is basically translated in this thread.

Akutagawa's works are most likely translated into English, so if you look hard enough you can probably find them.

 

[Qu_Qu]

in this case, i will look for his translated literature works at nearby bookstore or google

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

If you should happen to come across this story, let me know how good my translation was compared to the one in your book!