『模範兵士』前編

――　まえがき　――
ＷＥＢ絵本『模範兵士』前編

絵・訳：茜町春彦
原作：夢野久作
概要：夢野久作の短編集『いなか、の、じけん』の一編を、英訳して絵本にしました．大人向けです．

A Picture Book
"A Model Soldier" (the first volume)

Illustrated and translated by : Akanemachi Haruhiko
Original author : Yumeno Kyusaku

――　０１　――
After the revolution, bricks came into fashion.

Then, the village leader sold off a half of the huge heap of red clay.

The huge heap was placed along a river and was about 2 kilometers upstream from the village.

御維新後、煉瓦焼きが流行った際に、村から半道ばかり上の川沿いの赤土山を、村の名主どんが半分ばかり切り取って売ってしまった．

――　０２　――
The empty lot turned into a copse.

And, spring water was gushing out from there.

A small community of beggars formed around the spring before the village people knew it.

The village people called the small community "Upstream".

そのあとの雑木林の中から清水が湧くのを中心にして、いつからともなく乞食の部落が出来ているのを、村の者は単に川上川上と呼んでいた．

――　０３　――
The small community had only 4 or 5 miserable shanties.

But, mail and money orders were delivered.

部落といっても、見すぼらしい蒲鉾小屋が、４つ５つ固まっているきりであったが、それでも郵便や為替も来るし・・・

――　０４　――
And, medicine peddlers dropped in them.

・・・越中富山の薬売りも立ち寄る．

――　０５　――
Further, in those days, the village people suddenly began to pay attention to the small community because a soldier in uniform visited there every Sunday.

There were romors that the ruin of noble persons might have lived there.

それに又この頃は、日ごとに軍服厳めしい兵隊さんが帰省して来るというので、急に村の注意をひき出した．

何でも立派な身分の人の成れの果てが隠れているらしいという噂であった．

――　０６　――
A postman said that the soldier was called Private Westmoreland.

Private Westmoreland was good-looking.

And, he was a mild-mannered young man like an actor.

その兵隊さんというのは、郵便局員の話によると西村さんというので、眼鼻立ちのパッチリした、活動役者のように優しい青年であるが・・・

――　０７　――
But, he was a newcomer to the small community.

So, he built a shanty a short distance away from the other shanties.

And, he made a woman live there.

She was sick in bed.

・・・この部落の仲間では新米らしく、すこし離れた処に蒲鉾小屋を作って、その中に床に就いたままの女を１人かくまっている．

――　０８　――
They couldn't clearly see her face.

But, she seemed to be about 40 years old.

Her graceful face was so pale that they felt eerie.

They saw Private Westmoreland giving a present to her.

Then, she worshiped it with her hands together and she receved it in tears.

The above information was told by babysitters of the village.

その女の顔はよくわからないが年の頃は４０ばかりで、気味の悪いほど色の白い上品な顔で、西村さんがお土産をさし出すと、両手を合わせて泣きながら受け取っているのを見た・・・と・・・これは村の子守たちの話であった．

――　０９　――
After that , his reputation was growing higer and higher.

"Who is the woman for Private Westmoreland?"

Various romors went around.

それから後西村さんの評判は、だんだん高くなるばかりであった．

その女は西村さんの何であろうか・・・と噂が取り取りであったが・・・

――　１０　――
In the village, only the household goods store took a newspaper regularly.

It carried a great article of Private Westmoreland with his photograph.

そのうちに、村でたった一軒だけ荒物屋に配達されている新聞に、西村さんの事が大きく写真入りで出た．

――　１１　――
Private Westmoreland was born into a wealthy family in the Eastnorth area as an only son.

But, his father died when he was 13 years old.

And, his family was broken up.

西村二等卒は元来、東北の財産家の一人息子であったが、十三の年に父親が死ぬと間もなく一家が分散したので・・・

――　１２　――
He and his mother left for Nagasaki prefecture to meet their relatives.

On the way, they lost all their money and became beggars.

After that, they wondered various places for seven years.

母親に連れられて長崎の親類の処へ行くうちに、あわれや乞食にまで零落してしまった．

それから７年の間、方々を流浪していると・・・

――　１３　――
Last spring, his mother got tuberculosis.

It was difficult for her to walk.

So, they settled down in the small community "Upstream".

・・・昨年の春から母親が癆症で、腰が抜けたので、とうとうこの川上の部落に落ちつく事になったが・・・

――　１４　――
Just then, he reached the age to serve in the armed forces.

He was called to a physical examination for the draft.

He passed it at the highest level.

・・・丁度その時が適齢だったので、呼び出されて検査を受けると、見事に甲種で合格した．

――　１５　――
Private Westmoreland entered the service.

He never lived in luxury.

しかし西村二等卒は入営しても決して贅沢をしなかった．

――　１６　――
He spent no money from his salary.

When he was on cleaning duty, he gathered buckles and buttons on the ground around the barracks. And he stored them.

He sold them to his colleagues who had lost such things and had been in trouble.

He charged 1 cent for a piece. And he deposited the obtained money in a post office.

給料を一文も遣わないばかりか、営庭の掃除の時に見付けた尾錠や釦を拾い溜めては、そんなものをなくして困っている同僚に１個１銭ずつで売りつけて貯金をする．

――　１７　――
He was really looking forward Sundays.

And every Sunday, he went back to comfort his mother.

In his regiment, he had good reputation about this.

そうして日曜日を待ちかねて、母親を慰めに行くことが連隊中の評判になったので・・・

――　１８　――
And finally, he received an award from the Colonel.

You are extremely docile and gentle in nature.

You have a good attitude in the service.

You are well-behaved.

Your performance is very good.
... etc ...
... etc ...

・・・遂に連隊長から表彰された．

性質は極めて柔順温良で、勤務勉励、品行方正、成績優等・・・曰く何・・・曰く何・・・

――　１９　――
After that, the reputation of Private Westmoreland reached its peak.

Every Sunday, the babysitters of the village went out to "Upstream" enthusiastically.

They gathered around the small community.

And, they watched him taking care of his mother.

西村さんの評判はそれ以来絶頂に達した．

日曜になると村の子守女が、吾も吾もと出かけて、川上の部落を取り巻いて、西村さんの親孝行振りを見物した．

――　２０　――
Private Westmoreland was washing dirty clothes of the sick woman at the river in a frost morning together with his shirts.

The babysitters were gazing at the sight.

"I'd like to marry and help him."

"Surely ..."

Some babysitters were moved to tears.

西村さんが病人の汚れものと、自分のシャツを一緒にして、朝霜の大川で洗濯するのを眺めながら「あたし西村さんの処へお嫁に行ってあげたい」「ホンニナア」と涙ぐむ者さえあった．

――　２１　――
Soon, donations arrived at the newspaper company or the regiment one after another.

One of the donations was big money "50 dollars" from a woman.

そのうちに新聞社や、連隊へ宛ててドシドシ同情金が送りつけて来たが、中には女の名前で、大枚「金５０円也」を寄贈するものが出て来たりしたので・・・

――　２２　――
Private Westmoreland seemed to have become rich suddenly.

He got help from the community members. And he rebuilt his shanty, where his mother had been sick in bed.

His newly-built shanty looked like a house with sheets of corrugated iron.

・・・西村さんは急に金持ちになったらしく、同じ部落の者の世話で、母親の寝ている蒲鉾小屋を、家らしい形の亜鉛版張りに建て替えたりした．

――　２３　――
"Well, you should take good care of your parents. Something good will happen to you!"

The village people sighed with each other.

「親孝行チウはすべきもんやナア」と村の人々は嘆息し合った．

――　２４　――
But soon, an incident occured.

ところが間もなく大変な事が起こった．
（続く）