ＷＥＢ絵本『露店商人（金子文子）』第７巻
そこで今度は少しばかり残った商品をもとでに行商を始めてみた．だが、これはまた新米の私にはこの上もなく困難な仕事であった．
毎日、学校から帰ってくるとはすぐ、袴を脱いで帯に締めかえ、商品を抱えて出かけるのではあるが、さていよいよとなるとどうしても人の家に這入ることができなかった．
Then, there were some goods left in hand. So, I started to peddle them. But it was hard for me to do the work. I was a complete novice.
I returned from the school, and soon I changed my wear and went out with the goods everyday.
But I couldn't possibly enter other people's house at the last moment.
どの家もどの家もこんな粉しゃぼんなんか買ってくれそうもなく思えたり、這入って行ってケンツク喰わされたらどうしようと考えたりなんかして、どうしても思い切って這入って行くことができなかった．
そうして一日じゅうをただぶらぶら歩いて、脚を棒のようにすりへらすばかりであった．こんな弱いことでどうするのか、と自分を叱ってみたり、要するにこれはまだ虚栄心を取り去り得ないからだと自分で自分を励ましてみたりなんかしてみたが、それも何らの効がなかった．
夕方になって仕方がなく、死ぬる思いをして、やっとのことで百軒に一軒ぐらいの戸を叩いてはみても大抵はただ断られるばかりであった．
I thought like this:
Nobody will buy such soup powder; When I enter their house, they might get angry; What should I do?
So, I couldn't possibly enter their houses. And then, I walked around all day and my legs got tired only.
I scolded myself like this:
You are too sensitive; What do you do?
I encouraged myself like this:
In a word, you have not yet give up your vanity.
But those took no effect. Toward evening, I finally knocked on the front door of a house out of about 100 houses for my life. But they mostly rejected me.
ある暑い日の昼下がりのことだった．
私は例の汚い縞木綿の風呂敷包みを片手に、傘もささずに、焼け付く日光に直射されながら例の通り、ただぶらぶらと野良犬のように、根津の八重垣町あたりを歩いていた．
この４，５日ほとんど商いという商いがなく、従って食事をとるお金もなくなっていたので、私はもう空腹でぺしゃんこになっていた．それで、暑さと空腹とのためにふらふらと眩暈さえしそうであった．
私はもう、極まりがわるいの、買ってくれそうにないのと、そんな贅沢な考えや、弱気におしひしがれている時ではなかった．
It was early in the afternoon of a hot day.
I had my usual carrying cloth of dirty cotton with striped pattern. With no parasol, I was exposed to scorching sunlight. As usual, I was wandering around Yaegakicho town of Nezu area like a stray dog.
I could hardly sell my goods for those 4 or 5 days. So, I had no money for meal. And I was starving. Then, I was about to feel dizzy owing to heat and hunger.
I had no time to leisurely think about my feeling of awkwardness and their appetite for buying. I couldn't give up weakly.
表通りから細い横町に折れて、７，８間行くと、ちょっとした庭のある小ぢんまりとした住宅があった．
そっと家の中を覗いてみると、玄関わきの窓際で、おかみさんらしい女が鏡台の前に座って、髪結いに髪を結わせていた．
I turned to a side street from the main street and moved about 7 or 8 yards.
I came to a cozy house with a little garden. I peeped at the house.
A woman was seated in front of the dressing table by the window in a room next to the entrance. She was provably the housewife. A visiting hairdresser was doing her hair.
ここだ、この家だと私はその中に這入ろうとした．
が、やっぱり気おくれがして、しばらくはその入口のところでぐずぐずしていなければならなかった．でも、再びまた自分を叱って、やっとの思いで玄関の硝子戸をあけて中に這入った．
"Here. This house," I thought.
But I felt some hesitation in entering the house and stood still outside the front doors for a while.
I again scolded myself, though. And I barely opened the front sliding doors and entered the inside.
「ごめんくださいまし」と私はおどおどしながら言った．
「はい」と障子越しに答えた．
「奥さん、粉しゃぼん買っていただけないでしょうか・・・安くてよくおちるのですが・・・」
こう言って私は、包の中から品物を出そうとした．
"Hello. Is anybody home?" I said timidly.
"Yes," she answered through the room sliding doors.
"Madam, would you like soap powder? This is inexpensive and removes stains well," I said and tried to get the goods out of my carrying cloth.
（つづく）
Title: A Street Vendor (Kaneko Fumiko) volume 7
Illustrated and translated by: Akanemachi Haruhiko
Original author: Kaneko Fumiko
Illustrated and translated by: Akanemachi Haruhiko
Original author: Kaneko Fumiko
