Basho, M. (2004) "The Narrow Road to the Deep North" Translated by Dr Tim Chilcott. UK: @http://www.tclt.org.uk
7
Photo by Marco Montero Pisani on Unsplash
Dear Friends,
Let’s continue our journey with Basho.
<那須＞
那須の黒はねと三所に知人あれば是より野越にか>りて直道をゆかんとす。
遥に一村を見かけて行に、雨降日暮る。農夫の家に一
夜をかりて、明れば又野中を行。そこに野飼の馬あり。草刈おの
こになげきよれば、野夫といへどもさすがに情しらぬには非ず「
いかとすべきや、されども此野は縦横にわかれてうゐ／、敷旅人
の道ふみたがえん、あやしう待れば、此馬のとどまる所にて馬を
返し給へ」とかし侍ぬ。ちいさき者ふたり馬の跡したひてはしる
。独は小姫にて名を「かさね」と五。聞なれぬ名のやさしかりけ
れば、
かさねとは八重撫子の名成べし 曾良
頓て人里に至れば、あたひを鞍つぼに結付て馬を返しぬ。
I had an acquaintance who lived in Kurobane in Nasu, so we decided to take the shortest route, straight across the plain. We took a bearing from a village in the distance, but as we walked, the rain began to fall and the darkness closed in. We took lodgings for the night at a farmhouse, and next morning started off again across the plain.
We came upon a horse grazing and a farmer cutting grass. We asked him the way. Although a simple, rustic man, he was full of sympathy. He pondered a while, then said, "What would be the best thing to do? The trails here criss-cross all over the place, and strangers like you could easily get lost. That worries me. I'll let you have the horse. When he won't go any further, just send him back.' And with that, he leant us his horse.
Two small children followed us, running behind the horse. One of them, a little girl, was called Kasane [Double]. It was such an unusual and charming name that Sora wrote about it:
Kasane must be
the name given the wild pink
with double petals
Before long, we reached a village and turned the horse back home, with some money tied to the saddle.
<黒羽＞
黒羽の館代浄坊寺何がしの方に音信る。思ひがけぬあるじの悦び
日夜語つづけて、其常桃翠などエが朝夕動とぶらひ、自の家に
も伴ひて、親属の方にもまねかれ日をふるまとに、ひとひ郊外に
逍遥して、大追物の跡を一見し、那須の篠原わけて玉藻の前の古
墳をとふ。それより八幡宮に詣。与一扇の的を射し時、「別して
は我国氏神正八まん」とちかひしも此神社にて侍と聞ば、感應殊
しきりに覚えらる。暮れば、桃翠宅に帰る。
修験光明寺と云有。そこにまねかれて行者堂を拝す。
夏山に足駄を拝む首途哉
We called on Joboji, the senior pro-governor of Kurobane. He was delighted to see us so unexpectedly, and kept us chatting away days and nights together. His younger brother, Tosui, seized every chance to talk with us, and invited us to his own home, as well as introducing us to his relatives and friends. And so the time passed by.
One day, we took a stroll to the outskirts of the town, and saw the remains of the old dog-shooting grounds. NOTE1 We pressed further out on to the plains to pay our respects at the tomb of Lady Tamamo, and then at the shrine of Hachiman. We were especially moved when we heard that it was to this god that Yoichi had cried, as he aimed his arrow at the fan. NOTE2 As darkness fell, we returned to Tosui's house.
Nearby, there was a mountain-cult temple called Kömydji. We were invited there, and worshipped in the Hall of the Ascetic:
in summer mountains
we say prayers before the shoes…
journey now begins
For the previous post click 6
For the next post click 8
Note1: dog-shooting grounds a reference to a game in which horse-riders competed to shoot a dog with blunted arrowheads.
Note2: as he aimed his arrow at the fan a celebrated challenge recorded in earlier history and literature. Nasu no Yoichi was commanded to shoot at a fan held up by a woman on a swaying boat some two hundred and fifty yards away. He prays to Hachiman, the guardian deity of the samurai, for success, declaring that he will kill himself should the arrow miss. But he hits his target.
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