俗語之種. [5] - 翻刻

翻刻

年は九つのくわんぜなき【頑是無き】身の此あり
さま不便なる事何にとてたとへんやう
もあらされとも懸る天変不思義なる時に
臨てせんかたなくこゝろよわくは其時に
狼狽て社【こそ】害あらめと其儘に寐らんとすれ
と風は増〳〵強く火勢はいとゝあらけ立
火の子は空によこたはり十丁有余の其
先にて吹まくり〳〵屋根の瓦の落る
音竹ははしけて其響き耳をつら
ぬき魂を飛はし雨はしきりに吹かけ

吹つけ恐ろしさくるしさなかくあけて
数へかたし漸くめしも出来ぬれは
何はそこやらかしこやら前代未聞のあり
さまなれは手当り次第取集め飯をよそ
ひて置ならへ菜は漸く生味噌も箸には
あらてかんさし【簪】やよふし【楊子】をもつてつき
まわし口のはたまてよす【寄す】れとも心根痛く
脳乱し気疲れ身体よわりしのみか
こぬかも離れぬふすふれ【焦げ】飯し一ト箸た
にも咽にとほらすすゝめすかしてやう

現代語訳

年はわずか九つの幼い身でこのような有様、不憫なことをどのように例えようもないけれども、このような天変地異不思議な時に臨んで、仕方なく心弱くなってはその時に狼狈してこそ害があろうと、そのまま寝ようとするけれど、風はますます強く、火の勢いはいっそう激しく立ち、火の粉は空に横たわり、十丁余り先で吹き巻いて屋根の瓦の落ちる音、竹が裂けてその響きが耳を貫き、魂を飛ばし、雨がしきりに吹きかけて

吹きつけて、恐ろしさ苦しさはこの上なく、数え難い。ようやく飯も炊けたので、何もかもそこここから前代未聞の有様なので、手当たり次第に取り集めて飯をよそって並べ置き、菜はようやく生味噌も、箸ではなく簪や楊枝を持って突き回し、口の端まで寄せるけれども、心根が痛く脳が乱れ、気が疲れ身体が弱ったばかりか、糠も離れない焦げ飯で、一箸だけでも咽喉を通らず、勧めたりすかしたりしてようやく

英語訳

At only nine years of age, this pitiful state of affairs - there is no way to describe how wretched it is. Yet facing such mysterious natural disasters, there is nothing to be done, and if one becomes fainthearted at such times, panic would surely cause harm, so they tried to sleep as they were. But the wind grew ever stronger, the flames blazed even more fiercely, sparks lay across the sky, and ten chō or more away things were blown about. The sound of roof tiles falling, bamboo splitting - the noise pierced their ears and made their souls leap. Rain poured down incessantly.

The rain beat down, and the terror and suffering were beyond measure, impossible to count. Finally rice was cooked, but with everything in such unprecedented chaos, they gathered whatever was at hand, served the rice and set it out in rows. For vegetables there was barely some raw miso, and instead of chopsticks they used hairpins and toothpicks to poke at the food and bring it to their mouths. But their hearts ached, their minds were in turmoil, they were mentally exhausted and physically weakened. Moreover, the burnt rice still had bran stuck to it, and not even a single chopstickful would go down their throats. Through coaxing and cajoling, finally...