怪談御伽童 5巻. [1] - 翻刻

翻刻

情（なさけ）も世（よ）にありし程にてうき時つるゝ友もなくとひ来る
人もあらざれはことづてやらん便（たよ）りなくおさな子（こ）を寝（ね）させ
置（をき）門の戸引よせ走（はし）りゆき弥介にしか〳〵といひすて子を
寝（ね）させ置（をき）しゆへ心こん【心根 or 心魂】なくとくかへりぬ此寺へは道の程
三町余有ければ心せきてはせ帰（かへ）り戸をひらき内に入￣レ
は程もなくせまき家（や）の内に数（す）十匹の蛇（へび）嬰児（ゑいじ）をとり
まき居（ゐ）たり女房おどろき周章（あわて）走（はし）り入けれども蛇は
猶（なを）しりぞかすいかゞせんとあきれまどひ棒（ぼう）の有つるを持（もち）て
はらひ除（よけ）んとするに有つる蛇とも一むれに外の方へ
かけり行何やら追（をひ）行さま也女房は嬰児（ゑいじ）の心もと

なさに先（まづ）抱（いだ）きあげて見るに此子何のつゝがもなし
女房はふしぎにも又おそろしく蛇（へび）の行方を見れば
一つも見へず其家のあたりなる畑（はたけ）に居る人いふは
てんといへるものを蛇のあまたむれて追（をひ）行けると
いふかくて夫帰りければ女房しか〳〵のよしかたるを
弥介聞て手を打我過し頃寺に有し時子ども
集（あつま）りて大きなる蛇をとらへ打 殺（ころ）さんとするを子
供にこひうけて寺のかたはらの草の中へはなしぬ
その後をり〳〵此地いづるを食物の喰（く）ひ残（のこ）り
などあたふれば喰などしつ若（もし）此蛇の報（をん）をなし

現代語訳

情けも世にあった程度で、苦しい時に頼れる友もなく、訪ねて来る人もいないので、ことづてを頼む便りもなく、幼子を寝かせ置いて、門の戸を引き寄せ走って行き、弥助にかくかくしかじかと言い捨て、子を寝かせ置いたので心配でたまらず、急いで帰った。この寺へは道のりが三町余りあったので、心せいて駆け帰り、戸を開いて内に入ると、程もなく狭い家の内に数十匹の蛇が嬰児を取り巻いて座っていた。女房は驚き慌てて走り入ったけれども、蛇はなお退かない。どうしようかと呆れ惑い、棒があったのを持って払い除けようとすると、いた蛇ども一群れになって外の方へ駆けて行く。何やら追って行く様子である。女房は嬰児の心配で、まず抱き上げて見ると、この子は何の異常もない。女房は不思議にも又恐ろしく、蛇の行方を見れば一つも見えず、その家のあたりにある畑にいる人が言うには、「てん」というものを蛇が多く群れて追って行ったという。

こうして夫が帰ってきたので、女房がかくかくのことを語るのを弥助が聞いて手を打ち、「我が過ごし頃、寺にいた時、子どもが集まって大きな蛇を捕らえて打ち殺そうとするのを、子どもに頼み受けて寺の傍らの草の中へ放した。その後折々この辺りに出てくるのに、食物の食い残りなどを与えれば食べたりした。もしこの蛇の恩返しをなし

英語訳

There was some human kindness in the world to that extent, but in times of trouble there were no friends to rely on, and no one came to visit, so there was no way to send a message. She put her infant child to sleep, pulled the gate door closed, and ran off. She told Yasuke about this and that matter briefly, and since she had left the child sleeping, she was terribly worried and hurried back. Since the road to this temple was more than three chō in distance, her heart raced as she ran back home. When she opened the door and entered inside, soon in the narrow house dozens of snakes had surrounded the infant and were sitting there. The wife was startled and panicked as she rushed in, but the snakes still would not retreat. Wondering what to do in her confusion, she grabbed a stick that was there to try to sweep them away, when all the snakes that had been there moved as one group toward the outside. It seemed as if they were chasing after something. The wife, anxious about her infant, first picked up the child and examined it - the child had suffered no harm at all. The wife found it both mysterious and frightening. When she looked to see where the snakes had gone, not one could be seen. A person who was in the field near that house said that many snakes had swarmed together chasing after something called a "ten."

When her husband returned home, the wife told him about what had happened. When Yasuke heard this, he clapped his hands and said, "Some time ago when I was at the temple, children had gathered to capture a large snake and were about to kill it. I pleaded with the children and released it into the grass beside the temple. After that, from time to time when it appeared in this area, I would give it leftover food and such, and it would eat. Perhaps this snake was repaying