A conscious and willing victim [Bushido] 武士の忠節

新渡戸稲造
『武士道』The Duty of Loyalty（忠節）
訳：桜井欧村





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The story is of one of the purest characters in our history, Michizane, who, falling a victim to jealousy and calumny, is exiled from the capital.

其物語（菅原伝授手習鑑）は我国史を飾れる清廉高義の人格、菅原道真を寓せるものなり。道真は嫉妬 讒誣の餌となり、都を逐はれて流人の身となりけるが、

Not content with this, his unrelenting enemies are now bent upon the extinction of his family.

情を知らぬ敵は斯くても尚ほ饜かず、其一族をも挙げて亡はんと、

Strict search for his son -not yet grown- reveals the fact of his being secreted in a village school kept by one Genzo, a former vassal of Michizane.

一子菅秀才の幼かりけるを酷しく詮議して、道真の旧臣武部源蔵が芹生の里の寺子屋に匿ひ置くを探り出し、

When orders are dispatched to the schoolmaster to deliver the head of the juvenile offender on a certain day.

首打って渡せとの厳命に、源蔵も今は是非に及ばず。



His first idea is to find a suitable substitute for it. He ponders over his school-list, scrutinizes with careful eyes all the boys, as they stroll into the class-room.

承引なしたる心は、夥多ある寺子の中、孰れなりとも御身代りと思ふて帰る家の内、あれか、これかと見渡せど、

But none among the children born of the soil bears the least resemblance to his protege.

玉簾の中の誕生と、薦垂の中に育ったとは、似ても似つかず。



His despair, however, is but for a moment; for, behold, a new scholar is announced.

主運の末の悲しさを嘆き悶ゆる折も折とて、器量賤しからぬ母親に連れられて寺入頼む小児あり。

A comely boy of the same age as his master's son, escorted by a mother of noble mien.

見るに臈たき幼児の、養君の御年格好なり。

No less conscious of the resemblance between infant lord and infant retainer, were the mother and the boy himself.

幼君と幼 臣、其面差の紛ふばかりなるは、母固より之を知り、子も亦知れり。

In the privacy of home both had laid themselves upon the alter; the one his life, the other her heart, yet without sign to the outer world.

我家の奥に、人は知らず、幼児の生命と母が真心との二つは、既に祭壇に捧げられしなり。

Unwitting of what had passed between them, it is the teacher from whom comes the suggestion.

源蔵は斯くとも思ひ寄らず、唯だ此子を以て其君を救はんとす。

Here, then, is the scape-goat!

爰に犠牲（スケープゴート）を獲たり。

The rest of the narrative may be briefly told.

On the day appointed, arrives the officer commissioned to identify and receive the head of the youth.

検視の役人は来れり。

Will he be deceived by the false head?

贋首に欺かるべき乎。

The poor Genzo's hand is on the hilt of the sword, ready to strike a blow either at the man or at himself, should the examination defeat his scheme.

源蔵は忍びの鍔元くつろげ、虚と云はば切付けんと堅唾を呑む。

The officer takes up the gruesome object before him, goes calmly over each feature, and in a deliberate, business-like tone, pronounces it genuine.

眼力光らす松王丸、浅ましの首引寄せ、ためつ、すがめつ、こりゃ是れ菅秀才の首に紛い無しと云ふ。







That evening in a lonely home awaits the mother we saw in the school.

Does she know the fate of her child?

母や其子が最期の状を知れりや。

It is not for his return that she watches with eagerness for the opening of the wicket.

道までは帰って見たれど、子を殺さしにおこして置いて、などで我家へ帰らるべき。

Her father-in-law has been for a long time a recipient of Michizane's bounties, but since his banishment circumstances have forced her husband to follow the service of the enemy of his family's benefactor.

舅は年久しくも丞相の高恩を蒙り、夫は余義無くも恩主の敵に随身す。

He himself could not be untrue to his own cruel master; but his son could serve the cause of the grandsire's lord.

主は残忍なりとても、 臣として背くべきにあらず。

As one acquainted with the exile's family, it was he who had been entrusted with the task of identifying the boy's head.

流人の家に好みあるを幸ひ、菅秀才の首実検せよとの今日の役目。今ぞ我子能く祖父の主君に仕へて其殊恩に報ずべしと、申合せての此の悲しさ。我子の死顔なりと、今一度見たさに又た帰り来る寺子屋。

Now the day's -yea, the life's- hard work is done, he returns home and as he crosses its threshold, he accosts his wife, saying:

松王は今日の役目、腸を断つべき一期の役目、仕遂げて又た立戻る源蔵が門より、声高く

"Rejoice, my wife, our darling son has proved of service to his load!"

「女房よろこべ、忰は御役に立つたぞよ」







"What an atrocious story!"

I hear my readers exclaim,

"Parents deliberately sacrificing their own innocent child to save the life of another man's."

「嗚呼、何等の惨事ぞ、他の生命を救はんが為に、親の自から其子を犠牲にする事や」

と、人あり或は此言をなすものあらん。

But this child was a conscious and willing victim: 

されど此小児は自から甘んじて死に就くの犠牲なりき。

It is a story of vicarious death -as significant as, and not more revolting than, the story of Abraham's intended sacrifice of Isaac.

此れ人に代って死するの物語なり。アブラハムの其子イサクを祭壇に捧げたると何の異なる所かあらん。

In both cases it was obedience to the call of duty, utter submission to the command of a higher voice, whether given by a visible or an invisible angel, or heard by an outward or an inward ear.

其義は相似たり。其美は相若く、共に義務の招く所に応じ、高きより来る声の命ずるがままに行へるものなり。唯だ其声の、此には目に見ゆる天使より下り、彼には目に見えざる天使より来り。此は肉の耳に聞き、彼れは心の耳に徹したる差あるのみ。

But I abstain from preaching.

吁、然りと雖、予は説教者の口吻に倣ふことを止めん。



The individualism of the West, which recognizes separate interests for father and son, husband and wife, necessarily brings into strong relief the duties owed by one to the other.

西洋の個人主義は、父子、夫婦の間にも、利害の分離を承認するものなるが故に、大に人の他に対する義務の量を軽減す。

But Bushido held that the interest for the family and of the members thereof is intact, -one and inseparable. This interest it bound up with affection -natural, instinctive, irresistible.

然るに武士道は家門と族人との利害を以て、一にして分つべからざるものとなし、此利害は愛情と結びて、自然なり。本能性なり。又た避くべからざるものなりとす。

Hence, if we die for one we love with natural love (which animals themselves possess), what is that?

されば人若し我が自然の愛（禽獣すら猶ほ是れあり）を以て愛するものの為に死すとも、何かあらん。

"For if ye love them that love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same?"

経に曰はずや、「爾曹己を愛する者を愛するは、何の報酬かあらん。税吏も然かせざらんや」と。



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