41 Time passed like the flight of an arrow for him, for he was busy from morning till night. Three hundred years went by in this monotonous way, and then at last he began to grow tired of life in this country, and he longed to see his own land and his old home. However long he lived here, life would always be the same, so was it not foolish and wearisome to stay on here forever?
41 彼は朝から晩まで忙しく、時間は矢のように過ぎ去った。 300年が単調に過ぎ、ついにこの国での生活に飽き始め、自分の土地と古い家を見たいと切望しました。どんなに長くここに住んでいても、人生はいつも同じだろう。
42 Sentaro, in his wish to escape from the country of Perpetual Life, recollected Jofuku, who had helped him before when he was wishing to escape from death—and he prayed to the saint to bring him back to his own land again.
42 千太郎は、常世の国からの脱出を願って、かつて死からの脱出を望んでいたときに助けてくれた徐福を思い出し、再び彼を自分の国に連れ戻すように聖福に祈った.
43 No sooner did he pray than the paper crane popped out of his pocket. Sentaro was amazed to see that it had remained undamaged after all these years. Once more the bird grew and grew till it was large enough for him to mount it. As he did so, the bird spread its wings and flew, swiftly out across the sea in the direction of Japan.
43 彼が祈るとすぐに、折り鶴が彼のポケットから飛び出しました。千太郎は、何年経っても壊れていないことに驚いた。再び鳥は成長し、彼がそれに乗るのに十分な大きさになるまで成長しました.すると、鳥は翼を広げて飛び立ち、海を渡って日本の方角へと向かった。
44 Such was the willfulness of the man’s nature that he looked back and regretted all he had left behind. He tried to stop the bird in vain. The crane held on its way for thousands of miles across the ocean.
44 彼は振り返って、自分が残したものすべてを後悔したほどの故意の性質を持っていた。彼はその鳥を止めようとしたが無駄だった.クレーンは海を何千マイルも渡って行きました。
45 Then a storm came on, and the wonderful paper crane got damp, crumpled up, and fell into the sea. Sentaro fell with it. Very much frightened at the thought of being drowned, he cried out loudly to Jofuku to save him. He looked round, but there was no ship in sight. He swallowed a quantity of sea-water, which only increased his miserable plight. While he was thus struggling to keep himself afloat, he saw a monstrous shark swimming towards him. As it came nearer it opened its huge mouth ready to devour him. Sentaro was all but paralyzed with fear now that he felt his end so near, and screamed out as loudly as ever he could to Jofuku to come and rescue him.
45 すると嵐が起こり、すばらしい折り鶴が湿って、くしゃくしゃになって海に落ちてしまいました。仙太郎はそれで倒れた。溺れることを考えると非常に怯え、徐福に助けを求めて大声で叫んだ.彼は辺りを見回したが、船は見えなかった。彼は大量の海水を飲み込みましたが、それは彼の惨めな窮状をさらに悪化させるだけでした。彼がこのように自分自身を浮かせ続けるのに苦労している間、彼は巨大なサメが彼に向かって泳いでいるのを見ました.近づくと、彼をむさぼり食おうと大きな口を開けました。仙太郎は恐怖で身動きがとれなくなり、死が近づいているのを感じ、上福に全力で叫び、彼を助けに来てくれました。
46 Lo, and behold, Sentaro was awakened by his own screams, to find that during his long prayer he had fallen asleep before the shrine, and that all his extraordinary and frightful adventures had been only a wild dream. He was in a cold perspiration with fright, and utterly bewildered.
46 見よ、千太郎は自分の叫び声で目覚め、長い祈りの最中に神社の前で眠りに落ち、彼の異常で恐ろしい冒険はすべてただの夢だったことに気づいた。彼は恐怖で冷や汗をかいており、完全に当惑していた。
47 Suddenly a bright light came towards him, and in the light stood a messenger. The messenger held a book in his hand, and spoke to Sentaro:
47 突然、まばゆい光が彼の方にやって来て、その光の中に使者が立っていた。使者は本を手に持って千太郎に話しかけた。
48 “I am sent to you by Jofuku, who in answer to your prayer, has permitted you in a dream to see the land of Perpetual Life. But you grew weary of living there, and begged to be allowed to return to your native land so that you might die. Jofuku, so that he might try you, allowed you to drop into the sea, and then sent a shark to swallow you up. Your desire for death was not real, for even at that moment you cried out loudly and shouted for help.”
48 「私は、あなたの祈りに応えて、夢の中であなたが常世の国を見ることを許可した徐福からあなたに送られました。しかし、あなたはそこでの生活にうんざりし、死ぬために故郷に戻ることを許してほしいと懇願しました。徐福はあなたを試すために、あなたを海に落とすことを許し、サメを送ってあなたを飲み込みました。その瞬間でさえ、あなたは大声で叫び、助けを求めていたからです。
49 “It is also vain for you to wish to become a hermit, or to find the Elixir of Life. These things are not for such as you—your life is not austere enough. It is best for you to go back to your paternal home, and to live a good and industrious life. Never neglect to keep the anniversaries of your ancestors, and make it your duty to provide for your children’s future. Thus will you live to a good old age and be happy, but give up the vain desire to escape death, for no man can do that, and by this time you have surely found out that even when selfish desires are granted they do not bring happiness.”
49 「あなたが隠者になりたいとか、生命のエリクサーを見つけたいと願っても無駄だ。これらはあなたのようなものではありません—あなたの人生は十分に厳格ではありません.父方の実家に帰って、立派に勤勉な生活を送るのが最善です。先祖の記念日を守ることを決して怠らず、子供たちの将来を養うことがあなたの義務となります。このようにして、あなたは古き良き時代まで生きて幸せになりますが、死を逃れるという無駄な欲望をあきらめます.誰もそれを行うことはできません.幸福。\”
50 “In this book I give you there are many precepts good for you to know—if you study them, you will be guided in the way I have pointed out to you.”
50 「私があなたに与えるこの本には、あなたが知っておくと良い教訓がたくさんあります。あなたがそれらを学ぶなら、あなたは私があなたに指摘した方法で導かれるでしょう。」
51 The angel disappeared as soon as he had finished speaking, and Sentaro took the lesson to heart. With the book in his hand he returned to his old home, and giving up all his old vain wishes, tried to live a good and useful life and to observe the lessons taught him in the book, and he and his house prospered henceforth.
51 天使は話し終えるとすぐに姿を消し、千太郎は教訓を心に留めた。本を手にして彼は古い家に戻り、昔のむなしい願いをすべて捨て、善良で有益な生活を送ろうとし、本で教えられた教訓を守ろうとしました。そして彼と彼の家はその後繁栄しました。
