Chapter 24 dragon

dragon Akutagawa Ryunosuke one Uji Dainago Ryukuni ①: "Oh, I woke up in the afternoon and felt that it was extremely hot today. There was no wind at all, and even the vines wrapped around the pine branches were not moving. The sound of the spring water, which usually sounds so cool, was joined by the sound of cicadas. On the contrary, it makes people feel stuffy. Here, let the children fan the air again." ① Uji Dainago, formerly known as Minamoto Ryukuni (1004-1077), was a writer in the middle of the Heian period in Japan. Because his villa was in Uji, the mountain country, the world called Uji Dainaghi. (The highest official position in the ancient Japanese court was the Minister of State Affairs, followed by the Minister of the Left and the Minister of the Right; Dai Nayan was second only to the Minister of the Right.) It is said that the oldest collection of speeches in Japan is the story told by the passers-by by Minamoto Ryukuni.

"Why, have all the pedestrians gathered on the road? Then, let's go. Children, don't forget to carry that big cattail fan and follow me." "Hey, everyone, I am Long Guo. Forgive me for being shirtless, for being rude, for being rude." "Speaking of which, I'm asking you all today, so I'm asking you to come to Uji-tei. Recently, I occasionally come here, and I want to write novels like others. Thinking about it carefully, I only go in and out of the palace all day long. There is really no story worth remembering. But I am lazy by nature, and I am most afraid of using my brain and thinking of complicated plots. Therefore, from today onwards, I would like to implore all passers-by to tell an old story, so that I can make it up. Novel. In this way, we will be able to collect a wide range of unexpected anecdotes and anecdotes. Can you please help me fulfill this wish?"

"Oh, you're willing to help? That's great. Then I'll listen to everyone in order." "Hey, children, use a big cattail fan to fan everyone sitting here, so that it will be cooler to some extent. Casters and potters are welcome, you two come here quickly, and sit at this table. The lady who sells rice rolls, the bucket is the best Put it in the corner of the porch, out of the sun. The mage can also take off the bronze drum①, okay? Warriors and mountain monks over there, spread out bamboo mats.” ①The original text is Jingu, a hollow, oblate Buddhist musical instrument.Monks hang it around their necks when they preach, or tie it to a shelf in the Buddhist hall to beat.

two "Okay, if you're ready, first let the old potter say anything." The old potter: "Oh, you are too polite, and you want to write stories one by one that we low-class people say-in my capacity, I really dare not take it for this alone. But respect is worse than obedience, then I Don't be presumptuous, tell me a boring legend. Please be patient and listen to me." "When we were young, there was a monk in Nara called Tibetan Deye Huiyin. His nose was extremely big, and the tip of his nose was so red all year round that it looked as if he had been stung by a bee. People in Nara City So I gave him the nickname Bi Zang. At first he was called Big Nose Tibetan, but later he thought it was too long, so he was called Cheng Bi Tibetan. After a while, he still thought it was too long. Zangbi Zangdi shouted. At that time, I saw him once or twice in Nara Kofukuji Temple, no wonder I called him Bibi. He is really a red tengu ②bibi who is unparalleled in the world. One night, this nickname called Bizang. Master Huiyin, who was born in Bizang and Dabizang, quietly came to the bank of Yuanze Pond without any disciples, and erected a notice board high on the embankment in front of Cainu Willow. The book "On March 3rd, the dragon ascends to heaven from this pond". In fact, Hui Yin didn't know whether there was a real dragon living in Yuanze Pond. As for the dragon ascending to heaven on March 3rd, it was purely his nonsense. No, it would be better to say It would be more accurate not to ascend to heaven. Then why did he make such an absurd joke? Because people from both Buddhist and lay circles in Nara taunted his nose at every turn. It's a hoax that's been devised in every possible way. You'll find it funny, but that was in the old days, when there were pranksters everywhere."

② Tengu is a kind of red face in ancient Japanese imagination.High-nosed, winged monster with great powers. ③Cai Nv is the title of a female official in the ancient Japanese harem. Legend has it that a Cai Nv threw herself into Saruzawa Pond next to this willow tree because she fell out of favor with the emperor, hence the name. "It is said that the first person who found this notice board on the second day was an old woman who came to pay homage to the Tathagata Buddha of Xingfu Temple every morning. With a rosary in her hand, she was busy walking on a bamboo stick and came to the misty By the pool. I saw a new notice board erected under Cainu Willow. The old woman was puzzled and thought: If it is a notice board for the Fa Conference, how could it stand in such a strange place? But she can’t read, so she intends to leave it like this Walking over, a mage in a cassock just came to face her, so she asked the mage to read it. Anyone who heard that "on March 3, the dragon ascends to heaven from this pond" would be surprised, and the old woman was also shocked. He straightened his bent waist and looked at the mage's face in a daze: "Is there a dragon in this pool? It is said that the mage calmly talked to her about teaching: "There is also such a story: Once upon a time, there was a scholar in China who had a tumor on his eyebrow, which was very itchy. Once, the sky suddenly became cloudy, and there were thunder and lightning , it began to rain heavily. The tumor suddenly split open, and a black dragon sprang out, riding the clouds straight up to the sky. Even the tumor contained a dragon, not to mention that there might be dozens of dragons and poisonous snakes coiled under the water in such a large pool What!' The old woman always believed that monks would not lie. After hearing this, she was terrified and said, "From what you said, the color of the water over there does look a bit strange. 'Although March 3rd hadn't arrived yet, the old woman was panting and reciting the Buddha's name. She didn't even have time to use a bamboo stick, so she left the monk and ran away.If it weren't for the fear of others watching, the mage would have laughed out loud.No wonder, it turned out that he was Deye Huiyin, nicknamed Bi Zang, who caused the trouble.He didn't have a good intention, thinking that after the notice board was erected last night, some birds should be caught by now, so he took a walk by the pool to watch the movement.After the old woman left, another woman came, who probably got up very early in the morning to leave, and asked the following servants to carry their luggage.With a veil hanging around her city maiden hat, she looked up at the notice alone with her face upturned.So Hui Yin also stood in front of the notice and pretended to read it, holding back desperately, trying not to let herself laugh.Then he snorted with his big nose in surprise, and turned back towards Kofukuji slowly. "

①It is the thin silk around Ogasa in the city when women from the Heian period to the Muromachi period went out. "In front of the south gate of Xingfu Temple, I unexpectedly ran into a mage named Huimen who lived in the same monk's room. Huimen frowned when he saw him, and said: "Master Waking up so early, the sun really came out from the west. This was exactly what Huiyin wanted. With a smile on his nose, he said triumphantly: "No, maybe it will come out from the west. I heard that the dragon will ascend to heaven from the Saruze Pond on March 3rd." After Huimen heard this, he gave Huiyin a hard look in half-belief, then sneered and said with a chuckle in his throat: "Master, it was a good dream.Well, I heard that dreaming of a dragon ascending to heaven is a good omen. After that, with his flat forehead held high, he was about to pass by.At this time, Huimen probably heard Huiyin muttering to himself, "Oh, it's hard to save sentient beings who have no fate." Huimen twisted back the high teeth of the pair of hemp clogs on his feet, viciously Turning his head back, he asked in the same tone as when he was preaching: "Do you have conclusive evidence that the dragon is about to ascend to heaven?" Hui Yin pointed to the pool under the early morning light deliberately and calmly, and said in a contemptuous tone: " If you doubt what the foolish monk said, please take a look at the notice in front of the willow tree. ' Now even the stubborn Huimen was deflated.He blinked his eyes in confusion, said listlessly, "Oh, is that a sign up?" and slipped away, tilting his big head as he walked, as if thinking of something. Watching his back, you can probably guess how funny he felt in his heart. Hui Yin felt his red nose itch, and when he walked up the stone steps of the south gate pretentiously, he couldn't help laughing."

"The notice board saying 'Dragon ascends from this pond on March 3rd' had an impact that morning, and after a day or two, rumors of the dragon in Sarusawa Pond spread throughout Nara Castle. Some people also raised the question of 'that notice Is someone doing something wrong?" But it happened that there was a rumor in the capital that the dragon from Shenquan Garden had ascended to heaven, so even those who put forward this view were skeptical, thinking that such a miracle might happen. It will take less than ten days after this Another unbelievable and strange thing happened. There was a priest at Kasuga Shrine. His nine-year-old only daughter slept on her mother's knee one night and dreamed that a black dragon descended from the sky like a cloud. In ordinary people's words : "I finally plan to ascend to heaven on March 3rd, but I will never trouble you city people, don't worry. 'After the daughter woke up, she told her mother like this.As a result, there was a sensation in the whole city immediately, saying that the dragon from Saruzechi had made a dream.The good-for-nothing person added another thing, saying that the dragon attached to the son of the Dong family, composed a waka, appeared to the witch of the West family, and granted the oracle, and so on, just like the dragon eyes of Saruzawachi Head sticking out of the water like.It was even said later that he saw the dragon itself.This is an old man who goes to the market every morning to sell fish. He came to Yuanze Pond in the dark that morning, and saw a pool full of water before dawn. There is a dim light in the place.At that time, rumors about the dragon were spreading, and the old man thought to himself: "It seems that the dragon god has appeared." He couldn't tell whether it was joy or fear, but he was trembling all over. Supporting the picking willow, I looked into the pond. I saw an indescribable monster like a black iron chain coiled motionless under the half-dark water. The monster was probably frightened by the sound of someone, and suddenly Stretching his coiled body, a waterway suddenly appeared on the surface of the pool, and the monster disappeared without a trace. After seeing it, the old man broke into a sweat with fright, and then returned to the place where he left the pick. Only then did he realize that, A total of 20 carp, crucian carp, etc. that were picked up for sale disappeared at some point. Some people laughed at him and said, "Probably he was tricked by the otter spirit. ’ However, unexpectedly, most people think, ‘There will be no otters in the pond guarded by the Dragon King. '"

"Let's talk about Master Bizang Huiyin again. Ever since the notice board of 'March 3rd, the dragon ascends from this pool' caused a sensation, he sniffed his big nose and smiled triumphantly. But where did he think; it's still four or five days away On March 3rd, Hui Yin's aunt, who was a nun in Sakurai, Settsu, came all the way to visit Long Shengtian. Now it was difficult for Hui Yin. He even threatened and coaxed , tried every means to persuade his aunt to go back to Yingjing, but she said: "I have reached this age, as long as I can catch a glimpse of the Dragon King ascending to heaven, I will die in peace. ' She turned a deaf ear to what her nephew said, and sat there stubbornly.Even now, it is inconvenient for Hui Yin to explain that the notice board was a trick he did.He finally gave in and had to agree to take care of his aunt until March 3rd, and he also had to agree to accompany her to see the Dragon God ascending to heaven that day.He also thought that even his aunt, who was a nun, had heard about this incident. Needless to say, Yamato Kingdom, this news spread even to Settsu, Izumi, Hanoi, Harima, Yamashiro, Omi, and Tamba. It's all over the place.That is to say, he set up this scam just to tease the young and old in Nara, but unexpectedly, tens of thousands of people from all directions were fooled.Thinking of this, Hui Yin was not so much amused as he was scared.Even when he led the way for the old nun in the morning and evening, and visited the Nara Temple, he felt as guilty as a criminal who escaped from the eyes of the classics.But sometimes he heard passers-by say that incense sticks and flowers were offered in front of the recent notice board. Although he was worried, he was as happy as if he had made some great achievements. "

"Day by day, it finally came to the third day of the third month when the dragon ascended to heaven. Hui Yin had an appointment, so he had no choice but to reluctantly accompany the old nun to the stone steps of the south gate of Xingfu Temple. From there, You can see Sarusawa Pond at a glance. On that day, the sky was clear and there was not even a little wind that blew the wind chime in front of the door. Not to mention Nara Castle, probably from Hanoi, Izumi, Settsu, Harima, Yamashiro, Omi, Tanba Visitors from other countries have been waiting for this day for a long time. Standing on the stone steps, no matter the west or the east, there are crowds of people, and you can’t see the end at a glance. All kinds of black hats are like waves. Ups and downs, stretching to the end of Ertiao Street surrounded by smoke and mist. There are also elegant ox carts such as blue gauze carts, red gauze carts, and eaves carts, which majestically calm the waves of people around them. Gold and silver decorations, shining in the bright spring light. There are also parasols, tents raised high to shade, and even a row of grandstands built on the road with a fuss—the one around the pool below. The bustling scene was like the Kamo Festival held in advance. Master Huiyin never dreamed that so many people would be disturbed by the erection of a notice board. He looked back at the old nun in a daze, and said dejectedly, "Oh, why did you come here?" There are so many people, it's amazing! This day, he didn't even have the energy to snort with that big nose, so he curled up at the foot of the pillar at the south gate. "

①Since the Heian period in Japan, bullock carts are usually used. The nobles decorated the carriages with gold and silver, and the races were gorgeous.The blue gauze cart and the red gauze cart are ox carts with blue or red yarn curtains hung respectively, and the eaves carts are ox carts with expensive bamboo as the eaves. ② Kamo Festival is the Kamo Festival, a temple fair held every May 15th at the Kamo Shrine in Kyoto. "But the old nun who is an aunt can't know what's on Hui Yin's mind. She stretched her neck desperately to look around, and even her scarf was about to slip off. She kept talking about something with Hui Yin." The pool, the scenery is really unique', 'Since there are so many people here, the dragon god will definitely appear'. Hui Yin is not inconvenient to sit at the foot of the pillar all the time, so he barely raises his body to look. Here, wearing a soft black People with hats and black hats of warriors were piled up into a mountain, and Master Huimen was also crowded inside. With a flat forehead, he was a head taller than the others, staring at the pool intently. Huiyin forgot the depression in his heart for a moment, and just Because I lied to this guy, I secretly thought it was funny. So I greeted 'Master' and asked in a mocking tone: "Did Master also see that Long Shengtian is coming? Huimen turned back arrogantly, with an unexpectedly serious expression on his face, and replied without even raising his thick eyebrows: "Isn't that right. I'm just like you, I'm impatient to wait." Huiyin thought to himself : My joke was a bit too much. Hui Yin naturally couldn't make a happy voice, and he looked at Yuan Ze Pond across the sea of ​​people with an uneasy expression as before. The water in the pool seemed to have been lukewarm The mysterious light, the reflections of the cherry willows planted on the surrounding embankments are clearly reflected on the water, they are motionless, and there is no sign that the dragon is about to ascend to the sky after a long wait. Especially the relationship between the crowded audience for several miles, today’s pool It looks smaller than usual, and it makes people think that anyone who says there are dragons in it is a big lie in the first place."

①The original text is called Shiwu hat, also known as Wujia black hat, because it is relatively light and welcomed by warriors, so it is named. "But the audience held their breath and waited patiently for the dragon to ascend to the sky. They couldn't even notice the time passing by minute by minute. The sea of ​​people under the gate was getting wider and wider. After a while, the number of ox carts also increased a little bit. Places converge and connect. Referring to the previous experience, one can imagine how frustrated Hui Yin was when he saw this scene. But at this moment, a strange thing happened. Somehow, Hui Yin also began to feel depressed. I thought that the dragon would really ascend to heaven—at first, I thought it might not. It turned out that Hui Yin himself was the one who erected the notice board. Ordinarily he shouldn’t have such a ridiculous idea, but overlooking this black hat is like a wave. The ground was rolling, and he kept feeling that such a big event would happen. Did the mood of the crowd unconsciously infect the nose, or was it because he put up the notice board that caused this event? There was a lively scene, and I felt a little guilty. I couldn’t help but look forward to the arrival of Long Shengtian, so let’s leave it alone. In short, Hui Yin’s depression gradually dissipated when he knew that the sign was written by himself, and he worked tirelessly like the old nun. Staring at the surface of the pool. But no, if it wasn't for this kind of thought in my heart, how could I barely stand under the south gate and wait for a long time, looking forward to the dragon that can't possibly ascend to the sky. "However, Sarusawa Pond still reflects the spring sun as usual, without a ripple. The sky is sunny and cloudless. Spectators are still crowded under parasols and shades, or leaning behind the railings of the stands. They It seems that they have even forgotten the movement of the sun, from morning to noon, from noon to evening, eagerly waiting for the appearance of the Dragon King." "Half a day after Hui Yin arrived there, a cloud like incense sticks floated in the air. In the blink of an eye, the originally clear sky suddenly became dark. At this moment, a gust of wind blows from the ape. Xiao Xiao rustled past on the Zechi, drawing countless waves on the mirror-like water surface. Although the audience was mentally prepared, they panicked, and suddenly a white torrential downpour began. The thunder also rumbled violently, Lightning flew across and crossed continuously like shuttles. The wind tore a triangular opening in the stratus clouds, taking advantage of the momentum to swirl the pool of water like a column. Immediately, between the water column and clouds, Hui Yin vaguely saw a black dragon more than ten feet long, flashing The golden claw flew straight into the sky. It is said that it was only a blink of an eye, and then Guang saw the petals of the cherry trees planted around the pond flying towards the dark sky in the wind and rain. As for how the audience panicked and ran here and there If you want to run away on the ground, and set off a wave of people under the lightning that can't go down in the pool, then there is no need to be long-winded." "Afterwards the heavy rain stopped, and the blue sky appeared between the clouds. Hui Yin's expression seemed to have forgotten that his own nose was big, and his eyes were looking around. Could it be that the dragon just now was really delusional? ?——Because he erected the notice board, thinking of this, he felt as if the dragon would not ascend to heaven. But he saw it for sure, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt baffled. So he sat down like a dead man The old nun at the foot of the pillar next to her stood up, and asked timidly with a bit of embarrassment: "Have you seen the dragon? Auntie sighed deeply, and seemed speechless for a moment, but nodded frequently in fear.Then he said in a trembling voice: "Of course I saw it, of course I saw it! Isn't it a dragon god with bright golden claws and a dark body?" They saw the dragon. Later, I learned from the discussions in the streets that almost all the men, women and children who were present that day said that they had seen the black dragon ascending to the sky through the clouds." "Afterwards, for some reason, Hui Yin told the truth and told everyone that he actually erected the notice board to tease people. It is said that none of Hui Men and the mages believed his words. Then, he erected the notice board Did the prank of the brand achieve its purpose or not? Even if you ask Master Huiyin, who is nicknamed Bi Zang and Big Bi Zang, he will not be able to answer." Uji Danayan Takakuni: "This story is really wonderful. Dragons probably lived in the Sarusawa Pond in the past. What? I don't know if they lived in it before? Well, they must have lived in the past. Everyone in the world believed it in their hearts. There are dragons under the water. Therefore, the dragon will naturally soar between the heaven and the earth, and sometimes show its strange image like a god. Don't let me babble, or tell me your stories. The next one should be It's the wandering monk's turn. three "What, are you going to tell the story of the long-nosed mage named Ikeo Zenchi Naiko? I just heard the story of Bizo, and it must be very interesting. Then, let's tell it right away..." Made in April 1919 translated by Wen Jieruo