Sec. 2 二
Miscomprehension of the Japanese smile has more than once led to extremely unpleasant results, as happened in the case of T—a Yokohama merchant of former days. T—had employed in some capacity (I think partly as a teacher of Japanese) a nice old samurai, who wore, according to the fashion of the era, a queue and two swords. The English and the Japanese do not understand each other very well now; but at the period in question they understood each other much less. The Japanese servants at first acted in foreign employ precisely as they would have acted in the service of distinguished Japanese; [1] and this innocent mistake provoked a good deal of abuse and cruelty. Finally the discovery was made that to treat Japanese like West Indian negroes might be very dangerous. A certain number of foreigners were killed, with good moral consequences.
1 The reader will find it well worth his while to consult the chapter entitled 'Domestic Service,' in Miss Bacon's Japanese Girls and Women, for an interesting and just presentation of the practical side of the subject, as relating to servants of both sexes. The poetical side, however, is not treated of—perhaps because intimately connected with religious beliefs which one writing from the Christian standpoint could not be expected to consider sympathetically. Domestic service in ancient Japan was both transfigured and regulated by religion; and the force of the religious sentiment concerning it may be divined from the Buddhist saying, still current:
Oya-ko wa is-se, Fufu wa ni-se, Shuju wa san-se.
The relation of parent and child endures for the space of one life only; that of husband and wife for the space of two lives; but the relation between msater and servant continues for the period of three existences.
日本人の微笑を誤解した事が度々甚だしく不快な結果を来して居る、たとへば以前横濱の商人であつたＴ＿＿の場合に起つたやうな。Ｔ＿＿は何かの資格で（幾分日本語の教師としてと私は思ふ）立派な老さむらひを雇入れた、その人はその時代の習慣としてまげを結ふて大小をさしてゐた。今日でも英人と日本人とは、相互に甚だよく理解して居るとは云へない、しかし今話した時代には一層理解が少かつた。初めのうち日本の召使は丁度えらい日本人に使へるやうな註一やり方をした、そしてこの無邪気な誤りは沢山の侮辱と残忍を招くに到つた。最後に日本人を西印度の黒奴のやうに待遇する事は甚だ危険である事が発見された。幾人かの外国人は殺されて、よい道徳上の効果があつた。
註一。読者はミス・ベーコンの『日本の少女と婦人』のうち、『奉公』と題する一章を参考されるとよい、それには男女の召使に関するこの問題の面白い、又正しい説明がある。しかし詞的方面は取扱つてない、――クリスト教的見地から書いて居る人は同情しては書けないやうな宗教的信仰と非常に関係して居るからであらう。昔の奉公は宗教によつて形を変へると共に調節された、それに関する宗教的情操の力は、今もなほ行はれて居る仏教の諺からも推しはかられる、――親子は一世、夫婦は二世、主従は三世。But I am digressing. T—was rather pleased with his old samurai, though quite unable to understand his Oriental politeness, his prostrations or the meaning of the small gifts which he presented occasionally, with an exquisite courtesy entirely wasted upon T—. One day he came to ask a favour. (I think it was the eve of the Japanese New Year, when everybody needs money, for reasons not here to be dwelt upon.) The favour was that T—would lend him a little money upon one of his swords, the long one. It was a very beautiful weapon, and the merchant saw that it was also very valuable, and lent the money without hesitation. Some weeks later the old man was able to redeem his sword.
しかしこれは脇道である。Ｔ＿＿はこの老さむらひが中々気に入つた、もつともその東洋風の礼儀、その平身低頭、それから全くＴ＿＿にはちんぷんかんである微妙な丁寧さで時々もつて来てくれる小さい贈物の意味は全く分らなかつた。
What caused the beginning of the subsequent unpleasantness nobody now remembers Perhaps T—'s nerves got out of order. At all events, one day he became very angry with the old man, who submitted to the expression of his wrath with bows and smiles. This made him still more angry, and he used some extremely bad language; but the old man still bowed and smiled; wherefore he was ordered to leave the house. But the old man continued to smile, at which T—losing all self-control struck him. And then T—suddenly became afraid, for the long sword instantly leaped from its sheath, and swirled above him; and the old man ceased to seem old. Now, in the grasp of anyone who knows how to use it, the razor-edged blade of a Japanese sword wielded with both hands can take a head off with extreme facility. But, to T—'s astonishment, the old samurai, almost in the same moment, returned the blade to its sheath with the skill of a practised swordsman, turned upon his heel, and withdrew.
それから起つた不快の初まりは何であつたか今誰も覚えてゐない。多分Ｔ＿＿の神経は狂つたのであらう。とにかく或日彼は老人に対して非常に怒り出した、老人は彼の憤怒の表情に対してお辞儀と微笑を以て服してゐた。これが彼をして一層怒らせた、そして彼は極端な罵倒を浴せた、しかし老人はやはりお辞儀をして、微笑してゐた、それで老人はその家を去る事を命ぜられた。しかし老人は引続いて微笑してゐた、そこでＴ＿＿はすつかり自省の力を失つて老人をなぐつた。そしてその時Ｔ＿＿は突然恐ろしくなつた、と云ふのは長い刀は不意に鞘を離れて、自分の頭上を渦巻いて、そして老人は老人とは思はれなくなつたからであつた。ところで、その使用法を知つて居る人の手にかかつたら、両手で扱はれる剃刀のやうな日本刀の刃は、極めて無造作に人の頭をはねる事ができる。しかしＴ＿＿の驚いた事には、その老さむらひは殆んど同時に熟練なる剣士の素早さでその刀身を鞘に納めて、踵をかへして、退いた。
Then T— wondered and sat down to think. He began to remember some nice things about the old man—the many kindnesses unasked and unpaid, the curious little gifts, the impeccable honesty. T— began to feel ashamed. He tried to console himself with the thought: 'Well, it was his own fault; he had no right to laugh at me when he knew I was angry.' Indeed, T— even resolved to make amends when an opportunity should offer.
それからＴ＿＿は不思議に思つて、坐り込んで考へた。彼は老人に関する色々の良い事、頼みもしないのにしてくれたが返礼もしてやらなかつた沢山の親切な行為、珍らしい小さい贈物、非難の餘地なき正直さ、を思ひ出して来た。Ｔ＿＿は恥づかしくなつて来た。彼はかう考へて自分で慰めようとした、『まあいゝ、あれが悪いんだ、おれが怒つて居る事を知つてゐておれを笑ふやつがあるものか』実際Ｔ＿＿は機会のあり次第埋合せをしようとさへ決心してゐた。
But no opportunity ever came, because on the same evening the old man performed hara-kiri, after the manner of a samurai. He left a very beautifully written letter explaining his reasons. For a samurai to receive an unjust blow without avenging it was a shame not to be borne, He had received such a blow. Under any other circumstances he might have avenged it. But the circumstances were, in this instance, of a very peculiar kind, His code of honour forbade him to use his sword upon the man to whom he had pledged it once for money, in an hour of need. And being thus unable to use his sword, there remained for him only the alternative of an honourable suicide.
しかしその機会は決して来なかつた、何故なれば丁度その晩老人はさむらひ風に切腹をしたから。老人はその理由を説明した甚だ見事に書いた手紙を遺した。さむらひとしては無法な打擲を受けて復讐しない事は忍ぶべからざる屈辱である。彼はそんな打擲を受けた。
In order to render this story less disagreeable, the reader may suppose that T—was really very sorry, and behaved generously to the family of the old man. What he must not suppose is that T—was ever able to imagine why the old man had smiled the smile which led to the outrage and the tragedy.
この話を餘り不快な物としないために、読者は、Ｔ＿＿は甚だ遺憾に思つて、老人の遺族に対し金銭上の助力を充分にした事を想像してもよい。しかし何故老人は侮辱と悲劇の原因となつたあの微笑をしたか、その理由をＴ＿＿が考へる事ができたと読者は想像してはならない。
ラフカディオ・ハーン「知られぬ日本の面影」『小泉八雲全集 第三巻』、第一書房、大正１５年
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