第 6 节
作者:
你妹找1 更新:2021-02-21 11:56 字数:9321
try to give us some sign of your great resentment after your head has
been cut off?〃
〃Assuredly I will;〃 answered the man。
〃Very well;〃 said the samurai; drawing his long sword; 〃I am now
going to cut off your head。 Directly in front of you there is a stepping…
stone。 After your head has been cut off; try to bite the stepping…stone。 If
your angry ghost can help you to do that; some of us may be frightened。。。
Will you try to bite the stone?〃
〃I will bite it!〃 cried the man; in great anger; 〃I will bite it! I will
22
… Page 23…
KWAIDAN: Stories and Studies of Strange Things
bite〃
There was a flash; a swish; a crunching thud: the bound body bowed
over the rice sacks; two long blood…jets pumping from the shorn neck;
and the head rolled upon the sand。 Heavily toward the stepping…stone it
rolled: then; suddenly bounding; it caught the upper edge of the stone
between its teeth; clung desperately for a moment; and dropped inert。
None spoke; but the retainers stared in horror at their master。 He
seemed to be quite unconcerned。 He merely held out his sword to the
nearest attendant; who; with a wooden dipper; poured water over the blade
from haft to point; and then carefully wiped the steel several times with
sheets of soft paper。。。 And thus ended the ceremonial part of the incident。
For months thereafter; the retainers and the domestics lived in
ceaseless fear of ghostly visitation。 None of them doubted that the
promised vengeance would come; and their constant terror caused them to
hear and to see much that did not exist。 They became afraid of the sound
of the wind in the bamboos; afraid even of the stirring of shadows in the
garden。 At last; after taking counsel together; they decided to petition their
master to have a Segaki…service (2) performed on behalf of the vengeful
spirit。
〃Quite unnecessary;〃 the samurai said; when his chief retainer had
uttered the general wish。。。 〃I understand that the desire of a dying man for
revenge may be a cause for fear。 But in this case there is nothing to fear。〃
The retainer looked at his master beseechingly; but hesitated to ask
the reason of the alarming confidence。
〃Oh; the reason is simple enough;〃 declared the samurai; divining the
unspoken doubt。 〃Only the very last intention of the fellow could have
been dangerous; and when I challenged him to give me the sign; I diverted
his mind from the desire of revenge。 He died with the set purpose of biting
the stepping…stone; and that purpose he was able to accomplish; but
nothing else。 All the rest he must have forgotten。。。 So you need not feel
any further anxiety about the matter。〃
And indeed the dead man gave no more trouble。 Nothing at all
23
… Page 24…
KWAIDAN: Stories and Studies of Strange Things
happened。
24
… Page 25…
KWAIDAN: Stories and Studies of Strange Things
OF A MIRROR AND A BELL
Eight centuries ago; the priests of Mugenyama; in the province of
Totomi (1); wanted a big bell for their temple; and they asked the women
of their parish to help them by contributing old bronze mirrors for bell…
metal。
'Even to…day; in the courts of certain Japanese temples; you may see
heaps of old bronze mirrors contributed for such a purpose。 The largest
collection of this kind that I ever saw was in the court of a temple of the
Jodo sect; at Hakata; in Kyushu: the mirrors had been given for the
making of a bronze statue of Amida; thirty…three feet high。'
There was at that time a young woman; a farmer's wife; living at
Mugenyama; who presented her mirror to the temple; to be used for bell…
metal。 But afterwards she much regretted her mirror。 She remembered
things that her mother had told her about it; and she remembered that it
had belonged; not only to her mother but to her mother's mother and
grandmother; and she remembered some happy smiles which it had
reflected。 Of course; if she could have offered the priests a certain sum of
money in place of the mirror; she could have asked them to give back her
heirloom。 But she had not the money necessary。 Whenever she went to the
temple; she saw her mirror lying in the court…yard; behind a railing; among
hundreds of other mirrors heaped there together。 She knew it by the Sho…
Chiku…Bai in relief on the back of it; those three fortunate emblems of
Pine; Bamboo; and Plumflower; which delighted her baby…eyes when her
mother first showed her the mirror。 She longed for some chance to steal
the mirror; and hide it; that she might thereafter treasure it always。 But
the chance did not come; and she became very unhappy; felt as if she had
foolishly given away a part of her life。 She thought about the old saying
that a mirror is the Soul of a Woman (a saying mystically expressed; by
the Chinese character for Soul; upon the backs of many bronze mirrors);
and she feared that it was true in weirder ways than she had before
25
… Page 26…
KWAIDAN: Stories and Studies of Strange Things
imagined。 But she could not dare to speak of her pain to anybody。
Now; when all the mirrors contributed for the Mugenyama bell had
been sent to the foundry; the bell…founders discovered that there was one
mirror among them which would not melt。 Again and again they tried to
melt it; but it resisted all their efforts。 Evidently the woman who had given
that mirror to the temple must have regretted the giving。 She had not
presented her offering with all her heart; and therefore her selfish soul;
remaining attached to the mirror; kept it hard and cold in the midst of the
furnace。
Of course everybody heard of the matter; and everybody soon knew
whose mirror it was that would not melt。 And because of this public
exposure of her secret fault; the poor woman became very much ashamed
and very angry。 And as she could not bear the shame; she drowned herself;
after having written a farewell letter containing these words:
〃When I am dead; it will not be difficult to melt the mirror and to cast
the bell。 But; to the person who breaks that bell by ringing it; great wealth
will be given by the ghost of me。〃
You must know that the last wish or promise of anybody who dies in
anger; or performs suicide in anger; is generally supposed to possess a
supernatural force。 After the dead woman's mirror had been melted; and
the bell had been successfully cast; people remembered the words of that
letter。 They felt sure that the spirit of the writer would give wealth to the
breaker of the bell; and; as soon as the bell had been suspended in the
court of the temple; they went in multitude to ring it。 With all their might
and main they swung the ringing…beam; but the bell proved to be a good
bell; and it bravely withstood their assaults。 Nevertheless; the people were
not easily discouraged。 Day after day; at all hours; they continued to ring
the bell furiously; caring nothing whatever for the protests of the priests。
So the ringing became an affliction; and the priests could not endure it;
and they got rid of the bell by rolling it down the hill into a swamp。 The
swamp was deep; and swallowed it up; and that was the end of the bell。
26
… Page 27…
KWAIDAN: Stories and Studies of Strange Things
Only its legend remains; and in that legend it is called the Mugen…Kane; or
Bell of Mugen。
* * *
Now there are queer old Japanese beliefs in the magical efficacy of a
certain mental operation implied; though not described; by the verb
nazoraeru。 The word itself cannot be adequately rendered by any English
word; for it is used in relation to many kinds of mimetic magic; as well as
in relation to the performance of many religious acts of faith。 Common
meanings of nazoraeru; according