Eleven (2/5)

by Natsume Sōseki

“Did you skip school using a fake illness?”

“That's right.”

“I see, you're a bit of a genius, aren't you?” Mei-Tei-kun also seemed a bit surprised.

“When I stick my head out from the bedding, I can't wait for sunset. Since there's no other choice, I crawled under the futon, closed my eyes, and tried to wait, but it was still no good. When I stick my head out, the strong autumn sunlight hits the six-foot shoji and beats down on me. Up above, a long shadow is solidified, and I can see it swaying occasionally in the autumn breeze.”

“What is that long shadow?”

“I peeled the skin off some astringent persimmons and hung them up on the eaves.”

“Hmph, and then what happened?”

“Since there was no other choice, I got out of bed, opened the shoji, stepped outside to the eaves, took one sweet-dried persimmon, and ate it.”

“Was it delicious?” the master asked like a child.

“It’s delicious, those persimmons from around here. You can't understand that taste in Tokyo.”

“Persimmons are good, but what do you want to do next?” this time, Toufuu-kun asked.

“Then I went back to the futon, closed my eyes, and secretly prayed to the gods and buddhas that the sun would set quickly. After about three or four hours had passed, I thought it should be okay to stick my head out, but lo and behold, the strong autumn sun was still shining down on the six-foot shoji. Up above, the long shadow was solidified, swaying gently.”

“I’ve heard that before.”

“It’s happened many times. Then I got out of bed again, opened the shoji, ate another sweet-dried persimmon, and returned to my bed, secretly praying to the gods and buddhas that the sun would set quickly.”

“It’s still the same place, isn’t it?”

“Well, sir, please don’t rush me. Then I endured for another three or four hours in the bedding, and this time, thinking it should be okay, I stuck my head out to look, and indeed, the strong autumn sun was still hitting the six-foot shoji, with the long shadow solidified and swaying.”

“It’s the same thing no matter how long you go.”

“Then I got out of bed again, opened the shoji, stepped outside to the eaves, and ate one sweet-dried persimmon…”

“Have you eaten persimmons again? It seems like no matter how long it goes on, you just keep eating persimmons without any limit.”

“I’m getting impatient too.”

“It’s much more frustrating to listen than to be you.”

“The teacher is too hasty, making it difficult to talk.”

“Listening is a bit troublesome too,” Kōfū-kun also subtly expressed his dissatisfaction.

“Well, since everyone is troubled, there’s nothing we can do. Let’s wrap this up. In short, I ate the dried persimmons, dove in, ate some more, and finally ended up eating everything that was hung at the eaves.”

“If you ate everything, it must have gotten dark.”

“However, it didn’t work out that way. When I ate the last dried one and thought it would be fine to stick my head out, the strong autumn sun was still shining on the six-foot shoji…”

“That’s enough, it’s endless no matter how long it goes on.”

“I’m getting tired of talking too.”

“But if you have that much patience, most endeavors will succeed. If you stay silent, the autumn sun will keep blazing until tomorrow morning. Overall, when do you plan to buy the violin?” Meitei-kun also seemed to be losing his patience a bit. Only Dokusen-kun remained calm, showing no signs of being disturbed, whether it was until tomorrow morning or the morning after, no matter how much the autumn sun blazed. Kangugetsu-kun was also composed.

“You ask when I plan to buy it, but I intend to go out to buy it as soon as it gets dark. Unfortunately, no matter when I stick my head out, the autumn sun is always blazing—my suffering at that time was far beyond what you all are feeling now. Even after eating the last dried one, seeing that it was still not getting dark made me cry without realizing it. Kōfū-kun, I really felt pathetic and cried.”

“That’s true, artists are inherently emotional and resentful, so I sympathize with your tears, but I’d like the conversation to progress a bit faster,” Kōfū-kun said, being good-natured, continuing to make serious yet comical remarks.

“I really want to proceed, but it’s troublesome because the sun just won’t set.”

“If the sun doesn’t set, it’ll be troublesome for the listeners too, so let’s stop,” the master finally said, unable to hold back any longer.

“If we stop, that would be quite a problem. We’re just about to enter the climax.”

“Then, since you’re going to listen, let’s just pretend that the sun has set quickly.”

“Well, it’s a bit of an unreasonable request, but since it’s you, let’s say that the sun has set.”

“That’s convenient,” said Dokusen-kun with a composed expression, causing everyone to burst into laughter.

“As night finally fell, I left the lodging in Kurakake Village with a sense of relief. I originally disliked noisy places, so I avoided the convenient city and had been staying in a quiet rural farmhouse for a while…”

“It’s a bit of an exaggeration to say it’s rarely visited,” protested the master, to which Meitei-kun added, “The snail’s hut is quite large. It would be more picturesque and interesting to keep it to a four-and-a-half tatami mat room without a tokonoma.” Only Toufuu-kun praised, “Regardless of the facts, the language is poetic and feels nice.” Dokusen-kun, with a serious face, asked, “Living in such a place must make it difficult to attend school. How many ri is it?”

“It’s only about four or five chō to school. Originally, the school is in the cold village…”

“Then the students must be lodging around there quite a bit,” Dokusen-kun said, still not convinced.

“Yes, there’s usually one or two in most farmhouses.”

“So that’s why it’s rarely visited?” I was attacked head-on.

“Yes, if there were no school, there would hardly be anyone here. …That evening's outfit consisted of a hand-woven cotton padded jacket, over which I wore a uniform cloak with gold buttons, pulling the hood of the cloak over my head to avoid being noticed as much as possible. It was just the time of year when the persimmon leaves were falling, and the path leading from the inn to the Nango highway was covered with leaves. With every step I took, the rustling sound was bothersome. It felt like someone might be following me, which was unbearable. When I turned around, the forest of Tōrei-ji loomed darkly, rising up in the darkness. This Tōrei-ji is the family temple of the Matsudaira clan, located at the foot of Kōshin Mountain, and is a very ethereal temple only about a mile away from my inn. Above the forest, the starry night spread out, and the Milky Way crossed the Nagase River diagonally, flowing towards… well, it seems to be flowing first towards the Buwa area…”

“Buwa is quite a leap,” said Meitei-kun.

“I went two blocks down the Nango highway, entered the city from Takadai-cho, passed through Kojō-cho, turned at Sengoku-cho, glanced at Kuishiro-cho, and went through Tōmachi, one block, two blocks, three blocks in order, and then Owari-cho, Nagoya-cho, Shachihoko-cho, Kamaboko-cho…”

“You don’t need to go through so many towns. In short, did you buy the violin or not?” the master asked impatiently.

“The store that has instruments is Kanzen, which means Kaneko Zenbei, so it’s still quite something.”

“Quite something is fine, but hurry up and buy it.”

“Understood. So when I went to Kanzen, the store had its lamps brightly lit…”

“Here we go again, your fussing won’t end with just once or twice, so it’ll be a hassle,” this time Meitei set up a precautionary line.

"No, this time's kan-kan is just a simple one-time kan-kan, so there's no need to worry too much. ... When I look through the light, that violin reflects a faint autumn light, and the cold light clings to the rounded shape of its hollow body. Only part of the tightly stretched strings sparkles white in my eyes. ..."

"You're quite good at describing things," praised Higashikaze-kun.

"When I think about that, about that violin, my heart suddenly races and my legs feel unsteady..."

"Hmph," snorted Dokusen-kun with a laugh.

"Without thinking, I rushed in, took out a toad mouth from my hidden bag, and pulled out two five-yen bills from it..."

"So you finally bought it," the owner asked.

"I thought about buying it, but I paused and said, 'Wait, this is the crucial part. If I act recklessly, I'll fail.' Well, I decided against it and stopped just in time."

"What? You're still not buying it? A single violin can really draw people in," said the owner, annoyed.

"It's not that it draws people in, but I just can't buy it yet, so there's nothing I can do."

"Why not?"

"Why, you ask? It's still early evening, and there are a lot of people passing by."

"That doesn't matter. Even if two hundred or three hundred people pass by, you're quite a strange guy," the owner said, fuming.

"If they were just ordinary people, I wouldn't mind if there were a thousand or two thousand, but since students from school are rolling up their sleeves and wandering around with big canes, I can't just reach out easily. Some of them even call themselves the Sediment Party and are happy to linger at the bottom of the class forever. Those types are usually strong in judo, so they rarely get involved with violins. You never know what might happen. I definitely want a violin, but I value my life. It's easier to live without playing the violin than to be killed while playing it."

"So, in the end, you decided not to buy it," the owner pressed.

"No, I bought it."

"What a frustrating man. If you're going to buy it, buy it quickly. If you don't want to, that's fine too, but it seems better to wrap things up quickly."

"Hehehe, things in the world don't go as we think," said Kangetsu-kun coldly as he lit a cigarette and began to puff.

The master, perhaps finding it troublesome, stood up abruptly and went into the study, bringing out an old foreign book and lying down on his stomach to start reading. Dokusen-kun had somehow retreated in front of the tokonoma and was arranging go stones, engaging in a solo sumo match. As the precious anecdote dragged on, the audience dwindled, leaving only the artistically faithful Toufu-kun and the ever-unbothered Meitei-sensei.

Kangetsu-kun, blowing out long puffs of smoke without hesitation, continued the conversation at the same pace as before.

"Toufu-kun, at that time, I thought this: it’s absolutely no good to come in the early evening, and if I come at midnight, Kinsan will be asleep, which is even worse. I have to time my arrival when the students from school have just returned from their walk and Kinsan is still awake; otherwise, my carefully laid plans will go to waste. However, it’s quite difficult to gauge that timing well."

"Indeed, that sounds difficult."

"So, I estimated that time to be around ten o'clock. That means I have to spend time somewhere until then. Going home and coming back would be a hassle, and visiting a friend's house feels somewhat awkward and uninteresting. With no other choice, I decided to stroll around the city until the appropriate time arrived. However, usually, when I wander for two or three hours, time passes without me noticing, but that night, it felt like time was dragging on endlessly. I truly felt that’s what the longing of a thousand autumns must be like," he said, turning towards Meitei-sensei as if he had genuinely felt it.

"Because it has been said that waiting for an old person is as painful as a kotatsu left behind, and also that it is more painful to be the one waiting than to be the one waited for, the violin hanging from the eaves must have been painful too, but you, wandering around like a detective without a clue, must be even more painful. Like a dog from a mourning family. No, there is nothing more pitiful than a dog without a home."

"Dogs are cruel, aren't they? I have never been compared to a dog until now."

"Somehow, when I listen to your story, I feel as if I am reading about the legends of old artists, and I cannot help but feel sympathy. The comparison to a dog was just a joke from the teacher, so please continue without worrying about it," said Higashikaze-kun as a consolation. Of course, Kangetsu-kun intended to continue talking even without consolation.

After that, they passed through Tatemachi, went through Hyakki-machi, came out from Ryogaemachi to Takajomachi, counted the number of withered willows in front of the prefectural office, calculated the lights in the windows next to the hospital, smoked two rolled cigarettes on Konyabashi, and checked the time.

"Is it already ten o'clock?"

"It wouldn't be a pity if it weren't. -- After crossing Konyabashi and heading east along the river, there were three masseurs. The dog was barking incessantly, teacher..."

"Listening to a dog's howl by the river on a long autumn night is a bit theatrical, isn't it? You are like a fallen person."

"Did you do something bad?"

"I am about to do something bad."

"Poor thing, buying a violin isn't a bad thing. All the students at the music school are sinners."

"If one does something that others do not acknowledge, no matter how good it is, one is a sinner. Therefore, there is nothing in this world more unreliable than a sinner. Even Jesus, if born into such a world, would be a sinner. Even the handsome Kangetsu-kun would be a sinner if he bought a violin in such a place."

"Then, let's accept being sinners. Sinners are fine, but I'm troubled that it hasn't turned ten yet."

“I will count the names of the town once more. If that’s not enough, I will make the autumn day blaze again. If that’s still not enough, I will eat three dozen of the sweet-dried persimmons. I will keep listening, so go ahead until it’s ten o’clock.”

Mr. Kangugetsu chuckled.

“If you’re going to get ahead like that, I have no choice but to concede. Well then, let’s skip ahead to ten o’clock. Now, when I arrived in front of Kim-seon at the promised ten o’clock, it was the chilly night, so even the bustling exchange town was nearly deserted, and the sound of wooden clogs coming from the other side felt lonely. At Kim-seon, the large door was already closed, and only a small sliding door was left as a shoji. I felt somewhat uneasy, as if I were being chased by a dog, and opening the shoji to enter felt a bit eerie…”

At that moment, the master looked up from his dirty book and asked, “Hey, have you bought the violin yet?” When Mr. Toufuu replied, “I’m about to buy it now,” the master muttered as if to himself, “Still not bought? It’s really taking a long time,” and began reading his book again. Mr. Dokusen remained silent, having filled most of the go board with black and white stones.

“I decided to jump in boldly and asked for a violin while still wearing my hood. The four or five young boys gathered around the hibachi were surprised and, as if they had agreed, looked at my face. I instinctively raised my right hand and pulled my hood forward. When I asked for the violin a second time, the boy who was closest and peering into my face replied, ‘Heh,’ with an uncertain tone, stood up, and brought down three or four violins that were hanging at the usual shop front. When I asked how much, he said it was five yen and twenty sen…”

“Hey, is there such a cheap violin? Isn’t it a toy?”

“When I asked if everyone was the same price, they said, ‘Well, it doesn’t matter which one you choose. They are all made sturdy with care.’ So I took out a five-yen bill and twenty sen in coins from my wallet, and pulled out the large furoshiki I had prepared to wrap the violin. During this time, the shopkeeper stopped talking and stared intently at my face. Since my face was hidden by a hood, I didn’t feel any concern, but for some reason, I felt anxious and couldn’t wait to get out into the street. Finally, I tucked the furoshiki bundle under my coat and when I left the shop, the clerk called out in unison, ‘Thank you!’ in a loud voice, which startled me. When I stepped out onto the street and looked around, fortunately it seemed no one was there, but a couple of people were approaching from a distance, reciting poetry loudly enough to echo throughout the neighborhood. Thinking this was serious, I turned west at the corner of Kim-seon, went out to Yakuōshi-dō along the moat, and finally returned home from Han-no-ki-mura to the foot of Kōshin-yama. When I got back to my lodging, it was already ten minutes to two.”

“It’s like you’ve been walking all night,” said Tōfū-kun sympathetically, to which Meitei-kun sighed with relief, “I finally made it. Phew, that was a long journey.”

“Now comes the interesting part. Until now, it was just the prologue.”

“Is there more? This isn’t an easy thing. Most things lose their patience when they meet you.”

“Regardless of patience, if I stop here, it’s like making a Buddha without putting in the soul, so I’ll talk a little more.”

“Of course, you’re free to talk. I’ll listen.”

“How about it, Kurusami-sensei, wouldn’t you like to listen too? I’ve already bought the violin. Yes, sensei.”

“So now you’re going to sell the violin? You don’t need to ask about where to sell it.”

“It’s not time to sell it yet.”

“In that case, you don’t need to ask.”

“I’m in trouble, Tōfū-kun, you’re the only one who’s listening earnestly. It takes away some of the excitement, but well, it can’t be helped, I’ll just talk briefly.”

“It doesn’t have to be brief; take your time. It’s very interesting.”

"I finally got the violin, but the first problem is where to keep it. A lot of people come to visit me, so if I just hang it or lean it somewhere, it will be discovered right away. Digging a hole and burying it would be a hassle."

"Well, did you hide it in the attic?" Kōfū-kun said casually.

"There is no attic. It's a farmer's house."

"That must be troublesome. Where do you want to put it?"

"Where do you think I put it?"

"I don't know. In the sliding door compartment?"

"No."

"Did you wrap it in bedding and put it in the cupboard?"

"No."

While Kōfū-kun and Kanguu-kun were having this exchange about the violin's hiding place, the master and Meitei-kun were also talking about something intently.

"How do you read this?" the master asked.

"Which one?"

"This two lines."

"What? Quid aliud est mulier nisi amiciti inimica... Hey, this is Latin."

"I understand Latin, but how do you read it?"

"But you said you can usually read Latin," Meitei-kun observed, sensing danger, and slightly backed off.

"Of course I can read it. I can read it, but what is this?"

"Being able to read it is one thing, but asking what it is is harsh."

"Just translate it into English a little, no matter what."

"Look, it's fierce. It's just like a servant."

"Even if it's a servant, what is it?"

"Now, let's put aside the talk about Latin and hear a bit from Kanguu-kun. Right now, it's a very serious situation. Whether it will be discovered or not, we are at a critical moment, just like at the Ataka no Seki. Kanguu-kun, what are you planning to do from here?" Suddenly getting excited, he joined the conversation about the violin again. The master was left behind pitifully. Kanguu-kun took the momentum and began to explain about the hiding place.

"Finally, I hid it in an old chest. This chest was a farewell gift from my grandmother when I left the country, and it is said that my grandmother brought it with her when she got married."

"That's an old one. It seems to clash a bit with the violin. Hey, Toufu-kun."

"Yeah, it doesn't really harmonize."

"Even the attic doesn't harmonize," Kangetsu-kun challenged Toufu-sensei.

"It may not harmonize, but it can become a haiku, so don't worry. How about the autumn loneliness, hiding the violin in the chest, Ryou-kun?"

"Sensei, you seem to be able to create quite a few haikus today."

"It's not just today. I can do it anytime in my heart. My knowledge of haiku is such that even the late Shiki would be astonished and tongue-tied."

"Sensei, did you have a relationship with Shiki-san?" Honest Toufu-kun asked straightforwardly.

"Even if we didn't have a relationship, we always communicated through wireless telegraphy," he said nonsensically, leaving Toufu-sensei speechless in disbelief. Kangetsu-kun continued the conversation while laughing.

"So, I managed to find a hiding place, but now I'm troubled about taking it out. If it were just about taking it out, I could sneak a look without being seen, but just looking doesn't do anything. It won't be useful unless I play it. If I play it, sound will come out. If sound comes out, it will be exposed immediately. Right next to the hibiscus hedge, the leader of the sediment group is boarding, so it's dangerous."

"That's a problem," Toufu-kun said sympathetically.

"Indeed, this is a problem. Proof is in the pudding; sound comes out, and that's how Koudo's bureau failed. If it were about stealing food or making counterfeit bills, that would be one thing, but music cannot be hidden from people."

"If only there were no sound, it would be manageable..."

“Wait a minute. You say that as long as there’s no sound, but there are things that can’t be hidden even without sound. Back when we were cooking for ourselves at the temple in Koishikawa, there was a guy named Fujii from Suzuki, and he loved mirin so much that he would buy it in a sake bottle and enjoy it all by himself. One day, after Fujii went out for a walk, Kurusami, for some reason, stole a little and drank it…”

“I would never drink Suzuki's mirin; it was you who drank it,” the master suddenly shouted loudly.

“Oh, I thought you were fine since you were reading a book, but you’re actually listening. You’re a man who can’t be let down. You have ears like a hawk and eyes like a hawk, that’s you. Now that you mention it, I did drink it. There’s no doubt I drank it, but it was you who got caught. — You two, listen. Kurusami-sensei originally can’t drink alcohol. However, thinking it was someone else's mirin, he drank it with all his might, and oh boy, his face turned bright red, and he looked like he could never be seen again…”

“Shut up. You can’t even read Latin.”

“Hahaha, and when Fujii came back and shook the beer bottle, there was more than half missing. It was clear someone had drunk it, and when he looked around, the master was huddled in the corner like a clay figure hardened with red clay…”

All three of them burst into laughter. The master chuckled while reading his book. As for Dokuraku, perhaps having played too much with the game outside, he had become a bit tired and had fallen face down on the go board, unknowingly fast asleep.

"There was a time when something was revealed due to the lack of sound. When I went to Ubako Onsen long ago, I ended up sharing a room with an old man. He was supposedly a retired kimono merchant from Tokyo or something like that, but since we were sharing a room, it didn't matter whether he was a kimono merchant or a second-hand clothing dealer. However, one problem arose. That is, on the third day after arriving at Ubako, I ran out of cigarettes. As you all know, Ubako is a solitary house in the mountains, and there’s nothing to do but soak in the hot springs and eat, making it quite inconvenient. So running out of cigarettes was a big deal. When there’s nothing, you want it even more, and as soon as I realized I had no cigarettes, I suddenly craved to smoke. To make matters worse, that old man had brought a whole bundle of cigarettes wrapped in a furoshiki with him on the hike. He would take them out little by little, as if to say he wanted to smoke in front of others while sitting cross-legged, puffing away. I could tolerate just the puffing, but eventually, he started blowing smoke rings, blowing vertically, blowing horizontally, and even blowing in the opposite direction of the pillow of the dream of Handan, or blowing as if entering the lion's den through his nose, in other words, he was showing off his smoking..."