ＷＥＢ絵本『この手に限るよ』

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After an awakening, I consider it to be very foolish and meaningless.
But in the dream, I think it to be an important truth or a dignified discovery.
目が醒めてから考えれば、実に馬鹿馬鹿しくつまらぬことが、夢の中では勿体らしく、さも重大の真理や発見のように思われるのである．

In a dream, I have once visited a neat and tidy cafe in my town together with my friends.
私はかつて夢の中で、数人の友だちと一緒に、町の或る小綺麗な喫茶店に入った．

One of the waitresses was a pretty and intelligent-looking young woman.
そこの給仕女に一人の悧発そうな顔をした、たいそう愛くるしい少女が居た．

Everyone fretted about having an intimate relationship with the Maedchen somehow.
And they wanted to win her heart.
どうにかして、皆はそのメッチェンと懇意になり、自分に手なづけようと焦燥した．

Then, a beautiful idea struck me.
Before the maiden, I took a lump of sugar out of the pot.

そこで私が、一つのすばらしいことを思いついた．

少女の見ている前で、私は角砂糖の一つを壺から出した．

Then, I fully composed myself.
Calmly and dignifiedly, I dropped it in my teacup with a meaningful movement of my hand.
それから十分に落着いて、さも勿体らしく、意味ありげの手付をして、それを紅茶の中へそっと落とした．

The sugar was dissolving in the hot tea rapidly.
And soon, small and fine bubbles rose to the surface in the cup and gathered on its circumferential edge.

熱い煮えたった紅茶の中で、見る見る砂糖は解けて行った．

そして小さな細かい気泡が、茶碗の表面に浮かびあがり、やがて周囲の辺に寄り集った．

Then, I took another lump out of the pot again.
And calmly and dignifiedly, I dropped it in the teacup with an affected movement of my hand as well as the previous time.
(At that time, I was sensibly proud that my skillful performance was more suitable for the sophisticated smart behavior than the performance of a dandy in Paris.)

その時私はまた一つの角砂糖を壺から出した．

そして前と同じように、気取った勿体らしい手付をしながら、そっと茶碗へ落し込んだ．

（その時私は、いかに自分の手際が鮮やかで、巴里の伊達者がやる以上に、スマートで上品な挙動に適ったかを、自分で意識して得意でいた．）

Again, bubbles rose from the bottom of the teacup.
Dancing together around the center for a while, they separated quickly.
And they stuck onto the edge of the teacup.
They looked as if a practiced mass game was performed on command.

茶碗の底から、再度また気泡が浮び上がった．

そして暫く、真中にかたまり合って踊りながら、さっと別れて茶碗の辺に吸いついて行った．

それは丁度、よく訓練された団体遊戯が、号令によって、行動するように見えた．