ＷＥＢ絵本「ルルとミミ（夢野久作）」

第３回配信

その日はちょうどお天気の良い日でした．
地には色々の花が咲き乱れ、梢や空には様々な鳥が鳴いて、眩しいお天道様が白い雲の底からキラキラと輝いていました．
村の人々は、お爺さんもお婆さんも大人も子供も、みんな奇麗な着物を着て、ルルが作った鐘のお祝いを見にお寺をさして集まって来ました．
The weather of the day was just fine.
All kinds of flowers were in full bloom on the ground. Various birds were singing on the tree tops and in the sky. The glaring sun came out from behind a white cloud and was shining brightly.
The village people gathered around the temple to see the celebration for the bell made by Ruroo.
Old men , old women, grown-ups and children, and everybody were well dressed.

お菓子屋や、オモチャ屋や、のぞき眼鏡や、風船売りや、操り人形なぞがお寺の門の前には一杯に並んで、それはそれは賑やかな事でした．
There were candy stalls, toy stalls, peep shows, balloon sellers, puppet plays and so on in the front of the temple's gate bustlingly.

ルルの偉い事や、ミミの美しい事を口々に話し合っていた村の人々は、その時ピッタリと静かになりました．
ルルが作った鐘は坊さんの手で高く高くお寺の鐘つき堂に釣り上げられました．
銀色の鐘は春のお天道様の光を受けて、眩しく輝きながらユラリユラリと揺れました．
村の人々は感心のあまり溜息をしました．嬉しさのあまり涙を流した者もありました．
The village people were talking to each other about Ruroo's ability and Memie's prettiness.
Then, they fell silent.
The bell made by Ruroo was highly hung from the bell tower of the temple by the monks.
The silvery bell was shining with a spring sunlight and was swinging slowly.
The village people admired it and sighed. Some of them shed tears of joy.

この時、ルルは鐘つき堂の入り口に立って、あまりの嬉しさにブルブルと震えながら両手を顔に当てておりました．
その手を妹のミミがソッと引き寄せて接吻しました．
兄妹は抱き合って喜びました．
「お父様が湖の底から見ていらっしゃるでしょうね」
At that time, Ruroo stood at the steps of the bell tower.
Quivering with joy, he put his hands on his face.
Memie drew his hand tenderly and kissed it.
They hugged each other for joy.
"I'm sure Father is looking at this in the bottom of the lake."

けれども、まあ何と悲しい事でしょう．そうして、また何という不思議な事でしょう．
お寺のお坊さんの手でルルの作った鐘が鳴らされました時、鐘は初めに只一度かすかな唸り声を出しましただけで、それっきり何ぼ叩いても音を立てませんでした．
However, a sad thing happened. This was truly mysterious.
When a monk of the temple tolled the bell made by Ruroo, it groaned vaguely only once at first.
After that, the monk tolled the bell again and again, but it didn't sound.

ルルは地びたにひれ伏して泣き出しました．ミミもその背中に倒れ掛かって泣きました．
「これこれ．ルルや、そんなに泣くのじゃない．お前はまだ小さいのだから鐘が上手に出来なくても、ちっとも恥ずかしい事はない．ミミも、もう泣くのをおやめなさい」と色々に村の人は兄妹を慰めました．
Lying face down, Ruroo began to cry. Memie fell down on his back and cried.
The village people said to the brother and the sister and comforted them.
"Say, Ruroo! Don't cry!"
"Because you are small yet, it's not a shame that you can't make a good bell."
"Memie! Stop crying!"

そうして親切に二人をいたわって家まで送ってやりました．
ルルは子供ながらも一生懸命で鐘を作ったのでした．
「この鐘こそは、きっといい音が出るに違いない．そっと叩いても、たまらない良い音がするのだから．湖の底に沈んでいらっしゃるお父様の耳までもきっと届くに違いない」と思っていたのでした．
その鐘が鳴らなかったのですから、ルルは不思議でなりませんでした．
「どうしたら本当に鳴る鐘が作れるのであろう」と考えましたが、それもルルには分かりませんでした．
ルルは泣いても泣いても尽きないほど泣きました．ミミも一緒に泣きました．
こうして兄妹は泣きながら家に帰って、泣きながら抱き合って寝床に入りました．
And the village people saw the two children back to their house with sympathy and kindness.
Although Ruroo was a child, he made the bell earnesly.
"This bell is sure to ring its good peals. It gives a quite good sound as I pat it softly. Its sound is sure to get at the ears of Father in the bottom of the lake," he thought before.
But the bell did not sound. So, Ruroo was wondering about that.
"How can I make a bell that sounds perfectly?" he thought.
But he couldn't think of any good idea.
Ruroo cried and cried. Memie cried together.
Like this, the brother and the sister came back to home with tears.
And they slept hugging each other with tears.

その夜の事・・・
ルルは独り起き上がりまして、泣き疲れてスヤスヤ眠っている妹の頬にソッと接吻をして、家を出ました．
At that night, Ruroo got up alone.
He softly gave a kiss to the cheek of his soundly sleeping sister, who was tired after crying.
And he went out.
（つづく）