"Bungaku Shoujo" to Shinitagari no Pierrot 7

Thanks go to madsin92 for pointing out my mistakes and proofreading this. Thank You, its greatly appreciated.

comments, ideas, criticisms are always welcomed.


p1

恥ずかしい。
Embarrassing.

自分は恥ずかしい。
I am embarrassing.

生きていることが恥ずかしい
Being alive is embarrassing.

片岡愁二は手紙の中で繰り返しそう訴えていた
Kataoka Shuuji complained in his letter.

ｐ２

こもれびのなかに、その姿が淡く溶けて。。。
The fleeting figure, fading away in the sunlight coming through the leaves…

第７話「片岡愁二の存在」
Chapter 7［Kataoka Shuuji’s Existence］

ｐ３

太宰治は「人間失格」を書き上げた１か月後くらいに自殺したんですよね
Dazai committed suicide 1 month after he completed Ningen Shikkaku right?

それヤバくないですか？
Isn’t that bad?

この手紙もまるで遺書のように思えませんか
Don’t you think this letter is something like a will?

愁二先輩はどういうつもりで
I wonder what he was thinking

こんな手紙を千愛ちゃんにわたしたのかしらね
When he gave Chia-chan this letter.

ｐ４

太宰の「人間失格」は「はしがき」と「第一の手記」第二の手記「第三の手記」「あとがき」から構成されていて
Dazai’s Ningen Shikkaku is composed of The preface, The First Memo, The Second Memo, The Third Memo and The Afterword.

当時　雑誌「展望」に三回に渡って連載されたわ
At that time, it was serialized in the magazine Tenbou on three separate occasions.

「はしがき」と「第一の手記」が掲載されたのが五月
The preface and The First Memo first appeared in May.

そのおよそ１か月後の六月十三日に
June 13th, 1 month after that…

愛人の山崎富栄と玉川上水に身を投げたの。。。
Tamagawa Juuji and his lover Yamazaki Tomie committed suicide…

連載の二回目が発表されたのは川で遺体を捜している最中で
The second serialization was announced when police were searching the river for the couple's bodies.

二人の遺体が引き上げられたのが六月十九日
Their remains were salved on June 19th.

「第三の手記」と「あとがき」が発表されたのがさらに１か月後の七月
The Third Memo and Afterword were announced 1 month after that, in July.

「人間失格」はまるで太宰の人生をなぞったかのような内容だった
It was almost as if Ningen Shikkaku was tracing the events of Dazai’s life.

ｐ５

「人間失格」は田舎の名門旧家に生まれた主人公が他者と違う自分に恐れと羞恥を抱き
The protagonist，born in to an old country family，was different from everyone else. He was afraid of himself and embraced his own shyness.

自分を偽り道化を演じやがて危険な社会運動に身を投じてゆく
Playing the role of a fake clown, he invested himself in dangerous social movements.

けれどそれも中途半端でしかなく
But that was all half-assed.

自分に嫌気がさし絶望から逃れるために退廃的な生活を続ける
Hating himself and drowning in his own despair, he continued his degenerate lifestyle.

そんな中でカフェの女給と心中騒ぎを起こすが
In the midst of all that, he met a café waitress and they decided to commit a lovers suicide.

自分だけが生き残り絶望と自己否定に陥る
Being the only one that survived, he plunged into despair and self-denial.

それでも自分に無垢な信頼をよせてくれた清純な娘を妻にしささやかな幸せを得たけれども
Even so, he attained a small measure of happiness by making a young and pure girl his wife, who innocently trusted him.

結局貧困と内省と退廃の日々に逆戻り
But in the end, the days of poverty, introspection and degeneration returned.

妻もその無垢ゆえに汚され
His wife, in her innocence, was hurt as well.

主人公はしだいに薬に溺れ脳病院へ送られ廃人同然となる
The protagonist was taken to the hospital for overdosing on medicine and became a cripple.

ｐ６

作者の太宰治も青森の大地主の家に生まれ社会運動に参加するけど
The author, Dazai Osamu, was also born into a big land-owning family in Aomori and he was also involved in social movements but…

所詮裕福なお坊ちゃまてしかないことに悩みカフェの女給と心中未遂を起こすわ
He attempted a lovers suicide with a café waitress because he was distressed about being nothing more than a rich kid.

このとき太宰だけは助かったの
At that time, only Dazai was saved.

そのあと芸妓の小山初代と結婚するけど彼女の過ちを知りまた心中未遂
After that, he married a geisha named Oyama Hatsuyo. But when he found out about her mistakes, he attempted another lovers suicide.

パビナール中毒になって病院に入れられているわ
He was admitted into a hospital for pabinal poisoning.

その十数円後「人間失格」を完成させた後再び心中し今度は太宰も女性も助からながった
Rougly 10 years later, after Ningen Shikkaku was completed, he attempted suicide again. But this time neither Osamu nor the girl was saved.

そんなことから「人間失格」は太宰の遺書といわれたのよ
After that, Ningen Shikkaku was said to be Dazai Osamu’s will.

ｐ７

心葉くんは太宰治の作品をよんだことがある？
Konoha-kun, have you ever read any of Dazai Osamu’s works before?

「人間失格」は読みました
I’ve read Ningen Shikkaku,

あとは教科書に載っていた「走れメロス」と「富岳百景」くらいですかね
Hashire Melos, and FugakuHyakkei from the textbook.

心葉くんは太宰を読んでどう思った？
What did you think of Dazai when you read those?

よくわかりませんでした
I didn’t really understand it.

モノローグばっかｔりで重苦しい話だなあ。。。って
It was mostly monologues and depressing stories.

ｐ８

あ「走れメロス」は親友のために命がけで走ったりなんかして熱血してましたね
Oh. In Hashire Melos, with his life on the line, he passionately ran for the sake of his friend.

ラストの王様が改心しちゃうところはご都合主義で感動するよりぽかんとしちゃいましたけど
But the king, rather than being moved by this act, immediately hit him.

「富岳百景」は紀行文ですよね？
Fugaku Hyakkei was a travelers' journal right?

カメラでパチりのシーンしか覚えてないんですけど
All I can remember was a quick camera scene.

爽やかだったような気がします
It felt kind of refreshing.

それと文章がリズミカルで読みやすかったです
And the sentences felt rhythmic when I read them.

なんだか作者に話しかけられているような感じ
It was almost as if the author was talking to me.

そう
Yea.

そうが太宰の作品の魅力のひとつよ！
That’s what’s so charming about Dazai’s works.

ｐ９

太宰の作品はまるで作者自身に語りかけられているような親近感と臨場感があるの
Dazai’s works have a certain feel and presence where it seems like he’s talking directly to you.

この潜在的二人称が生み出す太宰の最大のマジック
Being able to bring out that potential is Dazai’s magic.

それが作者と作品への”共感”よ
That’s the empathy between the author and his work.

共感？
Empathy?

ええ　太宰は好き嫌いがわかれる作家で
Yea. Dazai is an author that knows about likes and dislikes.

暗いどか重いとかうじうじしているから読みたくないという人もいるけど
There are people who are hesitant to read it because it’s gloomy and heavy but…

ファンの熱烈さでは他の文豪より頭一つ飛び抜けているんじゃないかしら
Don’t you think that what comes to mind is not mastering the words, but the fans' passion?

好きな人にとってはとことんマってしまう魅力を持った作家なのよ
Having someone like it enough to get in to the book until the end is the writer’s charm.


ｐ１０

何故太宰がこれほど愛されいるのか
Why do you like Dazai’s works so much?

それは読み手が太宰の作品の中に自分の悩みや痛みをみるからよ
That’s because the reader can relate to the characters.

誰だって理解されたいし自分をわかってほしと思っているわ
Everyone wants to understand those around them and to be understood themselves.

人と違うことはとても怖い
Being different is a very scary thing.

孤独はさびしくて辛い
Isolation is lonely and painful.

太宰の作品はそんなとき心に直接ささやきかけてくるの
That’s when Dazai’s works speak directly to your heart.

ページをめくりながら読み手は語り手はひとつになり物語の世界にどこまでもでこまでものめりごんで行き
As you turn the pages, the reader and writer become as one, sinking in to the world of the story.

ああ　これは自分のことだ
Ah. This is about me.

この主人公は自分自身だ。。。
The protagonist is none other than myself…

そんなふうにおもってしまうのよ
That’s what you end up thinking.

ｐ１１


片岡愁二も「人間失格」二共感して
Did Kataoka Shuuji, while sympathizing with Ningen Shikkaku,

こんな手紙をかいたんでしょうか
Write this letter?

そうかもしれないわね
That’s possible.

太宰の文学はそこが魅力的でそして怖いの
That’s what’s scary about how much charm Dazai’s works have.

落ち込んでいるときに読んでらどんどん真っ暗な海に引きずり込まれちゃう
If you read it when you’re feeling down, you’ll feel even worse and get caught up in an ocean of sadness.

でもこの手紙途中ですよね
But this letter stops midway.

「人間失格」みたいに第二第三の手記があるのかな
I wonder if it will have a 2nd or 3rd memo like in Ningen Shikkaku.

ｐ１２

やだ
Oh no.

そんなんだったら第二の手記を読む前に悩みを解決してあげないと心中しちゃう
If it comes to that, we have to solve the problems before reading the second memo or there will be a lovers suicide.

縁起でもないコト言わないでください
Please don’t say something so ominous.

Sっていうのは誰なんでしょう
Just who is this S person?

それと彼女っていうのは。。。竹田さんのことなのかな
And who is she… is it talking about Takeda-san?

それ以前に片岡愁二は一体どこにいるでしょう
But before that, just who is Kataoka Shuuji?

そうね
That’s right.

そこが一番問題ね
That comes first.

早く愁二先輩をみつけて
Hurry and find Shuuji-senpai.

彼が心中とか殺人とか本気で考えてるようなら止めなくちゃ
If he’s thinking of suicide or killing people, he needs to be stopped.

ｐ１３

結局。。。
In the end..

手がかりは竹田さんしかないんだよなあ。。。
The only clue we have is Takeda-san…

心葉せんぱ～い
Konoha-senpa~i.

お手紙かいていただけましたか～
Did you write a letter~?

ごめん
Sorry.

今日は手紙書けなかったんだ
I didn’t write one today.

ｐ１４

愁二先輩のことをもっと知らなくちゃこれ以上書けない
I can’t write anymore if I don’t learn more about Shuuji-senpai.

教えてくれないかな
Can you talk to me?

愁二先輩のこと
About him.

先輩に関して竹田さんが知ってることを全部
Everything that you know about him.

そうしたら手紙を書くから
If you do that, I might be able to write a letter.

ｐ１５

放課後。。。
After school…

図書室に来ていただけますか
Please come to the library room.

地下の書庫で待ってますから
I’ll be waiting in the archives room in the basement.

ｐ１７

このお部屋
In this room…

ゴキブリとネズミが出るです
Roaches and mice often come out.

だから図書委員のひとたちも嫌がって滅多に寄り付かないんですよ
That’s why the library club members don’t come down here that often.

ｐ１８

あたしは秘密のお部屋みたいで気に入ってるでｓけどね
I like it because it’s almost like a secret room.

。。。そ　そうなんだ
I-I see…

。。。まずはそれを返すよ
．．．First thing first, I’m returning this.

ｐ１９

。。。。
．．．

違ってたらごめん
Sorry if I’m wrong but…

その手紙はひょっとしたら竹田さんではなくて
That letter wasn’t for you,

別の人宛の手紙だったんじゃないのかな
But for someone else right.

あのラブレターの内容でこんな手紙を返してくるなんて絶対に不自然だ
Giving a love letter like that in return is definitely not normal.

。。。。そうです
．．．That’s right.

ｐ２０

手紙はあたしが愁二先輩から受け取ったものじゃなくて
The letter wasn’t something I received from Shuuji-senpai.

本に挟まっていたのを偶然見つけたんです
I accidentally found it in a book.

本って図書館の？
The library’s book?

はい
Yes.

太宰治の「人間失格」の間に入ってました
It was in Dazai Osamu’s Ningen Shikkaku.

なんだろうって思って読んでみてびっくりしちゃいました
I was curious as to what it was, and was shocked when I read it.

ぞれで気になって気になっていてもなってもいられなくなって愁二先輩に会いに行ったんです
It caught my attention so much that I couldn’t let it go and went to meet Shuuji-senpai.

弓道部に？
At the archery club?

ｐ２１

。。。はい
Yes．．．

でも弓道部には片岡愁二って人は。。。
But there’s no such person in the archery club…

いいえ
No.

愁二先輩はいます
There is a Shuuji-senpai.

本当です
It’s true.

愁二先輩はちゃんと存在してるんです
Shuuji-senpai really exists.


Notes:

***Info taken from wikipedia***

p4

愛人の山崎富栄と玉川上水に身を投げたの。。。
ａ　ｃｏｕｐｌｅ　Ｙａｍａｚａｋｉ　Ｔｏｍｉｅ　ａｎｄ　Ｔａｍａｇａｗａ　Ｊｕｕｊｉ　ｔｈｒｅｗ　ａｗａｙ　ｔｈｅｉｒ　ｂｏｄｉｅｓ。。。
-it means they committed suicide together by jumping into a river, see as how their bodies were later and salvaged from a river. I assume its the Tamagawa river where Dazai Osamu and his wife Yamazaki Tomie's bodies were found after committing suicide. Their bodies were found on June 19th 1948, 6 days after they disappeared. Coincidentally, June 19th was Dazai's 39th birthday. Ningen Shikkaku (No longer human) was seen as Dazai's will because he died soon after completing it and it somewhat depicted the events that happened in his own life.

p6

-Oyama Hatsuyo was Dazai's first wife. She worked as a geisha. When the two ran away together, Dazai was formally expelled from his family.

p７

[走れメロス]Hashire Melos - Run, Melos! and [富嶽百景] Fugaku Hyakkei - Several scenery of Mt. Fuji both are books by Dazai