朗読サークル「ひだまりの会」で講師の北村妙子先生が持ってきてくださった課題の中に尾崎紅葉の「金色夜叉」の一場面がありました。これは「声に出して読みたい日本語」（斎藤孝著）からのようですが、有名なお宮・貫一の場面。飛ばしながら一部紹介すると「吁（ああ）宮さんこうして二人が一処に居るのも今夜限だ。……１月１７日、宮さん、善く覚えてお置き。.....一生を通して僕は今月今夜を忘れん、忘れるものか! .....いいか、宮さん、１月１７日だ。来年の今月今夜になったらば、僕の涙で必ず月は曇らして見せるから、月が…月が…曇ったらば、宮さん、貫一は何処かでお前を恨んで、今夜のやうに泣いて居ると思ってくれ」。結婚を約束していた宮サンに裏切られた書生の貫一サンは涙とともに悔しさと恨みをこんな風に伝えます。今なら「しつこいよ、貫一！サッサと次イコーッ、次！」と言いたくなるところですが、明治中期から大正、昭和にかけての世の女性は貫一サンに同情したのでしょうか。それにしてもその後金儲けの鬼となる貫一サンが面白い。「熱海のカイガ〜ン散歩スール〜♫」と直立不動で歌っていた東海林（しょうじ）太郎さんの歌声が懐かしくてしばらく頭の中で流れていました。In the Read-aloud circle which I belong to, our instructor, Ms. Kitamura, brought a couple of tasks and one of them was a scene from the Konjiki-yasha (The Golden Demon) 1897 novel by Ozaki Kohyoh. This was from the book, "Koe ni dasitai Nihongo (Japanese writings which are encouraged to be read aloud)" collected by Takashi Saito. It was a very famous scene of a couple, Miya & Kan-ichi. I will introduce Kan-ichi's dialogue although I will omit some parts. "Ah, this is the last night, Miya and I get together. ...Today is Jan.17. Miya, you should keep in mind about today..... On the same night and month next year, I will make the moon cloudy with my tears. If you see the cloudy moon, you should think of me who is feeling bitter and crying like I am doing now." Miya and Kan-ichi were promising their marriage, but Kan-ichi being a student, was betrayed by Miya who decided to marry a rich man, so Kan-ichi expressed his disappointment and resentment to her in this way with tears. If Kan-ichi were to be in front of me now, I would say "Hei, Kan-ichi, you are so persistent! Give her up and find another one!". I wonder if Japanese women in the Meiji, Taisho and Showa eras (late 1800s ~ early 1900s) sympathized with Kan-ichi. Anyhow, it is interesting that he became a loan-shark later. I remember the male singer who sang the music about this story in the mid 1900s was singing with an upright and immovable style.
