Translation: The Spider's Thread by Akutagawa Ryûnosuke

Translation: The Spider's Thread by Akutagawa Rynosuke 2
I
It so happens that one day the Lord Buddha is strolling alone on the shore of the
lotus pond in Paradise. All the lotus blossoms blooming in the pond are globes of
the whitest white and from the golden stamen in the center of each an indescribably
pleasant fragrance issues forth abidingly over the adjacent area. Day is just
dawning in Paradise.
In due course, the Lord Buddha pauses at the edge of the pond and beholds an
unexpected sight between the lotus petals veiling the water's surface. Since the
depths of Hell lay directly below the lotus pond on Paradise, the scenery of Sanzuno-kawa3 and Hari-no-yama4 can be clearly seen through the crystal-clear water
just as if looking through a stereopticon.
Then, the single figure of a man, Kandata by name, squirming there in the depths
of Hell along with other sinners, comes into the Lord Buddha's gaze. This man
Kandata is a murderer, an arsonist, and a master thief with numerous robberies to
his credit. Yet, the Lord Buddha recalls that he had performed a single good deed.
That is to say, once when Kandata was traveling through the middle of a dense
forest he came upon a spider crawling along the roadside. Thereupon, he
immediately raised his foot and was about to trample it to death. But, he suddenly
reconsidered, saying, "Nay, nay, small though this spider be, there is no doubt that
it too is a living being. Somehow or other it seems a shame to take its life for no
reason." In the end he spared the spider rather than killing it.
While observing the situation in Hell, the Lord Buddha remembers that this
Kandata had spared the spider. And he decides that in return for having done just
that one good deed he would, if he could, try to rescue this man from Hell. Luckily,
he sees nearby a spider of Paradise spinning a beautiful silver web on a jade
colored lotus petal. The Lord Buddha takes the spider's thread gently into his hand
and lowers it between the pure white lotus blossoms straight into the distant depths
of Hell.
II
This is Chi-no-ike5 in the depths of Hell and along with other sinners Kandata is
floating up to the surface and sinking back down over and over. No matter what
direction one looks it is completely dark. And when one notices out there in that
darkness the glow from the needles of the dreaded Hari-no-yama floating up
vaguely into view, the feeling of helplessness is beyond description. Moreover, the
surroundings are perfectly still, like the inside of a tomb. If a sound is to be heard,
it is merely the faint sigh of some sinner. The sighs are faint because anyone who
has fallen to this level of Hell is already so exhausted by the tortures of the other
Hells that he or she no longer has even enough strength to cry out. Therefore, as
one might expect, the master thief Kandata himself is unable to do anything but
writhe, exactly like a frog caught in the throes of death, as he chokes on the blood
of Chi-no-ike.
One day, however, something happens. Kandata happens to raise his head and spies
in the sky above Chi-no-ike a silvery spider's thread, a thin line shimmering in the
silent darkness, gently descending toward him from the distant, distant firmament
as though it were afraid to be seen by the eyes of men. Upon seeing it Kandata
involuntarily claps his hands for joy. If he were to cling to this thread and climb it
to its end, he would surely be able to escape from Hell. No, if all went well, he
would even be able to enter Paradise. And were this to come to pass, he would
never ever be driven up Hari-no-yama again, nor would he ever have to sink again
in Chi-no-ike.
Having thought thusly, Kandata quickly takes firm hold of that spider's thread with
both hands and using all his might begins climbing up and up hand-over-hand.
From long ago Kandata has been completely used to doing this sort of thing since
he is a former master thief.
But because the distance between Hell and Paradise is some tens of thousands
of ri,6 try though he might, he is not able to ascend to the top easily. After climbing
for a while, even Kandata finally tires; he is unable to continue for even one more
pull on the thread. Having no other choice, he intends first to take a short rest.
While hanging onto the thread he looks down on the distance below.
He sees that thanks to the efforts he spent climbing, Chi-no-ike, where he had just
recently been, is now already hidden at the bottom of the darkness. He also sees
that the faint glow of the terrifying Hari-no-yama is below him. If he were to
continue at this pace, the escape from Hell just might not be as difficult as he had
expected. Wrapping his hand around the spider's thread, Kandata laughs in a voice
unused during his years in Hell, "I'm saved! I'm saved at last!" Then he suddenly
notices that below him on the spider's thread, just like a line of ants, a countless
number of sinners are following him, climbing up and up for all they are worth.
When Kandata sees this, he momentarily freezes from shock and fear, his mouth
agape and his eyes rolling in his head like an idiot. How could it be that this
slender spider's thread, seemingly strained even under the weight of just him alone,
is able to support the weight of that many? By some chance were the thread to
break, he, the egotistical Kandata who at great pains had climbed this far, and
everyone else would plummet headlong back into Hell. For that to happen would
be a disaster. But, even as he says this, sinners, not by the hundreds, nor even by
the thousands, but in swarms, continue to crawl up from the bottom of the pitch
dark Chi-no-ike and climb up the thin luminous spider's thread in single file. If he
doesn't do something right away, the thread will break in two at the center and he
will surely fall.
At this point, Kandata yells in a loud voice, "Hey you sinners. This spider's thread
is mine. Who the hell asked you to climb it? Get down! Get off it!" Just as he
screams at the other sinners the spider's thread, which till then had had nothing
wrong with it, suddenly breaks with a snap right where Kandata is hanging. So,
Kandata, too, is doomed. Without even time to cry out he goes flying through the
air spinning like a top and in the wink of an eye plunges headfirst into the dark
depths of Hell.
Afterwards, only the shortened spider's thread from Paradise dangles there,
glittering dimly in a sky void of both moon and stars.
III
The Lord Buddha stands on the shore of the lotus pond in Paradise having taken in
everything from start to finish. When Kandata finally sinks like a rock to the
bottom of Chi-no-ike he resumes strolling, his countenance seemingly creased with
sadness. Seen through divine eyes, the Lord Buddha thought it wretched that
Kandata's compassionless heart led him to attempt to escape by himself and for
such a heart falling back into Hell was just punishment.
The lotus blossoms in the lotus pond of Paradise, however, are not concerned in the
least about what has happened. Those blossoms of the whitest white wave their
cups around the divine feet of the Lord Buddha and from the golden stamen in the
center of each an indescribably pleasant fragrance issues forth abidingly over the
adjacent area. Noon draws near in Paradise.
The End

Translation: The Spider's Thread by Akutagawa Ryûnosuke

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Translation: The Spider's Thread by Akutagawa Ryûnosuke

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Translation: The Spider's Thread by Akutagawa Ryûnosuke

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Translation: The Spider's Thread by Akutagawa Rynosuke 2

You might also like

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.