二
こちらは地獄の底の血の池で、ほかの罪人と一しょに、浮いたり沈んだりしていた陀多（かんだた）でございます。何しろどちらを見ても、まっ暗で、たまにそのくら暗からぼんやり浮き上っているものがあると思いますと、それは恐しい針の山の針が光るのでございますから、その心細さと云ったらございません。その上あたりは墓の中のようにしんと静まり返って、たまに聞えるものと云っては、ただ罪人がつく微（かすか）な嘆息ばかりでございます。
II
Here in the pond of blood at the bottom of Hell, there is Kandata, who rises and sinks in the depths along with the other sinners. No matter where he looks, it is total darkness, but sometimes, he feels that vaguely there is a glimmer of something- that is the glitter of needles from the terrifying Mountain of Needles, so he feels it is not hopeless. Around the top, it falls as deathly silent as the grave, and now and then all that he hears is just the faint sighing of the sinners.
これはここへ落ちて来るほどの人間は、もうさまざまな地獄の責苦に疲れはてて、泣声を出す力さえなくなっているのでございましょう。ですからさすが大泥坊の陀多も、やはり血の池の血に咽（むせ）びながら、まるで死にかかった蛙のように、ただもがいてばかり居りました。
Perhaps those people who had fallen down here to Hell were already so exhausted from the tortures of their various Hells that they didn't even have the power to cry out anymore. So, as expected, even the great thief Kandata as well could only struggle while choking on the blood of the pond as though he were a dying frog.
ところがある時の事でございます。何気なく陀多が頭を挙げて、血の池の空を眺めますと、そのひっそりとした暗の中を、遠い遠い天上から、銀色の蜘蛛の糸が、まるで人目にかかるのを恐れるように、一すじ細く光りながら、するすると自分の上へ垂れて参るのではございませんか。陀多はこれを見ると、思わず手を拍って喜びました。この糸に縋りついて、どこまでものぼって行けば、きっと地獄からぬけ出せるのに相違ございません。いや、うまく行くと、極楽へはいる事さえも出来ましょう。
However, it so happened that Kandata inadvertently lifted his head, and he gazed at the sky of the blood pond. In that silent darkness, from far, far away in the heavens, a silver spider's thread glimmered in a single, slender line as though it feared being caught by man's gaze, and it smoothly lowered to just above him. When he saw this, Kandata clapped his hands without thinking, overjoyed. Surely, if he clung to this thread, no matter where he climbed out to, he would get out of Hell. Perhaps if he climbed skillfully, he might even reach Paradise.
そうすれば、もう針の山へ追い上げられる事もなくなれば、血の池に沈められる事もある筈はございません。
こう思いましたから陀多（かんだた）は、早速その蜘蛛の糸を両手でしっかりとつかみながら、一生懸命に上へ上へとたぐりのぼり始めました。元より大泥坊の事でございますから、こう云う事には昔から、慣れ切っているのでございます。
しかし地獄と極楽との間は、何万里となくございますから、いくら焦って見た所で、容易に上へは出られません。
If he did so, he might no longer be chased up the Mountain of Neddles or submerged in the pond of blood.
Thinking this, Kandata quickly siezed that spider's thread in both hands and with all his might began to ascend, climbing up hand after hand. He was originally a great thief, so since long ago he had become quite used to this kind of climbing.
However, there are thousands of miles between Hell and Paradise, so no matter how impatient one appears, it is no simple task to emerge at the top.
ややしばらくのぼる中に、とうとう陀多もくたびれて、もう一たぐりも上の方へはのぼれなくなってしまいました。そこで仕方がございませんから、まず一休み休むつもりで、糸の中途にぶら下りながら、遥かに目の下を見下しました。
すると、一生懸命にのぼった甲斐があって、さっきまで自分がいた血の池は、今ではもう暗の底にいつの間にかかくれて居ります。それからあのぼんやり光っている恐しい針の山も、足の下になってしまいました。
After a while of climbing, Kandata at last grew tired, and he could no longer climb up towards the top by hand. Therefore he intended to pause and rest, and while clinging to the middle of the thread, he looked downwards, far below him.
When he did, he saw how far he had come by efforts- the pond of blood he had been in for some time was now already hidden in darkness before he realized it. And that dimly glowing Mountain of Needles, too, had become far below his feet.
この分でのぼって行けば、地獄からぬけ出すのも、存外わけがないかも知れません。陀多は両手を蜘蛛の糸にからみながら、ここへ来てから何年にも出した事のない声で、「しめた。しめた。」と笑いました。ところがふと気がつきますと、蜘蛛の糸の下の方には、数限もない罪人たちが、自分ののぼった後をつけて、まるで蟻の行列のように、やはり上へ上へ一心によじのぼって来るではございませんか。
If he continued to climb like this, it might not be impossible to get out of Hell. While looking from his hands on the spider's thread, Kandata laughed in a voice he hadn't used in his years since coming here, "I've got it. I've got it." But then he suddenly became aware that on the bottom of the spider's thread, countless sinners had followed after his climb, and like a a procession of ants, had clambered up wholeheartedly towards the top.
陀多はこれを見ると、驚いたのと恐しいのとで、しばらくはただ、莫迦のように大きな口を開いたまま、眼ばかり動かして居りました。自分一人でさえ断（き）れそうな、この細い蜘蛛の糸が、どうしてあれだけの人数の重みに堪える事が出来ましょう。もし万一途中で断れたと致しましたら、折角ここへまでのぼって来たこの肝腎な自分までも、元の地獄へ逆落しに落ちてしまわなければなりません。そんな事があったら、大変でございます。
Seeing this, Kandata was astonished and frightened, and for a while he just stared, his mouth open like a fool. How was it that a spider's thread, so thin it seemed it would snap from just his weight, could bear such a burden of so many people? If by some chance it was broken in the middle, even he, who took such great pains to climb to this point, would be plunged back into the depths of Hell. It would be horrible if that happened.
が、そう云う中にも、罪人たちは何百となく何千となく、まっ暗な血の池の底から、うようよと這い上って、細く光っている蜘蛛の糸を、一列になりながら、せっせとのぼって参ります。今の中にどうかしなければ、糸はまん中から二つに断れて、落ちてしまうのに違いありません。
そこで陀多は大きな声を出して、「こら、罪人ども。この蜘蛛の糸は己（おれ）のものだぞ。お前たちは一体誰に尋（き）いて、のぼって来た。下りろ。下りろ。」と喚（わめ）きました。
But in that, hundreds, thousands of sinners were crawling up in swarms from the bottom of the dark pool of blood and climbing diligently in a line up the thin, glittering spider's thread. There was no doubt that if he didn't do something, the thread would snap at the middle and they would all fall.
So Kandata raised his voice loud and yelled, "Hey, you sinners! This spider's thread is mine! Who on earth told you you could climb it? Get down! Get down!"
その途端でございます。今まで何ともなかった蜘蛛の糸が、急に陀多のぶら下っている所から、ぷつりと音を立てて断（き）れました。ですから陀多もたまりません。あっと云う間もなく風を切って、独楽（こま）のようにくるくるまわりながら、見る見る中に暗の底へ、まっさかさまに落ちてしまいました。
後にはただ極楽の蜘蛛の糸が、きらきらと細く光りながら、月も星もない空の中途に、短く垂れているばかりでございます。
It was that instant. The thread that had shown no problems until now suddenly made a sound and snapped where Kandata clung to it. Kandata would no longer be saved. Suddenly he felt the wind, and while being spun about like a top, and in the blink of an eye plunged headlong to the depths of Hell.
Afterwards, only a short spider's thread from paradise dangled there, glittering dimly in the middle of a moonless, starless sky.
