Gauche the cellist [Miyazawa Kenji] Prt II Translated by SoRaJune セロ弾きのゴーシュ 宮沢賢治

Prt I http://d.hatena.ne.jp/Soraike123/20121222/1356171082

Looking up Gauche miserably, the bird said
“Why did you stop like that? Even the weakest
cuckoo will not stop practice until
bleeding from our throats.”
“I don’t need your advice. It is so
ridiculous. Get lost. Look out. The sun is
rising soon.”
Gauche pointed at the window.
The east sky looked slightly brighter
and all dark clouds were swiftly running toward
the north.

“We still have a few moments before the
sun rise. Please keep a lesson just for
a while.”
The cuckoo asked politely.
“Shut up, you stupid bird! If you don’t
go now, I will pluck your feathers and
eat you for my breakfast.”
Gauche stamped on the floor.

That frightened the bird so badly and he
flew into the glass window. The glass hit
the bird’s head harshly and he fell on the floor.
“What a stupid bird, cannot see the glass!”
Gauche hurriedly tried to open the window
but it was really tight. While Gauche was
fighting with the window frame, the bird
crushed into it again and made a big fall.
He was bleeding a little from the end of
the bills.
“Hang on, I will open it now.”

When Gauche opened the window by two
inches, the cuckoo woke up and gazed at
the east sky over the window then flew
into the glass as swift as possible. Of course,
he bumped at the glass worse than before
and fell on the floor becoming unconscious
for a moment. When Gauche decided to let
him go out from the door and tried to catch
him, he woke up and jumped away from Gauche while looking
up the window to fly through it again.

Gauche kicked the window glass with his foot.
It made a big noise and the broken
glasses and window frame dropped outside
of the house. From the window without glass,
the cuckoo flew away like an arrow. He flew
straight up into the sky and became invisible.
Gauche looked after him with amazement and
fell into sleep at the corner of the room.

On the next night, after the hard practice
until the midnight, he gulped water from a glass to
ease his exhaustions. Then he heard
somebody knocking at the door again.
He said to himself, “Today, I will get rid
of any visitors like threatening the cuckoo
yesterday.”
He looked at the door still holding the glass in
his hand. The door was slightly opened and
a young badger came in. Gauche opened the
door widely and stamped the floor.
“You, badger, do you know what badger
soup is?” He screamed at the young beast.
The badger abruptly looked up him while
sitting on the floor and thinking for moments
and said “I don’t know.”
That made Gauche nearly laughed out but
kept a stern face and said “I tell you
then. I cook a badger like you with
cabbage and salt in the pan to make my
meal.”
The young badger said with wonder,
“My father said Mr. Gauche was a really
nice man who would give me some music lessons.”

This comment gave Gauche smile.
“What do you want to learn from me? I
am busy and very sleepy now.”
The young badger was alight and stepped
towards Gauche, saying “I ought to
play the small drum. My father said I
should play it with your cello.”
“But you don’t bring a small drum.”
“Don’t worry.” He took out two sticks
from his back.
“What are you going to do with those
sticks?”
“Please play the tune of ‘Cheerful
Mr. Horseman.’”
“I’ve never heard of it. Is it Jazz?”
“Here is the score note.” The little
badger took out the score from his behind.
Gauche laughed and said, “Wow, it is a
strange piece. Any way I’ll try. Are
you playing the drum?”

He was wondering what the little animal
would do and started playing the tune.
The badger lightly hit the bottom of
the cello with his sticks in rhythm.
His rhythm was quite good and Gauche
enjoyed playing with him. After
finishing the tune, the little badger
was inclining his head and thinking
something. He forcefully said,
“Mr. Gauche, when you flipped the
second string, it was out of the rhythm
that made me difficult to keep up the
tune.”

That reminded Gauche that he felt the
string did not response with the right
sound how much he tried to keep up the
rhythm since yesterday evening.
“You may be right, this cello is not
so good.” Gauche added sadly.
The Badger felt sorry and became silent
then said, “I wonder what is wrong
with it. Would you please play it
again?”
“No problem. Let’s try it again.”
Gauche started the music. While keeping
the rhythm, the badger put his head
toward Gauche’s cello time to time to
listen to the sound. When they finished
the music, the eastern sky was gradually
illuminated.
“Oh, the sun is rising. Thank you so
much.” Hurriedly putting together his
sticks and scores, the small badger
carried them on his back and held them
with sticky tape.
Then he made a couple of polite bows to
Gauche then went back home. Gauche was
vaguely watching at the broken window glass and
inhaling the wind from the outside. Then
he thought of regaining his energy before
going back to the town and lie down on
his bed to get some sleep.

Next night, Gauche played the cello until
near the dawn and felt drowsing while
holding his scores. Then he heard the
light knocking at the door. It was so
subtle to catch it but Gauche got used to
have guests every night and just said
“Come in.”

It was a mouse who came in through the
gap of the door. She brought a very small
child and walked up in front of Gauche.
The child was as small as his plastic
eraser and Gauche laughed at him.
The mouse was wondering what the laugh
was for and looking around. She put one
green chestnut before Gauche and made a
polite bow then said, “Doctor Gauche,
my child is not well and he will die
soon. Please help him with your mercy.”
“I am not a doctor, cannot help your
child.” Gauche said crossly. The mouse
became silent looking down the floor
then forcefully said, “Doctor Gauche,
that is not true. You are healing all
animals everyday.”
“I have no idea what you are talking
about.”
“You helped the old rabbit and the
badger’s father. Even you helped the
mean owl. It is pity you cannot help
only my child.”
“That must be some misunderstanding.
I’ve never helped owl before. Of
course, yesterday, a child badger
visited me and we played the music
together. Hahaha.” Gauche availingly
looked at the mouse and laughed.

The mouse mother cried out.
“I wish my child became sick sooner.
You played with big sound few moments
ago but when my child became sick you
stopped playing and how much I asked
you, you would not take my request.
How unfortunate my little one is!”
She wiped her eyes with her hand.
“When getting sick, we sit under your
floor board and heal ourselves.”
“Can you heal just like that?”
“Yes, it helps our blood circulations
and makes us better. Some instantly got
healed and some got better after coming
back home.”
“I understand you now. The cello sound
would vibrate you like body massage and
helps you heal. No problem. Let me try.”
Gauche tuned his strings and grabbed the
baby mouse to let it in the cello through
its hole.
“Let me go with him. Every hospital
allows mother to do that.” Mother mouse
jumped up to the cello crazy.
”Can you go through the hole?”
The cellist helped her get into the
cello, only her half face could get
inside.
While flapping her arms and legs she
talked to her child in the cello.
“Are you ok? Did you put your legs
together to fall down as I always taught
you?”
“I am ok. I did it well.” The little
mouse answered with tiny voice from the
bottom of the cello.
“It’s ok. That’s why I warned you.”
Gauche helped the mother mouse get down
and got his bow to play some rhapsody
with big sound. The mother was
carefully listening to the music but
said to Gauche impatiently, “That is
enough, Doctor. Please let him out.”
“Is that all?” Gauche inclined his
cello and hold his hand at the hole,
waiting for the child mouse to come
out. Gauche let him down without
asking him anything. He was shivering
and closing his eyes.
“How was it? Are you ok?”

The child mouse did not answer but
was shivering with eyes shut then
woke up and started running around.
“Oh, he became well. Thank you so
much, thank you so much.” After
running with her son for a while,
the mother mouse came up to Gauche
and politely repeated “Thank you”
for about ten times.
Somehow he felt sorry for the pair
and asked, “Do you eat bread?”
“I know bread, it looks tasty,
fluffy and soft made from kneaded
and steamed flour. But we have never
visited your pantry. You looked
after us so kindly and how we could
take away your food.”
“Oh, no I am not blaming you. Just
asking whether you eat bread. I want
to give some to your child who has a tummy problem. Just a moment.”
Leaving his cello on the floor,
Gauche picked one pinch of bread from
his pantry and put it in front of the
mother mouse.
She was crying and laughing and made
bows many times then carried the bread
like her treasure and let her son to
walk out first and followed after him.
“It is not easy to talk with mice.”
He tossed himself into the bed and
fall into a sleep.

That was the 6th night. The members of
the Venus Orchestra came back to the
dressing room behind of the town hall.
All of them had bright faces carrying
their music instruments and returned
from the stage. The sixth symphony
had finished with a great success.
In the hall the storm of appraisal
had not stopped yet.
The music master pretended not to
care for the audiences’ response
and put his both hands into his pockets
but his heart was full of joy and
satisfactions. Some of the members were
lighting their cigarettes and some
putting their instruments into the
cases.

The appraisal in the hall had not
stopped yet, rather it became louder
and louder as if becoming unstoppable.
MC with big white ribbon on his chest
came in to the dressing room.
“The audiences requet encore.
Could you play some small pieces?”
The music master answered crossly,
“No, we can’t do that. After such a
great piece, no small piece will give
us satisfactions.”
“If so, would you kindly come back to
the stage to answer the audiences?”
“No, I cannot. Hey, Gauche, will you
play something for them?”
“Are you asking me?” That was a
great surprise to Gauche.
“Yes, you should do that.” The best
violinist looked up and said to him.
“Now, it is your show.” said the music
master and others helped him carry the
cello and pushed him into the stage.

Gauche shyly went out to the stage
carrying his cello which had a hole
on it. All the audience satisfied and
clapped their hands louder. Some
screamed at him from the excitement.
“I cannot bear with insult. Let’s see.
I play Hunting Tigers Out in India.”
Gauche became calm when he sit at the
centre of the stage and started angrily
like a fierce elephant in the same
manner when the cat visited his house.
The audiences were silent and
listening to his music attentively.
Gauche kept playing the tune and
recalling sparks coming out from the
excited cat and the cat bumping himself
many times towards the door. After
finishing the piece, he did not give the
glance towards the audience but ran back
to the dressing room like the cat did.
At the back stage, the music master and
all members were quietly sitting there
and closing their eyes as if they were
victims of the fire.

Gauche said to himself he was ready for
any criticisms. He walked among them
and rested on the sofa crossing his
legs. All faces followed Gauche but none
of them looked smiling but grave.

“Tonight is very strange.” He thought.
The music master stood up and said,
“Gauche, that was brilliant. It was a
rough piece but all of us were involved
in. You’ve done enormous work for just
one week or so. Comparing with you now
and you ten days ago, it's like a soldier and
a baby. When you just have tried,
everything became possible.”
All members came up to him and praised his
work.
“Because having physical strength, he has
achieved this much. Normal person would be
killed.”
The music master said so at the other end
of the building.

Gauche came back home late at night.
He gulped the water again. Then he opened the window to look up the sky where the cuckoo vanished.
“Oh, Cuckoo, I am so sorry at that time. I shouldn’t
be angry with you.”

You May Like http://d.hatena.ne.jp/Soraike123/20121218/1355805335