The Acorns & Wildcat Kenji Miyazawa Translated by SoRaJune Prt IV どんぐりと山猫 宮沢賢治 パート４

Part I  http://soraike123.hatenablog.com/entry/20130104/1357301922

Wildcat pronounced a sentence to the acorns.

“Pay attention. Be silent. Here is the sentence. The greatest one of all of you is the one who is the most inferior, most foolish, most meaningless, and most useless with a weak-mind.”

The acorns fell in absolute silence. They stood in total stillness.

Wiping the seat from his brow, Wildcat took off his black silk gown then hold Ichiro’s hands. The driver was also overjoyed and whipped five or six times. Wildcat said, “Thank you very much. You finished this difficult trial in just one and half minutes. Would you kindly become the honorary judge for me? I hope you could come again when you receive the invitation. Of course, each time I will reward you.”

“That's fine with me but it's OK without rewards.”

“Oh, you must accept it. Otherwise it is me to blame.  And from now on, is it OK to address you Mr. Ichiro Kaneta and to show the sender as The Court on the card?”

“No problem.” said Ichiro. Wildcat was still pinching his whiskers and blinking his eyes as if finding some words to say. Then finally he could make up his mind and said.

“For the article of the invitation, I would write that on the following day you must report to the court. What do you think?”

Ichiro smiled and said, “Oh, it sounds a little odd. Probably it’s better not to write that.”

Wildcat seems to regret what he had said and looked down for a while pinching his whiskers. And he added, “That is fine, we will keep the wording as it is. By the way for today’s reward, would you like to have one wooden box of golden acorns or the head of salted salmon?”

“I would have golden acorns, please.”

Wildcat looked pleased with his answer, not to choose the salmon head, and hurriedly ordered to his driver.

“Bring the one wooden box of golden acorns right now. If there are not enough acorns, add gilt ones. Be quick!”

The driver scooped up those acorns in the box and measured them.

“They are enough to fill the box.”

The jacket of wildcat flapped in the wind. He fully stretched and half-yearned with close eyes.

“Fine. Get ready the wagon now.”

The wagon made from a huge white mushroom was pulled out. It had strange gray horses.

“Now, I will give you a lift home.” said Wildcat. They boarded the wagon and the driver placed the wooden box of acorn inside.

Hyjuuu, wiz!

The wagon left the meadow. All trees and bushes waved like smoke. Ichiro was looking at his acorns and Wildcat absentmindedly looking outside.

As the wagon advanced, acorns lost their luster. When the wagon stopped, they become normal brown acorns. The yellow jacket of Wildcat, the driver and the mushroom wagon disappeared at once. Ichiro had found himself standing in front of his house holding the wooden box of acorns.

Since then Ichiro never received the invitation card written of “Yours sincerely, Wildcat.”

He regretted that he should have said to Wildcat that he could command him to report to the court.