Fukui福井
1Fukui — is Tōsai still alive?
福井は三里許なれば夕飯したゝめて出るにたそがれの路たど〳〵し爰に等栽といふ古き隱士有りいづれの年にか江戶に來て予を尋は遙十とせあまり也いかに老さらぼひて有るにや將死けるにやと人に尋ね侍ればいまだ存命してそこ〳〵とおしふ
Fukui is about three ri off, so I took my evening meal and set out, and the road in the dusk was hard to feel my way along.
Here there is an old recluse called Tōsai. In some year or other he came to Edo and called on me, and that is more than ten years ago now. How decrepit with age he must be, I thought, or perhaps he is dead. When I asked someone, they said he was still living, and told me the place, over there and there.
Interlinear notes 1
一本ねしトアリ
Another text has ねし.
2A gate hidden by moonflowers and sponge gourds
市中ひそかに引入りてあやしの小家に夕顏へちまのはへかゝりて鷄頭箒木に扉をかくす扨は此うちにこそと門を扣けば侘しげなる女の出でいづくよりわたり給ふ道心の御坊にやあるじは此あたり何某のもとに行きぬもし用あらば尋給へといふかれが妻なるべしとしらる昔物語にこそかゝる風情は侍れとやがて尋逢てその家に二夜泊りて名月はつるがのみなとにと旅だつ等栽もともに送らんと裾おかしうかゝげて路の枝折とうかれたつ
Drawn back quietly from the market street, at a mean little house, moonflowers and sponge gourds had climbed and tangled, and cockscomb and broom cypress hid the door. Then it must be inside here, I thought, and knocked at the gate. A woman of wretched appearance came out and said, "Where have you come from, reverend sir of the Way? The master has gone to the house of someone hereabouts. If you have business with him, seek him there." This must be his wife, I knew. Such feeling as this is found only in the old tales, I thought. Presently I found him and met him, and stayed two nights at that house. Then, meaning to see the harvest moon at the harbor of Tsuruga, I set out. Tōsai said he would see me off as well, and hitching up his skirts in a comical way, he started off in high spirits, saying he would be my guide on the road.