鹮巷物语 Toki Alley Tales

鹮巷物语·序 Toki Alley Tales (Prologue)

传说在过去，软弱短寿的凡人尚未渡海而来的时代里，稻妻曾是狸猫的国度。而人类的历史，最初亦是醉酒的狸猫趁兴胡诌出来的…鹮巷，历史与狂言交织之巷。

They say that in the past, when the fragile and short-lived mortals had yet to cross over the sea unto these lands, Inazuma was once a land that belonged to the tanuki. They say, too, that human history began as drunken tanuki nonsense... Welcome to Toki Alley, a place where history and wild tales intertwine.

序·狸猫口述的稻妻简史

Prologue: The Tanuki's Oral History of Inazuma

传说在过去，软弱短寿的凡人尚未渡海而来的时代里，稻妻曾是狸猫的国度。

They say that in the past, before the fragile and short-lived mortals had crossed over the sea to these lands, Inazuma was once a land that belonged to the tanuki.

狸猫生来慵懒而多变，从不会为明日而忧虑，也不把烦恼留过今宵。那时候，稻妻的大地是狸猫惬意的乐园，每一日都是热闹的祭典。

Lazy and fickle by nature, the tanuki never worried about tomorrow, nor did they carry today's troubles with them through the night. During that period, the land of Inazuma was a cozy paradise for the tanuki and every day was a fun-filled festival.

至少狸猫一族的长辈是这样说的。

At least, that's what the tanuki elders say.

后来呀，狐狸们渡海而来，与狸猫一族展开了八百年又八百年的大战，双方损失惨重，最后只得谈和。狸猫虽至今嘴硬，从未服过输，可还是将那棵好大好大的雷樱树割让给了狐狸一族。

Later on, the kitsune arrived by sea, forcing the tanuki into a great war that lasted first for 800 years and then for another 800 years, with both sides suffering heavy casualties, until eventually the only option was to hold peace talks. The tanuki are a stubborn bunch and to this day still don't admit defeat, but the fact remains that they ceded the giant Thunder Sakura to the kitsune.

不过，狐狸同样是诡诈狡猾而好变化的生灵。传说在那场八百年又八百年的大战里，不断变化斗法的狐狸与狸猫之中就有许多倒霉鬼被变幻无常的形态闪花了眼，再也记不得自己来自何方，身为何物。

But the kitsune are a crafty and cunning bunch too, and equally skilled in the art of shape-shifting. It is said that in that great war, as a consequence of the constant switcheroo trickery, many poor souls became completely disoriented and could not for the life of them keep track of who was who — eventually forgetting even who they were, what they were, and which side they were supposed to be on.

于是，茫然无措的凡人便从迷惑的妖怪中诞生了。

Thus were the hapless mortals born. The product of bewildered youkai.

这等故事，是我从好吹牛的天狗那里得知的。

This tale and many others were told to me by the tengu who likes to boast.

鹮巷物语·一 Toki Alley Tales (I)

大天狗者，乃凶残暴戾的自大狂也。酒后尤如是。——狸史氏评

The great tengu are naught but brutal braggarts, and especially when drunk! — Tanuki Historical Commentary

与一的故事

Yoichi's Tale

天狗名叫「与一」，住在花见坂一条名叫「鹮巷」的小小侧街。她在那里租了一家卖酒的店面，过着闲散的日子。

The tengu's name is Yoichi, and she lives in Hanamizaka on a small side street called Toki Alley. She rents a shop there that sells alcohol and lives a leisurely existence.

说好听些叫做「闲散」，事实上或许「一团糟」才是更准确的形容。

I say "leisurely." That's putting it nicely. "Completely and utterly chaotic" would be a more accurate description.

理论上讲，好酒的人往往懂酒，妖怪也是如此。

In theory, someone who enjoys alcohol enough to start a business selling it should know a thing or two about it. This applies as much to youkai as to humans.

但毫不客气地讲，与一酒品极差，又毫无生意头脑。最糟糕的是，隐居人间的日子里，这家伙从来没有抛弃天狗的恶劣习性——什么酒后一屁股坐进妖怪堆里寻衅滋事、绑架凡人少年少女巡游整夜大闹祭典；又或是丝毫不看气氛地钻进演剧现场，自顾自地即兴扮起天狗三拳两脚打趴主角…凡此种种，不一而足。

But to be absolutely blunt, Yoichi has terrible taste in alcohol and has no business sense at all. Worst of all, in all her days in the human realm, she has never ridden herself of her awful tengu habits. Sometimes she will get drunk and stir up trouble among other youkai or kidnap human children and parade around all night at the festival, causing total chaos. Other times, she will barge into a theater, with no regard for the atmosphere, then casually strut on stage and start beating up the lead actor... the list goes on.

若不是在妖怪中间辈分老高，又在人间交游广泛，与一这家伙恐怕早就被哪位英雄退治在哪座山下了吧。

If it weren't for her senior status among the youkai and her extensive connections in human society, I suspect Yoichi might have been dealt with by some hero or other at the foot of a mountain long ago.

但鹮巷无论妖怪或是凡人都对她另眼有加，大权现大人又见她从未惹出什么大乱子，才没对她做出什么实质上的制裁。

But the youkai and human folk of Toki Alley see her quite differently. Even the Great Gongen has never given her serious punishment, because she has never caused any major trouble.

虽说天性傲慢又随性邋遢，但作为有别凡人的伟大妖怪（自称），与一倒是对身外之物并不吝惜。凡是有点钱财便被换了酒，要么便是在八重堂买了小说，大多草草翻阅一半便丢出窗外了。由是，这家伙的家里往往是一副野性光景。

Though haughty and slovenly by nature, as a "great youkai, set apart from the common folk" (her own words), Yoichi isn't greatly attached to worldly possessions. Any money she comes into is spent swiftly on alcohol — or else on novels from Yae Publishing House, which she skims through halfway before promptly defenestrating them. As a result, her home is not what you would call "domesticated" — quite the opposite, in fact.

简单来说，这家伙身边本就没有什么值得留恋的凡间财物…唯一可提得上「除外」的，大概是始终插在她腰间的那柄金色纸扇。

Simply put, she doesn't have any worldly possessions of sentimental value... the sole exception being the golden paper fan she wears on her waist.

大天狗一族本是肆行诸多世界的妖魔，动辄往身上点缀些拥有各异故事的战利品绝非奇怪，这支纸扇也是如此。

The Great Tengu are a race of monsters that travels to many different worlds, and it's not at all uncommon for them to adorn themselves with battle trophies that have an interesting backstory. Such is the case for this paper fan.

在某个月色尚可的夜里，醺醉的与一曾敞着衣衫向我吹嘘有关它的故事——

On a moonlit night, a drunken Yoichi, her shirt collar wide open, began bragging to me about its story...

据说那是她曾横行过的诸多世界之一。在那时，她曾化身一位高傲的青年弓手，为同样趾高气扬的将军效忠。在将军的麾下，她，或者不如说「他」，曾骄傲地使用强弓利箭射倒了无数敌手。倒在「他」弓下的有大腹便便的凡人武士，亦有狸猫化成的狡猾忍者，就连身躯肥大的吃人鬼也敌不过与一的一箭。

She said that in one of the many worlds she had traversed, she took the form of a haughty young male archer, serving under an equally haughty shogun. Under that shogun's command, she, — or rather, "he" — had proudly shot down countless opponents, including big-bellied mortal samurai and crafty tanuki ninjas. Even the jikininki, despite their bulky figures, were no match against a single shot from Yoichi's bow.

「哈哈哈哈哈！真是名将呀，真是名将！汝目光似电，正似大天狗一般！」

"Hahahahaha! You are truly a great soldier! Your vision is keen like lightning, just like the Great Tengu!"

那个年岁，狂妄的将军总喜欢这样吹着胡子大笑，实在是毫无礼节。

At that age, the conceited shogun tended to laugh in a loud and obnoxious manner, which was most unseemly.

日后与一又为将军立了许多功劳，斩杀了许多妖魔和倒霉的凡人。其间事迹真真假假，有多少是她凭空吹嘘，自不必说。但真正令与一成名的，乃是在那异界百年里的最后一战。

After that, Yoichi made numerous contributions for the shogun, executing many monsters and unfortunate mortals. It goes without saying that she probably made some of the stories up. But what she truly became renowned for was the final battle of that world, a world in which she spent a hundred years.

话说那场水战，将军与逆贼在海峡当间冒着风暴血战。妖怪者，双方共出动了八百万又八百万之众；凡人武士更是不可计数，怎么说也数以千万计。人头不提，混战中沉没的大船也有八十万条——这等惊人的统计数据，是与一趴在窗边呕出一肚子黄汤后，在我的辅助下计算得出的。

In that naval battle, the shogun and rebels braved storms to fight bloody battles between the straits. The monsters numbered at least eight million, maybe eight million more than that, while the mortal samurai must have numbered in the tens of millions. In terms of casualties, the headcount cannot be known, but what is known is that 800 thousand ships sank in the course of the battle. Yoichi reached this staggering tally with my assistance as she was vomiting up a bellyfull of wine by the window.

同无数故事中两军僵持的混战一样，任由各路英雄豪杰如割草般斩落无数首级、将海水染得腥红，臭脾气的将军们也还在吹着胡子苦苦相持，自然不愿意撤军回家，好生睡上一觉。

As is typical of so many stories about bitterly fought wars stuck in stalemate, brave heroes from both sides mowed down their enemies like blades of grass, painting the sea blood-red, while the rival generals stubbornly refused to back down, preferring to stay locked in intransigence than to withdraw their troops and head home to get a good night's sleep.

终于，在某个月光清寒的夜晚，一条小船从敌阵中缓缓漂了出来。其上载着一个人影，飘飘摇摇的，像水里的倒影一样。人影旁边是一根亮闪闪的旗杆，顶上正挑着一纸扇，在月光下闪烁着金光。

Finally, on one cold moonlit night, a small boat slowly floated out from enemy lines. A lone figure stood on the boat, swaying like a reflection in the water. Beside the figure was a shimmering flagpole with a paper fan at the top. It gave off a golden glow in the moonlight.

「哇呀呀，哇呀呀…气煞我也，气煞我也！如此挑衅，是可忍，孰不可忍！」

"Argh, ARGH... I am furious, furious! This blatant provocation cannot be tolerated!"

将军眯起眼睛，远远望见金闪闪的扇子，立刻便暴跳如雷起来。

The shogun squinted his eyes, saw the golden fan in the distance, and instantly flew into a rage.

与一可不懂将军的自尊为何如此脆弱，也懒得为凡人廉价的尊严共情。此刻的她，不，「他」正以大天狗锋锐的眼光，目不转睛地盯着船上飘摇的人影。

Yoichi couldn't understand why the shogun's self-esteem was so fragile, but was too lazy to empathize with the petty mortal sense of dignity. At that moment, she... no, "he," fixed his keen tengu gaze on the floating figure in the boat.

「他」望见那是一个女人，同与一完全不同的女人。

What he saw was a woman, and an altogether different one than Yoichi.

片刻之后，一支飞矢越过月亮，撕裂了夜空。

Moments later, a single arrow flew across the moon and tore apart the night sky.

「哈哈，好哇！」

"Haha, great!"

将军的喝彩很快淹没在众人的欢呼声中。

Soon, the shogun's shouting was drowned out by the cheers of the army.

「若是那两个大叔得知自己失去了什么，恐怕是要气到肝脾爆炸吧！」

"If those two old-timers find out what they have lost, they'd probably be so angry they'd rupture their spleens!"

与一得意地嘿嘿笑着，一副醉醺醺的样子。大天狗不加掩饰的好色表情一览无余，让人讨厌得很。

Yoichi let out a conceited and mischievous laugh. She was drunk. The Great Tengu had a certain twinkle in her eye, of the rather repulsive variety, that she made no attempt to cover up.

原来，在飞矢中的那一刻，与一便早已展开巨翅飞越海峡，掠过那小船时顺手取了那黄金的折扇，与手握折扇惊惶未定的美人。随后便乘着风掀翻下面叫骂不迭的将军，自顾自飞离战场去也。

What had happened was that as the arrow flew through the air, Yoichi had already spread out her giant wings and flown across the strait, snatching the golden paper fan and the bewildered beauty holding onto it as she passed over the boat. She then took the opportunity to push over the insufferably loud-mouthed shogun and flew away from the battle.

一出天狗劫美人的好戏。

A perfect tengu snatch and grab.

只可惜——

It was just a shame that...

「结果你也知道，她却是一只猫婆子，这一路上给我一顿好挠……」

"Well, you know what happened, she was a neko. She scratched me to pieces..."

与一吐吐舌头，气急败坏地叹了口气。

Yoichi stuck out her tongue and sighed with exasperation.

「对了，这季节的鲷鱼不错，顺便包一些拿去吧。」

"Oh right, it's snapper season! You should take some back with you."

「怎么，原来一毛不拔的大天狗也会发善心？」

"Hmm? The stingy Great Tengu has a heart?"

「我是说那婆娘！」

"I meant for that woman!"

眼见醺醉的大天狗露出威胁的神色，我急忙将吃剩的鲷鱼包好揣在怀里，匆匆告辞了。

Seeing the threatening gaze from the greatly tipsy Great Tengu, I hastily gathered the remaining snapper in my arms and left.

鹮巷物语·二 Toki Alley Tales (II)

家母曾有教谕：美貌的女子多精通骗术。由是举一反三可得：美貌如月光般的女人，其真面目莫非狐妖，要么便是修为不浅化猫婆婆咯。——狸史氏评

Mother once warned that a beautiful face can hide deceptive intentions. If she looks as lovely as the moonlight, she must either be a fox spirit, or some old bake-neko hag of significant power — Tanuki Historical Commentary

阿千的故事

Osen's Tale

从与一的家里出来，顺着巷子曲曲拐拐走上一段，再折进一条小小的窄路，便到了那老太婆的家。

I left Yoichi's house and followed the winding alley for a while, then turned into a narrow street to arrive at that old lady's home.

黑漆漆的星空上，月亮爬到了最高处。猫儿们醒来了。

When the night is pitch black and the moon has climbed to its peak, the neko awaken from their slumber.

凡人们说，修为上百上千年的猫，动辄变作妙龄少女的模样，引诱人去做出好笑的愚行，或为报什么恩德仇怨而执着追逐无辜的旅人。但其实这不过是凡人的一厢情愿罢了。

It is said that neko who have lived up for hundreds or even thousand of years can easily take on the form of a young woman, tempting people into doing funny and foolish things or chasing innocent travelers out of some sense of spiteful vengeance. But that's just the stuff of mortal imagination.

相比只有生气时才会化成的少女人形，化猫之属更喜欢化成老人的模样，因为此种形态更符合她们机敏乖张的性格，又能借着老迈的伪装，向命入窘途的过客兜售温柔。

In fact, the bake-neko only take on the form of young women when they're especially angry. Most of the time, they prefer to take on the form of an older woman, partly because it matches their crafty and cantankerous nature, but also because they can use old age as a disguise, portraying themselves as gentle souls to poor, unsuspecting passers-by.

「可不是免费的哟！」

"Hey, that's not free!"

顺着声音抬起头来，才望见屋檐上的少女等待已久。脸遮在黑影里，似笑非笑，只有一双眼睛反射着金绿色的光。月光顺着半露的肩膀渗入衣襟，又从下摆的空隙间冒失地流淌而下，为修长的双腿勾勒着瓷色边沿。少女手里随意地把玩着剑玉，一副心不在焉的模样。

At the sound of the voice, I raised my head to see a young woman sitting on the eaves, as if she'd been waiting there for a while. Her face was obscured in the shadows, and all I could make out was something resembling a smile on her face and the golden-green light reflected by her eyes. Moonlight flowed from her semi-exposed shoulders down her dress, trickling through the gaps in the hem of her skirt and outlining her long, slender legs with a porcelain-white luster. She was absent-mindedly playing with a kendama in her hand.

这老太婆绝对气疯了…

Yep, the old lady was definitely furious...

「今天又来晚了，你呀。」

"Tut-tut, you're late again tonight."

「当然，抱…抱歉。」

"Of course, s—sorry."

蚊虫啪啪地撞着纸灯，灯慵懒地以闪烁回应。

Mosquitoes kept bumping into the paper lamp, causing it to flicker lethargically in response.

月亮带来了潮湿的风，没多久便让蝉声止息。

As the moon shone down, a humid wind arose. Before long, it had brought the cicadas' cries to a stop.

少女披散着头发，一边摇着纺车，一边做出怪笑的模样，甚是吓人。

With her hair flowing down, the lady turned the spinning wheel with a perverse smile on her face. It was quite terrifying.

我呢，即使身为能与大天狗推杯问盏的狸猫，在深不可测的化猫面前总也要礼敬三分。简而言之——正为方才的冒犯跪伏谢罪。

Now, despite my being a tanuki on friendly-enough terms with the tengu to sit and drink with them, even I have to be on my very best behavior around the bake-neko. So, I promptly prostrated myself and apologized profusely for my transgression.

「也罢，也罢。既然鲷鱼尚新鲜，你先起来吧。」

"Never mind, never mind. Since the snapper is still fresh, you can get up."

我以狸猫圆滚滚的身形艰难恢复正坐姿势，少女也渐渐化成老妇人，慈祥地怪笑着。

With great difficulty on account of my rotund tanuki form, I resumed a normal seated position. The young woman slowly transformed back into an old woman, who had a kindly but strange smile on her face.

「谢谢千婆婆。」

"Thank you, Auntie Sen."

「叫我阿千！」

Call me Osen!

令人如释重负。

I was relieved.

但多少觉得哪里还是莫名其妙的。

But something still felt off.

「哈哈哈哈，说起来，那个呆瓜最近过得如何？」

"Hahahaha, anyway, how's that fool doing these days?"

阿千把一整条鲜鱼呲溜一声吞进嘴里，又「啵」地连尾巴也吞下去。

With a slurp, Osen swallowed one of the fish whole, including the tail.

说起来，这家伙与大天狗结下因缘的故事，也可谓啼笑皆非了。虽说之前与一已经从她的角度提及这场闹剧，但在化猫的口中，便又是另一个故事了——

As for the story of how her fate became intertwined with that of the Great Tengu, the facts can only be described as farcical. We have already heard the ridiculous tale from Yoichi's perspective, but the bake-neko tells a completely different story.

阿千本不生于我们的世界，她来自一个凡人更为猖狂的天地。

Osen wasn't born in our world, but in one where mortals were much more savage.

在某个夜晚，某片竹林，尚且年少的阿千曾被游方僧捕获，辗转良久又让将军买下，做了什么「御化猫」。

One night, in a bamboo forest, the young Osen was captured by a wandering monk. After passing through many hands, she was eventually sold to the shogun and became some sort of "Obake-Neko."

对那段日子，她并没有什么记忆，只是疑惑为何凡人中的达官贵人总爱惹她生气，又总爱找她玩耍。每天便只顾着驱使她抓呀抓地把仇家抓成碎片，或只知道寻欢作乐，强迫她玩些只有他们自己乐在其中的无聊游戏。

She has few memories of those days beyond wondering why the high-ranking officials of the mortal world enjoyed annoying her and playing with her. Every day, she was driven to scratch her enemies to pieces, or forced to play boring games which only they seemed to enjoy.

那些日子长得让人发狂，但妖怪所经年岁毕竟长久，其耐心远胜凡人。

This went on for such a long time that any normal person would have been driven to madness. But youkai live such long lives that they have far more patience than mortals.

后来，将军和贼人的将军厮杀起来，阿千便又成了什么「忍者」。

Later, when her shogun and the rebels' shogun started fighting, Osen transformed into a ninja.

「这段故事更加无聊……」

"This is where the story gets even more boring..."

说着，阿千眯起眼睛打了一个大哈欠，嘴巴一路咧到了耳根。

Osen squinted her eyes as she said this, letting out a huge yawn that stretched from ear to ear.

随后，在水战的那一夜，将军想到一着妙计——

On the night of that naval battle, the shogun thought of an ingenious scheme...

命阿千化成华贵妇人站在小船上，又立一金扇，以此羞辱贼将不敢近前。若贼兵冒进，也将被这千年的化猫狠狠教训一番。

The shogun ordered Osen to transform into a beautiful young woman and stand on a small boat with a golden fan to humiliate the rebels so that they dare not approach. Even if they did, the bake-neko would teach them a brutal lesson.

只是后来，对面船阵中的与一……

But of course, Yoichi was standing amidst the ranks of the rebels...

「只是后来，那呆瓜突然大呼小叫地站上前来，哇哇闹着要一箭射落那扇子。」

"But of course, that fool suddenly stood up and starting ranting and raving about shooting down the fan with a single arrow."

于是，只见那大天狗……

Then, the Great Tengu...

「……脚下一滑，便扑通一声掉进了海里。」

"...Slipped and fell, landing in the ocean with a great big splash."

猫脸的老妇忍俊不禁，嗤嗤笑了起来。

The old woman's feline face failed to stifle a smile, and erupted into jeering laughter.

「那天晚上她喝得太醉，恐怕还以为身在惊涛骇浪之中。但那天晚上月光清寒，一丝风都没有。」

"She was so drunk that night that she thought the seas were the stormiest she'd ever seen. In fact, the moon shone calmly and coolly, and there was not a trace of wind."

「不过，我已有几百年未见过如此有趣的活物，便给她赚个面子，憋着笑自己摇落了纸扇……结果对面船阵又是一阵哇哇赞叹，想想就好笑……」

"But, it'd been a few hundred years since I'd seen someone so entertaining. So, to save her the humiliation, I stifled my laughter and took the paper fan down myself... Then, a roar of cheers came from their fleet. Just thinking about it amuses me to this day..."

再后来，大天狗伸展巨翼，一跃而起，如同乌云遮盖明月一般扑向那华贵的女人——

Next, the Great Tengu unfurled her gigantic wings and leaped into the air, like a cloud covering the moon, and swooped down towards the beautiful woman...

「霎时间弓矢乱发，她便像个刺猬似的又掉进海里了。我呢，再也无法装作面无表情，笑得根本停不下来。」

"A flurry of arrows later, and she fell into the sea looking like a hedgehog. I couldn't keep a straight face any longer and started laughing uncontrollably."

然后，阿千便哈哈大笑着从海中捞起倒霉的大天狗，夹在胳膊下一边狂笑，一边飞跃过两方的战船，搅了将军们的雅兴。

Laughing raucously, Osen dragged the ill-fated tengu from the sea, put her in a headlock, and flew over the fleets from both sides, laughing manically and causing both generals to lose their tempers.

人们说她一连越过了八条船，随后便不见了踪影。猫妖留下的笑声，到战事结束后还足足回荡了三天有余。

People say she flew over eight ships in an row, then disappeared into the night. The feline youkai's laughter could be heard for more than three days after the battle had finished.

「我笑得停不下来，便用力抓她……可一想到她的窘状，便越抓就越想笑，哈哈哈哈哈哈……」

"I couldn't stop laughing, so I scratched her as hard as I could... But the sorry state she was in made me laugh even harder, and the harder I scratched, the harder I laughed, hahahahaha..."

猫化成的老太停不住地大笑。

The neko transformed into an old lady and laughed uncontrollably.

「再后来，我被她带来了这个世界，把我当做了什么战利品一样！」

"Afterwards, she brought me to this world and treated me like I was some kind of trophy!"

老妇的面孔「噗」地变成了少女愠怒的脸，只是脸上刚才笑到岔气留下的红晕尚未散去，看起来有点滑稽。

The old woman pursed her lips as her face transformed into that of a sulky young woman. But this looked quite comical, because her cheeks were still flushed bright red from having laughed so hard she could barely breathe.

「我才不是什么战利品！」

"I am NOT a trophy!"

「话说回来，可能这也正是为何她不敢亲自来见我的原因吧。」

"Hmm, now I think about it, that's probably the whole reason why she doesn't dare to visit me herself."

少女脸的猫老太轻轻叹了口气，又狡黠地笑了。

The elderly female with feline features and the face of a young woman sighed gently, then smiled a cunning smile once more.

「你也该走了。留着门吧，待到月圆再来。」

"You should go. Leave the door open, and come back on the next full moon."

「顺便，别忘了把这件蓑衣送去我们的老友那边。」

"Also, don't forget to take this raincoat over to our old friend."

鹮巷物语·三 Toki Alley Tales (III)

俗语有言，招惹雨女哭泣者，必然招致无法解脱的悲哀。——狸史氏评

They say that those who make the ameonna cry will bring inescapable sorrow upon themselves. —Tanuki Historical Commentary

雨婆婆的故事

The Tale of Granny Ame

从阿千的家里出发，沿着巷子左拐右转，至一处潮湿的庭院，便来到了雨婆婆的家。

After leaving Osen's house, I turned left, then right along a winding alley to a damp courtyard, and arrived at Granny Ame's home.

素雅的庭院中，就连蝉也噤了声。只有水琴窟中的滴水在幽幽地响着，伴着竹鹿威的节奏和鸣。

In the elegant courtyard, even the cicadas' chirps were silenced. There was only the quiet trickle of water droplets in the suikinkutsu, accompanied by the rhythmic thumps of the shishi-odoshi.

曾经在无拘无束的山林中，化雾成雨的女子是狸猫与狐狸共同的好友。

Long ago, in the mountains and forests where youkai could lead carefree lives, the lady who could turn mist into rain was a good friend of the tanuki and kitsune.

自然，我们妖怪与凡人不同，既没有复杂的烦恼，也不划分各自地位品级。但在雨雾弥漫的山里呀，轻声细语的雨女总是能收获更多的尊敬与爱慕。

Naturally, us youkai are vastly different from mortals. We don't have complicated troubles that plague us, nor do we have things like status or class. But in the mountains shrouded in mist and rain, the soft-spoken Ameonna always managed to gain more respect and adoration.

只是后来，大家纷纷臣服于大权现大人。凡人的好日子来了，妖怪们要么隐居各处、要么遭到退治与镇压…雨婆婆便是那时起迁来鹮巷的。作为慰问，鸣神大社的狐狸宫司大人将这处宅子赠予了她。

It was later, when everyone had submitted to the Great Gongen. Good times came for mortals, and youkai either lived in seclusion at various places, or were subjected to destruction and suppression... It was then that Granny Ame moved to Toki Alley. As a token of sympathy, the Kitsune of Grand Narukami Shrine, Lady Guuji, gave her this mansion.

不禁叫人好奇，是怎样的失去与悲伤，能让宫司大人为之特加照顾…

What kind of loss and sorrow led to Lady Guuji taking special care of Granny Ame? I'm really curious.

在庭院中稍作驻足，看着弯月在池塘里飘摇，湿润凉爽的夜风带来了她的声音。

Stopping briefly in the courtyard, I watched the crescent moon swaying in the pond, as her voice rang gently in the cool night breeze.

「失礼，让您久等了。」

"My apologies to have kept you waiting for so long."

回过头去，正看到雨女立在门边。苍白的月光洒在她的身上，白色长衣闪烁着濡湿的光泽，年轻修长的身体却散发着苍老的悲哀气息。

When I turned around, I saw Ameonna standing by the door. She was bathed in pale moonlight, her long white dress shone with a dewy sheen, but her young and slender figure exuded a melancholic aura of a bygone era.

于是，我低下头，匆匆将阿千交给我的蓑衣奉上，不敢抬眼直视她苍灰色的双眼。

So, I looked down and hastily handed over the raincoat that Osen passed to me, not daring to look directly into her pale gray eyes.

凡人坊间传言，悲伤的雨女，双眼会呈现出溺死者般的大理石灰白色调。敢于直视这双悲伤眼睛的人将会永远迷失在难解的雨雾中。

It is rumored among mortals that the eyes of the sorrowful Ameonna will take on the marble gray-white hue of a drowning person. Those who dare to look directly into these woeful eyes will be lost forever in the incomprehensible fog of rain.

当然，那不过是凡人的无聊传说而已，但「不要直视悲伤雨女的双眼」这样一条基本礼节，确是妖怪之间不成文的规矩。

Of course, that's just a silly legend among mortals, but the basic etiquette like "Don't look into the eyes of the sorrowful Ameonna" is indeed an unwritten rule among youkai.

「谢谢。」

"Thank you."

雨婆婆的声音一如既往地湿润温柔，如同雾中晨露。

Granny Ame's voice was as soft and gentle as ever, like morning dew in the mist.

并没有请我入室，也没有分享故事。

She didn't invite me in, nor did she share her story.

只是交给我一方木匣，我心领神会。

All I was handed was a wooden box, but that's all I needed to know.

于是，趁月色明亮，我悄悄退出了庭院。

So, while the moon was bright, I quietly left the courtyard.

鹮巷物语·四 Toki Alley Tales (IV)

凡人之可悲，正在于其不自知。至于妖怪嘛，总是缺乏此种悲哀的烦恼。——狸史氏评

The tragedy of mortals is to lack self-knowledge, and that of the youkai is the lack of any such tragic troubles. —Tanuki Historical Commentary

权兵卫的故事

The Tale of Gonbei

权兵卫今年七十六岁，是鹮巷长居的唯一凡人。

Gonbei is 76 years old and is the only mortal living in Toki Alley.

曾是农民，做过武士，做过工匠。

He was a farmer, a samurai, and a craftsman.

我手中的匣子便是他的作品，顺滑的黑漆面镶嵌着多彩的珠母，是从海祇岛的渔民那里学到的手艺。

The box in my hand is his handiwork, its smooth black lacquer surface inlaid with an iridescent mother-of-pearl. This was a craft he learned from the fishermen of Watatsumi Island.

「辛苦你了。」

"Thank you for your hard work."

面前的老人深深向我低下头。

The old man in front of me bowed his head deeply.

虽说我私下以为，凡人对妖怪的礼节本当如此，但还是不得不为他的忧郁而感到一丝怜悯。

Although I privately thought that this was the way mortals were supposed to behave towards youkai, I still felt a twinge of pity for his melancholy.

据权兵卫所言，与坊间传说不同，他与山林中漫行的雨女曾是至交好友。

According to Gonbei, contrary to popular legend, he was once close friends with the Ameonna who roamed the mountains and forests.

只不过，彼时尚是少年的权兵卫，是为了给家乡干旱的田地带来雨水的滋润，因而听从村老的说辞，走向山林寻求雨女的帮助。

It's just that, Gonbei, who was a teenager at the time, was trying to bring rain to the drought-stricken fields of his hometown. He thus heeded the village elder's words and went to the mountains to seek help from the Ameonna.

雨婆婆那时已不再年少，对人间的诸多变数了然于心。但山林中的造物总是比凡人更加单纯而素朴。

At that time, Granny Ame was no longer young and was keenly aware of the many changes in the world. But the beings of the mountains and forests are always more simple and naive, compared to mortals.

后来呀，后来。年轻的权兵卫犯下了难以启齿的错误，欺骗了属于山海的生灵。尽管直到今天，他仍然坚持自己的欺瞒，乃是为了家乡的福利。

Hmm, what happened later? The young Gonbei made the unspeakable mistake of deceiving the beings of the mountains and seas. Although to this day, he still insists that his deceit was to save his hometown.

而他的村庄也确实因此后降下的霪雨而盼到了难得的丰收年景。

And his village did have a rare harvest year because of the heavy rainfall.

在那之后，无颜安闲的权兵卫远远避开山林，来到城市长居。

After that, Gonbei, who was deeply ashamed, avoided the mountains far away and came to live in the city for a long time.

「非常抱歉。」衰老的凡人低下头，却并没有收下木匣。

"I'm so sorry." The elderly mortal bowed his head, but did not take the wooden box.

我离开了他的屋子，趁着月光尚未被阴云遮盖。

I left his house, before the moonlight was shrouded by dark clouds.

鹮巷物语·五 Toki Alley Tales (V)

遗憾的中场，其后或许接续着更有趣的故事？

Will this middle section filled with regret lead to a more interesting story thereafter?

中场

Break Time

传说在过去，软弱短寿的凡人尚未渡海而来的时代里，稻妻曾是狸猫的国度。

They say that in the past, before the fragile and short-lived mortals had crossed over the sea to these lands, Inazuma was once a land that belonged to the tanuki.

狸猫生来慵懒而多变，从不会为明日而忧虑，也不把烦恼留过今宵。那时候，稻妻的大地是狸猫惬意的乐园，每一日都是热闹的祭典。

Lazy and fickle by nature, the tanuki never worried about tomorrow, nor did they carry today's troubles with them through the night. During that period, the land of Inazuma was a cozy paradise for the tanuki and every day was a fun-filled festival.

至少狸猫一族的长辈是这样说的。

At least, that's what the tanuki elders say.

后来呀，狐狸们渡海而来，与狸猫一族展开了八百年又八百年的大战，双方损失惨重，最后只得谈和。狸猫虽至今嘴硬，从未服过输，可还是将那棵好大好大的雷樱树割让给了狐狸一族。

Later on, the kitsune arrived by sea, forcing the tanuki into a great war that lasted first for 800 years and then for another 800 years, with both sides suffering heavy casualties, until eventually the only option was to hold peace talks. The tanuki are a stubborn bunch and to this day still don't admit defeat, but the fact remains that they ceded the giant Thunder Sakura to the kitsune.

不过，狐狸同样是诡诈狡猾而好变化的生灵。传说在那场八百年又八百年的大战里，不断变化斗法的狐狸与狸猫之中就有许多倒霉鬼被变幻无常的形态闪花了眼，再也记不得自己来自何方，身为何物。

But the kitsune are a crafty and cunning bunch too, and equally skilled in the art of shape-shifting. It is said that in that great war, as a consequence of the constant switcheroo trickery, many poor souls became completely disoriented and could not for the life of them keep track of who was who — eventually forgetting even who they were, what they were, and which side they were supposed to be on.

于是，茫然无措的凡人便从迷惑的妖怪中诞生了。

Thus were the hapless mortals born. The product of bewildered youkai.

一边回顾着狸猫一族相传已久的故事，一边在曲折的街巷中徘徊。

I wandered through the winding streets and alleys, while recapping the long-held stories of the tanuki clan.

最终却也没有找到尚且开张的酒家。

In the end, I didn't find a restaurant that was still open.

是时候回去了吧。

I guess this means it's time to go back.

这样想着，从狐狸大叔的荞麦面摊前站起身，伸伸懒腰。

With this in mind, I stood up and stretched my back in front of Uncle Kitsune's soba stand.

背后却传来了熟悉的气息——

Just then, a familiar scent came from behind—