カルメライト

解説

付記

死神がある日馬に乗って出かけ、 カルメル山を越える途中で出会ったのは、 酔いどれの托鉢僧。 三分の四は酔っぱらい、 聖なる薄笑いと信心深いにやけ顔を浮かべ、 ぼろをまとい、太り、厚かましい罪の化身。 両手を差し出し叫んだ―― 『施しを！　教会の名のもとに！ 聖なる子らを養うために！』 死神はにやりと笑い、言った。 『施そう、神父よ――乗せてやろう』 骸骨がガラガラ鳴り、 彼は青白い愛馬から飛び降り、 僧を首と足でつかみ、 逆さに跨らせた。 『物乞いが馬に乗れば――地獄へ向かう！』 そう叫び、槍の平で馬の尻を打つ。 馬は疾走し、 岩も羊も木々も青い霞に溶け、 僧の眼は狂乱のように見開かれ、 まるで二つのパイのように膨れ上がった。 死神は再び笑った――墓が笑うかのように。 葬儀をぶち壊し、 棺の中から遺体が首をもたげ、 『続きはご免だ』と抗議するように。 幾年も幾日も過ぎ去り、 僧はとっくに朽ち果てた。 だが死神は、いまだに馬を失ったまま。 なぜなら僧は馬の尾をつかみ、 修道院の囲いの中へと導いたのだ。 そこに馬は繋がれ、 麦と油とパンを与えられ、 ついにはどの修道士よりも肥え太り、 やがて修道院長に任ぜられた。 ―― G.J.

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Original

A mendicant friar of the order of Mount Carmel.

Additional notes

As Death was a-riding out one day, Across Mount Carmel he took his way, Where he met a mendicant monk, Some three or four quarters drunk, With a holy leer and a pious grin, Ragged and fat and as saucy as sin, Who held out his hands and cried: Give, give in Charity's name, I pray. Give in the name of the Church. O give, Give that her holy sons may live! And Death replied, Smiling long and wide: I'll give, holy father, I'll give thee—a ride. With a rattle and bang Of his bones, he sprang From his famous Pale Horse, with his spear; By the neck and the foot Seized the fellow, and put Him astride with his face to the rear. The Monarch laughed loud with a sound that fell Like clods on the coffin's sounding shell: Ho, ho! A beggar on horseback, they say, Will ride to the devil!—and thump Fell the flat of his dart on the rump Of the charger, which galloped away. Faster and faster and faster it flew, Till the rocks and the flocks and the trees that grew By the road were dim and blended and blue To the wild, wild eyes Of the rider—in size Resembling a couple of blackberry pies. Death laughed again, as a tomb might laugh At a burial service spoiled, And the mourners' intentions foiled By the body erecting Its head and objecting To further proceedings in its behalf. Many a year and many a day Have passed since these events away. The monk has long been a dusty corse, And Death has never recovered his horse. For the friar got hold of its tail, And steered it within the pale Of the monastery gray, Where the beast was stabled and fed With barley and oil and bread Till fatter it grew than the fattest friar, And so in due course was appointed Prior. G.J.