有限会社 芳美商事

川の流れのように

昔々、ある町に「お滝婆」と呼ばれる女がいた。彼女は商いで財を成したが、金銭に執着し、一文も無駄にせぬことを誇りとしていた。人々は彼女の商才を称賛しつつも、そのがめつさに恐れを抱いていた。

「お滝婆は、富を溜め込みすぎて、いつか流せなくなるぞ。」

そんな噂が、町の井戸端で囁かれるようになった。

ある夜、お滝婆は夢を見た。暗い川のほとりに立つ彼女の前に、一人の僧が現れた。

「婆よ、流れをせき止めると、水は澱み、やがて腐る。財も涙も言葉も、流れなければいずれ身体を蝕むぞ。」

目が覚めたお滝婆は笑い飛ばした。

「馬鹿を言うな、金は溜めてこそ価値があるのだ。」

だが、それからというもの、お滝婆は妙な不調に襲われる。口が乾き、喉が痛み、何を食べても味がしない。医者を訪ねると、

「これは『乾きの病』じゃ。体が水を生み出せぬのは、心が流れを拒んでいるからかもしれん。」

お滝婆は信じなかった。しかし、次第に夜も眠れず、涙すら流せぬほど心が乾ききっていることに気づく。潔癖なほどに全てを管理し、財を守ることに躍起になっていたが、それがかえって自分を追い詰めていたのだ。

ある日、町の小川が氾濫し、商家の蔵が流される騒ぎが起こる。お滝婆の財も例外ではなかった。彼女は崩れた蔵の前で呆然と立ち尽くしたが、不思議なことに、心は軽くなっていた。

「私は…解放されたのか？」

その夜、お滝婆は久しぶりに眠れた。夢の中で、あの僧が微笑みながら言った。

「財も涙も、時に流すことが大切じゃ。さすれば、新たな水も湧く。」

翌朝、お滝婆は町の子供たちに銀貨を配った。これまでにない晴れやかな気持ちだった。そして驚くべきことに、その日から彼女の喉の渇きは少しずつ癒えていった。

この話を聞いた人々は、やがてお滝婆を「流れの婆」と呼ぶようになった。彼女が生涯を終えた後も、町の人々はこう語り継いだ。

「財も心も、溜め込みすぎてはいかん。流れを止めれば、人も乾いてしまうのだ。」

💕

like a stream

Once upon a time, in a certain town, there was a woman called “Old Lady Otaki. She had made a fortune through her business, but she was obsessed with money and prided herself on not wasting a single penny. People admired her business acumen but feared her obsession with money.

She accumulates so much wealth that one day she won’t be able to flush it away,” said one of the town’s well-wishers.

Rumors of this began to whisper in the wells of the town.

One night, Old Otaki had a dream. She was standing by a dark river when a monk appeared to her.

If you stop the flow, the water will stagnate and eventually rot. If your wealth, your tears, and your words do not flow, they will eventually poison your body.

When she woke up, Old Mother Otaki laughed and said, “Don’t be silly.

Don’t be a fool, money is only valuable when you accumulate it,” she said.

But since then, she had been suffering from a strange illness. Her mouth was dry, her throat ached, and she could not taste anything she ate. When she went to see a doctor, he told her

This is a disease of dryness. The body cannot produce water, perhaps because the mind refuses to let it flow.

Old Otaki did not believe her. But gradually she realized that her heart was so dry that she could not sleep at night and could not shed even a tear. She is so fastidious about managing everything and protecting her fortune that it is driving her to the brink.

One day, the town’s creek overflows, causing a commotion that washes away a merchant’s warehouse. Old Lady Otaki’s fortune was no exception. She stood stunned in front of the collapsed warehouse, but strangely enough, her heart felt lighter.

‘I am…. liberated?

That night, Old Lady Otaki slept for the first time in a long time. In her dream, that monk smiled and said.

It is important to let your wealth and tears flow from time to time. Then new water will spring up.

The next morning, Old Mother Otaki handed out silver coins to the children of the town. She felt brighter than ever. And to her surprise, her thirst was gradually quenched from that day on.

People who heard this story eventually came to call Old Lady Otaki “Nagare-no-Oba” (old woman of the stream). Even after her life was over, the people of the town passed the story down to the next generation.

Do not accumulate too much of your wealth or your heart. If you stop the flow, you will dry up.