Childhood by Leo Tolstoy (Iwanami version) (Taken from the information page
of this book at Amazon Japan Web site).
Professsor and Mrs. L. taking their dogs out for a walk in the morning.
先日、レフ・トルストイの自伝的小説の一つ『幼年時代』（1972年刊行の『新潮世界文学 16』所収、原卓也訳）を読んでいたところ、次の通りの訳注があった。
ロシヤでは旅行に出発する前、みんながドアを閉めた部屋に何秒間か坐って、静かに目をつむり、旅行の安全を祈る習慣があった（p. 43）
この注は私に次のような経験を思い出させてくれた。
1998 年 5 月にウクライナのハリコフ大学の放射線研究室に招かれて、その研究室の L 教授や M 助手のアパートに合わせて数日間泊めて貰った。滞在も終わって教授の家を辞する日、研究室の全メンバーも集まっている中、この訳注にある通りの習慣が私のために実行された。静かに坐っていたあとで、L 教授が私に「何か忘れ物はありませんか」とロシヤ語で問いかけ、それを教授夫人が英語で通訳してくれた。
私は携行品としての忘れ物はないと思った。しかし、滞在中の色々な親切に対するその都度の礼の言葉が必ずしも十分でなかったのは一種の忘れ物と思い、それをよい機会に、そのことを話し、あらためて一同に礼を述べた。続いて玄関へ出ると、突然、停電で真っ暗になった。その瞬間に、誰かが私の頬に別れのキスをし、それが終わるとすぐに電灯がついて、拍手が起こった。キスをしたのは教授夫人だった。「停電」も予定行事の一部だったのである。
While reading one of Leo Tolstoy's autobiographical novels "Childhood" (translated by Takuya Hara, in "Shincho Sekai Bungaku" Vol. 16, 1972), I found the following translator's note:
In Russia, there was the custom that everyone sits in a room by closing the door and shutting eyes and silently prays several seconds for the safety of the traveler before his or her departure. (Page 43.)
This reminded me of my experiences described below.
In May 1998, I was invited to the Radiation Laboratory at the University of Kharkov in Ukraine and stayed a few nights in the apartment houses of Professor L and Research Assistant M of the laboratory. When my stay in Kharkov ended, and I was leaving L's house, the custom as described in the above note was performed for me by all the members of the laboratory gathering there. After silently sitting, L said to me in Russian, "Isn't there anything you're unintentionally going to leave behind?" and L's wife translated these words into English for me.
I did not think of any object going to be left behind. However, I thought that my words of thanks on each instance of my getting kindness from them were not always sufficient and that this was a thing I should then pick up. So, it was an appropriate time for me to talk about it and to express my thanks to them for everything. Then, we went out to the hallway, and suddenly it became pitch-dark due to power failure. At the instant, I was given a goodbye kiss on the cheek by someone. Just after this additional event, the light came back, and hand clapping arose. The person who kissed me was L's wife. "Power failure" was part of the planned event.
