The Quote

A friend told me that she liked Akutagawa and had been wondering from which Akutagawa's work my favorite quote on facebook was and what it meant.

Soooooooo, this is for Michelle!
(Michelle, so, you like Akutagawa!? I had no idea! How lovely that we have similar tastes.)

Yes, Akutagawa is my favorite author. And the quote is from "Shuju no Kotoba"(Akutagawa's aphorism collection). That's my most favorite book. :)

So, here's English version translated by myself.
(I don't think my English is enough to convey what Akutagawa wrote. nuaaaaa)

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Righteousness is akin to arm. Arm can be bought by either side that pays. Righteousness can be also bought by anybody who pretexts. Since ancient times, “enemy of righteousness” has been bandied ammunition. But nobody really sees which is real “enemy of righteousness” without being intoxicated with rhetoric.

Japanese labors were ordered to withdraw from Panama just because they were Japanese.　This is wrong. The United States of America must be, as newspapers tell us, “enemy of righteousness.” However, Chinese labors were ordered to withdraw from Senju [a district in Tokyo] just because they were Chinese. This is also wrong. According to the papers, or perhaps for the last two thousand years, Japan has always sided with righteousness. It seems Japan has never had any conflict of interest with righteousness.

Arm itself is nothing to be afraid of. We ought to be afraid of skill of warrior. Righteousness itself is not scary either. What really ought to scare us is eloquence of demagogue.　Wu Zetian didn’t care people or listen to gospel. She didn’t hesitate to trample righteousness underfoot. But at Li Jingye’s rebellion, reading the sharp-worded declaration by Luo Binwang, she couldn’t help but being paled out. That was because “一抔土未乾　六尺孤安在 [The soil on the new imperial tomb is not yet dry, and to whom can the two –meter-tall orphan be entrusted?]” was a mot that nobody but only a gifted demagogue could get.

Everytime I examine history, I remember 遊就館[chronology of military history museum].　There are various righteousness displayed in the dark corridor of the past. There’s one like the Green Dragon Crescent Blade. It must be the righteousness of Confucianism. We see a knight’s lance and it must be Christian righteousness. Here is a thick club. This might be righteousness of Socialists. There’s a long sword with a tassel over there. That might be one for nationalists.

Seeing such arms, imagining a number of battles, I sometimes feel the palpitation. But fortunately or unfortunately, I have never wished to take any one of them myself.
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And original is the following.
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正義は武器に似たものである。武器は金を出しさえすれば、敵にも味方にも買われるであろう。正義も理窟をつけさえすれば、敵にも味方にも買われるものである。古来「正義の敵」と云う名は砲弾のように投げかわされた。しかし修辞につりこまれなければ、どちらがほんとうの「正義の敵」だか、滅多に判然したためしはない。

日本人の労働者は単に日本人と生まれたが故に、パナマから退去を命ぜられた。これは正義に反している。亜米利加（アメリカ）は新聞紙の伝える通り、「正義の敵」と云わなければならぬ。しかし支那人の労働者も単に支那人と生まれたが故に、千住（せんじゅ）から退去を命ぜられた。これも正義に反している。日本は新聞紙の伝える通り、――いや、日本は二千年来、常に「正義の味方」である。正義はまだ日本の利害と一度も矛盾はしなかったらしい。

武器それ自身は恐れるに足りない。恐れるのは武人の技倆（ぎりょう）である。正義それ自身も恐れるに足りない。恐れるのは煽動家（せんどうか）の雄弁である。武后（ぶこう）は人天を顧みず、冷然と正義を蹂躙（じゅうりん）した。しかし李敬業（りけいぎょう）の乱に当り、駱賓王（らくひんのう）の檄（げき）を読んだ時には色を失うことを免れなかった。「一抔土未乾　六尺孤安在」の双句は天成のデマゴオクを待たない限り、発し得ない名言だったからである。

わたしは歴史を翻えす度に、遊就館を想（おも）うことを禁じ得ない。過去の廊下には薄暗い中にさまざまの正義が陳列してある。青竜刀に似ているのは儒教（じゅきょう）の教える正義であろう。騎士の槍（やり）に似ているのは基督教（キリストきょう）の教える正義であろう。此処に太い棍棒（こんぼう）がある。これは社会主義者の正義であろう。彼処に房のついた長剣がある。あれは国家主義者の正義であろう。

わたしはそう云う武器を見ながら、幾多の戦いを想像し、おのずから心悸（しんき）の高まることがある、しかしまだ幸か不幸か、わたし自身その武器の一つを執（と）りたいと思った記憶はない。
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Some might wonder (or tease me) how come a person who is crasy about debating and ars rhetorica likes this quote. hmmm.... I don't know. My love for debating is as complicated as any type of love in this world can be, I guess. :p