Madadayo Page #3

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for you somewhere.

Nonsense. I won't let you.

Of course,

it won't be right away.

We'll have a concrete plan

by the first "Not Yet Fest" next year.

What is this "Not Yet Fest"?

It's a party

celebrating your birthday.

We decided to call it that

since you're not likely to die soon.

Like in hide-and-go-seek.

"Ready?" "Not yet."

Hence "not yet," or maada.

Ma from the goddess

Marishiten,

and A and Da

from the Amida Buddha.

Isn't that a great name?

I guess it is.

Ready yet?

Ready yet?

Here I am.

It's a genuine

Johnny Walker bottle,

but the contents are different.

I got it

from a pharmacist friend.

It's medical alcohol

with green tea

and raw sugar mixed in.

It doesn't taste that good,

but it packs a punch.

Yes, I must say

I'm beginning to feel good.

Professor...

when we were students,

we often got drunk with you,

and you led us

in a lot of mischief.

We'd switch nameplates

on houses.

And when he sobered up,

he'd make us put them back again.

Thank you.

By the way, Professor,

what kind of house do you want?

Japanese or Western style?

As I already said,

I won't allow it.

Professor, don't act

as if we're strangers.

Now that the war is over,

major publishers are reopening.

One of them is offering

to pay for the right

to publish your works.

Leave it to us.

There's a piece of land

we're considering now.

We could make a small garden.

What kind would you like?

I'd like a pond.

A pond?

A garden pond?

A large one wouldn't fit,

but a small one should be possible.

Not too small.

I'd like to keep some fish,

but fish all swim

in the same direction.

If the pond is too small,

they'll constantly be curving

in the same direction.

It'd be a shame

if their backs got bent.

The fish's backs?

How about this?

Make the whole garden a pond.

That'd be a lot of work.

In that case,

make the circumference

as large as possible...

and build

an island in the middle.

A doughnut-shaped pond.

You come up

with the strangest ideas.

Ordinary fellows like us

can't keep up.

He's genuinely concerned

about the fish's backs.

He's extraordinary.

He's a child

and always will be.

Now I see.

That's why you fell in love with him.

- Don't be silly.

- Don't hide it.

Now that I think about it,

that's what we like about him too.

That's why it's fun

to be around him.

Isn't that right, ma'am?

The moon is out.

The moon is out

The moon is out

Round, round

Perfectly round

I love old songs.

Like Henri Rousseau's paintings,

so innocent and unaffected.

I love songs of the old days.

Professor, during the war

we forgot about the beautiful things

in life like the moon.

The moon is out

The moon is out

Round, round

Perfectly round

Round as a platter

"How many houses

have been lost

in the constant fires?

Only a makeshift hut

remains tranquil

and free of worry.

Though small,

there is place to sleep at night

and sit by day,

enough to shelter one person."

THE FIRST "NOT YET" FES To celebrate

our professor's 61st birthday,

we hereby begin

the first Not Yet Fest.

Under the Allied occupation,

food and alcohol

are not easy to come by.

Luckily, thanks to

our members' tireless efforts,

we are able to hold this banquet.

As chairman,

let me voice my appreciation

to all of you

who've worked so hard.

Now for a word

from our professor,

after which we'll ask him

to down that huge glass

of beer in one go

as we toast in his honor.

Dear friends and students,

thank you all

for inviting me here tonight.

Thank you

for setting aside time -

though some of you

clearly aren't busy -

in your busy schedules

to attend

this wonderful gathering.

"Is the old goat dead yet?"

Seems to be the driving question

behind this Not Yet Fest.

"Ready to die yet?"

You seem to be asking.

I have come to say,

"Not yet."

Though this party was perhaps

in expectation of an affirmative,

please ask me again next year

and the year after,

"Ready yet?"

Of course, one day

I will surely respond,

"Yes, I am."

I'm quite well-prepared

for that eventuality.

The person to my right

has taken care of me for years.

He is my physician,

Dr. Kobayashi.

He will sign

my death certificate.

This gentleman on my left,

known to all of you

as a classmate,

continued in the family line

of business

and is now a priest at a temple.

Reverend Kameyama

will administer the last rites

after I die.

In any case,

I'm about to empty

this large glass of beer

in one go.

So even if I die on the spot,

there's nothing to worry about.

Not yet!

Cheers!

Happy birthday!

Gentlemen, before you're too drunk

to know what you're saying,

let's have a speech

from each of you.

Keep them short and simple.

Long live the professor!

That was too short.

Congratulations should be short.

It's eulogies that are long.

I am deeply grateful

to the professor.

When we staged the opera Faust

in German under his guidance,

I was given a wonderful role.

I will never forget

that grand occasion.

Did you play Mephistopheles?

No, sir.

I played the eternal virgin with whom

Faust fell in love - Marguerite.

I'm bad at giving speeches,

so I'll recite all the station names

from Kushiro to Kagoshima.

- Express stops?

- No, local.

This should be something!

Kushiro, Shin-Fuji, Otanoshige,

Shoro, Shiranuka, Onbetsu...

We'll leave him to it.

Next.

I don't understand

why today is an auspicious day.

I guess it's because

the professor is still alive.

I'm still alive too,

but I don't think that's too auspicious.

Tell me, Your Holiness -

I'm not the head of a sect.

Then... Your Eminence.

Still too much.

Your Reverence.

Just as bad.

Then just... Priest.

That's better.

How's business these days?

Are you busy?

Quite busy.

That's why I don't want you

to come yet.

Then I'll have to wait.

Tell me, Dr. Quack,

candidly speaking...

how long would you say

I can hold out?

Let me see.

If you follow my advice

and don't do anything stupid,

I'll guarantee another

15-16 years.

If he lives that long,

our responsibilities will never end.

Drink up, Professor.

You're an executive now,

aren't you?

Yes, sir.

Have you ever thought

about the word "executive"?

Not particularly, sir.

That's the trouble.

"Ex" is a prefix shared

in common with "exasperate,"

"execrable," and "excrement."

Don't be proud

just because you're an executive.

Such excessive pride

must be exorcised!

Go easy on me, sir.

Now that my turn has come,

I'd like to say

that I owe it all

to the professor.

Thank you, Professor.

Professor, you taught us

the pleasures of drinking,

but some of us just got drunk

and caused you trouble.

Sugino over there would often

swing beer bottles around.

When Kitamura got drunk,

he'd hug people

and kiss them.

Did you shave off your beard?

Yes, I did.

You mustn't do such a thing

without telling us first.

Why, sir?

That beard was a part

of your face for many years.

We all recognized you

because of that beard.

Now it's gone.

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