JSLL #63 - The Spider's Thread, part 11

 This sentence concludes part 1 of the story. (There are four parts in total.)

御釈迦様はその蜘蛛の糸をそっと御手に御取りになって、白蓮の間から、遥か下にある地獄の底へ、まっすぐにそれを卸下なさいました。

ごしゃかさまはそのくものいとをそっとおてにおとりになって、しらはすのあいだから、はるかしたにあるじごくのそこへ、まっすぐにそれをごおりしなさいました。

Vocabulary

• 白蓮 means "white lotus," although the dictionary doesn't give the reading しらはす but びゃくれん. It also lists "purity, pure heart" as a meaning.
• 遥か means "far, far away, distant"
• まっすぐ means "straight (ahead), direct, upright, erect"
• 下す means "to let down, to bring down, to lower"

Kanji

The only new kanji, 遥, is an N1 kanji with 遥か as the only common word in which it occurs. Also note that this word is usually written はるか (probably because the kanji is so rarely used).

Translation

The Buddha gently took that spider's thread in his hand, and lowered it straight down into the hell that was far below, from between the white lotuses.