Weedah the Mocking Bird

Weedah was playing a great trick on the black fellows who lived near him. He had built himself a number of grass nyunnoos, more than twenty. He made fires before each, to make it look as if some one lived in the nyunnoos. First he would go into one nyunnoo, or humpy, and cry like a baby, then to another and laugh like a child, then in turn, as he went the round of the humpies he would sing like a maiden, corrobboree like a man, call out in a quavering voice like an old man, and in a shrill voice like an old woman; in fact, imitate any sort of voice he had ever heard, and imitate them so quickly in succession that any one passing would think there was a great crowd of blacks in that camp. His object was to entice as many strange black fellows into his camp as he could, one at a time; then he would kill them and gradually gain the whole country round for his own. His chance was when he managed to get a single black fellow into his camp, which he very often did, then by his cunning he always gained his end and the black fellow's death. This was how he attained that end. A black fellow, probably separated from his fellows in the excitement of the chase, would be returning home alone passing within earshot of Weedah's camp he would hear the various voices and wonder what tribe could be there. Curiosity would induce him to come near. He would probably peer into the camp, and, only seeing Weedah standing alone, would advance towards him. Weedah would be standing at a little distance from a big glowing fire, where he would wait until the strange black fellow came quite close to him. Then he would ask him what he wanted. The stranger would say he had heard many voices and had wondered what tribe it could be, so had come near to find out. Weedah would say, "But only I am here. How could you have heard voices? See; look round; I am alone." Bewildered, the stranger would look round and say in a puzzled tone of voice: "Where are they all gone? As I came I heard babies crying, men calling, and women laughing; many voices I heard but you only I see."

ウィーダーは、近くに住む人々に大がかりな悪戯を仕掛けていた。草のニューヌーをいくつも建てたのである。二十軒を超えていた。そしてその一つひとつの前に火を焚いて、誰かが住んでいるように見せかけた。まず一つのニューヌー、すなわち小屋に入って赤ん坊のように泣き、次の小屋では子どものように笑い、それから小屋を順に回りながら、娘のように歌い、男のようにコロボリーを踊り、老人のように震える声で呼ばわり、老女のようにかん高い声を出した。つまり、これまで聞いたことのあるどんな声でも真似をし、しかも次々に素早く真似るので、通りかかった者は、この野営地には大勢の人が集まっていると思うのだった。狙いは、見知らぬ人をできるだけ多く、一人ずつ野営地へおびき寄せることだった。そして殺して、少しずつまわりの土地をみな自分のものにするつもりだった。好機は、一人だけの者を野営地に引き入れられたときで、それはたびたびあった。そうなると狡知で必ず目的を遂げ、その者は死んだ。目的の遂げ方はこうである。狩りの興奮で仲間とはぐれたらしい者が、一人で家路をたどり、ウィーダーの野営地の声の届くところを通りかかる。すると、さまざまな声が聞こえて、どの一族がいるのだろうと訝る。物見高さに近寄る。覗き込んでみると、ウィーダーが一人で立っているだけなので、そちらへ進み出る。ウィーダーは、赤々と燃える大きな火から少し離れて立ち、見知らぬ者がすぐそばまで来るのを待つ。それから何の用かと尋ねる。相手は、たくさんの声が聞こえたのでどの一族かと思い、確かめに近づいたのだと言う。ウィーダーは言う。「だがここにはわたししかいない。どうして声が聞こえたりするものか。ごらん、見回してみろ、わたし一人だ。」相手は面食らって見回し、戸惑った声で言う。「みんなどこへ行ったのだ? 来る途中で赤ん坊の泣く声、男の呼ぶ声、女の笑う声が聞こえた。たくさんの声が聞こえたのに、見えるのはあなただけだ。」

"And only I am here. The wind must have stirred the branches of the balah trees, and you must have thought it was the wailing of children, the laughing of the gouggourgahgah you heard, and thought it the laughter of women and mine must have been the voice as of men that you heard. Alone in the bush, as the shadows fall, a man breeds strange fancies. See by the light of this fire, where are your fancies now? No women laugh, no babies cry, only I, Weedah, talk." As Weedah was talking he kept edging the stranger towards the fire; when they were quite close to it, he turned swiftly, seized him, and threw him right into the middle of the blaze. This scene was repeated time after time, until at last the ranks of the black fellows living round the camp of Weedah began to get thin.

「そしてここにいるのはわたし一人だ。風がバラーの木の枝を揺らしたのを、子どもの泣き声と思ったのだろう。グーグールガーガーの笑うのを聞いて、女の笑い声と思ったのだろう。そして男の声のように聞こえたのは、わたしの声だったに違いない。藪に一人でいると、影が落ちるころには、人は妙な思いに取りつかれるものだ。ごらん、この火の光の中で、その思いはいまどこにある? 女は笑わず、赤ん坊も泣かず、ただわたしウィーダーが話しているだけだ。」そう話しながら、ウィーダーは相手を少しずつ火の方へにじり寄せていく。すっかり火の近くまで来たところで、さっと向き直って相手を掴み、炎の真ん中へ放り込むのである。この場面が何度も何度も繰り返され、とうとうウィーダーの野営地のまわりに住む人々の数は、目に見えて減り始めた。

Mullyan, the eagle hawk, determined to fathom the mystery, for as yet the black fellows had no clue as to how or where their friends had disappeared. Mullyan, when Beeargah, his cousin, returned to his camp no more, made up his mind to get on his track and follow it, until at length he solved the mystery. After following the track of Beeargah, as he had chased the kangaroo to where he had slain it, on he followed his homeward trail. Over stony ground he tracked him, and through sand, across plains, and through scrub. At last in a scrub and still on the track of Beeargah, he heard the sounds of many voices, babies crying, women singing, men talking. Peering through the bush, finding the track took him nearer the spot whence came the sounds, he saw the grass humpies. "Who can these be?" he thought. The track led him right into the camp, where alone Weedah was to be seen. Mullyan advanced towards him and asked where were the people whose voices he had heard as he came through the bush.

オナガイヌワシのマリアンは、この謎を突き止めようと心に決めた。人々にはまだ、友がどうやって、どこで消えたのか、手がかりが無かったのである。マリアンは、いとこのビーアーガーが野営地へ帰って来なくなったとき、その跡をたどって、謎が解けるまで追おうと決めた。ビーアーガーがカンガルーを追って仕留めたところまでたどると、そこから家路の跡を追った。石だらけの地を越えて跡を追い、砂を抜け、平原を渡り、茂みを抜けた。とうとうある茂みの中、まだビーアーガーの跡の上で、たくさんの声を聞いた。赤ん坊が泣き、女が歌い、男が話している。藪の間から覗くと、跡はその音のする方へ近づいていき、草の小屋が見えた。「これは誰だろう?」とマリアンは思った。跡はそのまま野営地へ入って行き、そこにはウィーダーが一人いるだけだった。マリアンは進み出て、藪を抜けて来るときに聞こえた声の主たちはどこかと尋ねた。

Weedah said: "How can I tell you? I know of no people; I live alone."

ウィーダーは言った。「どうしてわたしに言えよう。人などは知らぬ。わたしは一人で暮らしている。」

"But," said Mullyan, the eagle hawk, "I heard babies crying, women laughing, and men talking, not one but many."

「だが」とオナガイヌワシのマリアンは言った。「赤ん坊が泣き、女が笑い、男が話すのを聞いた。一人ではない、大勢だ。」

"And I alone am here. Ask of your cars what trick they played you, or perhaps your eyes fail you now. Can you see any but me? Look for yourself."

「そしてここにいるのはわたし一人だ。おまえの耳がどんな悪戯をしたのか、耳に聞くがいい。それとも目がいかれたのかもしれぬ。わたしのほかに誰か見えるか? 自分で見てみろ。」

"And if, as indeed it seems, you only are here, what did you with Beeargah my cousin, and where are my friends? Many are their trails that I see coming into this camp, but none going out. And if you alone live here you alone can answer me."

「では、たしかにそう見えるとおり、おまえ一人しかいないのなら、いとこのビーアーガーをどうした。わたしの友たちはどこだ。この野営地へ入って来る跡はいくつも見えるが、出て行く跡が一つも無い。そしておまえ一人がここに住んでいるのなら、答えられるのもおまえ一人だ。」

"What know I of you or your friends? Nothing. Ask of the winds that blow. Ask of Bahloo the moon, who looks down on the earth by night. Ask of Yhi the sun, that looks down by day. But ask not Weedah, who dwells alone, and knows naught of your friends." But as Weedah was talking he was carefully edging Mullyan towards the fire.

「おまえのことも、おまえの友のことも、わたしが何を知るものか。何も知らぬ。吹く風に聞け。夜に地を見下ろす月のバールーに聞け。昼に見下ろす太陽のイーに聞け。だが一人で暮らし、おまえの友のことなど何も知らぬウィーダーに聞くな。」そう話しながら、ウィーダーはマリアンを用心深く火の方へにじり寄せていった。

Mullyan, the eagle hawk, too, was cunning, and not easy to trap. He saw a blazing fire in front of him, lie saw the track of his friend behind him, he saw Weedah was edging him towards the fire, and it came to him in a moment the thought that if the fire could speak, well could it tell where were his friends. But the time was not yet come to show that he had fathomed the mystery. So he affected to fall into the trap. But when they reached the fire, before Weedah had time to act his usual part, with a mighty grip Mullyan the eagle hawk seized him, saying,

けれどもオナガイヌワシのマリアンもまた狡く、そう易々とは罠にかからなかった。目の前に赤々と燃える火が見え、後ろに友の跡が見え、ウィーダーが自分を火の方へにじり寄せているのが見えた。そして、もし火が口をきけるなら、友たちのありかをよく語れるだろうという考えが、ふと胸に浮かんだ。けれども謎を見抜いたことを見せる時はまだ来ていない。そこで罠にかかったふりをした。ところが火のそばに来たとき、ウィーダーがいつもの役を演じる間もなく、オナガイヌワシのマリアンは力いっぱいの手で相手を掴み、こう言った。

"Even as you served Beeargah the hawk, my cousin, and my friends, so now serve I you." And right into the middle of the blazing fire he threw him. Then he turned homewards in haste, to tell the black fellows that he had solved the fate of their friends, which had so long been a mystery. When he was some distance from the Weedah's camp, he heard the sound of a thunder clap. But it was not thunder it was the bursting of the back of Weedah's head, which had burst with a bang as of a thunder clap. And as it burst, out from his remains had risen a bird, Weedah, the mocking bird; which bird to this day has a hole at the back of his head, just in the same place as Weedah the black fellow's head had burst, and whence the bird came forth.

「わたしのいとこ、鷹のビーアーガーと、わたしの友たちにおまえがしたとおり、いまおまえにしてやる。」そして燃えさかる火の真ん中へ放り込んだ。それから急いで家路についた。長いあいだ謎だった友たちの行く末を突き止めたと、人々に告げるためである。ウィーダーの野営地から少し離れたところで、雷鳴のような音が聞こえた。けれどもそれは雷ではなく、ウィーダーの後頭部が裂けた音だった。雷鳴のような音を立てて裂けたのである。そして裂けたとき、その亡骸から一羽の鳥、物真似鳥のウィーダーが立ち上がった。その鳥には今日でも後頭部に穴があり、それはちょうど、人であったウィーダーの頭が裂けて鳥が出て来た、あの場所である。

To this day the Weedah makes grass playgrounds, through which he runs, imitating, as he plays, in quick succession, any voices he has ever heard, from the crying of a child to the laughing of a woman; from the mewing of a cat to the barking of a dog, and hence his name Weedah, the mocking bird.

今日でもウィーダーは草の遊び場を作り、その中を走りながら、聞いたことのあるどんな声でも次々に素早く真似る。子どもの泣き声から女の笑い声まで、猫の鳴き声から犬の吠え声まで。それゆえその名を、物真似鳥ウィーダーというのである。