How Night Came

Years and years ago at the very beginning of time, when the world had just been made, there was no night. It was day all the time. No one had ever heard of sunrise or sunset, starlight or moonbeams. There were no night birds, nor night beasts, nor night flowers. There were no lengthening shadows, nor soft night air, heavy with perfume.

何年も何年も前、時のまさに始まりのころ、世界が造られたばかりのときには、夜というものがなかった。いつも昼だった。日の出も日の入りも、星の光も月の光も、だれも聞いたことがなかった。夜の鳥も、夜の獣も、夜の花もなかった。長く伸びていく影も、香りのたちこめる柔らかな夜の空気もなかった。

In those days the daughter of the GREAT SEA SERPENT, who dwelt in the depths of the seas, married one of the sons of the great earth race known as MAN. She left her home among the shades of the deep seas and came to dwell with her husband in the land of daylight. Her eyes grew weary of the bright sunlight and her beauty faded. Her husband watched her with sad eyes, but he did not know what to do to help her.

そのころ、海の底深くに住む大海蛇の娘が、人間と呼ばれる大いなる地の種族の息子の一人と結婚した。娘は深い海の暗がりのなかの家を離れ、夫と暮らすために昼の光の国へやって来た。明るい陽の光に目は疲れ、美しさはあせていった。夫は悲しい目で妻を見守ったが、どうして助けてやればよいかわからなかった。

"O, if night would only come," she moaned as she tossed about wearily on her couch. "Here it is always day, but in my father's kingdom there are many shadows. O, for a little of the darkness of night!"

「ああ、夜さえ来てくれたら」と娘は寝床の上で疲れて寝返りを打ちながら嘆いた。「ここはいつも昼だけれど、父の国には影がたくさんあるのに。ああ、夜の闇がほんの少しでもあれば」

Her husband listened to her moanings. "What is night?" he asked her. "Tell me about it and perhaps I can get a little of it for you."

夫は妻の嘆きに耳を傾けた。「夜とは何だ」と夫は尋ねた。「話してくれ。そうすれば少し手に入れてやれるかもしれない」

"Night," said the daughter of the GREAT SEA SERPENT, "is the name we give to the heavy shadows which darken my father's kingdom in the depths of the seas. I love the sunlight of your earth land, but I grow very weary of it. If we could have only a little of the darkness of my father's kingdom to rest our eyes part of the time."

「夜というのは」と大海蛇の娘は言った。「海の底深くの父の国を暗くする重い影に、わたしたちがつけている名です。あなたの地の国の陽の光は好きですが、たいそう疲れてしまうのです。ときどき目を休めるために、父の国の闇がほんの少しでもあればいいのに」

Her husband at once called his three most faithful slaves. "I am about to send you on a journey," he told them. "You are to go to the kingdom of the GREAT SEA SERPENT who dwells in the depths of the seas and ask him to give you some of the darkness of night that his daughter may not die here amid the sunlight of our earth land."

夫はすぐに、いちばん忠実な三人の奴隷を呼んだ。「お前たちを旅に出す」と夫は告げた。「海の底深くに住む大海蛇の国へ行って、その娘がこの地の国の陽の光のなかで死んでしまわないよう、夜の闇をいくらか分けてくれと頼んでくるのだ」

The three slaves set forth for the kingdom of the GREAT SEA SERPENT. After a long dangerous journey they arrived at his home in the depths of the seas and asked him to give them some of the shadows of night to carry back to the earth land. The GREAT SEA SERPENT gave them a big bag full at once. It was securely fastened and the GREAT SEA SERPENT warned them not to open it until they were once more in the presence of his daughter, their mistress.

三人の奴隷は大海蛇の国へ向けて出発した。長く危ない旅の末、海の底深くの大海蛇の住まいに着き、地の国へ持ち帰る夜の影をいくらか分けてくれと頼んだ。大海蛇はすぐに、いっぱいに詰まった大きな袋を三人に渡した。袋はしっかり結ばれていて、大海蛇は、お前たちの女主人である自分の娘の前に戻るまで、決して開けてはならぬと言い聞かせた。

The three slaves started out, bearing the big bag full of night upon their heads. Soon they heard strange sounds within the bag. It was the sound of the voices of all the night beasts, all the night birds, and all the night insects. If you have ever heard the night chorus from the jungles on the banks of the rivers you will know how it sounded. The three slaves had never heard sounds like those in all their lives. They were terribly frightened.

三人の奴隷は、夜のいっぱい詰まった大きな袋を頭に載せて出発した。まもなく袋のなかから奇妙な音が聞こえてきた。それはあらゆる夜の獣、あらゆる夜の鳥、あらゆる夜の虫の声だった。川岸のジャングルから聞こえる夜の合唱を聞いたことがあれば、それがどんな音だったかわかるだろう。三人の奴隷は生まれてこのかた、そんな音を聞いたことがなかった。三人はひどく怯えた。

"Let us drop the bag full of night right here where we are and run away as fast as we can," said the first slave.

「夜の詰まったこの袋をここに落として、できるだけ速く逃げよう」と一人目の奴隷が言った。

"We shall perish. We shall perish, anyway, whatever we do," cried the second slave.

「おれたちは死ぬんだ。どうしたって死ぬんだ」と二人目の奴隷が叫んだ。

"Whether we perish or not I am going to open the bag and see what makes all those terrible sounds," said the third slave.

「死のうが死ぬまいが、おれは袋を開けて、あの恐ろしい音を立てているのが何なのか見てやる」と三人目の奴隷が言った。

Accordingly they laid the bag on the ground and opened it. Out rushed all the night beasts and all the night birds and all the night insects and out rushed the great black cloud of night. The slaves were more frightened than ever at the darkness and escaped to the jungle.

そこで三人は袋を地面に置いて開けた。あらゆる夜の獣とあらゆる夜の鳥とあらゆる夜の虫が飛び出し、夜の大きな黒い雲も飛び出してきた。奴隷たちは闇にいっそう怯えて、ジャングルへ逃げ込んだ。

The daughter of the GREAT SEA SERPENT was waiting anxiously for the return of the slaves with the bag full of night. Ever since they had started out on their journey she had looked for their return, shading her eyes with her hand and gazing away off at the horizon, hoping with all her heart that they would hasten to bring the night. In that position she was standing under a royal palm tree, when the three slaves opened the bag and let night escape. "Night comes. Night comes at last," she cried, as she saw the clouds of night upon the horizon. Then she closed her eyes and went to sleep there under the royal palm tree.

大海蛇の娘は、奴隷たちが夜の詰まった袋を持って帰ってくるのを気をもんで待っていた。三人が旅に出てからずっと、娘は手で目の上に陰を作り、はるか地平線を見つめて、三人が早く夜を持ってきてくれるよう心から願いながら、帰りを待っていた。三人の奴隷が袋を開けて夜を逃がしたとき、娘はその姿勢でダイオウヤシの木の下に立っていた。「夜が来る。とうとう夜が来る」と、地平線に夜の雲を見て娘は叫んだ。それから目を閉じ、そのダイオウヤシの木の下で眠り込んだ。

When she awoke she felt greatly refreshed. She was once more the happy princess who had left her father's kingdom in the depths of the great seas to come to the earth land. She was now ready to see the day again. She looked up at the bright star shining above the royal palm tree and said, "O, bright beautiful star, henceforth you shall be called the morning star and you shall herald the approach of day. You shall reign queen of the sky at this hour."

目を覚ますと、娘はすっかり元気を取り戻していた。大海の底の父の国を離れて地の国へやって来た、あの幸せな王女にふたたび戻っていた。今ならまた昼を見る支度ができていた。娘はダイオウヤシの上に輝く明るい星を見上げて言った。「おお、明るく美しい星よ、これからお前は明けの明星と呼ばれ、昼の訪れを告げるのです。この時刻には空の女王として君臨しなさい」

Then she called all the birds about her and said to them, "O, wonderful, sweet singing birds, henceforth I command you to sing your sweetest songs at this hour to herald the approach of day." The cock was standing by her side. "You," she said to him, "shall be appointed the watchman of the night. Your voice shall mark the watches of the night and shall warn the others that the madrugada comes." To this very day in Brazil we call the early morning the madrugada. The cock announces its approach to the waiting birds. The birds sing their sweetest songs at that hour and the morning star reigns in the sky as queen of the madrugada.

それから娘はあらゆる鳥をまわりに呼び集めて言った。「おお、すばらしい、甘く歌う鳥たちよ、これからはこの時刻に、いちばん甘い歌を歌って昼の訪れを告げるよう命じます」雄鶏が娘のそばに立っていた。「お前は」と娘は雄鶏に言った。「夜の番人に任じます。お前の声で夜の刻を知らせ、ほかの者たちにマドルガーダ(夜明け前)が来ると告げなさい」ブラジルでは今日でも、早朝をマドルガーダと呼ぶ。雄鶏が待っている鳥たちにその訪れを告げる。鳥たちはその時刻にいちばん甘い歌を歌い、明けの明星はマドルガーダの女王として空に君臨するのである。

When it was daylight again the three slaves crept home through the forests and jungles with their empty bag.

また昼になると、三人の奴隷はからっぽの袋を持って、森やジャングルを抜けてこっそり家へ帰ってきた。

"O, faithless slaves," said their master, "why did you not obey the voice of the GREAT SEA SERPENT and open the bag only in the presence of his daughter, your mistress? Because of your disobedience I shall change you into monkeys. Henceforth you shall live in the trees. Your lips shall always bear the mark of the sealing wax which sealed the bag full of night."

「おお、不忠な奴隷どもよ」と主人は言った。「どうして大海蛇の言いつけに従って、お前たちの女主人であるその娘の前でだけ袋を開けなかったのだ。言いつけに背いた罰に、お前たちを猿に変えてやる。これからは木の上で暮らすのだ。お前たちの唇には、夜の詰まった袋に封をしていた封蝋の跡がいつまでも残るだろう」

To this very day one sees the mark upon the monkeys' lips, where they bit off the wax which sealed the bag; and in Brazil night leaps out quickly upon the earth just as it leapt quickly out of the bag in those days at the beginning of time. And all the night beasts and night birds and night insects give a sunset chorus in the jungles at nightfall.

今日でも猿の唇には、袋の封をしていた蝋を噛み切った跡が見られる。そしてブラジルでは、あの時の始まりのころに夜が袋からさっと飛び出したのと同じように、今でも夜はさっと大地に飛び出してくる。そしてあらゆる夜の獣と夜の鳥と夜の虫が、日暮れにジャングルで夕べの合唱をするのである。