Why the Lamb Is Meek

Once upon a time there was a little lamb frisking gaily about the pasture. The bright sunshine and the soft breezes made him very happy. He had just finished a hearty meal and that made him happy too. He was the very happiest little lamb in all the world and he thought that he was the most wonderful little lamb.

むかしむかし、牧場で楽しそうに跳ねまわる小さな子羊がいた。明るい日ざしとそよ風に、子羊はたいそう幸せだった。おなかいっぱい食べたばかりだったので、それもまた幸せだった。子羊は世界じゅうでいちばん幸せな子羊で、自分はいちばんすばらしい子羊だと思っていた。

A big toad sat on the ground and watched him. After a while the toad said: "O, little lamb, how are you feeling today?"

大きな蟇が地面に座って子羊を眺めていた。しばらくして蟇は言った。「おうい、子羊さん、今日はご機嫌いかが」

The lamb replied that he had never felt better in all his life.

子羊は、生まれてこのかたこんなに気分がよかったことはないと答えた。

"Even though you are feeling very strong I can pull you into the sea," said the toad.

「どんなに力がみなぎっていても、わしはお前を海に引きずり込めるぞ」と蟇は言った。

The little lamb laughed and laughed until he rolled over on the ground.

子羊は地面を転げまわるほど笑いに笑った。

"Just take hold of this rope and I'll show you how easy it is to pull you into the sea," said the toad.

「この綱の端を持ってごらん。お前を海に引きずり込むのがどんなにたやすいか見せてやろう」と蟇は言った。

The lamb took hold of the rope. Then the toad said, "Please wait a minute while I get a good long distance away from you. I can pull better when I'm not too near you."

子羊は綱を持った。すると蟇は言った。「ちょっと待っていてくれ。お前からうんと離れるから。あまり近いとうまく引っぱれないのでね」

The lamb waited and the toad hopped down to the sea. He hopped up into a tree which hung over the water's edge and from there he hopped on to the whale's back. He fastened the end of the rope around the whale and then he called out to the lamb: "All ready. Now we'll see how hard you can pull."

子羊が待っていると、蟇は海まで跳ねていった。水際に張り出した木に跳び上がり、そこから鯨の背中に跳び移った。綱の端を鯨に結びつけてから、子羊に呼びかけた。「支度ができたぞ。さあ、お前がどれほど強く引っぱれるか見てやろう」

When the whale felt the lamb pulling at the rope he swam away from the shore. No matter how hard the lamb pulled or how much force he exerted it did not do one bit of good. He was dragged down to the water's edge as easily as could be.

鯨は子羊が綱を引っぱるのを感じると、岸から泳ぎ去った。子羊がどれほど強く引っぱっても、どれほど力を出しても、少しも役に立たなかった。子羊はいともたやすく水際まで引きずられていった。

"I give up," said the lamb as he reached the water's edge.

「降参だ」と子羊は水際に着くと言った。

After that, although the sunshine was just as bright as ever, any one who watched that little lamb could see that he was a little more meek.

それからは、日ざしは相変わらず明るかったが、あの小さな子羊を見ていた者には、子羊が少しおとなしくなったのがわかった。

One day not long afterwards the sunshine was again very bright and the little lamb was again feeling frisky. He was so happy and gay that he had forgotten all about how the toad had pulled him down to the water until the toad spoke to him. Then he remembered.

それからまもないある日、また日ざしがたいそう明るく、小さな子羊はまた跳ねまわりたい気分だった。あまりに幸せで陽気だったので、蟇に話しかけられるまで、蟇に水際まで引きずられたことをすっかり忘れていた。話しかけられて思い出した。

"O, little lamb, how are you feeling today?" asked the toad. The little lamb replied that he was very well.

「おうい、子羊さん、今日はご機嫌いかが」と蟇は尋ねた。小さな子羊は、とても元気だと答えた。

"Let us run a race," said the toad, "I think I can beat you."

「競走しよう」と蟇は言った。「わしはお前に勝てると思う」

"You may be strong enough to pull me into the sea," said the lamb, "but surely I can run faster than you. I've watched you hopping about my pasture. You can't run fast at all. However, I'll gladly run a race with you to prove what I say."

「海に引きずり込めるほど力はあるかもしれないけれど」と子羊は言った。「走るのならきっとぼくのほうが速いよ。君がぼくの牧場を跳ねまわっているのを見てきたもの。君はちっとも速く走れないじゃないか。でも、ぼくの言うことを証明するために、喜んで競走しよう」

The toad set a goal and told the lamb to call out every little while during the race so he could see how much farther ahead the lamb was. Then the toad and the lamb started.

蟇はゴールを決め、子羊がどれだけ先にいるかわかるように、競走のあいだときどき声をかけるよう子羊に言った。それから蟇と子羊は走り出した。

The toad had assembled all his brothers and his sisters and his cousins and his uncles and his aunts before the race and had stationed them at various points along the path of the race. He had told them that whenever any of them should hear the lamb calling out, "Laculay, laculay, laculay," the toad which was nearest should answer, "Gulugubango, bango lay."

蟇は競走の前に、兄弟や姉妹やいとこやおじやおばをみな集めて、競走の道筋のあちこちに配っておいた。そして子羊が「ラクレイ、ラクレイ、ラクレイ」と呼ぶのを聞いたら、いちばん近くにいる蟇が「グルグバンゴ、バンゴ・レイ」と答えるよう言っておいた。

The lamb ran and ran as fast as he could. Then he remembered his promise and called out, "Laculay, laculay, laculay." He expected to hear the toad answer from a long, long distance behind him. He was much surprised to hear some one near him answer, "Gulugubango, bango lay." After that he ran faster than ever.

子羊は力のかぎり速く走った。それから約束を思い出して、「ラクレイ、ラクレイ、ラクレイ」と呼んだ。ずっとずっと後ろから蟇が答えるものと思っていた。すぐそばでだれかが「グルグバンゴ、バンゴ・レイ」と答えたので、子羊はたいそう驚いた。それからは前よりもっと速く走った。

After running on for some distance farther the lamb again called out, "Laculay, laculay, laculay." Again he heard the answer at only a short distance away, "Gulugubango, bango lay." He ran and ran until his little heart was beating so fast that it seemed as if it would burst. At last he arrived at the goal of the race which the toad had set and there sat the toad's brother who looked so much like him that the lamb couldn't tell them apart. The lamb went back to his pasture very meekly and quietly. He acknowledged that he had been beaten in the race.

もうしばらく走ってから、子羊はまた「ラクレイ、ラクレイ、ラクレイ」と呼んだ。するとまた、ほんのわずか離れたところから「グルグバンゴ、バンゴ・レイ」と答えが聞こえた。子羊は、小さな心臓が破裂するかと思うほど速く打つまで、走りに走った。とうとう蟇の決めた競走のゴールに着くと、そこには蟇の兄弟が座っていて、蟇にあまりにそっくりなので、子羊には見分けがつかなかった。子羊はたいそうおとなしく静かに牧場へ帰っていった。競走に負けたことを認めたのである。

The next morning the toad said to him, "Even though you did not run fast enough to win the race, still you are a very fast runner. I have told the daughter of the king about you and I have said to her that some day she shall see me riding on your back with a bridle in your mouth as if you were my horse."

翌朝、蟇は子羊に言った。「競走に勝てるほど速くは走れなかったけれど、それでもお前はたいそう足が速い。王さまの娘にお前のことを話して、いつかわしが、お前をわしの馬のように口に手綱をつけてその背中に乗っているところを見せてあげると言っておいたよ」

The lamb was very angry. "Perhaps you are strong enough to pull me into the sea, and perhaps you can beat me when we run a race," said the lamb, "but never, never in the world will I be your horse."

子羊はたいそう怒った。「ぼくを海に引きずり込めるほど力があるかもしれないし、競走でぼくに勝てるかもしれない」と子羊は言った。「でも、この世で決して、決して、君の馬になんかならないよ」

Time passed and the sunshine was very bright and the soft, gentle breezes were very sweet. The lamb was so happy again that he forgot all about how the toad had pulled him into the sea, and how the toad had beaten him at running the race. He was very sorry for the toad when he saw him all humped up in a disconsolate little heap one day. "O, poor toad, are you sick?" he asked. "Isn't there something I can do to help you?"

時が過ぎ、日ざしはたいそう明るく、柔らかく穏やかなそよ風はたいそう心地よかった。子羊はまたあまりに幸せになったので、蟇に海に引きずり込まれたことも、競走で負かされたことも、すっかり忘れてしまった。ある日、蟇がしょんぼりと小さな塊のように丸くなっているのを見て、子羊は蟇がたいそう気の毒になった。「おや、かわいそうな蟇さん、病気なの」と子羊は尋ねた。「何か手伝えることはないかい」

The toad told him how very sick he was. "There is something you could do to help me," he said, "but I don't believe that you are quite strong enough or can travel quite fast enough."

蟇は、自分がどれほど重い病気かを話した。「手伝ってもらえることはあるんだが」と蟇は言った。「お前には力が足りないし、そんなに速くも行けないだろうと思うよ」

The lamb took a deep breath and blew out his chest. "I'll show you," he said. "Just tell me what it is."

子羊は深く息を吸って胸を張った。「見せてあげるよ」と子羊は言った。「何なのか言ってごらん」

The toad replied that he had promised to be at a party that afternoon at the house of the king's daughter and he did not see how he could possibly get there unless some one would carry him.

蟇は、今日の午後王さまの娘の家で開かれるパーティーに行く約束をしたが、だれかが運んでくれなければとても行けそうにない、と答えた。

"Jump on my back," said the lamb. "I'll carry you."

「ぼくの背中に跳び乗りなよ」と子羊は言った。「運んであげる」

The toad shook about on the lamb's back after they had started so that it seemed as if he would surely fall off. After a little he said, "I can not possibly stand riding like this. It jars all my sore spots. I'll have to get off." He tried it a little while longer and shook about worse than ever. Then he said, "Do you know, I think I could endure this painful ride a little better if only I had something to hold myself by? Do you mind if I take a piece of grass and put it in your mouth? I can hold on to that when I shake about and my sore spots will not hurt so much."

出発すると、蟇は子羊の背中の上であまりにぐらぐら揺れたので、今にも落ちてしまいそうだった。しばらくすると蟇は言った。「こんなふうに乗っているのはとても我慢できない。痛いところにみな響く。降りなければ」蟇はもう少し我慢してみたが、前よりもっとひどく揺れた。それから言った。「ねえ、何かつかまるものがあれば、このつらい乗り心地にもう少し耐えられると思うんだが。草を一本お前の口にくわえさせてもいいかい。揺れたときにそれにつかまれば、痛いところもそんなに痛まないだろう」

The lamb let the toad put a piece of grass in his mouth.

子羊は蟇に、口に草を一本くわえさせてやった。

After a while the toad asked for a little stick. "The flies and mosquitoes annoy me terribly," he said. "If only I had a little stick I could wave it about over my head and frighten them away. It is very bad for any one in my weak, nervous condition to be bothered by flies and mosquitoes." The lamb let the toad have a little stick to wave over his head.

しばらくすると蟇は小さな棒を一本くれと言った。「蠅や蚊がひどくうるさいんだ」と蟇は言った。「小さな棒があれば、頭の上で振りまわして追い払えるのに。わしのように弱って神経の立っている者が、蠅や蚊に悩まされるのはたいそう体に悪いんだよ」子羊は蟇に、頭の上で振りまわす小さな棒を持たせてやった。

At last the lamb and the toad drew near to the palace of the king. The king's daughter was leaning out of the window watching for them. The toad dug his feet into the lamb's sides, pulled hard on the piece of the grass in the lamb's mouth and waved the little stick about over the lamb's head. "Go on, horse," he said and the king's daughter heard him. She laughed and laughed, and when all the rest of the people in the palace saw the toad arriving mounted on the lamb's back and driving him like a horse they laughed too. The lamb went meekly home to his pasture and from that day to this when one wishes to speak of meekness one says "as meek as a lamb."

とうとう子羊と蟇は王さまの宮殿の近くまで来た。王さまの娘は窓から身を乗り出して二匹を待っていた。蟇は足を子羊の脇腹に食い込ませ、子羊の口の草を強く引っぱり、子羊の頭の上で小さな棒を振りまわした。「進め、馬よ」と蟇は言い、王さまの娘はそれを聞いた。娘は笑いに笑った。宮殿のほかの人々もみな、蟇が子羊の背中にまたがって馬のように追い立ててやって来るのを見て、やはり笑った。子羊はおとなしく牧場へ帰っていった。そしてその日から今日まで、おとなしさのことを言いたいときには、「子羊のようにおとなしい」と言うのである。