Why the Tiger and the Stag Fear Each Other

Fear Each Other

恐れ合うわけ

Once upon a time there was a large handsome stag with great branching horns. One day he said to himself, "I am tired of having no home of my own, and of just living anywhere. I shall build me a house." He searched on every hill, in every valley, by every stream, and under all the trees for a suitable place. At last he found one that was just right. It was not too high, nor too low, not too near a stream and not too far away from one, not under too thick trees and not away from the trees out under the hot sun. "I am going to build my house here," he said, and he began to clear a place for it at once. He worked all day and did not go away until night.

むかしむかし、大きく枝分かれした角を持つ、大きく立派な牡鹿がいた。ある日、牡鹿は独りごちた。「自分の家もなく、どこででも暮らしているのはもううんざりだ。家を建てよう」牡鹿はあらゆる丘の上、あらゆる谷間、あらゆる流れのそば、あらゆる木の下を探して、ふさわしい場所を見つけようとした。とうとうちょうどいい場所が見つかった。高すぎず低すぎず、流れに近すぎず遠すぎず、茂りすぎた木の下でもなく、木から離れて暑い日なたに出ているのでもなかった。「ここに家を建てよう」と牡鹿は言い、すぐに土地を切り開きはじめた。一日じゅう働き、夜になるまで去らなかった。

Now in that same country there lived a large handsome tiger, with sharp, sharp teeth and bright, cruel eyes. One day the tiger said to himself, "I am tired of having no home of my own,--of just living around anywhere! I shall build me a house." Accordingly the tiger searched for a place to build his house. He searched on every hill, in every valley, by every stream, and under all the trees. At last he found a place which was just right. It was not too high nor too low, not too near a stream and not too far away from one, not under too thick trees and yet not away from the trees out in the hot sun. The tiger said to himself, "I am going to build my house here. The place is all ready for me for there isn't very much underbrush here." He began at once and finished clearing the place. Then it became daylight and he went away.

さて、その同じ国に、鋭い鋭い歯と、ぎらぎらした残忍な目を持つ、大きく立派な虎が住んでいた。ある日、虎は独りごちた。「自分の家もなく、ただどこででも暮らしているのはもううんざりだ。家を建てよう」そこで虎は家を建てる場所を探した。あらゆる丘の上、あらゆる谷間、あらゆる流れのそば、あらゆる木の下を探した。とうとうちょうどいい場所が見つかった。高すぎず低すぎず、流れに近すぎず遠すぎず、茂りすぎた木の下でもなく、木から離れて暑い日なたに出ているのでもなかった。虎は独りごちた。「ここに家を建てよう。下草があまりないから、場所はすっかり用意ができている」虎はすぐに取りかかり、土地を切り開き終えた。それから夜が明けたので、去っていった。

At daylight the stag came back to do more work on his new house. "H'm," he said when he looked at the clearing. "Somebody is helping me. The place is cleared and ready for me to build the foundation."

夜が明けると、牡鹿が新しい家の仕事の続きをしに戻ってきた。「ふむ」と牡鹿は切り開かれた土地を見て言った。「だれかが手伝ってくれている。土地が切り開かれて、土台を築く用意ができている」

He began to work at once and worked all day. At night when the foundation was laid, he went away.

牡鹿はすぐに仕事にとりかかり、一日じゅう働いた。夜になって土台ができると、去っていった。

At night the tiger came to work at his new house. "H'm," he said when he looked at it. "Somebody is helping me. The foundations of my house are all laid." He began to work at once and built the sides of the house. He worked all night and went away at daybreak, leaving the house with the sides completed. There was a big door and a funny little window in the side.

夜になると、虎が新しい家の仕事をしにやって来た。「ふむ」と虎は家を見て言った。「だれかが手伝ってくれている。家の土台がすっかりできている」虎はすぐに仕事にとりかかり、家の壁を建てた。一晩じゅう働いて夜明けに去り、壁のでき上がった家が残された。大きな戸口と、脇に妙な小さな窓があった。

At daybreak the stag came back to work on his house. When he saw it he rubbed his eyes for he thought that he must be dreaming. The sides of the house were completed with a big door and a funny little window. "Somebody must surely be helping me," he said to himself as he began to work to put on the roof. He worked hard all day and when the sun went down, there was a roof of dried grass on the house. "I can sleep in my own house to-night," he said. He made his bed in the corner and soon was sound asleep.

夜明けに牡鹿が家の仕事をしに戻ってきた。家を見ると、夢を見ているにちがいないと思って目をこすった。家の壁ができ上がっていて、大きな戸口と妙な小さな窓があった。「だれかがきっと手伝ってくれているんだ」と牡鹿は独りごちながら、屋根を載せる仕事にとりかかった。一日じゅうせっせと働き、日が沈むころには、家に干し草の屋根ができていた。「今夜は自分の家で眠れるぞ」と牡鹿は言った。隅に寝床をこしらえて、まもなくぐっすり眠り込んだ。

At night the tiger came back to work on his new house. When he saw it he rubbed his eyes for he thought that he must be dreaming. There was a roof of dried grass on the house.

夜になると、虎が新しい家の仕事をしに戻ってきた。家を見ると、夢を見ているにちがいないと思って目をこすった。家に干し草の屋根ができていた。

"Somebody must surely be helping me," he said to himself as he entered the door. The first thing he saw when he entered the door was the stag sound asleep in his bed in the corner. "Who are you and what are you doing in my house?" he said in his deepest voice.

「だれかがきっと手伝ってくれているんだ」と虎は独りごちながら戸口を入った。入って最初に目に入ったのは、隅の寝床でぐっすり眠っている牡鹿だった。「お前はだれで、わしの家で何をしている」と虎はいちばん太い声で言った。

The stag woke up with a start. "Who are you and what are you doing in my house?" said the stag in his deepest voice.

牡鹿ははっと目を覚ました。「お前はだれで、わしの家で何をしている」と牡鹿もいちばん太い声で言った。

"It is not your house. It is mine. I built it myself," said the tiger.

「お前の家ではない。わしの家だ。わしが自分で建てたのだ」と虎は言った。

"It is my house," said the stag. "I built it myself."

「わしの家だ」と牡鹿は言った。「わしが自分で建てたのだ」

"I made the clearing for the house," said the tiger, "I built the sides and made the door and window."

「家の土地を切り開いたのはわしだ」と虎は言った。「壁を建てて、戸口と窓をこしらえたのもわしだ」

"I started the clearing," said the stag. "I laid the foundations and put on the roof of dried grass."

「土地を切り開きはじめたのはわしだ」と牡鹿は言った。「土台を築いて、干し草の屋根を載せたのもわしだ」

The stag and the tiger quarrelled all night about whose house it was. At daybreak they decided that they would live together there.

牡鹿と虎は、だれの家かで一晩じゅう言い争った。夜明けに、二匹はそこで一緒に暮らすことに決めた。

The next night the tiger said to the stag, "I'm going hunting. Get the water and have the wood ready for the fire. I shall be almost famished when I return."

次の夜、虎は牡鹿に言った。「わしは狩りに行ってくる。水を汲んで、火を焚く薪を用意しておいてくれ。帰ってくるころには腹ぺこだろうからな」

The stag got the wood and water ready. After a while the tiger came back. He brought home for dinner a great handsome stag. The stag had no appetite at all and he didn't sleep a wink that night.

牡鹿は薪と水を用意した。しばらくすると虎が帰ってきた。夕飯にと、大きな立派な牡鹿を持ち帰ってきた。牡鹿はまるで食欲がなく、その夜は一睡もできなかった。

The next day the stag said that he was going hunting. He told the tiger to have the wood and water ready when he got back. The tiger got the wood and water ready. By and by the stag came back bringing with him the body of a great tiger.

次の日、牡鹿は狩りに行ってくると言った。帰ってくるまでに薪と水を用意しておいてくれと虎に言った。虎は薪と水を用意した。やがて牡鹿が大きな虎のなきがらを持って帰ってきた。

"I am nearly famished," said the stag. "Let's have dinner right away." The tiger hadn't any appetite at all and he could not eat a mouthful.

「わしは腹ぺこだ」と牡鹿は言った。「すぐに夕飯にしよう」虎はまるで食欲がなく、ひと口も食べられなかった。

That night neither the tiger nor the stag could sleep a wink. The tiger was afraid the stag would kill him if he shut his eyes for a minute, and the stag was afraid the tiger would kill him if he slept or even pretended to be asleep. Accordingly he kept wide awake too.

その夜は、虎も牡鹿も一睡もできなかった。虎は、一分でも目を閉じたら牡鹿に殺されるのではないかと恐れ、牡鹿は、眠ったら、あるいは眠ったふりをしただけでも、虎に殺されるのではないかと恐れていた。それで牡鹿もしっかり目を覚ましていた。

Toward morning the stag got very cramped from keeping in one position so long. He moved his head slightly. In doing this his horns struck against the roof of the house. It made a terrible noise. The tiger thought that the stag was about to spring upon him and kill him. He made a leap for the door and ran out of it as fast as he could. He ran and ran until he was far, far away from the house with the roof of dried grass.

明け方近く、牡鹿はあまり長く同じ姿勢でいたので、体がひどくこわばってきた。牡鹿は頭を少し動かした。そうすると、角が家の屋根に当たった。恐ろしい音がした。虎は、牡鹿が跳びかかって自分を殺そうとしているのだと思った。虎は戸口めがけて跳び、力のかぎり速く走り出た。走って走って、干し草の屋根の家からずっとずっと遠くまで行った。

The stag thought that the tiger was about to spring upon him and kill him. He, too, made a leap for the door and ran and ran until he was far, far away from the house with the roof of dried grass. The tiger and the stag are still running away from each other until this very day.

牡鹿は、虎が跳びかかって自分を殺そうとしているのだと思った。牡鹿もまた戸口めがけて跳び、走って走って、干し草の屋根の家からずっとずっと遠くまで行った。虎と牡鹿は、今日に至るまでまだ互いから逃げ続けているのである。

The house with the roof of dried grass waited and waited there in the place which was neither too high nor too low, too near the river nor too far away, not under too thick trees nor out in the hot sun. It waited and waited until it go so tired it fell down in a heap.

干し草の屋根の家は、高すぎず低すぎず、川に近すぎず遠すぎず、茂りすぎた木の下でもなく暑い日なたでもないあの場所で、待って待って待ち続けた。待ちくたびれて、とうとうばらばらに崩れ落ちてしまった。