How the Monkey and the Goat Earned Their Reputations

Earned Their Reputations

評判を得たわけ

Once upon a time the tiger sent an invitation to the goat asking the goat to accompany him on a visit. The goat promptly accepted the invitation and at the appointed day they started on their journey to the house of the tiger's friend. On the way there they came to a dangerous marsh. The tiger was afraid to cross it, but he pretended to be very brave. He said to the goat: "Friend Goat, how very pale you look when you think about crossing the marsh. Don't be afraid. Just go ahead."

むかしむかし、虎が山羊に、一緒に人を訪ねに行かないかと誘いを送った。山羊はすぐに誘いを受け、約束の日に二匹は虎の友だちの家へ向けて旅に出た。途中で危ない沼に来た。虎は沼を渡るのが怖かったが、たいそう勇敢なふりをした。虎は山羊に言った。「山羊さん、沼を渡ることを考えると、なんと青い顔になることか。怖がることはない。先に行きなさい」

The goat assured the tiger that he was no coward. He thrust out his chest and marched along toward the marsh like a brave soldier. As soon, however, as he stepped into the marsh, he fell into the mud and barely got through it alive. The tiger went around the marsh and walked on dry ground.

山羊は、自分は臆病者ではないと虎に請け合った。胸を張って、勇ましい兵隊のように沼へ向かって進んでいった。けれども沼に足を踏み入れたとたん、泥に落ち込んで、やっとのことで命からがら抜け出した。虎は沼をまわって、乾いた地面を歩いていった。

After the tiger and the goat had come together again they came to some banana trees. The tiger said to the goat: "Friend Goat, aren't you hungry? Let us stop here and eat some bananas. You climb up and pluck the bananas. Give me the ripe ones, and keep the green ones yourself." The goat climbed up and picked the bananas. He gave the ripe ones to the tiger and the tiger had a good meal. The goat went hungry.

虎と山羊がまた一緒になると、バナナの木のところに来た。虎は山羊に言った。「山羊さん、腹がすかないかい。ここで止まってバナナを食べよう。お前が登ってバナナをもいでくれ。熟したのはわしにくれて、青いのはお前が取っておけ」山羊は登ってバナナをもいだ。熟したのを虎にやったので、虎はたらふく食べた。山羊は腹をすかせたままだった。

The tiger and the goat walked along and after going for some distance they saw a cobra lying in the path. "Friend Goat," said the tiger, "here you have the opportunity to procure a beautiful necklace for your daughter, free of cost. Just pick it up and it is yours." The goat started forward to pick up the snake, but the tiger told him to let it alone if he did not want to be killed.

虎と山羊は歩いていき、しばらく行くと、道にコブラが寝そべっているのが見えた。「山羊さん」と虎は言った。「ここで娘さんにきれいな首飾りをただで手に入れる機会があるぞ。拾い上げさえすればお前のものだ」山羊は蛇を拾おうと進み出たが、虎は、殺されたくなければ放っておけと言った。

When the tiger and the goat arrived at the house of the tiger's friend it was very late. They soon went to bed in hammocks hung close together. At midnight the tiger rose quietly, walked on tip toe to the door, opened it, and went out. He hurried to the place where the sheep were kept, killed the fattest lamb of the flock, and had a feast. Then he went back to the hammock, wiped the blood on the goat, and went to sleep.

虎と山羊が虎の友だちの家に着いたときには、夜もたいそう更けていた。二匹はまもなく、すぐそばに吊られたハンモックで寝た。真夜中に虎はそっと起き上がり、爪先立ちで戸口へ行って戸を開け、外へ出た。羊を飼っている場所へ急いで行って、群れのなかでいちばん太った子羊を殺し、ご馳走を食べた。それからハンモックに戻り、血を山羊になすりつけて眠った。

Early the next morning the host discovered that one of his lambs was missing. He hastened to the room where the tiger and the goat were sleeping and accused the tiger of having killed the lamb. The tiger looked up at him with an innocent expression and asked, "Do you see any blood on me?" There was no blood on the tiger, but the host looked into the next hammock and saw the goat all covered with blood. "I know now who killed my fattest lamb," he said, and he gave the goat such a beating that the poor goat barely escaped with his life. From that day to this when one speaks of a person who has been easily imposed upon he calls him "the goat."

翌朝早く、主人は子羊が一頭いなくなっているのに気づいた。虎と山羊の寝ている部屋へ急いで行き、子羊を殺したのはお前だろうと虎を責めた。虎は無邪気な顔で主人を見上げて尋ねた。「わしに血がついているかね」虎には血はついていなかったが、主人が隣のハンモックをのぞくと、山羊が血まみれになっていた。「わしのいちばん太った子羊を殺したのがだれか、これでわかった」と主人は言い、山羊をひどく打ちすえたので、かわいそうな山羊はやっとのことで命からがら逃げ出した。その日から今日まで、たやすくだまされる人のことを話すとき、人はその人を「山羊」と呼ぶのである。

Things happened very differently with the monkey. One day not long afterward the tiger invited the monkey to accompany him when he went to visit his friend. The monkey accepted, and the tiger and the monkey set out on the journey. When they came to the marsh the tiger said to the monkey, "Friend Monkey, how very pale you look when you think about crossing the marsh. Don't be afraid. Just go ahead."

猿の場合は、事の運びがまるで違った。それからまもないある日、虎は友だちを訪ねるのに一緒に行かないかと猿を誘った。猿は承知し、虎と猿は旅に出た。沼に来ると、虎は猿に言った。「猿さん、沼を渡ることを考えると、なんと青い顔になることか。怖がることはない。先に行きなさい」

"You go ahead yourself," replied the monkey. The tiger went through the marsh and fell into the mud so that he was barely able to get out again. The monkey went around the marsh and walked on dry ground.

「お前が先に行けよ」と猿は答えた。虎は沼に入って泥に落ち込み、やっとのことで抜け出した。猿は沼をまわって、乾いた地面を歩いていった。

After a while the tiger and the monkey came to the banana trees. "Friend Monkey," said the tiger, "aren't you hungry? Let us stop here and eat some bananas. You climb up and pluck the bananas. Give the ripe ones to me and you may keep the green ones for yourself." The monkey climbed up and picked the bananas but he ate all the ripe ones himself and threw the green ones down to the tiger. The tiger was forced to go hungry but the monkey had a good meal.

しばらくすると虎と猿はバナナの木のところに来た。「猿さん」と虎は言った。「腹がすかないかい。ここで止まってバナナを食べよう。お前が登ってバナナをもいでくれ。熟したのはわしにくれて、青いのはお前が取っておけばいい」猿は登ってバナナをもいだが、熟したのは自分でみな食べて、青いのを虎に投げ落とした。虎は腹をすかせたままでいるほかなく、猿はたらふく食べた。

Finally the tiger and the monkey came to a cobra lying in the path. "Friend Monkey," said the tiger, "here you have the opportunity to procure a beautiful necklace for your daughter, free of cost. Pick it up and it is yours."

とうとう虎と猿は、道に寝そべっているコブラのところに来た。「猿さん」と虎は言った。「ここで娘さんにきれいな首飾りをただで手に入れる機会があるぞ。拾い上げればお前のものだ」

"Pick it up yourself," replied the monkey.

「お前が拾えよ」と猿は答えた。

When the tiger and the monkey arrived at the house of the tiger's friend it was very late. They went to bed in hammocks hung up close together. The monkey had seen enough of the tiger that day to make him decide that he had better sleep with one eye open. Accordingly he pretended he was asleep, but he was really awake. At midnight he saw the tiger crawl quietly out of his hammock, walk on tip toe to the door, open it gently, and go out. The monkey decided to watch and see what happened when the tiger came back.

虎と猿が虎の友だちの家に着いたときには、夜もたいそう更けていた。二匹はすぐそばに吊られたハンモックで寝た。猿はその日のうちに虎のことを十分見ていたので、片目を開けて寝たほうがいいと決めていた。そこで眠ったふりをしたが、本当は起きていた。真夜中に、虎がそっとハンモックから這い出し、爪先立ちで戸口へ行って、静かに戸を開けて出ていくのが見えた。猿は、虎が戻ってきたら何が起こるか見張っていようと決めた。

The tiger went to the place where the sheep were kept, killed the fattest lamb of the flock and had a feast. When he came back he tried to wipe the lamb's blood on the monkey. The monkey saw him and gave him a push so that he spilled the blood all over himself and his own hammock. Not a single drop went on the monkey.

虎は羊を飼っている場所へ行って、群れのなかでいちばん太った子羊を殺し、ご馳走を食べた。戻ってくると、子羊の血を猿になすりつけようとした。猿はそれを見て虎を押したので、虎は血を自分の体と自分のハンモックにすっかりこぼしてしまった。猿にはただの一滴もつかなかった。

Early the next morning when the host missed one of his lambs he came to the room where his guests were sleeping. He saw the tiger all covered with blood and he cried, "O ho, I have at last caught the one who kills my lambs." Then he gave the tiger such a beating that he barely escaped with his life. It was all he could do to crawl home again.

翌朝早く、主人は子羊が一頭いないのに気づいて、客の寝ている部屋へ来た。虎が血まみれになっているのを見て、主人は叫んだ。「おお、とうとう子羊を殺すやつを捕まえたぞ」それから虎をひどく打ちすえたので、虎はやっとのことで命からがら逃げ出した。家まで這って帰るのがやっとだった。