How the Monkey Got a Drink When He Was Thirsty

When He Was Thirsty

のどが渇いたとき

Once upon a time the monkey made the tiger very angry. This is how it happened. The monkey was seated high up among the leafy branches of a mango tree playing upon his guitar. The tiger passed that way and lay down under the tree to rest. Just to tease him the monkey played and sang this little song:

むかしむかし、猿が虎をひどく怒らせた。それはこういうわけだった。猿はマンゴーの木の葉の茂った高い枝に座って、ギターを弾いていた。虎がそこを通りかかり、木の下に寝そべって休んだ。ただからかうために、猿はこんな小さな歌を弾いて歌った。

"Tango ti tar, tango ti tar, The tiger's bones are in my guitar. Tee hee, Tee hee."

「タンゴ・ティ・タール、タンゴ・ティ・タール、虎の骨はおいらのギターのなか。ティー・ヒー、ティー・ヒー。」

The tiger was very angry. "Just wait until I catch you, Mr. Monkey," he said. "Then I'll show you a trick or two with bones."

虎はひどく怒った。「つかまえたら覚えていろよ、猿め」と虎は言った。「骨の芸当をひとつふたつ見せてやるからな」

The monkey leaped from one tree to another keeping himself so well hid by the foliage that the tiger could not see him. Then he came down out of the trees and hid himself in a hole in the ground. When the tiger came near he again played and sang his little song:

猿は木から木へ跳び移り、葉の陰にうまく身を隠していたので、虎には見えなかった。それから木から下りて、地面の穴に隠れた。虎が近くに来ると、猿はまたあの小さな歌を弾いて歌った。

"Tango ti tar, tango ti tar, The tiger's bones are in my guitar. Tee hee, Tee hee."

「タンゴ・ティ・タール、タンゴ・ティ・タール、虎の骨はおいらのギターのなか。ティー・ヒー、ティー・ヒー。」

The tiger put his paw into the hole and caught the monkey's leg. "Oh, ho, Mr. Tiger!" said the monkey. "You think that you have caught my leg but what you really have is just a little stick. Oh, ho! Oh, ho!" Then the tiger let go of the monkey's leg.

虎は穴に前足を突っ込んで、猿の脚をつかんだ。「おやおや、虎さん」と猿は言った。「わしの脚をつかんだと思っているだろうが、本当につかんでいるのはただの小枝だよ。おやおや、おやおや」すると虎は猿の脚を放した。

The monkey crawled farther back into the hole in the ground where the tiger's paw could not reach him. Then he said: "Thank you so much, Mr. Tiger, for letting go of my leg. It really was my leg, you know." Again he played and sang his little song:

猿は、虎の前足が届かない穴の奥へ這っていった。それから言った。「脚を放してくれて本当にありがとう、虎さん。あれは本当にわしの脚だったんだよ」そしてまたあの小さな歌を弾いて歌った。

"Tango ti tar, tango ti tar, The tiger's bones are in my guitar. Tee hee, Tee hee."

「タンゴ・ティ・タール、タンゴ・ティ・タール、虎の骨はおいらのギターのなか。ティー・ヒー、ティー・ヒー。」

The tiger was angrier than ever. He waited and waited for the monkey to come out of the hole in the ground but the monkey did not come. He had discovered another way out and once more from the high tree tops he sang down to the waiting tiger:

虎はいよいよ怒った。猿が穴から出てくるのを待ちに待ったが、猿は出てこなかった。別の出口を見つけていたのである。そしてもう一度、高い梢の上から、待っている虎に向かって歌いかけた。

"Tango ti tar, tango ti tar, The tiger's bones are in my guitar. Tee hee, Tee hee."

「タンゴ・ティ・タール、タンゴ・ティ・タール、虎の骨はおいらのギターのなか。ティー・ヒー、ティー・ヒー。」

There had been a great drought in the land and there was only one watering place where the beasts could drink. The tiger knew that the monkey would have to go there when he was thirsty so he decided to wait for him and catch him when he came to drink.

国に大きな日照りがあって、獣たちが水を飲める水場は一つしか残っていなかった。虎は、猿がのどが渇けばそこへ行かねばならないと知っていたので、そこで待ち伏せして、水を飲みに来たところを捕まえることにした。

When the monkey went to the watering place to get a drink he found the tiger there waiting for him. He ran away as fast as the wind for he was really very much afraid of the tiger.

猿が水を飲みに水場へ行くと、虎がそこで待っていた。猿は本当は虎がたいそう怖かったので、風のように速く逃げていった。

He waited and waited until he thought he should die of thirst, but the tiger did not go away from the watering place for a single minute. At last the monkey thought of a trick by which he would be able to get a drink.

猿はのどの渇きで死ぬかと思うまで待ちに待ったが、虎は一分たりとも水場を離れなかった。とうとう猿は、水を飲めるいたずらを思いついた。

He lay down by the side of the pathway as if he were dead. After a while an old woman came along the path carrying a dish of honey in a basket upon her head. She saw the monkey lying there by the path and, thinking that he was dead, she picked him up and put him into the basket with the dish of honey. When the monkey saw that it was honey in the dish he was very happy. He opened the dish and covered himself all over with the soft sticky honey. Then as the old woman walked under the trees he lightly sprang out of the basket into the trees. The old woman did not miss him until she got home and found only part of her dish of honey in the basket. "Why, I thought I had brought home a dead monkey in my basket," she said to her children. "Now there is no monkey here and my dish is only half full of honey. The monkey must have been playing one of his tricks."

猿は死んだように道ばたに横たわった。しばらくすると、一人の老婆が、蜂蜜の皿を入れた籠を頭に載せて道をやって来た。老婆は道ばたに猿が横たわっているのを見て、死んでいると思い、拾い上げて蜂蜜の皿と一緒に籠に入れた。皿のなかが蜂蜜だとわかると、猿はたいそう喜んだ。皿を開けて、柔らかくべとべとした蜂蜜を体じゅうに塗りつけた。それから老婆が木の下を歩いているとき、籠から身軽に木へ跳び移った。老婆は家に着いて、籠に蜂蜜の皿が半分しか残っていないのを見るまで、猿がいなくなったことに気づかなかった。「おや、籠に死んだ猿を入れて持って帰ったと思ったのに」と老婆は子どもたちに言った。「猿はいないし、皿の蜂蜜は半分しかない。猿がまたいたずらをしたにちがいないよ」

The monkey had, in the meantime, stuck leaves from the trees into the honey all over his body so that he was completely disguised. His own mother would never have recognised him. He looked something like a porcupine; but instead of sharp quills there were green leaves sticking out all over him. In this fashion he went to the drinking place and the tiger did not recognise him. He took a long, deep drink. He was so thirsty and the water tasted so good that he stayed in the drinking place too long. The leaves came out of the honey which had held them and the tiger saw that it was really the monkey. The monkey was barely able to escape.

そのあいだに猿は、体じゅうの蜂蜜に木の葉を貼りつけていたので、すっかり見分けがつかなくなっていた。母親でも猿だとはわからなかっただろう。ヤマアラシのようにも見えたが、鋭い針のかわりに緑の葉が体じゅうから突き出していた。この格好で水場へ行くと、虎は猿だとわからなかった。猿は長々とたっぷり水を飲んだ。あまりにのどが渇いていて水がおいしかったので、水場に長居しすぎた。葉を留めていた蜂蜜から葉がはがれ落ち、虎は本当は猿だと見抜いた。猿はかろうじて逃げ出した。

He was so badly frightened that he waited and waited a long, long time before he again went to the drinking place. At last he got so thirsty that he couldn't wait any longer. He went to the resin tree and covered himself with resin. Then he stuck leaves into the resin and again went to the drinking place.

猿はあまりにひどく怯えたので、ずいぶん長いあいだ待ってから、また水場へ行った。とうとう、のどが渇いてもう待っていられなくなった。猿は樹脂の木のところへ行き、体じゅうに樹脂を塗った。それから樹脂に葉を貼りつけて、また水場へ行った。

The tiger saw him, but as the tiger expected to see the leaves come off just as soon as the monkey got into the water, he thought he would wait and catch him in his bare skin. This time the leaves did not come off, for the resin held them fast and was not in the least affected by the water. The tiger thought that it was not the monkey and that he must have made a mistake. The monkey drank all he wished and then strolled away leisurely without the tiger's attacking him. He used the resin and leaves every time he wanted a drink after that. He kept up the trick until the rainy season arrived and he could find plenty of water in other places than the big drinking place.

虎は猿を見たが、猿が水に入ればすぐに葉がはがれ落ちるものと思っていたので、待って裸の猿を捕まえようと考えた。今度は葉ははがれ落ちなかった。樹脂が葉をしっかり留めていて、水にはまったく溶けなかったからである。虎は猿ではなかった、見間違えたにちがいないと思った。猿は好きなだけ水を飲み、それから虎に襲われることもなく、ゆうゆうと立ち去った。それからは水を飲みたいときにはいつも樹脂と葉を使った。雨の季節が来て、大きな水場のほかにもたっぷり水が見つかるようになるまで、猿はこのいたずらを続けた。