The Travelling Musicians

An honest farmer had once an ass that had been a faithful servant to him a great many years, but was now growing old and every day more and more unfit for work. His master therefore was tired of keeping him and began to think of putting an end to him; but the ass, who saw that some mischief was in the wind, took himself slyly off, and began his journey towards the great city, ‘For there,’ thought he, ‘I may turn musician.’

ある正直な百姓が、長年忠実に仕えてきた驢馬を飼っていた。だが驢馬はもう年老いて、日ごとに仕事に向かなくなっていた。そこで主人は飼っておくのに飽きて、始末をつけようと考えはじめた。だが何かよからぬことが起きそうだと見て取った驢馬は、こっそり抜け出して、大きな町へ向かう旅に出た。「あそこでなら」と驢馬は思った。「楽師になれるかもしれない」

After he had travelled a little way, he spied a dog lying by the roadside and panting as if he were tired. ‘What makes you pant so, my friend?’ said the ass. ‘Alas!’ said the dog, ‘my master was going to knock me on the head, because I am old and weak, and can no longer make myself useful to him in hunting; so I ran away; but what can I do to earn my livelihood?’ ‘Hark ye!’ said the ass, ‘I am going to the great city to turn musician: suppose you go with me, and try what you can do in the same way?’ The dog said he was willing, and they jogged on together.

少し行くと、道端に犬が寝そべって、疲れたように喘いでいるのが目に入った。「どうしてそんなに喘いでいるんだい、友よ」と驢馬は言った。「ああ」と犬は言った。「主人がおれの頭を殴り殺そうとしたんだ。年を取って弱って、もう狩りで役に立たないからってね。それで逃げてきた。だが、どうやって暮らしを稼げばいい」「おい、聞け」と驢馬は言った。「おれは大きな町へ行って楽師になるつもりだ。一緒に来て、同じ道で何ができるか試してみないか」犬は承知し、二匹は一緒にとことこ進んだ。

They had not gone far before they saw a cat sitting in the middle of the road and making a most rueful face. ‘Pray, my good lady,’ said the ass, ‘what’s the matter with you? You look quite out of spirits!’ ‘Ah, me!’ said the cat, ‘how can one be in good spirits when one’s life is in danger? Because I am beginning to grow old, and had rather lie at my ease by the fire than run about the house after the mice, my mistress laid hold of me, and was going to drown me; and though I have been lucky enough to get away from her, I do not know what I am to live upon.’ ‘Oh,’ said the ass, ‘by all means go with us to the great city; you are a good night singer, and may make your fortune as a musician.’ The cat was pleased with the thought, and joined the party.

いくらも行かないうちに、道のまんなかに猫が座って、この上なく浮かぬ顔をしているのが見えた。「これはご婦人」と驢馬は言った。「どうなさいました。すっかり元気がないご様子だ」「ああ、わたし」と猫は言った。「命が危ういのに、どうして元気でいられましょう。わたしが年を取りはじめて、鼠を追って家じゅう走りまわるより火のそばでのんびり寝ているほうが好きになったものだから、女主人がわたしをつかまえて溺れさせようとしたのです。運よく逃げてはきましたが、何を頼りに生きればよいか分かりません」「おお」と驢馬は言った。「ぜひわれわれと大きな町へおいでなさい。あなたは夜の歌がお上手だ。楽師として身を立てられますよ」猫はその考えを気に入って、一行に加わった。

Soon afterwards, as they were passing by a farmyard, they saw a cock perched upon a gate, and screaming out with all his might and main. ‘Bravo!’ said the ass; ‘upon my word, you make a famous noise; pray what is all this about?’ ‘Why,’ said the cock, ‘I was just now saying that we should have fine weather for our washing-day, and yet my mistress and the cook don’t thank me for my pains, but threaten to cut off my head tomorrow, and make broth of me for the guests that are coming on Sunday!’ ‘Heaven forbid!’ said the ass, ‘come with us Master Chanticleer; it will be better, at any rate, than staying here to have your head cut off! Besides, who knows? If we care to sing in tune, we may get up some kind of a concert; so come along with us.’ ‘With all my heart,’ said the cock: so they all four went on jollily together.

まもなく一行が農家のそばを通ると、雄鶏が門にとまって、ありったけの力で叫んでいるのが見えた。「お見事」と驢馬は言った。「まったく、たいした音を立てるものだ。いったいどうしたのです」「それが」と雄鶏は言った。「洗濯の日にはよい天気になるだろうと、たった今告げていたのです。それなのに女主人も料理番もその骨折りに感謝せず、明日はわたしの首を切って、日曜に来る客のためにスープにすると言うのです」「とんでもない」と驢馬は言った。「一緒に来なさい、コケコッコー殿。ここに残って首を切られるより、どうしたってましだ。それに、どうです。みなで調子を合わせて歌えば、何かしら演奏会ができるかもしれない。さあ一緒に来なさい」「喜んで」と雄鶏は言った。こうして四匹は陽気に連れ立って進んだ。

They could not, however, reach the great city the first day; so when night came on, they went into a wood to sleep. The ass and the dog laid themselves down under a great tree, and the cat climbed up into the branches; while the cock, thinking that the higher he sat the safer he should be, flew up to the very top of the tree, and then, according to his custom, before he went to sleep, looked out on all sides of him to see that everything was well. In doing this, he saw afar off something bright and shining and calling to his companions said, ‘There must be a house no great way off, for I see a light.’ ‘If that be the case,’ said the ass, ‘we had better change our quarters, for our lodging is not the best in the world!’ ‘Besides,’ added the dog, ‘I should not be the worse for a bone or two, or a bit of meat.’ So they walked off together towards the spot where Chanticleer had seen the light, and as they drew near it became larger and brighter, till they at last came close to a house in which a gang of robbers lived.

だが初日には大きな町に着けなかったので、夜になると森へ入って眠ることにした。驢馬と犬は大きな木の下に横になり、猫は枝によじ登った。雄鶏は高いところにいるほど安全だと思って、木のてっぺんまで飛び上がり、それから習いどおり、眠る前に四方を見まわして何ごともないか確かめた。そうしているうちに、遠くに何か明るく光るものが見えたので、仲間に呼びかけて言った。「そう遠くないところに家があるにちがいない。灯りが見える」「それなら」と驢馬は言った。「宿を替えたほうがいい。ここの寝床は世界一とは言えん」「それに」と犬が付け加えた。「骨を一本か二本、肉が少しついていれば悪くない」そこで一同は、コケコッコー殿が灯りを見た場所へ向かって歩いた。近づくにつれて灯りは大きく明るくなり、とうとう盗賊の一団が住む家のすぐそばまで来た。

The ass, being the tallest of the company, marched up to the window and peeped in. ‘Well, Donkey,’ said Chanticleer, ‘what do you see?’ ‘What do I see?’ replied the ass. ‘Why, I see a table spread with all kinds of good things, and robbers sitting round it making merry.’ ‘That would be a noble lodging for us,’ said the cock. ‘Yes,’ said the ass, ‘if we could only get in’; so they consulted together how they should contrive to get the robbers out; and at last they hit upon a plan. The ass placed himself upright on his hind legs, with his forefeet resting against the window; the dog got upon his back; the cat scrambled up to the dog’s shoulders, and the cock flew up and sat upon the cat’s head. When all was ready a signal was given, and they began their music. The ass brayed, the dog barked, the cat mewed, and the cock screamed; and then they all broke through the window at once, and came tumbling into the room, amongst the broken glass, with a most hideous clatter! The robbers, who had been not a little frightened by the opening concert, had now no doubt that some frightful hobgoblin had broken in upon them, and scampered away as fast as they could.

驢馬は一行でいちばん背が高かったので、窓まで進んで覗き込んだ。「どうだい、驢馬さん」とコケコッコー殿は言った。「何が見える」「何が見えるかって」と驢馬は答えた。「いやはや、あらゆるごちそうを並べた食卓が見える。盗賊どもがそれを囲んで楽しんでいるぞ」「われわれには立派な宿だろうな」と雄鶏は言った。「そうとも」と驢馬は言った。「なかに入れさえすればな」そこで一同は、どうやって盗賊を追い出そうかと相談し、とうとう一計を案じた。驢馬が後ろ足で立ち上がって前足を窓にかけ、犬がその背に乗り、猫が犬の肩までよじ登り、雄鶏が飛び上がって猫の頭にとまった。支度が整うと合図が出て、一同は音楽を始めた。驢馬はいななき、犬は吠え、猫は鳴き、雄鶏は叫んだ。それから一斉に窓を突き破り、割れた硝子のなかへ、この上なくおそろしい物音とともに部屋へ転がり込んだ。開幕の演奏会ですでにいささか怯えていた盗賊たちは、今やおそろしい化けものが押し入ってきたのだと信じて疑わず、力のかぎり逃げ去った。

The coast once clear, our travellers soon sat down and dispatched what the robbers had left, with as much eagerness as if they had not expected to eat again for a month. As soon as they had satisfied themselves, they put out the lights, and each once more sought out a resting-place to his own liking. The donkey laid himself down upon a heap of straw in the yard, the dog stretched himself upon a mat behind the door, the cat rolled herself up on the hearth before the warm ashes, and the cock perched upon a beam on the top of the house; and, as they were all rather tired with their journey, they soon fell asleep.

人けがなくなると、旅の一行はさっそく腰を下ろして、盗賊たちの残したものを、まるでひと月も食べられないと思っていたかのような勢いで平らげた。腹が満ちるやいなや灯りを消し、それぞれまた自分の好みに合った休み場所を探した。驢馬は庭の藁の山に横になり、犬は戸の後ろの敷物に体を伸ばし、猫は炉の暖かい灰の前で丸くなり、雄鶏は家のてっぺんの梁にとまった。そして一同は旅でいささか疲れていたので、まもなく眠り込んだ。

But about midnight, when the robbers saw from afar that the lights were out and that all seemed quiet, they began to think that they had been in too great a hurry to run away; and one of them, who was bolder than the rest, went to see what was going on. Finding everything still, he marched into the kitchen, and groped about till he found a match in order to light a candle; and then, espying the glittering fiery eyes of the cat, he mistook them for live coals, and held the match to them to light it. But the cat, not understanding this joke, sprang at his face, and spat, and scratched at him. This frightened him dreadfully, and away he ran to the back door; but there the dog jumped up and bit him in the leg; and as he was crossing over the yard the ass kicked him; and the cock, who had been awakened by the noise, crowed with all his might. At this the robber ran back as fast as he could to his comrades, and told the captain how a horrid witch had got into the house, and had spat at him and scratched his face with her long bony fingers; how a man with a knife in his hand had hidden himself behind the door, and stabbed him in the leg; how a black monster stood in the yard and struck him with a club, and how the devil had sat upon the top of the house and cried out, ‘Throw the rascal up here!’ After this the robbers never dared to go back to the house; but the musicians were so pleased with their quarters that they took up their abode there; and there they are, I dare say, at this very day.

だが真夜中ごろ、盗賊たちは遠くから灯りが消えて何もかも静かそうなのを見て、慌てて逃げすぎたのではないかと思いはじめた。そしてそのうち、ほかの者より大胆な一人が、どうなっているか見に行った。何もかも静かなのを見て、彼は台所へ入り、蠟燭をともそうと手探りでマッチを見つけた。そして猫のきらめく火のような目を見つけると、それを熾火だと思い違えて、マッチを近づけて火を点けようとした。だがこの冗談が通じない猫は、その顔に跳びかかり、唾を吐き、引っ掻いた。彼はこれにひどく怯えて裏口へ逃げたが、そこで犬が跳び上がって脚に噛みついた。そして庭を横切ると驢馬が蹴りつけ、物音で目を覚ましていた雄鶏がありったけの力でときを作った。そこで盗賊は力のかぎり仲間のところへ走り戻り、頭目にこう話した。おそろしい魔女が家に入り込んでいて、自分に唾を吐きかけ、長い骨ばった指で顔を引っ掻いた。刃物を手にした男が戸の後ろに隠れていて、脚を刺した。黒い怪物が庭に立っていて棍棒で殴った。そして悪魔が家のてっぺんに座って「そのならず者をここへ放り上げろ」と叫んだ、と。それからというもの、盗賊たちは二度とあの家へ戻る勇気がなかった。だが楽師たちは宿がすっかり気に入って、そこに住みついた。そして今日この日も、きっとそこにいることだろう。