Briar Rose

A king and queen once upon a time reigned in a country a great way off, where there were in those days fairies. Now this king and queen had plenty of money, and plenty of fine clothes to wear, and plenty of good things to eat and drink, and a coach to ride out in every day: but though they had been married many years they had no children, and this grieved them very much indeed. But one day as the queen was walking by the side of the river, at the bottom of the garden, she saw a poor little fish, that had thrown itself out of the water, and lay gasping and nearly dead on the bank. Then the queen took pity on the little fish, and threw it back again into the river; and before it swam away it lifted its head out of the water and said, ‘I know what your wish is, and it shall be fulfilled, in return for your kindness to me--you will soon have a daughter.’ What the little fish had foretold soon came to pass; and the queen had a little girl, so very beautiful that the king could not cease looking on it for joy, and said he would hold a great feast and make merry, and show the child to all the land. So he asked his kinsmen, and nobles, and friends, and neighbours. But the queen said, ‘I will have the fairies also, that they might be kind and good to our little daughter.’ Now there were thirteen fairies in the kingdom; but as the king and queen had only twelve golden dishes for them to eat out of, they were forced to leave one of the fairies without asking her. So twelve fairies came, each with a high red cap on her head, and red shoes with high heels on her feet, and a long white wand in her hand: and after the feast was over they gathered round in a ring and gave all their best gifts to the little princess. One gave her goodness, another beauty, another riches, and so on till she had all that was good in the world.

むかし、はるか遠い国に王と王妃が治めていた。その国には当時、妖精たちがいた。さてこの王と王妃には金もたっぷり、着る立派な衣もたっぷり、飲み食いするよいものもたっぷりあり、毎日乗り出す馬車もあった。だが長年連れ添っても子がなく、それが二人をひどく悲しませていた。ところがある日、王妃が庭の奥の川べりを歩いていると、水から身を躍らせて岸で喘ぎ、死にかけている小さな魚が目に入った。そこで王妃はこの小さな魚を憐れんで、川へ投げ戻してやった。すると魚は泳ぎ去る前に水から頭を出して言った。「あなたの願いは知っています。わたしへのご親切の返礼に、それはかなえられましょう。あなたにはまもなく娘が生まれます」小さな魚が告げたことはまもなく実現し、王妃は女の子を産んだ。その子があまりに美しかったので、王は喜んで見つめるのをやめられず、大きな祝宴を催して楽しみ、この子を国じゅうに見せようと言った。そこで王は親類や貴族や友人や隣人を招いた。だが王妃は言った。「妖精たちも招きましょう。わたしたちの小さな娘にやさしく善くしてくれるように」さてこの国には十三人の妖精がいたが、王と王妃には彼女らの食事に使う金の皿が十二枚しかなかったので、一人だけ招かずにおくほかなかった。そこで十二人の妖精が来た。それぞれ高い赤い帽子をかぶり、踵の高い赤い靴を履き、手に長い白い杖を持っていた。そして宴が終わると、妖精たちは輪になって集まり、この小さな姫にとっておきの贈りものをすべて与えた。一人は善良さを、一人は美しさを、一人は富を、そうしてこの子は世にあるよいものをすべて授かった。

Just as eleven of them had done blessing her, a great noise was heard in the courtyard, and word was brought that the thirteenth fairy was come, with a black cap on her head, and black shoes on her feet, and a broomstick in her hand: and presently up she came into the dining-hall. Now, as she had not been asked to the feast she was very angry, and scolded the king and queen very much, and set to work to take her revenge. So she cried out, ‘The king’s daughter shall, in her fifteenth year, be wounded by a spindle, and fall down dead.’ Then the twelfth of the friendly fairies, who had not yet given her gift, came forward, and said that the evil wish must be fulfilled, but that she could soften its mischief; so her gift was, that the king’s daughter, when the spindle wounded her, should not really die, but should only fall asleep for a hundred years.

そのうち十一人が祝福を終えたちょうどそのとき、中庭で大きな物音がして、十三人目の妖精が来たと知らされた。黒い帽子をかぶり、黒い靴を履き、手に箒の柄を持っていた。そしてまもなく彼女は食堂へ上がってきた。さて彼女は宴に招かれなかったのでたいそう腹を立てていて、王と王妃をさんざん罵り、仕返しにとりかかった。そこで彼女は叫んだ。「王の娘は十五になる年に紡錘で傷つけられ、倒れて死ぬであろう」するとまだ贈りものをしていなかった十二人目の親切な妖精が進み出て、その悪い願いは果たされねばならないが、その害を和らげることはできると言った。そこでその贈りものは、王の娘が紡錘で傷つけられても実際には死なず、ただ百年のあいだ眠りに落ちるだけ、というものだった。

However, the king hoped still to save his dear child altogether from the threatened evil; so he ordered that all the spindles in the kingdom should be bought up and burnt. But all the gifts of the first eleven fairies were in the meantime fulfilled; for the princess was so beautiful, and well behaved, and good, and wise, that everyone who knew her loved her.

だが王はそれでもいとしい子をこの脅威からすっかり救いたいと望んだので、国じゅうの紡錘を買い上げて焼き払えと命じた。だがそのあいだに最初の十一人の妖精の贈りものはみな果たされた。姫はたいそう美しく、行儀よく、善良で賢かったので、知る者はみな姫を愛したのである。

It happened that, on the very day she was fifteen years old, the king and queen were not at home, and she was left alone in the palace. So she roved about by herself, and looked at all the rooms and chambers, till at last she came to an old tower, to which there was a narrow staircase ending with a little door. In the door there was a golden key, and when she turned it the door sprang open, and there sat an old lady spinning away very busily. ‘Why, how now, good mother,’ said the princess; ‘what are you doing there?’ ‘Spinning,’ said the old lady, and nodded her head, humming a tune, while buzz! went the wheel. ‘How prettily that little thing turns round!’ said the princess, and took the spindle and began to try and spin. But scarcely had she touched it, before the fairy’s prophecy was fulfilled; the spindle wounded her, and she fell down lifeless on the ground.

ところがちょうど十五になった日に、王と王妃は家におらず、姫はひとり宮殿に残された。そこで姫はひとりであちこち歩きまわり、部屋という部屋を見てまわって、とうとう古い塔にたどり着いた。そこには狭い階段があって、小さな戸で終わっていた。その戸には金の鍵があり、姫がそれを回すと戸が開いて、年老いた婦人がたいそうせっせと糸を紡いでいた。「まあ、おばあさん」と姫は言った。「そこで何をしているの」「糸を紡いでいるのさ」と老婦人は言って首を動かし、節を口ずさんだ。そのあいだ糸車はぶんぶん回っていた。「あの小さなものがくるくる回るのはなんときれいでしょう」と姫は言って、紡錘を取って紡いでみようとした。だが触れるか触れないかのうちに、妖精の予言は果たされた。紡錘が姫を傷つけ、姫は命を失ったように地に倒れた。

However, she was not dead, but had only fallen into a deep sleep; and the king and the queen, who had just come home, and all their court, fell asleep too; and the horses slept in the stables, and the dogs in the court, the pigeons on the house-top, and the very flies slept upon the walls. Even the fire on the hearth left off blazing, and went to sleep; the jack stopped, and the spit that was turning about with a goose upon it for the king’s dinner stood still; and the cook, who was at that moment pulling the kitchen-boy by the hair to give him a box on the ear for something he had done amiss, let him go, and both fell asleep; the butler, who was slyly tasting the ale, fell asleep with the jug at his lips: and thus everything stood still, and slept soundly.

だが姫は死んだのではなく、ただ深い眠りに落ちただけだった。そしてちょうど帰ってきた王と王妃も、宮廷じゅうの者も眠り込んだ。厩の馬も、庭の犬も、屋根の鳩も、壁の蠅までも眠った。炉の火さえ燃えるのをやめて眠りについた。焼き串の仕掛けは止まり、王の夕食の鵞鳥を刺して回っていた串も動かなくなった。そして料理番は、ちょうど何かしくじった台所の小僧の髪をつかんで殴ろうとしていたが、その手を放して二人とも眠り込んだ。こっそりエールを味見していた給仕頭は、壺を唇に当てたまま眠り込んだ。こうして何もかもが止まり、ぐっすり眠った。

A large hedge of thorns soon grew round the palace, and every year it became higher and thicker; till at last the old palace was surrounded and hidden, so that not even the roof or the chimneys could be seen. But there went a report through all the land of the beautiful sleeping Briar Rose (for so the king’s daughter was called): so that, from time to time, several kings’ sons came, and tried to break through the thicket into the palace. This, however, none of them could ever do; for the thorns and bushes laid hold of them, as it were with hands; and there they stuck fast, and died wretchedly.

まもなく宮殿のまわりに大きないばらの垣が生えて、年ごとに高く厚くなり、とうとう古い宮殿はすっかり囲まれて隠れ、屋根も煙突も見えなくなった。だが国じゅうに、眠れる美しいいばら姫の噂が広まった(王の娘はそう呼ばれていたのである)。そこで時おり、王の息子たちが何人もやってきて、茂みを突き抜けて宮殿に入ろうとした。だが誰ひとりそれをやり遂げられなかった。いばらと茂みが手のように彼らをつかまえ、そこに固く捕らわれて、みじめに死んだのである。

After many, many years there came a king’s son into that land: and an old man told him the story of the thicket of thorns; and how a beautiful palace stood behind it, and how a wonderful princess, called Briar Rose, lay in it asleep, with all her court. He told, too, how he had heard from his grandfather that many, many princes had come, and had tried to break through the thicket, but that they had all stuck fast in it, and died. Then the young prince said, ‘All this shall not frighten me; I will go and see this Briar Rose.’ The old man tried to hinder him, but he was bent upon going.

長い長い年月ののち、一人の王の息子がその国にやってきた。そして年老いた男が、いばらの茂みの話を彼に語った。その向こうには美しい宮殿があって、いばら姫と呼ばれる不思議な姫が宮廷じゅうの者とともに眠っている、と。老人は祖父から聞いた話も語った。多くの多くの王子が来て茂みを突き抜けようとしたが、みなそこに捕らわれて死んだ、と。すると若い王子は言った。「そんなことはわたしを怖がらせはしない。行って、このいばら姫を見よう」老人は止めようとしたが、王子は行く決心を固めていた。

Now that very day the hundred years were ended; and as the prince came to the thicket he saw nothing but beautiful flowering shrubs, through which he went with ease, and they shut in after him as thick as ever. Then he came at last to the palace, and there in the court lay the dogs asleep; and the horses were standing in the stables; and on the roof sat the pigeons fast asleep, with their heads under their wings. And when he came into the palace, the flies were sleeping on the walls; the spit was standing still; the butler had the jug of ale at his lips, going to drink a draught; the maid sat with a fowl in her lap ready to be plucked; and the cook in the kitchen was still holding up her hand, as if she was going to beat the boy.

さてちょうどその日、百年が終わっていた。そして王子が茂みに来ると、そこには美しい花をつけた低木しかなく、彼はやすやすとそこを通り抜け、木々は彼の後ろでまた元のように密に閉じた。そしてとうとう宮殿にたどり着くと、中庭には犬が眠って横たわり、馬は厩に立っていた。屋根には鳩が翼の下に頭を入れてぐっすり眠っていた。そして宮殿に入ると、蠅が壁で眠っていて、焼き串は止まっていた。給仕頭は壺を唇に当てて、ひと口飲もうとしていた。下女は膝に毛をむしるばかりの鶏を載せて座っていた。そして台所の料理番は、小僧を殴ろうとするかのように手を上げたままだった。

Then he went on still farther, and all was so still that he could hear every breath he drew; till at last he came to the old tower, and opened the door of the little room in which Briar Rose was; and there she lay, fast asleep on a couch by the window. She looked so beautiful that he could not take his eyes off her, so he stooped down and gave her a kiss. But the moment he kissed her she opened her eyes and awoke, and smiled upon him; and they went out together; and soon the king and queen also awoke, and all the court, and gazed on each other with great wonder. And the horses shook themselves, and the dogs jumped up and barked; the pigeons took their heads from under their wings, and looked about and flew into the fields; the flies on the walls buzzed again; the fire in the kitchen blazed up; round went the jack, and round went the spit, with the goose for the king’s dinner upon it; the butler finished his draught of ale; the maid went on plucking the fowl; and the cook gave the boy the box on his ear.

それから彼はさらに進んだ。何もかも静まり返っていて、自分の息づかいがひとつひとつ聞こえるほどだった。そしてとうとう古い塔にたどり着き、いばら姫のいる小さな部屋の戸を開けた。そこに姫が、窓辺の長椅子でぐっすり眠って横たわっていた。あまりに美しかったので彼は目を離せず、身をかがめて口づけした。だが口づけしたとたん、姫は目を開けて目覚め、彼に微笑みかけた。そして二人は一緒に出ていった。まもなく王も王妃も目覚め、宮廷じゅうの者も目覚めて、驚きに満ちて顔を見合わせた。庭の馬は身震いし、犬は跳び上がって吠えた。鳩は翼の下から頭を出し、あたりを見まわして野へ飛んでいった。壁の蠅はまたぶんぶん鳴りはじめ、台所の火は燃え上がった。焼き串の仕掛けは回り、王の夕食の鵞鳥を刺した串も回った。給仕頭はエールをひと口飲み干し、下女は鶏の毛をむしりつづけ、料理番は小僧を殴った。

And then the prince and Briar Rose were married, and the wedding feast was given; and they lived happily together all their lives long.

そして王子といばら姫は結婚し、婚礼の宴が催された。そして二人は生涯を幸せに暮らした。