How They Went to the Mountains to Eat Nuts

‘The nuts are quite ripe now,’ said Chanticleer to his wife Partlet, ‘suppose we go together to the mountains, and eat as many as we can, before the squirrel takes them all away.’ ‘With all my heart,’ said Partlet, ‘let us go and make a holiday of it together.’

「胡桃がすっかり熟したよ」とコケコッコーは妻のパートレットに言った。「栗鼠にみんな持っていかれる前に、一緒に山へ行って食べられるだけ食べないか」「喜んで」とパートレットは言った。「一緒に行って休日にしましょう」

So they went to the mountains; and as it was a lovely day, they stayed there till the evening. Now, whether it was that they had eaten so many nuts that they could not walk, or whether they were lazy and would not, I do not know: however, they took it into their heads that it did not become them to go home on foot. So Chanticleer began to build a little carriage of nutshells: and when it was finished, Partlet jumped into it and sat down, and bid Chanticleer harness himself to it and draw her home. ‘That’s a good joke!’ said Chanticleer; ‘no, that will never do; I had rather by half walk home; I’ll sit on the box and be coachman, if you like, but I’ll not draw.’ While this was passing, a duck came quacking up and cried out, ‘You thieving vagabonds, what business have you in my grounds? I’ll give it you well for your insolence!’ and upon that she fell upon Chanticleer most lustily. But Chanticleer was no coward, and returned the duck’s blows with his sharp spurs so fiercely that she soon began to cry out for mercy; which was only granted her upon condition that she would draw the carriage home for them. This she agreed to do; and Chanticleer got upon the box, and drove, crying, ‘Now, duck, get on as fast as you can.’ And away they went at a pretty good pace.

そこで二羽は山へ行った。そして気持ちのよい日だったので、夕方までそこにいた。さて、胡桃を食べすぎて歩けなかったのか、それとも怠けて歩きたくなかったのか、それは分からない。だがとにかく二羽は、歩いて帰るのは自分たちにふさわしくないと思いついた。そこでコケコッコーは胡桃の殻で小さな馬車をこしらえはじめた。そしてできあがると、パートレットは跳び乗って座り、コケコッコーに、自分でそれを引いて家まで運べと言いつけた。「面白い冗談だ」とコケコッコーは言った。「いや、それはいけない。歩いて帰るほうがずっとましだ。おまえがよければ御者台に座って馭者はするが、引くのはごめんだ」そんなやりとりをしていると、家鴨がガアガア鳴きながらやってきて叫んだ。「この盗人の浮浪者め、わたしの土地で何をしている。その無礼を思い知らせてやる」そう言って家鴨は力いっぱいコケコッコーに襲いかかった。だがコケコッコーは臆病者ではなく、鋭い蹴爪で家鴨の打撃を激しく返したので、家鴨はまもなく許してくれと叫びはじめた。許しは、家鴨が馬車を家まで引くという条件でのみ与えられた。家鴨はそうすると承知し、コケコッコーは御者台に上がって、こう叫びながら馭した。「さあ家鴨、できるだけ速く進め」そして一行はかなりの速さで出発した。

After they had travelled along a little way, they met a needle and a pin walking together along the road: and the needle cried out, ‘Stop, stop!’ and said it was so dark that they could hardly find their way, and such dirty walking they could not get on at all: he told them that he and his friend, the pin, had been at a public-house a few miles off, and had sat drinking till they had forgotten how late it was; he begged therefore that the travellers would be so kind as to give them a lift in their carriage. Chanticleer observing that they were but thin fellows, and not likely to take up much room, told them they might ride, but made them promise not to dirty the wheels of the carriage in getting in, nor to tread on Partlet’s toes.

少し進むと、一行は針とピンが連れ立って道を歩いているのに出会った。すると針が叫んだ。「止まって、止まって」そして、あまりに暗くて道が分からないし、こんなにぬかるんでいてはまるで進めないと言った。針は、自分と友のピンが数マイル先の居酒屋にいて、こんなに遅くなったのも忘れて飲みつづけていたのだと話した。そこで、どうか馬車に乗せてくださいと旅人たちに頼んだ。コケコッコーは、二人とも細っこいやつらで場所も取るまいと見て取って、乗ってよいと言ったが、乗るときに馬車の車輪を汚さないこと、パートレットの爪先を踏まないことを約束させた。

Late at night they arrived at an inn; and as it was bad travelling in the dark, and the duck seemed much tired, and waddled about a good deal from one side to the other, they made up their minds to fix their quarters there: but the landlord at first was unwilling, and said his house was full, thinking they might not be very respectable company: however, they spoke civilly to him, and gave him the egg which Partlet had laid by the way, and said they would give him the duck, who was in the habit of laying one every day: so at last he let them come in, and they bespoke a handsome supper, and spent the evening very jollily.

夜遅く、一行は宿屋に着いた。暗いなかを進むのは大変だったし、家鴨もひどく疲れて左右によろよろしていたので、そこに宿を取ることにした。だが宿の主人ははじめ気が進まず、家はいっぱいだと言った。あまり立派な連中ではないと思ったのである。だが一行は丁重に話しかけ、パートレットが道中で産んだ卵を渡し、毎日一つ産む習いの家鴨も差し上げると言った。そこでとうとう主人は入れてくれ、一行は立派な夕食を注文して、たいそう陽気に夕べを過ごした。

Early in the morning, before it was quite light, and when nobody was stirring in the inn, Chanticleer awakened his wife, and, fetching the egg, they pecked a hole in it, ate it up, and threw the shells into the fireplace: they then went to the pin and needle, who were fast asleep, and seizing them by the heads, stuck one into the landlord’s easy chair and the other into his handkerchief; and, having done this, they crept away as softly as possible. However, the duck, who slept in the open air in the yard, heard them coming, and jumping into the brook which ran close by the inn, soon swam out of their reach.

朝早く、まだ明るくならず、宿の誰も動いていないうちに、コケコッコーは妻を起こし、あの卵を取ってきて穴を突いて中身を食べ、殻は暖炉に放り込んだ。それからぐっすり眠っている針とピンのところへ行き、頭をつかんで、一方を主人の安楽椅子に、もう一方をその手巾に刺し込んだ。そしてそれを済ませると、できるだけ静かに抜け出した。ところが庭の外で寝ていた家鴨が二羽の来る音を聞きつけ、宿のすぐそばを流れる小川に跳び込んで、たちまち手の届かないところへ泳いでいった。

An hour or two afterwards the landlord got up, and took his handkerchief to wipe his face, but the pin ran into him and pricked him: then he walked into the kitchen to light his pipe at the fire, but when he stirred it up the eggshells flew into his eyes, and almost blinded him. ‘Bless me!’ said he, ‘all the world seems to have a design against my head this morning’: and so saying, he threw himself sulkily into his easy chair; but, oh dear! the needle ran into him; and this time the pain was not in his head. He now flew into a very great passion, and, suspecting the company who had come in the night before, he went to look after them, but they were all off; so he swore that he never again would take in such a troop of vagabonds, who ate a great deal, paid no reckoning, and gave him nothing for his trouble but their apish tricks.

一、二時間して主人が起き、顔を拭こうと手巾を取ると、ピンが刺さって彼を突いた。それから彼は煙草に火をつけようと台所へ行ったが、火を掻き立てると卵の殻が目に飛び込んできて、あやうく見えなくなるところだった。「なんてことだ」と彼は言った。「今朝は世界じゅうがおれの頭を狙っているらしい」そう言って不機嫌に安楽椅子に身を投げた。だが、ああ、針が彼に刺さった。そして今度は痛みが頭ではなかった。彼はたいそう怒り狂い、昨夜入ってきた連中を疑って探しに行ったが、みな行ってしまっていた。そこで彼は誓った。あんな浮浪者の一団は二度と泊めるものか、あれはたらふく食べて宿代も払わず、その厄介の代わりに猿芝居しか残していかなかった、と。