Fundevogel

There was once a forester who went into the forest to hunt, and as he entered it he heard a sound of screaming as if a little child were there. He followed the sound, and at last came to a high tree, and at the top of this a little child was sitting, for the mother had fallen asleep under the tree with the child, and a bird of prey had seen it in her arms, had flown down, snatched it away, and set it on the high tree.

むかし、ひとりの森番が狩りに森へ入った。そして森に入ると、小さな子どもがいるかのような叫び声が聞こえた。彼はその声をたどっていって、とうとう高い木のところに来た。そしてその梢に小さな子が座っていた。母親が子とともに木の下で眠り込んでいて、猛禽がその腕のなかの子を見つけて舞い下り、さらって高い木に置いたのである。

The forester climbed up, brought the child down, and thought to himself: ‘You will take him home with you, and bring him up with your Lina.’ He took it home, therefore, and the two children grew up together. And the one, which he had found on a tree was called Fundevogel, because a bird had carried it away. Fundevogel and Lina loved each other so dearly that when they did not see each other they were sad.

森番はよじ登って子を下ろし、心のうちで思った。「この子を家へ連れて帰って、うちのリーナと一緒に育てよう」そこで彼は子を家へ連れ帰り、二人の子は一緒に育った。そして木の上で見つけたほうの子は、鳥が運んでいったので見つけ鳥と呼ばれた。見つけ鳥とリーナは互いをたいそう愛していて、顔を合わせないと悲しくなるほどだった。

Now the forester had an old cook, who one evening took two pails and began to fetch water, and did not go once only, but many times, out to the spring. Lina saw this and said, ‘Listen, old Sanna, why are you fetching so much water?’ ‘If you will never repeat it to anyone, I will tell you why.’ So Lina said, no, she would never repeat it to anyone, and then the cook said: ‘Early tomorrow morning, when the forester is out hunting, I will heat the water, and when it is boiling in the kettle, I will throw in Fundevogel, and will boil him in it.’

さて森番には年老いた料理番がいて、ある晩、手桶を二つ取って水を汲みはじめ、一度ならず何度も泉へ出ていった。リーナはそれを見て言った。「ねえ、ザンナばあや、どうしてそんなにたくさん水を汲んでいるの」「誰にも言わないと約束するなら、訳を話してあげよう」そこでリーナは、いいえ、誰にも言いませんと言った。すると料理番は言った。「明日の朝早く、森番さまが狩りに出たら、わたしは水を沸かす。そして釜で煮え立ったら、見つけ鳥をそこへ放り込んで煮てしまうのさ」

Early next morning the forester got up and went out hunting, and when he was gone the children were still in bed. Then Lina said to Fundevogel: ‘If you will never leave me, I too will never leave you.’ Fundevogel said: ‘Neither now, nor ever will I leave you.’ Then said Lina: ‘Then will I tell you. Last night, old Sanna carried so many buckets of water into the house that I asked her why she was doing that, and she said that if I would promise not to tell anyone, and she said that early tomorrow morning when father was out hunting, she would set the kettle full of water, throw you into it and boil you; but we will get up quickly, dress ourselves, and go away together.’

翌朝早く、森番は起きて狩りに出かけた。彼が行ってしまっても、子どもたちはまだ寝床にいた。そこでリーナは見つけ鳥に言った。「あなたがけっしてわたしを離さないなら、わたしもけっしてあなたを離さない」見つけ鳥は言った。「今も、これからも、けっして離さないよ」そこでリーナは言った。「では話すわ。昨夜、ザンナばあやが家へたくさんの水を運び込んだので、どうしてなのと訊いたの。そうしたら、誰にも言わないと約束するならと言って、明日の朝早くお父さまが狩りに出たら、釜に水をいっぱい入れて、あなたをそこへ放り込んで煮るのだと言ったのよ。でもわたしたち、すぐ起きて着替えて、一緒に逃げましょう」

The two children therefore got up, dressed themselves quickly, and went away. When the water in the kettle was boiling, the cook went into the bedroom to fetch Fundevogel and throw him into it. But when she came in, and went to the beds, both the children were gone. Then she was terribly alarmed, and she said to herself: ‘What shall I say now when the forester comes home and sees that the children are gone? They must be followed instantly to get them back again.’

そこで二人の子は起きて素早く着替え、逃げ出した。釜の水が煮え立つと、料理番は見つけ鳥をつかまえて放り込もうと寝間へ行った。ところが入って寝床のところへ行くと、二人の子はどちらもいなかった。そこで彼女はひどく慌てて、ひとりごとを言った。「森番さまが帰ってきて子どもたちがいないのを見たら、なんと言えばよいのだろう。すぐに追いかけて連れ戻さねばならない」

Then the cook sent three servants after them, who were to run and overtake the children. The children, however, were sitting outside the forest, and when they saw from afar the three servants running, Lina said to Fundevogel: ‘Never leave me, and I will never leave you.’ Fundevogel said: ‘Neither now, nor ever.’ Then said Lina: ‘Do you become a rose-tree, and I the rose upon it.’ When the three servants came to the forest, nothing was there but a rose-tree and one rose on it, but the children were nowhere. Then said they: ‘There is nothing to be done here,’ and they went home and told the cook that they had seen nothing in the forest but a little rose-bush with one rose on it. Then the old cook scolded and said: ‘You simpletons, you should have cut the rose-bush in two, and have broken off the rose and brought it home with you; go, and do it at once.’ They had therefore to go out and look for the second time. The children, however, saw them coming from a distance. Then Lina said: ‘Fundevogel, never leave me, and I will never leave you.’ Fundevogel said: ‘Neither now; nor ever.’ Said Lina: ‘Then do you become a church, and I’ll be the chandelier in it.’ So when the three servants came, nothing was there but a church, with a chandelier in it. They said therefore to each other: ‘What can we do here, let us go home.’ When they got home, the cook asked if they had not found them; so they said no, they had found nothing but a church, and there was a chandelier in it. And the cook scolded them and said: ‘You fools! why did you not pull the church to pieces, and bring the chandelier home with you?’ And now the old cook herself got on her legs, and went with the three servants in pursuit of the children. The children, however, saw from afar that the three servants were coming, and the cook waddling after them. Then said Lina: ‘Fundevogel, never leave me, and I will never leave you.’ Then said Fundevogel: ‘Neither now, nor ever.’ Said Lina: ‘Be a fishpond, and I will be the duck upon it.’ The cook, however, came up to them, and when she saw the pond she lay down by it, and was about to drink it up. But the duck swam quickly to her, seized her head in its beak and drew her into the water, and there the old witch had to drown. Then the children went home together, and were heartily delighted, and if they have not died, they are living still.

そこで料理番は三人の下男をあとから遣わし、走って子どもたちに追いつかせようとした。だが子どもたちは森の外に座っていて、遠くから三人の下男が走ってくるのを見ると、リーナは見つけ鳥に言った。「わたしを離さないで。わたしもけっしてあなたを離さない」見つけ鳥は言った。「今も、これからも、けっして」そこでリーナは言った。「あなたは薔薇の木におなり。わたしはその上の薔薇になる」三人の下男が森に来てみると、薔薇の木が一本と、その上に薔薇が一輪あるきりで、子どもたちはどこにもいなかった。そこで三人は言った。「ここでは何もできない」そして家へ帰って料理番に、森で見たのは薔薇が一輪ついた小さな薔薇の茂みだけだったと話した。すると年老いた料理番は叱って言った。「この間抜けども、その薔薇の茂みを二つに切って、薔薇を折り取って持ち帰るべきだったのだ。さあ、すぐに行っておやり」そこで三人はまた出かけて二度目の捜索をせねばならなかった。だが子どもたちは遠くから三人が来るのを見た。そこでリーナは言った。「見つけ鳥、わたしを離さないで。わたしもけっしてあなたを離さない」見つけ鳥は言った。「今も、これからも、けっして」リーナは言った。「では、あなたは教会におなり。わたしはそのなかの吊り燭台になる」そこで三人の下男が来てみると、教会が一つあって、そのなかに吊り燭台があるきりだった。そこで三人は互いに言い合った。「ここで何ができよう。帰ろう」帰り着くと、料理番は見つけたかと尋ねた。そこで三人は、いいえ、教会があって、そのなかに吊り燭台があっただけです、と言った。すると料理番は叱って言った。「この愚か者ども。なぜその教会をばらばらにして、吊り燭台を持ち帰らなかったのだ」そして今度は年老いた料理番自身が立ち上がり、三人の下男とともに子どもたちを追った。だが子どもたちは遠くから、三人の下男が来て、その後ろを料理番がよたよた歩いてくるのを見た。そこでリーナは言った。「見つけ鳥、わたしを離さないで。わたしもけっしてあなたを離さない」すると見つけ鳥は言った。「今も、これからも、けっして」リーナは言った。「池におなり。わたしはその上の家鴨になる」ところが料理番が来て池を見ると、そのそばに寝そべって飲み干そうとした。だが家鴨は素早く泳いできて、嘴でその頭をつかんで水へ引き込み、そこでこの年老いた魔女は溺れるほかなかった。それから子どもたちは一緒に家へ帰り、心から喜んだ。そして死んでいなければ、今も生きている。