The Mouse, the Bird, and the Sausage

Once upon a time, a mouse, a bird, and a sausage, entered into partnership and set up house together. For a long time all went well; they lived in great comfort, and prospered so far as to be able to add considerably to their stores. The bird’s duty was to fly daily into the wood and bring in fuel; the mouse fetched the water, and the sausage saw to the cooking.

むかし、鼠と鳥と腸詰が仲間になって、一緒に所帯を持った。長いあいだ何もかもうまくいっていた。三人はたいそう心地よく暮らし、蓄えをかなり増やせるほど栄えた。鳥の務めは毎日森へ飛んでいって薪を持ってくることで、鼠は水を汲み、腸詰は煮炊きを受け持った。

When people are too well off they always begin to long for something new. And so it came to pass, that the bird, while out one day, met a fellow bird, to whom he boastfully expatiated on the excellence of his household arrangements. But the other bird sneered at him for being a poor simpleton, who did all the hard work, while the other two stayed at home and had a good time of it. For, when the mouse had made the fire and fetched in the water, she could retire into her little room and rest until it was time to set the table. The sausage had only to watch the pot to see that the food was properly cooked, and when it was near dinner-time, he just threw himself into the broth, or rolled in and out among the vegetables three or four times, and there they were, buttered, and salted, and ready to be served. Then, when the bird came home and had laid aside his burden, they sat down to table, and when they had finished their meal, they could sleep their fill till the following morning: and that was really a very delightful life.

人は暮らしが良すぎると、いつも何か新しいものを求めはじめるものである。そうしたわけで、ある日出かけた鳥が同じ鳥仲間に出会って、自分の家の取り決めがいかに立派かを自慢げに述べ立てた。ところがもう一羽の鳥は、おまえはつらい仕事をすべて引き受けている哀れな間抜けで、ほかの二人は家にいて楽しく過ごしているではないかとあざけった。というのも、鼠は火を起こして水を汲んでしまえば、自分の小部屋に引っ込んで、食卓の支度の時まで休んでいられる。腸詰はただ鍋を見張って食べものがちゃんと煮えているか見ていればよく、食事の時が近づけば、煮汁に身を投じるか、野菜のあいだを三、四度転がるだけで、料理はバタと塩が効いて出す支度が整う。そして鳥が帰ってきて荷を下ろすと、三人は食卓につき、食事を終えると翌朝まで心ゆくまで眠れる。それは実に心地よい暮らしだ、というのである。

Influenced by those remarks, the bird next morning refused to bring in the wood, telling the others that he had been their servant long enough, and had been a fool into the bargain, and that it was now time to make a change, and to try some other way of arranging the work. Beg and pray as the mouse and the sausage might, it was of no use; the bird remained master of the situation, and the venture had to be made. They therefore drew lots, and it fell to the sausage to bring in the wood, to the mouse to cook, and to the bird to fetch the water.

この言葉に影響されて、翌朝、鳥は薪を運ぶのを拒み、ほかの二人に、自分はもう十分長く召使いを務めたし、おまけに間抜けだった、そろそろ変えて別のやり方で仕事を割り振ってみる時だと告げた。鼠と腸詰がどれほど頼んでも願っても無駄だった。鳥がこの場を支配していて、やってみるほかなかった。そこで三人は籤を引き、腸詰が薪を運び、鼠が煮炊きをし、鳥が水を汲むことになった。

And now what happened? The sausage started in search of wood, the bird made the fire, and the mouse put on the pot, and then these two waited till the sausage returned with the fuel for the following day. But the sausage remained so long away, that they became uneasy, and the bird flew out to meet him. He had not flown far, however, when he came across a dog who, having met the sausage, had regarded him as his legitimate booty, and so seized and swallowed him. The bird complained to the dog of this bare-faced robbery, but nothing he said was of any avail, for the dog answered that he found false credentials on the sausage, and that was the reason his life had been forfeited.

さて何が起きたか。腸詰は薪を探しに出かけ、鳥は火を起こし、鼠は鍋をかけた。そしてこの二人は、腸詰が翌日ぶんの薪を持って帰るのを待っていた。だが腸詰があまりに長く戻らないので、二人は落ち着かなくなり、鳥が迎えに飛び出した。だがいくらも飛ばないうちに、一匹の犬に出くわした。犬は腸詰に出会って、当然の獲物と見なし、つかまえて呑み込んでしまったのである。鳥はこの露骨な強奪について犬に抗議したが、何を言っても無駄だった。犬は、腸詰が偽の身分証を持っていたから命を失ったのだと答えたのである。

He picked up the wood, and flew sadly home, and told the mouse all he had seen and heard. They were both very unhappy, but agreed to make the best of things and to remain with one another.

鳥は薪を拾い上げ、悲しみながら家へ飛んで帰り、見聞きしたことをすべて鼠に話した。二人ともたいそう不幸せだったが、できるだけのことをして互いに一緒にいようと決めた。

So now the bird set the table, and the mouse looked after the food and, wishing to prepare it in the same way as the sausage, by rolling in and out among the vegetables to salt and butter them, she jumped into the pot; but she stopped short long before she reached the bottom, having already parted not only with her skin and hair, but also with life.

そこで今度は鳥が食卓の支度をし、鼠が食べものの世話をした。そして腸詰と同じやり方で、野菜のあいだを転がって塩とバタを効かせようとして、鍋のなかに跳び込んだ。だが底に着くずっと手前で止まってしまい、皮と毛だけでなく命までも手放していた。

Presently the bird came in and wanted to serve up the dinner, but he could nowhere see the cook. In his alarm and flurry, he threw the wood here and there about the floor, called and searched, but no cook was to be found. Then some of the wood that had been carelessly thrown down, caught fire and began to blaze. The bird hastened to fetch some water, but his pail fell into the well, and he after it, and as he was unable to recover himself, he was drowned.

まもなく鳥が入ってきて食事を出そうとしたが、料理番がどこにも見えなかった。驚きうろたえて、鳥は薪をあちこち床に投げ散らし、呼んだり探したりしたが、料理番は見つからなかった。すると不注意に投げ散らされた薪のいくつかに火がついて燃えはじめた。鳥は急いで水を汲みに行ったが、桶が井戸に落ち、鳥もそのあとを追って落ち、上がれなくなって溺れてしまった。