Mother Holle

Once upon a time there was a widow who had two daughters; one of them was beautiful and industrious, the other ugly and lazy. The mother, however, loved the ugly and lazy one best, because she was her own daughter, and so the other, who was only her stepdaughter, was made to do all the work of the house, and was quite the Cinderella of the family. Her stepmother sent her out every day to sit by the well in the high road, there to spin until she made her fingers bleed. Now it chanced one day that some blood fell on to the spindle, and as the girl stopped over the well to wash it off, the spindle suddenly sprang out of her hand and fell into the well. She ran home crying to tell of her misfortune, but her stepmother spoke harshly to her, and after giving her a violent scolding, said unkindly, ‘As you have let the spindle fall into the well you may go yourself and fetch it out.’

むかし、娘が二人ある寡婦がいた。一人は美しく働き者で、もう一人は醜く怠け者だった。だが母は醜く怠け者のほうを何より愛していた。それが自分の実の娘だったからである。そのため、継娘にすぎないもう一人が家の仕事をすべてさせられ、まったく一家の灰かぶりだった。継母は毎日この娘を街道の井戸のそばに座らせ、指から血が出るまで糸を紡がせた。さてある日、糸巻きに血が落ちたので、娘はそれを洗い落とそうと井戸の上に身をかがめた。すると糸巻きが突然手から跳んで、井戸に落ちてしまった。娘は泣きながら家へ走ってこの災難を告げたが、継母は厳しい口をきき、激しく叱りつけたあとで、情け知らずにこう言った。「糸巻きを井戸に落としたのなら、自分で行って取ってきなさい」

The girl went back to the well not knowing what to do, and at last in her distress she jumped into the water after the spindle.

娘はどうしてよいか分からぬまま井戸に戻り、とうとう思いつめて、糸巻きを追って水に跳び込んだ。

She remembered nothing more until she awoke and found herself in a beautiful meadow, full of sunshine, and with countless flowers blooming in every direction.

娘はそれきり何も覚えていなかった。そして目を覚ますと、日ざしにあふれ、そこかしこに数えきれない花が咲く美しい草原にいた。

She walked over the meadow, and presently she came upon a baker’s oven full of bread, and the loaves cried out to her, ‘Take us out, take us out, or alas! we shall be burnt to a cinder; we were baked through long ago.’ So she took the bread-shovel and drew them all out.

娘は草原を歩いていき、まもなくパンでいっぱいのパン窯に行き当たった。すると丸パンたちが叫んだ。「出して、出して。でないと焦げて炭になってしまう。とっくに焼き上がっているのに」そこで娘はパン取りの箆を取って、みな引き出してやった。

She went on a little farther, till she came to a tree full of apples. ‘Shake me, shake me, I pray,’ cried the tree; ‘my apples, one and all, are ripe.’ So she shook the tree, and the apples came falling down upon her like rain; but she continued shaking until there was not a single apple left upon it. Then she carefully gathered the apples together in a heap and walked on again.

娘はもう少し進んで、林檎のたわわになった木に来た。「揺すって、揺すって、お願い」と木は叫んだ。「わたしの林檎はひとつ残らず熟しているの」そこで娘が木を揺すると、林檎は雨のように降り落ちてきた。だが娘は上に一つも残らなくなるまで揺すりつづけた。それから注意深く林檎をひと山に集めて、また歩きはじめた。

The next thing she came to was a little house, and there she saw an old woman looking out, with such large teeth, that she was terrified, and turned to run away. But the old woman called after her, ‘What are you afraid of, dear child? Stay with me; if you will do the work of my house properly for me, I will make you very happy. You must be very careful, however, to make my bed in the right way, for I wish you always to shake it thoroughly, so that the feathers fly about; then they say, down there in the world, that it is snowing; for I am Mother Holle.’ The old woman spoke so kindly, that the girl summoned up courage and agreed to enter into her service.

次に来たのは小さな家で、そこに年老いた女が覗いているのが見えた。だがその歯がたいそう大きかったので、娘は怯えて逃げ出そうと背を向けた。ところが老婆は後ろから呼びかけた。「何を怖がるのだい、かわいい子や。わたしのところにおいで。うちの仕事をきちんとしてくれるなら、たいそう幸せにしてあげよう。ただし、わたしの寝床をきちんと整えるのによくよく気をつけておくれ。いつも念入りに叩いて、羽根が飛び散るようにしてほしいのだよ。そうすると、下の世界では雪が降っているというのさ。わたしはホレおばさんというのだから」老婆がたいそうやさしく話しかけたので、娘は勇気を奮い起こして、その奉公に入ることを承知した。

She took care to do everything according to the old woman’s bidding and every time she made the bed she shook it with all her might, so that the feathers flew about like so many snowflakes. The old woman was as good as her word: she never spoke angrily to her, and gave her roast and boiled meats every day.

娘は老婆の言いつけどおりに何もかもするよう心がけ、寝床を整えるたびに力のかぎり叩いて、羽根が雪片のようにたくさん飛び散るようにした。老婆は言葉どおりの人だった。けっして怒って話しかけることはなく、毎日焼いた肉と煮た肉を出してくれた。

So she stayed on with Mother Holle for some time, and then she began to grow unhappy. She could not at first tell why she felt sad, but she became conscious at last of great longing to go home; then she knew she was homesick, although she was a thousand times better off with Mother Holle than with her mother and sister. After waiting awhile, she went to Mother Holle and said, ‘I am so homesick, that I cannot stay with you any longer, for although I am so happy here, I must return to my own people.’

こうして娘はしばらくホレおばさんのもとにいたが、やがて不幸せになりはじめた。はじめはなぜ悲しいのか分からなかったが、とうとう家へ帰りたいという大きな望みに気づいた。そこで自分が里心にかかっているのだと分かった。ホレおばさんのもとでは、母や姉のもとにいたときの千倍もよい暮らしをしているというのにである。しばらく待ってから、娘はホレおばさんのところへ行って言った。「わたしはあまりに里が恋しくて、これ以上あなたのもとにいられません。ここではこんなに幸せですが、自分の家族のもとへ帰らねばなりません」

Then Mother Holle said, ‘I am pleased that you should want to go back to your own people, and as you have served me so well and faithfully, I will take you home myself.’

するとホレおばさんは言った。「おまえが自分の家族のもとへ帰りたがるのは嬉しいことだよ。そして、たいそうよく忠実に仕えてくれたのだから、わたし自身がおまえを家まで連れていってあげよう」

Thereupon she led the girl by the hand up to a broad gateway. The gate was opened, and as the girl passed through, a shower of gold fell upon her, and the gold clung to her, so that she was covered with it from head to foot.

そう言って老婆は娘の手を取り、広い門まで導いた。門が開かれ、娘がそこを通ると金の雨が降り注ぎ、金は娘にくっついて、頭から足まですっかり覆われた。

‘That is a reward for your industry,’ said Mother Holle, and as she spoke she handed her the spindle which she had dropped into the well.

「それはおまえの働きへの褒美だよ」とホレおばさんは言い、そう言いながら、井戸に落とした糸巻きを手渡した。

The gate was then closed, and the girl found herself back in the old world close to her mother’s house. As she entered the courtyard, the cock who was perched on the well, called out:

それから門は閉じられ、娘は元の世界の、母の家のすぐそばに戻っていた。そして中庭に入ると、井戸の上にとまっていた雄鶏が叫んだ。

‘Cock-a-doodle-doo! Your golden daughter’s come back to you.’

「コケコッコー。金の娘さんがお帰りだよ」

Then she went in to her mother and sister, and as she was so richly covered with gold, they gave her a warm welcome. She related to them all that had happened, and when the mother heard how she had come by her great riches, she thought she should like her ugly, lazy daughter to go and try her fortune. So she made the sister go and sit by the well and spin, and the girl pricked her finger and thrust her hand into a thorn-bush, so that she might drop some blood on to the spindle; then she threw it into the well, and jumped in herself.

それから娘は母と姉のところへ入っていった。そして金にすっかり覆われていたので、二人は温かく迎えた。娘は起きたことをすべて話した。そして母は、娘がどうやってその大きな富を手に入れたかを聞くと、醜く怠け者の娘にも運を試させたくなった。そこで姉を井戸のそばに座らせて糸を紡がせた。そして娘は糸巻きに血を落とすために、指を刺し、手をいばらの茂みに突っ込んだ。それから糸巻きを井戸に投げ込み、自分も跳び込んだ。

Like her sister she awoke in the beautiful meadow, and walked over it till she came to the oven. ‘Take us out, take us out, or alas! we shall be burnt to a cinder; we were baked through long ago,’ cried the loaves as before. But the lazy girl answered, ‘Do you think I am going to dirty my hands for you?’ and walked on.

妹と同じように、娘は美しい草原で目を覚まし、歩いていってパン窯に来た。「出して、出して。でないと焦げて炭になってしまう。とっくに焼き上がっているのに」と丸パンたちが前と同じように叫んだ。だが怠け者の娘は答えた。「あなたたちのために手を汚すと思って」そして歩きつづけた。

Presently she came to the apple-tree. ‘Shake me, shake me, I pray; my apples, one and all, are ripe,’ it cried. But she only answered, ‘A nice thing to ask me to do, one of the apples might fall on my head,’ and passed on.

まもなく娘は林檎の木に来た。「揺すって、揺すって、お願い。わたしの林檎はひとつ残らず熟しているの」と木は叫んだ。だが娘はこう答えただけだった。「よくもそんなことを頼めたものね。林檎が頭に落ちてきたらどうするの」そして通り過ぎた。

At last she came to Mother Holle’s house, and as she had heard all about the large teeth from her sister, she was not afraid of them, and engaged herself without delay to the old woman.

とうとう娘はホレおばさんの家に来た。そして妹からあの大きな歯のことをすっかり聞いていたので怖がらず、すぐに老婆のもとで働くことに決めた。

The first day she was very obedient and industrious, and exerted herself to please Mother Holle, for she thought of the gold she should get in return. The next day, however, she began to dawdle over her work, and the third day she was more idle still; then she began to lie in bed in the mornings and refused to get up. Worse still, she neglected to make the old woman’s bed properly, and forgot to shake it so that the feathers might fly about. So Mother Holle very soon got tired of her, and told her she might go. The lazy girl was delighted at this, and thought to herself, ‘The gold will soon be mine.’ Mother Holle led her, as she had led her sister, to the broad gateway; but as she was passing through, instead of the shower of gold, a great bucketful of pitch came pouring over her.

最初の日、娘はたいそう素直で勤勉で、ホレおばさんを喜ばせようと励んだ。見返りにもらえるはずの金のことを考えていたからである。だが翌日には仕事をぐずぐずやりはじめ、三日目にはさらに怠けた。それから朝は寝床に寝たまま起きようとしなくなった。さらに悪いことに、老婆の寝床をきちんと整えるのを怠り、羽根が飛び散るように叩くのも忘れた。そこでホレおばさんはまもなく娘に嫌気がさして、行ってよいと告げた。怠け者の娘はこれを喜んで、心のうちで思った。「もうすぐ金がわたしのものになる」ホレおばさんは妹を導いたのと同じように、この娘を広い門まで導いた。だが娘がそこを通ると、金の雨の代わりに、大きな桶いっぱいの瀝青が降り注いだ。

‘That is in return for your services,’ said the old woman, and she shut the gate.

「それがおまえの奉公への報いだよ」と老婆は言い、門を閉めた。

So the lazy girl had to go home covered with pitch, and the cock on the well called out as she saw her:

そこで怠け者の娘は瀝青に覆われたまま家へ帰るほかなかった。そして井戸の上の雄鶏は娘を見て叫んだ。

‘Cock-a-doodle-doo! Your dirty daughter’s come back to you.’

「コケコッコー。汚れた娘さんがお帰りだよ」

But, try what she would, she could not get the pitch off and it stuck to her as long as she lived.

だが娘が何をしても瀝青は落ちず、生きているかぎり娘にくっついたままだった。