Tom Thumb

A poor woodman sat in his cottage one night, smoking his pipe by the fireside, while his wife sat by his side spinning. ‘How lonely it is, wife,’ said he, as he puffed out a long curl of smoke, ‘for you and me to sit here by ourselves, without any children to play about and amuse us while other people seem so happy and merry with their children!’ ‘What you say is very true,’ said the wife, sighing, and turning round her wheel; ‘how happy should I be if I had but one child! If it were ever so small--nay, if it were no bigger than my thumb--I should be very happy, and love it dearly.’ Now--odd as you may think it--it came to pass that this good woman’s wish was fulfilled, just in the very way she had wished it; for, not long afterwards, she had a little boy, who was quite healthy and strong, but was not much bigger than my thumb. So they said, ‘Well, we cannot say we have not got what we wished for, and, little as he is, we will love him dearly.’ And they called him Thomas Thumb.

ある夜、貧しい木こりが小屋で炉ばたに座って煙管をふかし、そのそばでは妻が糸を紡いでいた。「なんと寂しいことか、おまえ」と彼は長く渦を巻く煙を吐き出しながら言った。「わたしとおまえがここに二人きりで座って、まわりで遊んで楽しませてくれる子もいない。よそでは人々が子どもたちとあんなに幸せで陽気に見えるというのに」「あなたの言うことはまったくそのとおり」と妻はため息をつき、糸車を回しながら言った。「子どもがたった一人でもいれば、どんなに幸せでしょう。どんなに小さくても——いいえ、わたしの親指ほどの大きさしかなくても——わたしはたいそう幸せで、心から愛するでしょうに」さて——妙な話と思うかもしれないが——このよき妻の願いは、まさに願ったとおりのかたちでかなえられた。というのも、まもなく妻は小さな男の子を産んだのである。その子はたいそう健やかで丈夫だったが、わたしの親指ほどの大きさしかなかった。そこで二人は言った。「まあ、願ったものが手に入らなかったとは言えない。こんなに小さくても、心から愛してやろう」そして二人はその子をおやゆびのトマスと名づけた。

They gave him plenty of food, yet for all they could do he never grew bigger, but kept just the same size as he had been when he was born. Still, his eyes were sharp and sparkling, and he soon showed himself to be a clever little fellow, who always knew well what he was about.

二人はたっぷり食べものを与えたが、何をしてもこの子は大きくならず、生まれたときと同じ大きさのままだった。それでもその目は鋭く輝いていて、まもなく彼は、自分のしていることをいつもよく心得た賢い小さな男だと示してみせた。

One day, as the woodman was getting ready to go into the wood to cut fuel, he said, ‘I wish I had someone to bring the cart after me, for I want to make haste.’ ‘Oh, father,’ cried Tom, ‘I will take care of that; the cart shall be in the wood by the time you want it.’ Then the woodman laughed, and said, ‘How can that be? you cannot reach up to the horse’s bridle.’ ‘Never mind that, father,’ said Tom; ‘if my mother will only harness the horse, I will get into his ear and tell him which way to go.’ ‘Well,’ said the father, ‘we will try for once.’

ある日、木こりが薪を伐りに森へ行く支度をしながら言った。「誰かあとから荷車を持ってきてくれる者がいればなあ。急ぎたいのだが」「ああ、おとうさん」とトムは叫んだ。「それはぼくが引き受けるよ。必要なときには荷車は森にあるさ」そこで木こりは笑って言った。「どうしてそんなことができる。おまえは馬の手綱に手が届かないだろう」「そんなのは何でもないよ、おとうさん」とトムは言った。「おかあさんが馬をつないでくれさえすれば、ぼくが馬の耳に入って、どちらへ行くか教えるから」「よし」と父は言った。「一度やってみよう」

When the time came the mother harnessed the horse to the cart, and put Tom into his ear; and as he sat there the little man told the beast how to go, crying out, ‘Go on!’ and ‘Stop!’ as he wanted: and thus the horse went on just as well as if the woodman had driven it himself into the wood. It happened that as the horse was going a little too fast, and Tom was calling out, ‘Gently! gently!’ two strangers came up. ‘What an odd thing that is!’ said one: ‘there is a cart going along, and I hear a carter talking to the horse, but yet I can see no one.’ ‘That is queer, indeed,’ said the other; ‘let us follow the cart, and see where it goes.’ So they went on into the wood, till at last they came to the place where the woodman was. Then Tom Thumb, seeing his father, cried out, ‘See, father, here I am with the cart, all right and safe! now take me down!’ So his father took hold of the horse with one hand, and with the other took his son out of the horse’s ear, and put him down upon a straw, where he sat as merry as you please.

時が来ると母は馬を荷車につなぎ、トムをその耳に入れた。そしてそこに座って、この小さな男は獣にどう進むかを告げ、必要に応じて「進め」「止まれ」と叫んだ。こうして馬は、木こり自身が森へ馭していったのと変わらずちゃんと進んだ。ところが馬が少し速く進みすぎ、トムが「そっと、そっと」と叫んでいるとき、見知らぬ男が二人やってきた。「なんと奇妙な」と一人が言った。「荷車が進んでいて、馭者が馬に話しかけるのが聞こえるのに、誰も見えないぞ」「まったく妙だ」ともう一人が言った。「あの荷車についていって、どこへ行くか見てみよう」そこで二人は森へ入っていき、とうとう木こりのいる場所に着いた。するとおやゆびトムは父を見つけて叫んだ。「ほら、おとうさん、荷車と一緒に来たよ、ちゃんと無事にね。さあ下ろして」そこで父は片手で馬を押さえ、もう片方の手で息子を馬の耳から取り出し、藁の上に下ろした。そこで彼はこの上なく陽気に座っていた。

The two strangers were all this time looking on, and did not know what to say for wonder. At last one took the other aside, and said, ‘That little urchin will make our fortune, if we can get him, and carry him about from town to town as a show; we must buy him.’ So they went up to the woodman, and asked him what he would take for the little man. ‘He will be better off,’ said they, ‘with us than with you.’ ‘I won’t sell him at all,’ said the father; ‘my own flesh and blood is dearer to me than all the silver and gold in the world.’ But Tom, hearing of the bargain they wanted to make, crept up his father’s coat to his shoulder and whispered in his ear, ‘Take the money, father, and let them have me; I’ll soon come back to you.’

見知らぬ二人はそのあいだずっと眺めていて、驚きのあまり何と言ってよいか分からなかった。とうとう一人がもう一人を脇へ連れていって言った。「あのちびを手に入れて、見世物として町から町へ連れまわせれば、おれたちも一財産作れるぞ。買い取ろう」そこで二人は木こりのところへ行って、あの小さな男をいくらで譲るかと尋ねた。「あれはあんたのところより」と二人は言った。「おれたちのところのほうがましな暮らしができる」「あれはまったく売らん」と父は言った。「わたしの血肉は、世界じゅうの銀や金より大切だ」だが二人がしようとしている取引を聞いたトムは、父の上着をよじ登って肩まで来て、その耳にささやいた。「金を取って、ぼくを渡していいよ、おとうさん。すぐに戻ってくるから」

So the woodman at last said he would sell Tom to the strangers for a large piece of gold, and they paid the price. ‘Where would you like to sit?’ said one of them. ‘Oh, put me on the rim of your hat; that will be a nice gallery for me; I can walk about there and see the country as we go along.’ So they did as he wished; and when Tom had taken leave of his father they took him away with them.

そこで木こりはとうとう、大きな金の塊と引き換えにトムをこの見知らぬ二人に売ると言い、二人はその値を払った。「どこに座りたい」と一人が言った。「ああ、あなたの帽子の縁に乗せてください。ぼくにはそれがよい桟敷になります。そこを歩きまわって、行きながら国を眺められますから」そこで二人は望みどおりにしてやった。そしてトムが父に別れを告げると、二人は彼を連れ去った。

They journeyed on till it began to be dusky, and then the little man said, ‘Let me get down, I’m tired.’ So the man took off his hat, and put him down on a clod of earth, in a ploughed field by the side of the road. But Tom ran about amongst the furrows, and at last slipped into an old mouse-hole. ‘Good night, my masters!’ said he, ‘I’m off! mind and look sharp after me the next time.’ Then they ran at once to the place, and poked the ends of their sticks into the mouse-hole, but all in vain; Tom only crawled farther and farther in; and at last it became quite dark, so that they were forced to go their way without their prize, as sulky as could be.

一行は日が暮れかかるまで旅をした。そのとき小さな男は言った。「下ろしてください、疲れました」そこで男は帽子を取って、道端の耕された畑の土くれの上に彼を下ろした。だがトムは畝のあいだを走りまわり、とうとう古い鼠穴へ滑り込んだ。「おやすみなさい、旦那がた」と彼は言った。「ぼくは失礼します。次は気をつけて、しっかり見張っていてください」そこで二人はすぐにその場所へ走り、棒の先を鼠穴へ突っ込んだが、まるで無駄だった。トムはただどんどん奥へ這っていった。そしてとうとうすっかり暗くなったので、二人はこの上なく不機嫌に、獲物なしで自分たちの道を行くほかなかった。

When Tom found they were gone, he came out of his hiding-place. ‘What dangerous walking it is,’ said he, ‘in this ploughed field! If I were to fall from one of these great clods, I should undoubtedly break my neck.’ At last, by good luck, he found a large empty snail-shell. ‘This is lucky,’ said he, ‘I can sleep here very well’; and in he crept.

トムは二人が行ってしまったと分かると、隠れ場所から出てきた。「この耕された畑を歩くのは、なんと危ないことか」と彼は言った。「この大きな土くれの一つから落ちたら、きっと首を折ってしまう」とうとう運よく、大きな空の蝸牛の殻を見つけた。「これは運がいい」と彼は言った。「ここならよく眠れる」そしてなかへ這い込んだ。

Just as he was falling asleep, he heard two men passing by, chatting together; and one said to the other, ‘How can we rob that rich parson’s house of his silver and gold?’ ‘I’ll tell you!’ cried Tom. ‘What noise was that?’ said the thief, frightened; ‘I’m sure I heard someone speak.’ They stood still listening, and Tom said, ‘Take me with you, and I’ll soon show you how to get the parson’s money.’ ‘But where are you?’ said they. ‘Look about on the ground,’ answered he, ‘and listen where the sound comes from.’ At last the thieves found him out, and lifted him up in their hands. ‘You little urchin!’ they said, ‘what can you do for us?’ ‘Why, I can get between the iron window-bars of the parson’s house, and throw you out whatever you want.’ ‘That’s a good thought,’ said the thieves; ‘come along, we shall see what you can do.’

ちょうど眠りに落ちようとしたとき、二人の男が通りかかっておしゃべりしているのが聞こえた。そして一人がもう一人に言った。「あの金持ちの司祭の家から、銀と金をどうやって盗んだものかな」「教えてやろう」とトムは叫んだ。「今の音は何だ」と泥棒は怯えて言った。「たしかに誰かが話すのが聞こえた」二人は立ち止まって耳を澄ました。するとトムは言った。「ぼくを連れていってくれ。司祭の金の取り方をすぐに教えてやる」「だが、おまえはどこにいる」と二人は言った。「地面のあたりを見まわして」と彼は答えた。「音がどこから来るか聞いてごらん」とうとう泥棒たちは彼を見つけ出し、手に持ち上げた。「このちびめ」と二人は言った。「おれたちのために何ができる」「なあに、司祭の家の鉄格子のあいだに入り込んで、ほしいものを何でも投げ出してやれるさ」「それはよい考えだ」と泥棒たちは言った。「さあ来い、何ができるか見てやろう」

When they came to the parson’s house, Tom slipped through the window-bars into the room, and then called out as loud as he could bawl, ‘Will you have all that is here?’ At this the thieves were frightened, and said, ‘Softly, softly! Speak low, that you may not awaken anybody.’ But Tom seemed as if he did not understand them, and bawled out again, ‘How much will you have? Shall I throw it all out?’ Now the cook lay in the next room; and hearing a noise she raised herself up in her bed and listened. Meantime the thieves were frightened, and ran off a little way; but at last they plucked up their hearts, and said, ‘The little urchin is only trying to make fools of us.’ So they came back and whispered softly to him, saying, ‘Now let us have no more of your roguish jokes; but throw us out some of the money.’ Then Tom called out as loud as he could, ‘Very well! hold your hands! here it comes.’

司祭の家に着くと、トムは格子をすり抜けて部屋に入り、それからありったけの声でわめいた。「ここにあるもの、全部いるかい」これに泥棒たちは怯えて言った。「静かに、静かに。小さな声で話せ。誰も起こさないように」だがトムは分からないふりをして、また大声でわめいた。「どれだけいるんだ。全部投げ出そうか」さて料理番が隣の部屋に寝ていて、物音を聞いて寝床で身を起こし、耳を澄ました。そのあいだ泥棒たちは怯えて少し離れたところへ逃げたが、とうとう気を取り直して言った。「あのちびはおれたちを愚弄しているだけだ」そこで二人は戻ってきて、彼にそっとささやいた。「さあ、悪ふざけはもうよせ。金を少し投げ出してくれ」するとトムはありったけの声で叫んだ。「よしきた。手を出せ。それ、行くぞ」

The cook heard this quite plain, so she sprang out of bed, and ran to open the door. The thieves ran off as if a wolf was at their tails: and the maid, having groped about and found nothing, went away for a light. By the time she came back, Tom had slipped off into the barn; and when she had looked about and searched every hole and corner, and found nobody, she went to bed, thinking she must have been dreaming with her eyes open.

料理番にはこれがはっきり聞こえたので、寝床から跳び出して戸を開けに走った。泥棒たちは狼が尻に食らいついたかのように逃げ去った。そして下女は手探りで何も見つけられず、灯りを取りに行った。戻ってくるころにはトムは納屋へ滑り込んでいた。そして下女はあたりを見まわして隅という隅を探しても誰も見つからなかったので、目を開けたまま夢を見ていたにちがいないと思って寝床に戻った。

The little man crawled about in the hay-loft, and at last found a snug place to finish his night’s rest in; so he laid himself down, meaning to sleep till daylight, and then find his way home to his father and mother. But alas! how woefully he was undone! what crosses and sorrows happen to us all in this world! The cook got up early, before daybreak, to feed the cows; and going straight to the hay-loft, carried away a large bundle of hay, with the little man in the middle of it, fast asleep. He still, however, slept on, and did not awake till he found himself in the mouth of the cow; for the cook had put the hay into the cow’s rick, and the cow had taken Tom up in a mouthful of it. ‘Good lack-a-day!’ said he, ‘how came I to tumble into the mill?’ But he soon found out where he really was; and was forced to have all his wits about him, that he might not get between the cow’s teeth, and so be crushed to death. At last down he went into her stomach. ‘It is rather dark,’ said he; ‘they forgot to build windows in this room to let the sun in; a candle would be no bad thing.’

この小さな男は干し草置き場を這いまわり、とうとうその夜の休みを取るのによい場所を見つけた。そこで彼は横になり、夜が明けるまで眠って、それから父と母のいる家への道を見つけようと思った。だが、ああ、彼はなんと嘆かわしく台なしにされたことか。この世では誰にでも、なんと多くの災いと悲しみが降りかかることか。料理番は夜明け前に早く起きて牛に餌をやり、まっすぐ干し草置き場へ行って、大きな干し草の束を運び去った。そのまんなかにこの小さな男がぐっすり眠っていたのである。だが彼はなおも眠りつづけ、牛の口のなかにいることに気づくまで目を覚まさなかった。料理番が干し草を牛の飼い葉に入れ、牛がトムをひと口ぶんの干し草とともにすくい上げたのである。「なんてこった」と彼は言った。「どうして粉挽き小屋に転がり込んだのだろう」だがまもなく彼は本当はどこにいるのかを知り、牛の歯のあいだに入って噛み砕かれないように、あらん限りの知恵を働かせねばならなかった。とうとう彼は牛の胃袋へ下りていった。「いささか暗いな」と彼は言った。「この部屋には日を入れる窓を作り忘れたらしい。蠟燭が一本あっても悪くない」

Though he made the best of his bad luck, he did not like his quarters at all; and the worst of it was, that more and more hay was always coming down, and the space left for him became smaller and smaller. At last he cried out as loud as he could, ‘Don’t bring me any more hay! Don’t bring me any more hay!’

彼はこの不運をできるだけうまく受け止めたが、この宿はまるで気に入らなかった。そして何より困ったのは、干し草がいつもどんどん落ちてきて、彼に残された空間がどんどん狭くなることだった。とうとう彼はありったけの声で叫んだ。「もう干し草を持ってくるな。もう干し草を持ってくるな」

The maid happened to be just then milking the cow; and hearing someone speak, but seeing nobody, and yet being quite sure it was the same voice that she had heard in the night, she was so frightened that she fell off her stool, and overset the milk-pail. As soon as she could pick herself up out of the dirt, she ran off as fast as she could to her master the parson, and said, ‘Sir, sir, the cow is talking!’ But the parson said, ‘Woman, thou art surely mad!’ However, he went with her into the cow-house, to try and see what was the matter.

下女はちょうどそのとき牛の乳を搾っていた。そして誰かが話すのが聞こえるのに誰も見えず、それでいて夜に聞いたのと同じ声だと確信したので、あまりに怯えて腰掛けから落ち、乳の手桶をひっくり返した。そして泥のなかから体を起こすやいなや、できるだけ速く主人である司祭のところへ走って言った。「旦那さま、旦那さま、牛が話しています」だが司祭は言った。「おまえ、きっと気が違ったのだ」それでも彼は下女とともに牛小屋へ行って、何ごとか見ようとした。

Scarcely had they set foot on the threshold, when Tom called out, ‘Don’t bring me any more hay!’ Then the parson himself was frightened; and thinking the cow was surely bewitched, told his man to kill her on the spot. So the cow was killed, and cut up; and the stomach, in which Tom lay, was thrown out upon a dunghill.

敷居に足を踏み入れるやいなや、トムが叫んだ。「もう干し草を持ってくるな」そこで司祭自身も怯えて、この牛はきっと魔法をかけられていると思い、下男にその場で殺せと命じた。そこで牛は殺されて切り分けられ、トムの入っていた胃袋は肥やしの山に投げ捨てられた。

Tom soon set himself to work to get out, which was not a very easy task; but at last, just as he had made room to get his head out, fresh ill-luck befell him. A hungry wolf sprang out, and swallowed up the whole stomach, with Tom in it, at one gulp, and ran away.

トムはすぐに外へ出ようと取りかかったが、それは容易な仕事ではなかった。だがとうとう頭を出せるだけの場所を作ったちょうどそのとき、新たな不運が降りかかった。腹をすかせた狼が跳び出してきて、トムの入った胃袋をまるごとひと呑みにして走り去ったのである。

Tom, however, was still not disheartened; and thinking the wolf would not dislike having some chat with him as he was going along, he called out, ‘My good friend, I can show you a famous treat.’ ‘Where’s that?’ said the wolf. ‘In such and such a house,’ said Tom, describing his own father’s house. ‘You can crawl through the drain into the kitchen and then into the pantry, and there you will find cakes, ham, beef, cold chicken, roast pig, apple-dumplings, and everything that your heart can wish.’

だがトムはそれでも気落ちしなかった。そして狼も歩きながら自分とおしゃべりするのは嫌ではあるまいと思って、こう叫んだ。「友よ、すばらしいごちそうのありかを教えてやろう」「それはどこだ」と狼は言った。「これこれの家だ」とトムは言って、自分の父の家を説明した。「排水溝を這って台所に入り、それから食糧部屋に入れば、そこに菓子も、ハムも、牛肉も、冷やした鶏も、焼き豚も、林檎の団子も、望みうるものが何でもあるぞ」

The wolf did not want to be asked twice; so that very night he went to the house and crawled through the drain into the kitchen, and then into the pantry, and ate and drank there to his heart’s content. As soon as he had had enough he wanted to get away; but he had eaten so much that he could not go out by the same way he came in.

狼は二度言わせなかった。そしてその晩のうちにその家へ行き、排水溝を這って台所に入り、それから食糧部屋に入って、心ゆくまで食べて飲んだ。腹が満ちるやいなや逃げ出そうとしたが、あまりに食べすぎて、入ってきたのと同じ道からは出られなかった。

This was just what Tom had reckoned upon; and now he began to set up a great shout, making all the noise he could. ‘Will you be easy?’ said the wolf; ‘you’ll awaken everybody in the house if you make such a clatter.’ ‘What’s that to me?’ said the little man; ‘you have had your frolic, now I’ve a mind to be merry myself’; and he began, singing and shouting as loud as he could.

これこそトムが当てにしていたことだった。そして今や彼は大声を上げはじめ、出せるかぎりの物音を立てた。「静かにしろ」と狼は言った。「そんなに騒ぎ立てたら家じゅうの者を起こしてしまう」「それがおれに何の関わりがある」と小さな男は言った。「おまえは楽しんだ。こんどはおれが楽しむ番だ」そして彼はありったけの声で歌い叫びはじめた。

The woodman and his wife, being awakened by the noise, peeped through a crack in the door; but when they saw a wolf was there, you may well suppose that they were sadly frightened; and the woodman ran for his axe, and gave his wife a scythe. ‘Do you stay behind,’ said the woodman, ‘and when I have knocked him on the head you must rip him up with the scythe.’ Tom heard all this, and cried out, ‘Father, father! I am here, the wolf has swallowed me.’ And his father said, ‘Heaven be praised! we have found our dear child again’; and he told his wife not to use the scythe for fear she should hurt him. Then he aimed a great blow, and struck the wolf on the head, and killed him on the spot! and when he was dead they cut open his body, and set Tommy free. ‘Ah!’ said the father, ‘what fears we have had for you!’ ‘Yes, father,’ answered he; ‘I have travelled all over the world, I think, in one way or other, since we parted; and now I am very glad to come home and get fresh air again.’ ‘Why, where have you been?’ said his father. ‘I have been in a mouse-hole--and in a snail-shell--and down a cow’s throat--and in the wolf’s belly; and yet here I am again, safe and sound.’

木こりとその妻は物音で目を覚まし、戸の隙間から覗き込んだ。だがそこに狼がいるのを見て、二人がどれほどひどく怯えたかは察しがつくだろう。そして木こりは斧を取りに走り、妻には大鎌を渡した。「おまえは後ろにいろ」と木こりは言った。「わたしが頭を殴ったら、それでも死ななければ、大鎌で腹を裂くのだ」トムはこれをすべて聞いて叫んだ。「おとうさん、おとうさん。ぼくはここだよ。狼がぼくを呑み込んだんだ」すると父は言った。「天をほめたたえよう。愛する子がまた見つかった」そして妻に、トムを傷つけてはいけないから大鎌を使うなと言った。それから彼は大きな一撃を狙って狼の頭を打ち、その場で殺してしまった。そして狼が死ぬと二人はその体を切り開き、トミーを解き放った。「ああ」と父は言った。「おまえのことでどれほど恐れたことか」「うん、おとうさん」と彼は答えた。「ぼくは別れてからこのかた、あれやこれやで世界じゅうを旅したと思う。今はまた家に帰って新しい空気を吸えてとても嬉しいよ」「いったいどこにいたんだ」と父は言った。「ぼくは鼠穴のなかにいて、蝸牛の殻のなかにいて、牛の喉を下って、狼の腹のなかにいた。それでもまた、無事にここにいる」

‘Well,’ said they, ‘you are come back, and we will not sell you again for all the riches in the world.’

「さあ」と二人は言った。「おまえは帰ってきた。世界じゅうの富と引き換えでも、二度とおまえを売りはしない」

Then they hugged and kissed their dear little son, and gave him plenty to eat and drink, for he was very hungry; and then they fetched new clothes for him, for his old ones had been quite spoiled on his journey. So Master Thumb stayed at home with his father and mother, in peace; for though he had been so great a traveller, and had done and seen so many fine things, and was fond enough of telling the whole story, he always agreed that, after all, there’s no place like HOME!

それから二人はいとしい小さな息子を抱きしめて口づけし、たっぷり食べものと飲みものを与えた。彼はたいそう腹が減っていたからである。それから新しい着物を取ってきた。古い着物は旅ですっかり駄目になっていたからである。こうしておやゆびの旦那は父と母とともに家で安らかに暮らした。あれほどの旅人で、あれほど多くの立派なことをして見てきて、その話を残らず語るのが大好きだったけれども、彼はいつも、結局のところ、やはりわが家にまさるところはないと認めていたのである。