The Little Peasant

There was a certain village wherein no one lived but really rich peasants, and just one poor one, whom they called the little peasant. He had not even so much as a cow, and still less money to buy one, and yet he and his wife did so wish to have one. One day he said to her: ‘Listen, I have a good idea, there is our gossip the carpenter, he shall make us a wooden calf, and paint it brown, so that it looks like any other, and in time it will certainly get big and be a cow.’ the woman also liked the idea, and their gossip the carpenter cut and planed the calf, and painted it as it ought to be, and made it with its head hanging down as if it were eating.

ある村に、たいそう裕福な百姓ばかりが住んでいて、貧しい者はただ一人しかいなかった。人はその男を小百姓と呼んでいた。牛の一頭も持たず、買う金はなおさらなかったが、男も女房も牛がほしくてたまらなかった。ある日、男が女房に言った。「なあ、いい考えがある。名付け親の大工がいるだろう、あれに木で子牛をこしらえてもらって、茶色に塗ってもらうんだ。そうすればほかの子牛と見分けがつくまい。そのうちきっと大きくなって、牛になるさ。」女房もその考えを気に入り、名付け親の大工は子牛を削って鉋をかけ、しかるべく色を塗り、草を食んでいるように頭を垂れた格好に仕上げた。

Next morning when the cows were being driven out, the little peasant called the cow-herd in and said: ‘Look, I have a little calf there, but it is still small and has to be carried.’ The cow-herd said: ‘All right,’ and took it in his arms and carried it to the pasture, and set it among the grass. The little calf always remained standing like one which was eating, and the cow-herd said: ‘It will soon run by itself, just look how it eats already!’ At night when he was going to drive the herd home again, he said to the calf: ‘If you can stand there and eat your fill, you can also go on your four legs; I don’t care to drag you home again in my arms.’ But the little peasant stood at his door, and waited for his little calf, and when the cow-herd drove the cows through the village, and the calf was missing, he inquired where it was. The cow-herd answered: ‘It is still standing out there eating. It would not stop and come with us.’ But the little peasant said: ‘Oh, but I must have my beast back again.’ Then they went back to the meadow together, but someone had stolen the calf, and it was gone. The cow-herd said: ‘It must have run away.’ The peasant, however, said: ‘Don’t tell me that,’ and led the cow-herd before the mayor, who for his carelessness condemned him to give the peasant a cow for the calf which had run away.

あくる朝、牛が追い出されるとき、小百姓は牛飼いを呼んで言った。「見てくれ、ここに子牛が一頭いるんだが、まだ小さいから抱いて行ってやらねばならん。」牛飼いは「よかろう」と言って、腕に抱えて牧場まで運び、草の中に立たせた。子牛はいつまでも草を食う牛のように立ったままで、牛飼いは言った。「じきに自分で走るようになるさ、もうあんなに食っているじゃないか!」夜、群れを追って帰ろうというとき、牛飼いは子牛に言った。「そこに立って腹いっぱい食えるんなら、四本の足で歩けもするだろう。もう一度抱いて帰るのはごめんだ。」ところが小百姓は戸口に立って子牛を待っていて、牛飼いが牛を村へ追い入れたとき子牛がいないので、どこにいるのかと尋ねた。牛飼いは答えた。「まだ向こうで立って食っているよ。やめて一緒に来ようとしないんだ。」小百姓は言った。「そんな、わしの家畜を返してもらわにゃ。」そこで二人して牧場へ戻ったが、誰かが子牛を盗んでいて、影も形もなかった。牛飼いは「逃げたに違いない」と言った。だが小百姓は「そんな話が通るか」と言って、牛飼いを村長の前へ引き出し、村長は不注意のかどで、逃げた子牛の代わりに牛を一頭小百姓に渡せと言い渡した。

And now the little peasant and his wife had the cow for which they had so long wished, and they were heartily glad, but they had no food for it, and could give it nothing to eat, so it soon had to be killed. They salted the flesh, and the peasant went into the town and wanted to sell the skin there, so that he might buy a new calf with the proceeds. On the way he passed by a mill, and there sat a raven with broken wings, and out of pity he took him and wrapped him in the skin. But as the weather grew so bad and there was a storm of rain and wind, he could go no farther, and turned back to the mill and begged for shelter. The miller’s wife was alone in the house, and said to the peasant: ‘Lay yourself on the straw there,’ and gave him a slice of bread and cheese. The peasant ate it, and lay down with his skin beside him, and the woman thought: ‘He is tired and has gone to sleep.’ In the meantime came the parson; the miller’s wife received him well, and said: ‘My husband is out, so we will have a feast.’ The peasant listened, and when he heard them talk about feasting he was vexed that he had been forced to make shift with a slice of bread and cheese. Then the woman served up four different things, roast meat, salad, cakes, and wine.

こうして小百姓と女房は、長らく願っていた牛を手に入れ、心から喜んだ。けれども飼う餌がなく、何も食わせてやれないので、まもなく殺さねばならなかった。肉は塩漬けにし、百姓は皮を町で売って、その金で新しい子牛を買おうと出かけた。道すがら水車小屋のそばを通ると、翼の折れた大鴉が一羽いた。かわいそうに思って拾い上げ、皮に包んでやった。ところが天気がひどく荒れて、雨と風の嵐になったので、それ以上進めず、水車小屋へ引き返して一晩の宿を乞うた。粉屋の女房が一人で家にいて、百姓に言った。「そこの藁の上にお寝なさい。」そしてパンとチーズを一切れずつくれた。百姓はそれを食べ、皮をかたわらに置いて横になり、女房は「疲れて眠ってしまった」と思った。そこへ牧師がやって来た。粉屋の女房は愛想よく迎え、「亭主は留守だから、ご馳走をしましょう」と言った。百姓は耳を澄ませていて、ご馳走の話を聞くと、自分はパンとチーズ一切れで済まされたのが腹立たしかった。やがて女房は四品を並べた。焼き肉、サラダ、菓子、それに葡萄酒である。

Just as they were about to sit down and eat, there was a knocking outside. The woman said: ‘Oh, heavens! It is my husband!’ she quickly hid the roast meat inside the tiled stove, the wine under the pillow, the salad on the bed, the cakes under it, and the parson in the closet on the porch. Then she opened the door for her husband, and said: ‘Thank heaven, you are back again! There is such a storm, it looks as if the world were coming to an end.’ The miller saw the peasant lying on the straw, and asked, ‘What is that fellow doing there?’ ‘Ah,’ said the wife, ‘the poor knave came in the storm and rain, and begged for shelter, so I gave him a bit of bread and cheese, and showed him where the straw was.’ The man said: ‘I have no objection, but be quick and get me something to eat.’ The woman said: ‘But I have nothing but bread and cheese.’ ‘I am contented with anything,’ replied the husband, ‘so far as I am concerned, bread and cheese will do,’ and looked at the peasant and said: ‘Come and eat some more with me.’ The peasant did not require to be invited twice, but got up and ate. After this the miller saw the skin in which the raven was, lying on the ground, and asked: ‘What have you there?’ The peasant answered: ‘I have a soothsayer inside it.’ ‘Can he foretell anything to me?’ said the miller. ‘Why not?’ answered the peasant: ‘but he only says four things, and the fifth he keeps to himself.’ The miller was curious, and said: ‘Let him foretell something for once.’ Then the peasant pinched the raven’s head, so that he croaked and made a noise like krr, krr. The miller said: ‘What did he say?’ The peasant answered: ‘In the first place, he says that there is some wine hidden under the pillow.’ ‘Bless me!’ cried the miller, and went there and found the wine. ‘Now go on,’ said he. The peasant made the raven croak again, and said: ‘In the second place, he says that there is some roast meat in the tiled stove.’ ‘Upon my word!’ cried the miller, and went thither, and found the roast meat. The peasant made the raven prophesy still more, and said: ‘Thirdly, he says that there is some salad on the bed.’ ‘That would be a fine thing!’ cried the miller, and went there and found the salad. At last the peasant pinched the raven once more till he croaked, and said: ‘Fourthly, he says that there are some cakes under the bed.’ ‘That would be a fine thing!’ cried the miller, and looked there, and found the cakes.

さあ座って食べようというとき、外で戸を叩く音がした。女房は言った。「あれまあ! 亭主だよ!」女房は急いで焼き肉をタイル張りの暖炉の中に、葡萄酒を枕の下に、サラダを寝床の上に、菓子を寝床の下に隠し、牧師を玄関の物置に押し込んだ。それから亭主に戸を開けて言った。「やれありがたい、お帰りかい! ひどい嵐で、この世が終わるかと思ったよ。」粉屋は藁の上に寝ている百姓を見て尋ねた。「あの男は何をしているんだ?」「ああ」と女房は言った。「かわいそうに、嵐と雨の中をやって来て宿を乞うたんでね、パンとチーズを少しやって、藁のある所を教えてやったのさ。」亭主は言った。「それはかまわんが、早く何か食わせてくれ。」女房は言った。「でもパンとチーズしかないんだよ。」「何でもかまわん」と亭主は答えた。「わしはパンとチーズで結構だ。」そして百姓の方を見て言った。「こっちへ来て、一緒にもっと食え。」百姓は二度言われるまでもなく起き上がって食べた。そのあと粉屋は、大鴉の入った皮が床に置いてあるのを見て尋ねた。「そこにあるのは何だ?」百姓は答えた。「この中には占い師が入っているんだ。」「わしに何か言い当ててくれるか?」と粉屋は言った。「なぜだめなものか」と百姓は答えた。「ただし言うのは四つだけで、五つめは自分の胸にしまっておくんだ。」粉屋は知りたくてたまらず、「ひとつ言わせてみてくれ」と言った。そこで百姓が大鴉の頭をつねると、鴉はクルル、クルルと鳴き声を立てた。粉屋は「何と言った?」と尋ねた。百姓は答えた。「まず第一に、枕の下に葡萄酒が隠してあると言っている。」「こりゃ驚いた!」と粉屋は叫んで、行ってみると葡萄酒があった。「さあ続けてくれ」と粉屋は言った。百姓はまた鴉を鳴かせて言った。「第二に、タイル張りの暖炉の中に焼き肉があると言っている。」「なんとまあ!」と粉屋は叫んで、行ってみると焼き肉があった。百姓はさらに鴉に預言させて言った。「第三に、寝床の上にサラダがあると言っている。」「そいつは上等だ!」と粉屋は叫んで、行ってみるとサラダがあった。しまいに百姓はもう一度、鳴くまで鴉をつねって言った。「第四に、寝床の下に菓子があると言っている。」「そいつは上等だ!」と粉屋は叫んで、見てみると菓子があった。

And now the two sat down to the table together, but the miller’s wife was frightened to death, and went to bed and took all the keys with her. The miller would have liked much to know the fifth, but the little peasant said: ‘First, we will quickly eat the four things, for the fifth is something bad.’ So they ate, and after that they bargained how much the miller was to give for the fifth prophecy, until they agreed on three hundred talers. Then the peasant once more pinched the raven’s head till he croaked loudly. The miller asked: ‘What did he say?’ The peasant replied: ‘He says that the Devil is hiding outside there in the closet on the porch.’ The miller said: ‘The Devil must go out,’ and opened the house-door; then the woman was forced to give up the keys, and the peasant unlocked the closet. The parson ran out as fast as he could, and the miller said: ‘It was true; I saw the black rascal with my own eyes.’ The peasant, however, made off next morning by daybreak with the three hundred talers.

そこで二人は食卓に着いたが、粉屋の女房は生きた心地もせず、鍵をみんな持って寝床へ入ってしまった。粉屋は五つめをぜひ知りたがったが、小百姓は言った。「まずこの四品を手早く食ってしまおう。五つめは悪いことだからな。」そこで二人は食べ、それから五つめの予言にいくら払うかを掛け合って、しまいに三百ターレルで話がついた。百姓はもう一度、大きな声で鳴くまで大鴉の頭をつねった。粉屋は尋ねた。「何と言った?」百姓は答えた。「悪魔が外の、玄関の物置に隠れていると言っている。」粉屋は「悪魔には出て行ってもらおう」と言って家の戸を開けた。すると女房は鍵を渡さざるを得ず、百姓が物置の錠を開けた。牧師は一目散に駆け出し、粉屋は言った。「本当だった。黒い悪者をこの目で見たぞ。」百姓はといえば、あくる朝の夜明けに三百ターレルを持って立ち去った。

At home the small peasant gradually launched out; he built a beautiful house, and the peasants said: ‘The small peasant has certainly been to the place where golden snow falls, and people carry the gold home in shovels.’ Then the small peasant was brought before the mayor, and bidden to say from whence his wealth came. He answered: ‘I sold my cow’s skin in the town, for three hundred talers.’ When the peasants heard that, they too wished to enjoy this great profit, and ran home, killed all their cows, and stripped off their skins in order to sell them in the town to the greatest advantage. The mayor, however, said: ‘But my servant must go first.’ When she came to the merchant in the town, he did not give her more than two talers for a skin, and when the others came, he did not give them so much, and said: ‘What can I do with all these skins?’

家に帰ると、小百姓はだんだん暮らしを広げていった。立派な家を建てたので、百姓たちは言った。「小百姓はきっと、黄金の雪が降って、人がそれをシャベルで家へ運ぶという所へ行って来たんだ。」そこで小百姓は村長の前に呼び出され、その富がどこから来たのか言えと命じられた。男は答えた。「牛の皮を町で売ったんだ。三百ターレルでね。」それを聞いた百姓たちも、この大儲けにあずかりたくなって、家へ駆け戻り、牛をみな殺して皮を剥ぎ、町で一番高く売ろうとした。ところが村長が言った。「まずはうちの下女に行かせる。」下女が町の商人の所へ行くと、商人は皮一枚に二ターレルより多くは出さず、ほかの者が来ると、それほども出さずに、「こんなに皮をもらってどうしろというんだ?」と言った。

Then the peasants were vexed that the small peasant should have thus outwitted them, wanted to take vengeance on him, and accused him of this treachery before the mayor. The innocent little peasant was unanimously sentenced to death, and was to be rolled into the water, in a barrel pierced full of holes. He was led forth, and a priest was brought who was to say a mass for his soul. The others were all obliged to retire to a distance, and when the peasant looked at the priest, he recognized the man who had been with the miller’s wife. He said to him: ‘I set you free from the closet, set me free from the barrel.’ At this same moment up came, with a flock of sheep, the very shepherd whom the peasant knew had long been wishing to be mayor, so he cried with all his might: ‘No, I will not do it; if the whole world insists on it, I will not do it!’ The shepherd hearing that, came up to him, and asked: ‘What are you about? What is it that you will not do?’ The peasant said: ‘They want to make me mayor, if I will but put myself in the barrel, but I will not do it.’ The shepherd said: ‘If nothing more than that is needful in order to be mayor, I would get into the barrel at once.’ The peasant said: ‘If you will get in, you will be mayor.’ The shepherd was willing, and got in, and the peasant shut the top down on him; then he took the shepherd’s flock for himself, and drove it away. The parson went to the crowd, and declared that the mass had been said. Then they came and rolled the barrel towards the water. When the barrel began to roll, the shepherd cried: ‘I am quite willing to be mayor.’ They believed no otherwise than that it was the peasant who was saying this, and answered: ‘That is what we intend, but first you shall look about you a little down below there,’ and they rolled the barrel down into the water.

そこで百姓たちは、小百姓にこうしてしてやられたのが腹立たしく、仕返しをしてやろうと、この裏切りを村長に訴え出た。罪のない小百姓は満場一致で死刑を言い渡され、穴だらけの樽に入れて水へ転がし込まれることになった。引き出されると、魂のためにミサを唱える坊さんが連れて来られた。ほかの者はみな遠くへ下がらねばならず、百姓が坊さんを見ると、それは粉屋の女房の所にいたあの男だった。百姓は言った。「わしはあんたを物置から出してやった。今度はあんたがわしを樽から出してくれ。」ちょうどそのとき、羊の群れを連れて、かねて村長になりたがっていると百姓が知っているあの羊飼いがやって来た。そこで百姓は声を限りに叫んだ。「いやだ、わしはやらんぞ! 世界じゅうがそう言っても、わしはやらん!」それを聞いた羊飼いが近づいて来て尋ねた。「何の話だ? 何をやらないというんだ?」百姓は言った。「この樽に入りさえすれば村長にしてやると言うんだが、わしはごめんだ。」羊飼いは言った。「村長になるのにそれだけで済むんなら、おれなら今すぐ樽に入るとも。」百姓は言った。「入るなら、あんたが村長だ。」羊飼いは承知して入り、百姓は上から蓋をした。それから羊飼いの群れを自分のものにして追って行った。牧師は群衆の所へ行き、ミサは済んだと告げた。そこで人々がやって来て、樽を水の方へ転がした。樽が転がり出すと、羊飼いが叫んだ。「おれは喜んで村長になるとも。」人々は百姓がそう言っているとしか思わず、答えた。「そのつもりだとも。だがまずは下の方を少し見物して来い。」そして樽を水の中へ転がし落とした。

After that the peasants went home, and as they were entering the village, the small peasant also came quietly in, driving a flock of sheep and looking quite contented. Then the peasants were astonished, and said: ‘Peasant, from whence do you come? Have you come out of the water?’ ‘Yes, truly,’ replied the peasant, ‘I sank deep, deep down, until at last I got to the bottom; I pushed the bottom out of the barrel, and crept out, and there were pretty meadows on which a number of lambs were feeding, and from thence I brought this flock away with me.’ Said the peasants: ‘Are there any more there?’ ‘Oh, yes,’ said he, ‘more than I could want.’ Then the peasants made up their minds that they too would fetch some sheep for themselves, a flock apiece, but the mayor said: ‘I come first.’ So they went to the water together, and just then there were some of the small fleecy clouds in the blue sky, which are called little lambs, and they were reflected in the water, whereupon the peasants cried: ‘We already see the sheep down below!’ The mayor pressed forward and said: ‘I will go down first, and look about me, and if things promise well I’ll call you.’ So he jumped in; splash! went the water; it sounded as if he were calling them, and the whole crowd plunged in after him as one man. Then the entire village was dead, and the small peasant, as sole heir, became a rich man.

そのあと百姓たちは家へ帰ったが、村へ入ろうというとき、小百姓もまた羊の群れを追って、いかにも満足そうに静かに入って来た。百姓たちは驚いて言った。「百姓、どこから来た? 水から上がって来たのか?」「もちろんさ」と百姓は答えた。「深く深く沈んで、とうとう底に着いた。樽の底を押し抜けて這い出すと、きれいな牧場があって、子羊がたくさん草を食っていた。そこからこの群れを連れて来たんだ。」百姓たちは言った。「まだいるのか?」「ああ、いるとも」と男は言った。「わしが欲しいだけよりもっとな。」そこで百姓たちも、自分たちも羊を、一人一群れずつ取って来ようと決めたが、村長が「わしが先だ」と言った。そこで揃って水辺へ行くと、ちょうど青い空に、子羊と呼ばれる小さなふわふわした雲がいくつか浮かんでいて、それが水に映っていた。百姓たちは叫んだ。「もう下に羊が見えるぞ!」村長は前へ出て言った。「わしが先に降りて見て来る。よさそうなら呼ぶからな。」そう言って飛び込むと、水はざぶんと音を立てた。それが呼んでいるように聞こえて、群衆はみな一人残らず後から飛び込んだ。こうして村はそっくり死に絶え、小百姓がただ一人の相続人として金持ちになった。