Sweetheart Roland

There was once upon a time a woman who was a real witch and had two daughters, one ugly and wicked, and this one she loved because she was her own daughter, and one beautiful and good, and this one she hated, because she was her stepdaughter. The stepdaughter once had a pretty apron, which the other fancied so much that she became envious, and told her mother that she must and would have that apron. ‘Be quiet, my child,’ said the old woman, ‘and you shall have it. Your stepsister has long deserved death; tonight when she is asleep I will come and cut her head off. Only be careful that you are at the far side of the bed, and push her well to the front.’ It would have been all over with the poor girl if she had not just then been standing in a corner, and heard everything. All day long she dared not go out of doors, and when bedtime had come, the witch’s daughter got into bed first, so as to lie at the far side, but when she was asleep, the other pushed her gently to the front, and took for herself the place at the back, close by the wall. In the night, the old woman came creeping in, she held an axe in her right hand, and felt with her left to see if anyone were lying at the outside, and then she grasped the axe with both hands, and cut her own child’s head off.

むかしあるところに、正真正銘の魔女である女がいて、娘が二人あった。一人は醜くて意地が悪く、こちらは自分の実の娘だから可愛がっていた。もう一人は美しくて気立てがよく、こちらは継娘だから憎んでいた。あるとき継娘がきれいな前掛けを持っていると、もう一人がそれをひどく気に入って妬ましくなり、どうしてもあの前掛けが欲しいと母親に言った。「お黙り、おまえ」と婆さんは言った。「手に入れてやるとも。あの継娘はとうに死んで当然なのだ。今夜あれが眠ったら、わたしが行って首を切り落とす。おまえは寝床の奥の側にいて、あれをしっかり手前へ押しやるのを忘れるな。」哀れな娘がちょうどそのとき隅に立っていて何もかも聞いていなかったら、身の破滅だったろう。娘は一日じゅう戸の外へ出ようとせず、寝る時刻になると、魔女の娘が先に寝床に入って奥の側に横になった。ところが眠ってしまうと、もう一人はそっとその娘を手前へ押しやり、自分は壁ぎわの奥の場所を取った。夜中に婆さんが忍び込んで来て、右手に斧を持ち、左手で外側に誰か寝ているかを探り、それから両手で斧を握って、自分の子の首を切り落とした。

When she had gone away, the girl got up and went to her sweetheart, who was called Roland, and knocked at his door. When he came out, she said to him: ‘Listen, dearest Roland, we must fly in all haste; my stepmother wanted to kill me, but has struck her own child. When daylight comes, and she sees what she has done, we shall be lost.’ ‘But,’ said Roland, ‘I counsel you first to take away her magic wand, or we cannot escape if she pursues us.’ The maiden fetched the magic wand, and she took the dead girl’s head and dropped three drops of blood on the ground, one in front of the bed, one in the kitchen, and one on the stairs. Then she hurried away with her lover.

婆さんが行ってしまうと、娘は起き上がって、ローランドという恋人のところへ行き、その戸を叩いた。ローランドが出て来ると、娘は言った。「ねえ、いとしいローランド、大急ぎで逃げなければなりません。継母はわたしを殺そうとして、自分の子を打ってしまったの。夜が明けて自分のしたことを見たら、わたしたちは破滅です。」「だが」とローランドは言った。「まず継母の魔法の杖を取っておいでよ。そうでないと、追って来られたら逃げきれない。」娘は魔法の杖を取って来て、死んだ娘の首を取り、血を三滴、地面に落とした。一滴は寝床の前に、一滴は台所に、一滴は階段に。それから恋人と急いで逃げた。

When the old witch got up next morning, she called her daughter, and wanted to give her the apron, but she did not come. Then the witch cried: ‘Where are you?’ ‘Here, on the stairs, I am sweeping,’ answered the first drop of blood. The old woman went out, but saw no one on the stairs, and cried again: ‘Where are you?’ ‘Here in the kitchen, I am warming myself,’ cried the second drop of blood. She went into the kitchen, but found no one. Then she cried again: ‘Where are you?’ ‘Ah, here in the bed, I am sleeping,’ cried the third drop of blood. She went into the room to the bed. What did she see there? Her own child, whose head she had cut off, bathed in her blood. The witch fell into a passion, sprang to the window, and as she could look forth quite far into the world, she perceived her stepdaughter hurrying away with her sweetheart Roland. ‘That shall not help you,’ cried she, ‘even if you have got a long way off, you shall still not escape me.’ She put on her many-league boots, in which she covered an hour’s walk at every step, and it was not long before she overtook them. The girl, however, when she saw the old woman striding towards her, changed, with her magic wand, her sweetheart Roland into a lake, and herself into a duck swimming in the middle of it. The witch placed herself on the shore, threw breadcrumbs in, and went to endless trouble to entice the duck; but the duck did not let herself be enticed, and the old woman had to go home at night as she had come. At this the girl and her sweetheart Roland resumed their natural shapes again, and they walked on the whole night until daybreak. Then the maiden changed herself into a beautiful flower which stood in the midst of a briar hedge, and her sweetheart Roland into a fiddler. It was not long before the witch came striding up towards them, and said to the musician: ‘Dear musician, may I pluck that beautiful flower for myself?’ ‘Oh, yes,’ he replied, ‘I will play to you while you do it.’ As she was hastily creeping into the hedge and was just going to pluck the flower, knowing perfectly well who the flower was, he began to play, and whether she would or not, she was forced to dance, for it was a magical dance. The faster he played, the more violent springs was she forced to make, and the thorns tore her clothes from her body, and pricked her and wounded her till she bled, and as he did not stop, she had to dance till she lay dead on the ground.

あくる朝、老いた魔女が起きて娘を呼び、前掛けをやろうとしたが、娘は来なかった。そこで魔女は叫んだ。「どこにいる?」「ここ、階段で掃いているよ」と一滴めの血が答えた。婆さんは出て行ったが、階段には誰もいないので、また叫んだ。「どこにいる?」「ここ、台所で暖まっているよ」と二滴めの血が叫んだ。台所へ行ってみたが、誰もいない。そこでまた叫んだ。「どこにいる?」「ああ、ここ、寝床で眠っているよ」と三滴めの血が叫んだ。部屋の寝床へ行ってみると、何が見えたか。自分が首を切り落とした我が子が、血にまみれていた。魔女は怒り狂い、窓に飛びつき、遠く世界の果てまで見渡せるものだから、継娘が恋人のローランドと急いで逃げていくのを見つけた。「そんなことでは助からぬ」と魔女は叫んだ。「どれだけ遠くへ行っていようと、わたしから逃げきれはしない。」魔女は一またぎで一時間の道を行く長靴を履き、ほどなく二人に追いついた。けれども娘は、婆さんが大股で近づいて来るのを見ると、魔法の杖で恋人のローランドを湖に変え、自分はその真ん中を泳ぐ鴨になった。魔女は岸に立ってパン屑を投げ入れ、さんざん骨を折って鴨を誘い寄せようとしたが、鴨は誘いに乗らず、婆さんは夜になると来たときのまま帰るほかなかった。それで娘と恋人のローランドはもとの姿に戻り、夜明けまで一晩じゅう歩き続けた。それから娘は自分を、いばらの生垣の真ん中に咲く美しい花に変え、恋人のローランドをヴァイオリン弾きに変えた。ほどなく魔女が大股でやって来て、楽人に言った。「ねえ楽人さん、あのきれいな花を摘ませてもらえないかね?」「どうぞ」と彼は答えた。「摘んでいる間、弾いて差し上げましょう。」魔女があわてて生垣に這い入り、その花が誰であるかをよく承知のうえで、まさに摘もうとしたとき、彼が弾き始めた。すると魔女は、好むと好まざるとにかかわらず踊らずにはいられなかった。それは魔法の踊りだったのである。彼が速く弾けば弾くほど、魔女は激しく跳ね上がらねばならず、いばらが体から着物を裂き、突き刺し、血が出るまで傷つけた。それでも彼がやめないので、魔女は地面に倒れて死ぬまで踊り続けた。

As they were now set free, Roland said: ‘Now I will go to my father and arrange for the wedding.’ ‘Then in the meantime I will stay here and wait for you,’ said the girl, ‘and that no one may recognize me, I will change myself into a red stone landmark.’ Then Roland went away, and the girl stood like a red landmark in the field and waited for her beloved. But when Roland got home, he fell into the snares of another, who so fascinated him that he forgot the maiden. The poor girl remained there a long time, but at length, as he did not return at all, she was sad, and changed herself into a flower, and thought: ‘Someone will surely come this way, and trample me down.’

こうして自由の身になると、ローランドは言った。「さあ、父のところへ行って婚礼の支度をしてこよう。」「では、わたしはその間ここに残ってあなたを待ちます」と娘は言った。「誰にも見分けがつかないように、赤い石の道しるべに姿を変えておきます。」そこでローランドは行ってしまい、娘は野に赤い道しるべとなって立ち、いとしい人を待った。ところがローランドは家に帰ると、ほかの女の罠にかかり、すっかり心を奪われて、あの娘のことを忘れてしまった。哀れな娘は長いあいだそこに立っていたが、とうとう、いつまでも帰って来ないので悲しくなり、自分を花に変えてこう思った。「きっと誰かがここを通って、わたしを踏みつぶしてくれるだろう。」

It befell, however, that a shepherd kept his sheep in the field and saw the flower, and as it was so pretty, plucked it, took it with him, and laid it away in his chest. From that time forth, strange things happened in the shepherd’s house. When he arose in the morning, all the work was already done, the room was swept, the table and benches cleaned, the fire in the hearth was lighted, and the water was fetched, and at noon, when he came home, the table was laid, and a good dinner served. He could not conceive how this came to pass, for he never saw a human being in his house, and no one could have concealed himself in it. He was certainly pleased with this good attendance, but still at last he was so afraid that he went to a wise woman and asked for her advice. The wise woman said: ‘There is some enchantment behind it, listen very early some morning if anything is moving in the room, and if you see anything, no matter what it is, throw a white cloth over it, and then the magic will be stopped.’

ところが、羊飼いが野で羊を飼っていて、その花を見つけ、あまりきれいなので摘んで持ち帰り、長持にしまっておいた。そのときから、羊飼いの家では不思議なことが起こるようになった。朝起きると、仕事はもうすっかり済んでいて、部屋は掃かれ、食卓も腰掛けもきれいにされ、炉には火が焚かれ、水も汲んであった。昼に帰って来ると、食卓の支度ができて、うまい食事が並んでいる。どうしてこうなるのか、まるで見当がつかなかった。家の中で人間を見たことは一度もないし、誰かが隠れていられる所もない。この結構な世話ぶりは確かに嬉しかったが、しまいにはあまり恐ろしくなって、物知りの女のところへ行って知恵を借りた。物知りの女は言った。「何か魔法がかかっているのだよ。ある朝うんと早く、部屋で何か動いていないか耳を澄ませてごらん。何でもいい、何か見えたら白い布をかぶせるのだ。そうすれば魔法は止まる。」

The shepherd did as she bade him, and next morning just as day dawned, he saw the chest open, and the flower come out. Swiftly he sprang towards it, and threw a white cloth over it. Instantly the transformation came to an end, and a beautiful girl stood before him, who admitted to him that she had been the flower, and that up to this time she had attended to his house-keeping. She told him her story, and as she pleased him he asked her if she would marry him, but she answered: ‘No,’ for she wanted to remain faithful to her sweetheart Roland, although he had deserted her. Nevertheless, she promised not to go away, but to continue keeping house for the shepherd.

羊飼いは言われた通りにし、あくる朝、夜が明けるか明けないかのころ、長持が開いて花が出て来るのを見た。すばやく飛びかかって、白い布をかぶせた。たちまち変身は解けて、美しい娘が目の前に立ち、自分があの花で、今までこの家の家事をしていたのだと打ち明けた。娘は身の上を語り、羊飼いは気に入ったので、妻になってくれないかと尋ねたが、娘は「いいえ」と答えた。恋人のローランドが自分を捨てたとはいえ、あの人に操を立てていたかったからである。それでも娘は、立ち去りはせず、これからも羊飼いの家の切り盛りを続けると約束した。

And now the time drew near when Roland’s wedding was to be celebrated, and then, according to an old custom in the country, it was announced that all the girls were to be present at it, and sing in honour of the bridal pair. When the faithful maiden heard of this, she grew so sad that she thought her heart would break, and she would not go thither, but the other girls came and took her. When it came to her turn to sing, she stepped back, until at last she was the only one left, and then she could not refuse. But when she began her song, and it reached Roland’s ears, he sprang up and cried: ‘I know the voice, that is the true bride, I will have no other!’ Everything he had forgotten, and which had vanished from his mind, had suddenly come home again to his heart. Then the faithful maiden held her wedding with her sweetheart Roland, and grief came to an end and joy began.

さてローランドの婚礼が行われる日が近づいた。すると、この国の古い習わしにしたがって、娘という娘はみなそこに出て、花婿花嫁を祝って歌うようにとお触れが出た。忠実な娘はそれを聞くと、胸が張り裂けそうなほど悲しくなって行くまいとしたが、ほかの娘たちが来て連れて行った。自分の番が来ると娘は後ろへ下がり、とうとう残るのは自分一人になって、もう断りきれなかった。ところが歌い始めて、その声がローランドの耳に届くと、彼は跳び上がって叫んだ。「この声を知っている。あれこそ本当の花嫁だ。ほかの女はいらない!」忘れていたこと、心から消えていたことが、何もかも突然よみがえって来たのである。こうして忠実な娘は恋人のローランドと婚礼を挙げ、嘆きは終わり、喜びが始まった。