The Miser in the Bush

A farmer had a faithful and diligent servant, who had worked hard for him three years, without having been paid any wages. At last it came into the man’s head that he would not go on thus without pay any longer; so he went to his master, and said, ‘I have worked hard for you a long time, I will trust to you to give me what I deserve to have for my trouble.’ The farmer was a sad miser, and knew that his man was very simple-hearted; so he took out threepence, and gave him for every year’s service a penny. The poor fellow thought it was a great deal of money to have, and said to himself, ‘Why should I work hard, and live here on bad fare any longer? I can now travel into the wide world, and make myself merry.’ With that he put his money into his purse, and set out, roaming over hill and valley.

ある百姓に、忠実で働き者の下男がいた。三年のあいだ懸命に働いたのに、給金を一度ももらっていなかった。とうとう男は、これ以上ただ働きを続けるのはやめようと思い立った。そこで主人のところへ行って言った。「長いあいだあなたのために骨を折って働きました。その苦労に見合うだけのものを、あなたにお任せしていただきましょう。」百姓はひどいけちで、下男がたいそう素直な男だと知っていたので、三ペンス取り出して、一年の奉公につき一ペニーずつ渡した。哀れな男はそれを大した金だと思い、心の中で言った。「なぜこれ以上つらい仕事をして、こんな粗末な食べ物で暮らさねばならないんだ? 今なら広い世界へ旅に出て、愉快に暮らせるぞ。」そう言って金を財布に入れ、丘や谷をさすらって出かけた。

As he jogged along over the fields, singing and dancing, a little dwarf met him, and asked him what made him so merry. ‘Why, what should make me down-hearted?’ said he; ‘I am sound in health and rich in purse, what should I care for? I have saved up my three years’ earnings and have it all safe in my pocket.’ ‘How much may it come to?’ said the little man. ‘Full threepence,’ replied the countryman. ‘I wish you would give them to me,’ said the other; ‘I am very poor.’ Then the man pitied him, and gave him all he had; and the little dwarf said in return, ‘As you have such a kind honest heart, I will grant you three wishes--one for every penny; so choose whatever you like.’ Then the countryman rejoiced at his good luck, and said, ‘I like many things better than money: first, I will have a bow that will bring down everything I shoot at; secondly, a fiddle that will set everyone dancing that hears me play upon it; and thirdly, I should like that everyone should grant what I ask.’ The dwarf said he should have his three wishes; so he gave him the bow and fiddle, and went his way.

野を越えて歌い踊りながら進んでいくと、小さな小人が出会って、なぜそんなに浮かれているのかと尋ねた。「なに、しょげる理由がどこにある?」と男は言った。「体は丈夫、財布は豊か、何を気に病むものか。三年分の稼ぎをためて、そっくり無事にこの懐にあるんだ。」「いくらほどになるのかね?」と小人は言った。「たっぷり三ペンスさ」と田舎男は答えた。「それをわたしにくれないかね」と相手は言った。「わたしはとても貧しいのだ。」そこで男は小人を気の毒に思い、持っている金をみなやった。すると小さな小人はお返しに言った。「そんなに親切で正直な心を持っているのだから、願いを三つかなえてやろう——一ペニーにつき一つだ。好きなものを選ぶがいい。」そこで田舎男は幸運を喜んで言った。「おれは金よりも好きなものがいろいろある。まず、狙ったものを何でも落とせる弓がほしい。次に、弾くのを聞いた者がみな踊り出すヴァイオリンがほしい。それから三つめに、おれが頼んだことは誰でもかなえてくれるようにしてほしい。」小人は三つとも望みどおりになると言い、弓とヴァイオリンを渡して、立ち去った。

Our honest friend journeyed on his way too; and if he was merry before, he was now ten times more so. He had not gone far before he met an old miser: close by them stood a tree, and on the topmost twig sat a thrush singing away most joyfully. ‘Oh, what a pretty bird!’ said the miser; ‘I would give a great deal of money to have such a one.’ ‘If that’s all,’ said the countryman, ‘I will soon bring it down.’ Then he took up his bow, and down fell the thrush into the bushes at the foot of the tree. The miser crept into the bush to find it; but directly he had got into the middle, his companion took up his fiddle and played away, and the miser began to dance and spring about, capering higher and higher in the air. The thorns soon began to tear his clothes till they all hung in rags about him, and he himself was all scratched and wounded, so that the blood ran down. ‘Oh, for heaven’s sake!’ cried the miser, ‘Master! master! pray let the fiddle alone. What have I done to deserve this?’ ‘Thou hast shaved many a poor soul close enough,’ said the other; ‘thou art only meeting thy reward’: so he played up another tune. Then the miser began to beg and promise, and offered money for his liberty; but he did not come up to the musician’s price for some time, and he danced him along brisker and brisker, and the miser bid higher and higher, till at last he offered a round hundred of florins that he had in his purse, and had just gained by cheating some poor fellow. When the countryman saw so much money, he said, ‘I will agree to your proposal.’ So he took the purse, put up his fiddle, and travelled on very pleased with his bargain.

正直者のわれらが友も旅を続けた。前から浮かれていたが、今はその十倍も浮かれていた。いくらも行かないうちに、けちな老人に出会った。すぐそばに木が一本立っていて、いちばん上の小枝に鶫が一羽とまって、それは楽しげに歌っていた。「ああ、なんてきれいな鳥だ!」とけちは言った。「あんなのが手に入るなら大枚をはたいてもいい。」「それだけのことなら」と田舎男は言った。「すぐに落としてやろう。」そう言って弓を構えると、鶫は木の根元の茂みの中へ落ちた。けちはそれを探そうと茂みに這い込んだ。ところが真ん中まで入ったとたん、連れがヴァイオリンを取り上げて弾き始め、けちは踊り出し、跳ね回り、だんだん高く宙に跳ね上がった。いばらはたちまち着物を裂き始め、しまいにぼろが体じゅうにぶら下がり、本人も引っかき傷や切り傷だらけになって、血が流れた。「ああ、後生だから!」とけちは叫んだ。「旦那! 旦那! 後生だからヴァイオリンをやめてくれ。わたしが何をしたというんだ?」「おまえは哀れな連中をさんざん丸裸にしてきたじゃないか」と相手は言った。「報いを受けているだけだ。」そう言ってまた別の曲を弾き出した。そこでけちは拝み倒して頼み、金を出すから放してくれと言い出した。けれどもしばらくは楽人の言い値に届かず、男はいよいよ速く踊らせ、けちはいよいよ高く値をつけ、とうとう財布に入っている百フローリンきっかりを差し出した。それはちょうど、どこかの哀れな男を騙して手に入れたばかりの金だった。田舎男はそれだけの金を見ると言った。「その話に乗ろう。」そこで財布を受け取り、ヴァイオリンをしまい、この取引に大いに満足して旅を続けた。

Meanwhile the miser crept out of the bush half-naked and in a piteous plight, and began to ponder how he should take his revenge, and serve his late companion some trick. At last he went to the judge, and complained that a rascal had robbed him of his money, and beaten him into the bargain; and that the fellow who did it carried a bow at his back and a fiddle hung round his neck. Then the judge sent out his officers to bring up the accused wherever they should find him; and he was soon caught and brought up to be tried.

そのあいだにけちは、半裸の哀れな姿で茂みから這い出し、どうやって仕返しをして、さっきの連れに一杯食わせてやろうかと思案し始めた。とうとう裁判官のところへ行って、悪党に金を奪われたうえ、さんざん打ち叩かれたと訴えた。やった男は背中に弓を負い、首にヴァイオリンを下げているとも言った。そこで裁判官は役人を出して、見つけ次第その男を引っ立てて来いと命じ、男はまもなく捕らえられて、裁きの場に引き出された。

The miser began to tell his tale, and said he had been robbed of his money. ‘No, you gave it me for playing a tune to you.’ said the countryman; but the judge told him that was not likely, and cut the matter short by ordering him off to the gallows.

けちが話を始め、金を奪われたのだと言った。「いいや、あんたは曲を弾いてやった礼にくれたんだ」と田舎男は言った。けれども裁判官は、そんなことはありそうもないと言って、話を打ち切り、男を絞首台へ送るよう命じた。

So away he was taken; but as he stood on the steps he said, ‘My Lord Judge, grant me one last request.’ ‘Anything but thy life,’ replied the other. ‘No,’ said he, ‘I do not ask my life; only to let me play upon my fiddle for the last time.’ The miser cried out, ‘Oh, no! no! for heaven’s sake don’t listen to him! don’t listen to him!’ But the judge said, ‘It is only this once, he will soon have done.’ The fact was, he could not refuse the request, on account of the dwarf’s third gift.

そこで男は引かれて行ったが、段の上に立つとこう言った。「裁判官さま、最後にひとつだけお願いをかなえてください。」「命だけは別だが、何なりと」と相手は答えた。「いいえ」と男は言った。「命乞いではありません。ただ、最後にもう一度ヴァイオリンを弾かせてください。」けちは叫んだ。「ああ、いけない、いけない! 後生だから聞いてはならん! 聞いてはならん!」けれども裁判官は言った。「一度きりのことだ、すぐ終わるだろう。」実のところ、小人の三つめの贈り物のせいで、裁判官はこの願いを断ることができなかったのである。

Then the miser said, ‘Bind me fast, bind me fast, for pity’s sake.’ But the countryman seized his fiddle, and struck up a tune, and at the first note judge, clerks, and jailer were in motion; all began capering, and no one could hold the miser. At the second note the hangman let his prisoner go, and danced also, and by the time he had played the first bar of the tune, all were dancing together--judge, court, and miser, and all the people who had followed to look on. At first the thing was merry and pleasant enough; but when it had gone on a while, and there seemed to be no end of playing or dancing, they began to cry out, and beg him to leave off; but he stopped not a whit the more for their entreaties, till the judge not only gave him his life, but promised to return him the hundred florins.

そこでけちは言った。「わたしをきつく縛ってくれ、きつく縛ってくれ、後生だから。」けれども田舎男はヴァイオリンをつかんで一曲弾き始め、最初の一音で裁判官も書記も牢番も動き出した。みなが跳ね回り始め、誰もけちを押さえていられなかった。二つめの音で首吊り役人は囚人を放して、これも踊り出し、最初の小節を弾き終えるころには、みなが一緒に踊っていた——裁判官も、法廷の者も、けちも、見物に付いて来た人々も残らずである。初めのうちは愉快で結構な見ものだった。けれどもしばらく続いて、弾くのも踊るのも終わりがないように思われてくると、人々は悲鳴をあげ、やめてくれと頼み始めた。それでも男はその嘆願にいっこう手を緩めず、とうとう裁判官は命を助けるばかりか、百フローリンを返してやると約束した。

Then he called to the miser, and said, ‘Tell us now, you vagabond, where you got that gold, or I shall play on for your amusement only,’ ‘I stole it,’ said the miser in the presence of all the people; ‘I acknowledge that I stole it, and that you earned it fairly.’ Then the countryman stopped his fiddle, and left the miser to take his place at the gallows.

そこで男はけちに呼びかけて言った。「さあ言え、この宿無しめ、その金をどこで手に入れた。さもなければ、おまえを楽しませるためだけに弾き続けるぞ。」「盗んだのだ」とけちは人々みなの前で言った。「わたしが盗んだこと、そしておまえが正当に稼いだ金であることを認める。」そこで田舎男はヴァイオリンをやめ、けちに絞首台の自分の場所を譲ってやった。