The Queen Bee

Two kings’ sons once upon a time went into the world to seek their fortunes; but they soon fell into a wasteful foolish way of living, so that they could not return home again. Then their brother, who was a little insignificant dwarf, went out to seek for his brothers: but when he had found them they only laughed at him, to think that he, who was so young and simple, should try to travel through the world, when they, who were so much wiser, had been unable to get on. However, they all set out on their journey together, and came at last to an ant-hill. The two elder brothers would have pulled it down, in order to see how the poor ants in their fright would run about and carry off their eggs. But the little dwarf said, ‘Let the poor things enjoy themselves, I will not suffer you to trouble them.’

むかし、二人の王子が運を試しに世に出た。ところがまもなく放埒で愚かな暮らしぶりに落ちてしまい、家に帰ることもできなくなった。そこで弟が——取るに足りない小さな小男だったが——兄たちを探しに出かけた。けれども見つけてみると、兄たちはただ弟を笑うばかりだった。自分たちのようにずっと賢い者でさえうまくいかなかったのに、こんな年若くて単純な者が世の中を渡ろうなどとは、というわけである。それでも三人は一緒に旅に出て、とうとう蟻塚のところへ来た。上の二人はそれを崩して、哀れな蟻が驚いて走り回り、卵を運び去るさまを見ようとした。けれども小男は言った。「その哀れな者たちを楽しませておやり。兄さんたちに邪魔はさせない。」

So on they went, and came to a lake where many many ducks were swimming about. The two brothers wanted to catch two, and roast them. But the dwarf said, ‘Let the poor things enjoy themselves, you shall not kill them.’ Next they came to a bees’-nest in a hollow tree, and there was so much honey that it ran down the trunk; and the two brothers wanted to light a fire under the tree and kill the bees, so as to get their honey. But the dwarf held them back, and said, ‘Let the pretty insects enjoy themselves, I cannot let you burn them.’

そこで先へ行くと、鴨がたくさん泳ぎ回っている湖に来た。二人の兄は二羽捕まえて焼こうとした。けれども小男は言った。「その哀れな者たちを楽しませておやり。殺させはしない。」次に三人は、うろの木にある蜜蜂の巣のところへ来た。蜜があまりに多くて、幹を伝って流れ落ちていた。二人の兄は木の下で火を焚き、蜜蜂を殺して蜜を取ろうとした。けれども小男は二人を押しとどめて言った。「そのきれいな虫たちを楽しませておやり。焼かせるわけにはいかない。」

At length the three brothers came to a castle: and as they passed by the stables they saw fine horses standing there, but all were of marble, and no man was to be seen. Then they went through all the rooms, till they came to a door on which were three locks: but in the middle of the door was a wicket, so that they could look into the next room. There they saw a little grey old man sitting at a table; and they called to him once or twice, but he did not hear: however, they called a third time, and then he rose and came out to them.

とうとう三人の兄弟は一つの城に着いた。厩のそばを通ると立派な馬が立っていたが、どれも大理石で、人の姿はどこにも見えなかった。それから部屋という部屋を通り抜け、錠前が三つついた戸のところへ来た。けれども戸の真ん中には小窓があって、隣の部屋が覗けるようになっていた。そこには小さな白髪の老人が卓に向かって座っていた。三人は一度、二度と声をかけたが、老人には聞こえなかった。それでも三度目に呼ぶと、老人は立ち上がって出て来た。

He said nothing, but took hold of them and led them to a beautiful table covered with all sorts of good things: and when they had eaten and drunk, he showed each of them to a bed-chamber.

老人は何も言わず、三人の手を取って、ありとあらゆるご馳走を並べた立派な卓へ案内した。そして三人が食べて飲み終わると、それぞれを寝室へ案内した。

The next morning he came to the eldest and took him to a marble table, where there were three tablets, containing an account of the means by which the castle might be disenchanted. The first tablet said: ‘In the wood, under the moss, lie the thousand pearls belonging to the king’s daughter; they must all be found: and if one be missing by set of sun, he who seeks them will be turned into marble.’

あくる朝、老人は長兄のところへ来て、大理石の卓へ連れて行った。そこには三枚の書き板があって、この城の魔法を解く手立てが記されていた。一枚めにはこうあった。「森の苔の下に、王の姫のものである千個の真珠が埋もれている。それをみな見つけ出さねばならない。日が沈むまでに一つでも欠けていれば、探した者は大理石に変えられる。」

The eldest brother set out, and sought for the pearls the whole day: but the evening came, and he had not found the first hundred: so he was turned into stone as the tablet had foretold.

長兄は出かけて、一日じゅう真珠を探した。けれども夕方になっても、最初の百個すら見つからなかった。それで書き板の告げたとおり、石に変えられた。

The next day the second brother undertook the task; but he succeeded no better than the first; for he could only find the second hundred of the pearls; and therefore he too was turned into stone.

あくる日は次の兄がこの務めに取りかかった。けれども長兄より首尾がよいわけでもなく、真珠の二番目の百個までしか見つけられず、そのためやはり石に変えられた。

At last came the little dwarf’s turn; and he looked in the moss; but it was so hard to find the pearls, and the job was so tiresome!--so he sat down upon a stone and cried. And as he sat there, the king of the ants (whose life he had saved) came to help him, with five thousand ants; and it was not long before they had found all the pearls and laid them in a heap.

とうとう小男の番が来た。小男は苔の中を探したが、真珠を見つけるのはひどく難しく、仕事はうんざりするほどだった! そこで石の上に座り込んで泣いた。そうして座っていると、命を助けてやった蟻の王が五千匹の蟻を連れて助けに来た。そしてほどなく真珠を残らず見つけ出し、一山に積み上げてくれた。

The second tablet said: ‘The key of the princess’s bed-chamber must be fished up out of the lake.’ And as the dwarf came to the brink of it, he saw the two ducks whose lives he had saved swimming about; and they dived down and soon brought in the key from the bottom.

二枚めの書き板にはこうあった。「姫の寝室の鍵を、湖から釣り上げねばならない。」小男が湖の岸へ行くと、命を助けてやった二羽の鴨が泳いでいるのが見えた。鴨たちは潜って、まもなく底から鍵を持って来てくれた。

The third task was the hardest. It was to choose out the youngest and the best of the king’s three daughters. Now they were all beautiful, and all exactly alike: but he was told that the eldest had eaten a piece of sugar, the next some sweet syrup, and the youngest a spoonful of honey; so he was to guess which it was that had eaten the honey.

三つめの務めがいちばん難しかった。王の三人の姫のうちから、いちばん年下でいちばんよい姫を選び出すというのである。ところが三人ともみな美しく、しかもそっくり同じだった。ただ、いちばん上の姫は砂糖を一かけ、次の姫は甘い糖蜜を、いちばん下の姫は蜂蜜を匙に一杯食べたと教えられた。そこで蜂蜜を食べたのがどの姫か、言い当てねばならなかった。

Then came the queen of the bees, who had been saved by the little dwarf from the fire, and she tried the lips of all three; but at last she sat upon the lips of the one that had eaten the honey: and so the dwarf knew which was the youngest. Thus the spell was broken, and all who had been turned into stones awoke, and took their proper forms. And the dwarf married the youngest and the best of the princesses, and was king after her father’s death; but his two brothers married the other two sisters.

そこへ、小男に火から救われた蜜蜂の女王がやって来て、三人の姫の唇を順に試した。そしてとうとう、蜂蜜を食べた姫の唇にとまった。それで小男はどれが末の姫か分かった。こうして魔法は解け、石に変えられていた者たちはみな目を覚まして、もとの姿に戻った。そして小男は姫たちのうちいちばん年下でいちばんよい姫と結婚し、その父の死後に王となった。二人の兄はほかの二人の姉と結婚した。