The Turnip

There were two brothers who were both soldiers; the one was rich and the other poor. The poor man thought he would try to better himself; so, pulling off his red coat, he became a gardener, and dug his ground well, and sowed turnips.

二人の兄弟がいて、どちらも兵士だった。一人は金持ちで、もう一人は貧しかった。貧しい方は身を立て直そうと思い、赤い軍服を脱いで庭師になり、よく土を耕して蕪の種を蒔いた。

When the seed came up, there was one plant bigger than all the rest; and it kept getting larger and larger, and seemed as if it would never cease growing; so that it might have been called the prince of turnips for there never was such a one seen before, and never will again. At last it was so big that it filled a cart, and two oxen could hardly draw it; and the gardener knew not what in the world to do with it, nor whether it would be a blessing or a curse to him. One day he said to himself, ‘What shall I do with it? if I sell it, it will bring no more than another; and for eating, the little turnips are better than this; the best thing perhaps is to carry it and give it to the king as a mark of respect.’

種が芽を出すと、ほかのどれよりも大きな一株があった。そしてどんどん大きくなり続けて、いつまでも育つのをやめないかのようだった。それで蕪の王さまとでも呼べそうだった。こんなものはそれまで見られたことがなく、これからも見られはすまい。とうとう荷車いっぱいになるほど大きくなり、牛二頭でやっと引けるほどだった。庭師はそれをどうしたものか見当もつかず、自分にとって恵みなのか災いなのかも分からなかった。ある日、男は独り言を言った。「これをどうしよう? 売ったところで、ほかの蕪より高くは売れまい。食べるなら小さい蕪の方がうまい。いちばんよいのは、たぶん運んで行って、敬意のしるしとして王さまに差し上げることだろう。」

Then he yoked his oxen, and drew the turnip to the court, and gave it to the king. ‘What a wonderful thing!’ said the king; ‘I have seen many strange things, but such a monster as this I never saw. Where did you get the seed? or is it only your good luck? If so, you are a true child of fortune.’ ‘Ah, no!’ answered the gardener, ‘I am no child of fortune; I am a poor soldier, who never could get enough to live upon; so I laid aside my red coat, and set to work, tilling the ground. I have a brother, who is rich, and your majesty knows him well, and all the world knows him; but because I am poor, everybody forgets me.’

そこで男は牛に軛をつけ、蕪を宮廷まで引いて行って王に献上した。「なんと見事なものだ!」と王は言った。「珍しいものは数多く見てきたが、これほどの化け物は見たことがない。その種はどこで手に入れた? それとも、ただおまえの運がよいだけか? もしそうなら、おまえはまことの幸運の子だ。」「ああ、いいえ!」と庭師は答えた。「わたしは幸運の子ではありません。暮らしに足るだけの稼ぎも得られなかった、貧しい兵士です。それで赤い軍服を脱いで、土を耕す仕事に就いたのです。わたしには金持ちの兄がいて、陛下もよくご存じですし、世間もみな知っております。けれどもわたしは貧しいので、誰もが忘れてしまうのです。」

The king then took pity on him, and said, ‘You shall be poor no longer. I will give you so much that you shall be even richer than your brother.’ Then he gave him gold and lands and flocks, and made him so rich that his brother’s fortune could not at all be compared with his.

そこで王は男を気の毒に思って言った。「そちはもう貧しくはない。兄よりもさらに豊かになるほどのものを取らせよう。」そして黄金と土地と家畜の群れを与え、兄の財産などとても比べものにならぬほど豊かにしてやった。

When the brother heard of all this, and how a turnip had made the gardener so rich, he envied him sorely, and bethought himself how he could contrive to get the same good fortune for himself. However, he determined to manage more cleverly than his brother, and got together a rich present of gold and fine horses for the king; and thought he must have a much larger gift in return; for if his brother had received so much for only a turnip, what must his present be worth?

兄はこのことをみな聞き、蕪一つで庭師があれほど豊かになったと知ると、ひどく妬ましく思い、どうすれば同じ幸運を自分のものにできるかと思案した。そして弟よりも巧くやろうと心を決め、黄金と立派な馬という豪華な贈り物を王のために揃えた。そして返礼にはもっとずっと大きな贈り物があるに違いないと思った。弟がたかが蕪一つであれほど受け取ったのなら、自分の贈り物はどれほどの値打ちがあるはずか、というわけである。

The king took the gift very graciously, and said he knew not what to give in return more valuable and wonderful than the great turnip; so the soldier was forced to put it into a cart, and drag it home with him. When he reached home, he knew not upon whom to vent his rage and spite; and at length wicked thoughts came into his head, and he resolved to kill his brother.

王はその贈り物をたいそう丁重に受け取り、返礼としてあの大きな蕪より値打ちのある見事なものは思いつかぬと言った。それで兵士はやむなく蕪を荷車に積み、家まで引いて帰った。家に着くと、怒りと恨みをどこへぶつけてよいか分からなかった。そしてとうとう邪な考えが頭に浮かび、弟を殺そうと心を決めた。

So he hired some villains to murder him; and having shown them where to lie in ambush, he went to his brother, and said, ‘Dear brother, I have found a hidden treasure; let us go and dig it up, and share it between us.’ The other had no suspicions of his roguery: so they went out together, and as they were travelling along, the murderers rushed out upon him, bound him, and were going to hang him on a tree.

そこで兄は何人かの悪党を雇って弟を殺させることにし、待ち伏せの場所を教えておいてから弟のところへ行って言った。「なあ弟よ、隠された宝を見つけたぞ。一緒に行って掘り出し、二人で分けようじゃないか。」弟は兄の悪だくみを少しも疑わなかった。そこで二人で出かけ、道を行っていると、人殺したちが飛び出して来て弟を縛り、木に吊るそうとした。

But whilst they were getting all ready, they heard the trampling of a horse at a distance, which so frightened them that they pushed their prisoner neck and shoulders together into a sack, and swung him up by a cord to the tree, where they left him dangling, and ran away. Meantime he worked and worked away, till he made a hole large enough to put out his head.

ところが支度をしているあいだに、遠くで馬の蹄の音が聞こえた。それに肝をつぶした悪党たちは、囚われの男を首も肩もひとまとめに袋へ押し込み、綱で木に吊り上げ、ぶら下げたまま逃げ去った。そのあいだ男は袋の中でもがきにもがいて、とうとう頭を出せるほどの穴を開けた。

When the horseman came up, he proved to be a student, a merry fellow, who was journeying along on his nag, and singing as he went. As soon as the man in the sack saw him passing under the tree, he cried out, ‘Good morning! good morning to thee, my friend!’ The student looked about everywhere; and seeing no one, and not knowing where the voice came from, cried out, ‘Who calls me?’

馬の乗り手が来てみると、それは学生で、陽気な男が駄馬に乗って歌いながら旅をしているのだった。袋の中の男は、その学生が木の下を通りかかるのを見るなり叫んだ。「おはよう! おはよう、友よ!」学生はあたりじゅうを見回した。けれども誰も見えず、どこから声が来るのか分からないので、こう叫んだ。「誰がわたしを呼ぶのだ?」

Then the man in the tree answered, ‘Lift up thine eyes, for behold here I sit in the sack of wisdom; here have I, in a short time, learned great and wondrous things. Compared to this seat, all the learning of the schools is as empty air. A little longer, and I shall know all that man can know, and shall come forth wiser than the wisest of mankind. Here I discern the signs and motions of the heavens and the stars; the laws that control the winds; the number of the sands on the seashore; the healing of the sick; the virtues of all simples, of birds, and of precious stones. Wert thou but once here, my friend, though wouldst feel and own the power of knowledge.

そこで木の中の男が答えた。「目を上げよ。見よ、わたしはここ、知恵の袋の中に座っている。ここでわたしは短いあいだに、偉大で驚くべきことを学んだ。この座に比べれば、学校の学問などみな空しい風にすぎぬ。もう少しすれば、人の知りうることをすべて知り、人のうちで最も賢い者より賢くなって出て来るだろう。ここでわたしは、天と星のしるしと動き、風を司る掟、海辺の砂の数、病人の癒し方、あらゆる薬草と鳥と宝石の効き目を見分けている。友よ、ひとたびここに入りさえすれば、おまえも知識の力を感じ、我がものとするだろう。」

The student listened to all this and wondered much; at last he said, ‘Blessed be the day and hour when I found you; cannot you contrive to let me into the sack for a little while?’ Then the other answered, as if very unwillingly, ‘A little space I may allow thee to sit here, if thou wilt reward me well and entreat me kindly; but thou must tarry yet an hour below, till I have learnt some little matters that are yet unknown to me.’

学生はこれをみな聞いて、たいそう驚いた。そしてとうとう言った。「あなたを見つけたこの日この時に祝福あれ。しばらくのあいだ、わたしをその袋に入れてはもらえませんか?」すると相手はさも気の進まぬ様子で答えた。「よく礼をして、丁重に頼むなら、しばらくここに座らせてやってもよい。だがおまえはまだ一時間、下で待たねばならぬ。わたしがまだ知らぬ細かな事柄を学び終えるまではな。」

So the student sat himself down and waited a while; but the time hung heavy upon him, and he begged earnestly that he might ascend forthwith, for his thirst for knowledge was great. Then the other pretended to give way, and said, ‘Thou must let the sack of wisdom descend, by untying yonder cord, and then thou shalt enter.’ So the student let him down, opened the sack, and set him free. ‘Now then,’ cried he, ‘let me ascend quickly.’ As he began to put himself into the sack heels first, ‘Wait a while,’ said the gardener, ‘that is not the way.’ Then he pushed him in head first, tied up the sack, and soon swung up the searcher after wisdom dangling in the air. ‘How is it with thee, friend?’ said he, ‘dost thou not feel that wisdom comes unto thee? Rest there in peace, till thou art a wiser man than thou wert.’

そこで学生は腰を下ろしてしばらく待った。けれども時が重くのしかかり、知識への渇きが強かったので、すぐに上らせてくれと熱心に頼んだ。すると相手は折れたふりをして言った。「あそこの綱を解いて、知恵の袋を下ろすがよい。そうすればおまえが入れる。」そこで学生は男を下ろし、袋を開けて自由にしてやった。「さあ」と学生は叫んだ。「早くわたしを上げてくれ。」学生が踵から先に袋へ入ろうとすると、「待て」と庭師は言った。「そうではない。」そして頭から先に押し込み、袋の口を縛り、知恵を求める男をまもなく宙にぶら下げてしまった。「どうだ、友よ」と男は言った。「知恵が自分のところへやって来るのを感じないか? 前より賢い人間になるまで、そこで安らかに休んでいるがよい。」

So saying, he trotted off on the student’s nag, and left the poor fellow to gather wisdom till somebody should come and let him down.

そう言って男は学生の駄馬に乗って駆け去り、哀れな学生を、誰かが来て下ろしてくれるまで知恵を集めるにまかせておいた。