The Seven Ravens

There was once a man who had seven sons, and last of all one daughter. Although the little girl was very pretty, she was so weak and small that they thought she could not live; but they said she should at once be christened.

むかしある男に七人の息子があり、いちばん最後に娘が一人生まれた。この幼い娘はたいそうかわいらしかったが、あまりに弱くて小さかったので、生きられまいと思われた。そこですぐに洗礼を受けさせようということになった。

So the father sent one of his sons in haste to the spring to get some water, but the other six ran with him. Each wanted to be first at drawing the water, and so they were in such a hurry that all let their pitchers fall into the well, and they stood very foolishly looking at one another, and did not know what to do, for none dared go home. In the meantime the father was uneasy, and could not tell what made the young men stay so long. ‘Surely,’ said he, ‘the whole seven must have forgotten themselves over some game of play’; and when he had waited still longer and they yet did not come, he flew into a rage and wished them all turned into ravens. Scarcely had he spoken these words when he heard a croaking over his head, and looked up and saw seven ravens as black as coal flying round and round. Sorry as he was to see his wish so fulfilled, he did not know how what was done could be undone, and comforted himself as well as he could for the loss of his seven sons with his dear little daughter, who soon became stronger and every day more beautiful.

そこで父は息子の一人を急いで泉へ水を汲みにやったが、ほかの六人も一緒に走って行った。誰もが真っ先に水を汲みたがって、みな大あわてだったので、水差しをそろって井戸に落としてしまった。そして七人はたいそう間の抜けた顔で互いを見つめ、どうしてよいか分からなかった。誰も家へ帰る勇気がなかったからである。そのあいだ父は落ち着かず、若い者たちがなぜこんなに長く帰らないのか分からなかった。「どうせ」と父は言った。「七人そろって何かの遊びに我を忘れているのだろう。」そしてさらに待っても帰って来ないので、父はかっとなって、七人ともみな大鴉になってしまえと言った。その言葉を口にするかしないかのうちに、頭の上で鳴き声が聞こえ、見上げると、炭のように黒い七羽の大鴉がぐるぐる飛び回っていた。父は願いがこうしてかなってしまったことを悔やんだが、してしまったことをどう取り消せばよいか分からず、七人の息子を失った悲しみを、いとしい幼い娘でできるかぎり慰めた。娘はまもなく丈夫になり、日ごとに美しくなっていった。

For a long time she did not know that she had ever had any brothers; for her father and mother took care not to speak of them before her: but one day by chance she heard the people about her speak of them. ‘Yes,’ said they, ‘she is beautiful indeed, but still ‘tis a pity that her brothers should have been lost for her sake.’ Then she was much grieved, and went to her father and mother, and asked if she had any brothers, and what had become of them. So they dared no longer hide the truth from her, but said it was the will of Heaven, and that her birth was only the innocent cause of it; but the little girl mourned sadly about it every day, and thought herself bound to do all she could to bring her brothers back; and she had neither rest nor ease, till at length one day she stole away, and set out into the wide world to find her brothers, wherever they might be, and free them, whatever it might cost her.

娘は長いあいだ、自分に兄たちがいたことを知らなかった。父も母も娘の前でそのことを口にしないよう気をつけていたからである。ところがある日、まわりの人々が兄たちのことを話すのを、たまたま耳にした。「ああ」と人々は言っていた。「たしかに美しい娘だ。だがあの子のために兄さんたちが失われたと思うと、気の毒なことだ。」娘はたいそう悲しんで、父と母のところへ行き、自分に兄がいたのか、その人たちはどうなったのかと尋ねた。そこで二人はもう真実を隠しておけず、それは天の思し召しであって、おまえが生まれたことは罪のないきっかけにすぎないのだと言った。けれども幼い娘は毎日それを悲しく嘆き、兄たちを取り戻すためにできるかぎりのことをしなければと思った。そして休む間も心の安らぐ間もなく、とうとうある日そっと抜け出して、兄たちがどこにいようと見つけ出し、どんな犠牲を払ってでも自由にしようと、広い世界へ旅立った。

She took nothing with her but a little ring which her father and mother had given her, a loaf of bread in case she should be hungry, a little pitcher of water in case she should be thirsty, and a little stool to rest upon when she should be weary. Thus she went on and on, and journeyed till she came to the world’s end; then she came to the sun, but the sun looked much too hot and fiery; so she ran away quickly to the moon, but the moon was cold and chilly, and said, ‘I smell flesh and blood this way!’ so she took herself away in a hurry and came to the stars, and the stars were friendly and kind to her, and each star sat upon his own little stool; but the morning star rose up and gave her a little piece of wood, and said, ‘If you have not this little piece of wood, you cannot unlock the castle that stands on the glass-mountain, and there your brothers live.’ The little girl took the piece of wood, rolled it up in a little cloth, and went on again until she came to the glass-mountain, and found the door shut. Then she felt for the little piece of wood; but when she unwrapped the cloth it was not there, and she saw she had lost the gift of the good stars. What was to be done? She wanted to save her brothers, and had no key of the castle of the glass-mountain; so this faithful little sister took a knife out of her pocket and cut off her little finger, that was just the size of the piece of wood she had lost, and put it in the door and opened it.

娘は、父と母がくれた小さな指輪と、空腹になったときのためのパンを一斤、喉が渇いたときのための小さな水差し、疲れたときに休むための小さな腰掛けのほかは、何も持って行かなかった。こうして娘はどこまでも歩き続け、旅して、とうとう世界の果てに着いた。それから太陽のところへ来たが、太陽はあまりに熱く燃えているように見えたので、急いで逃げ出して月のところへ行った。けれども月は冷たく凍えていて、こう言った。「こっちから人間の肉と血の匂いがするぞ!」そこで娘は大あわてで去り、星たちのところへ来た。星たちは娘に優しく親切で、それぞれが自分の小さな腰掛けに座っていた。すると明けの明星が立ち上がって、小さな木片を娘に渡して言った。「この木片がなければ、硝子の山に立つ城の錠は開けられません。あなたの兄さんたちはそこにいます。」娘は木片を受け取り、小さな布に包んで、また歩き続け、とうとう硝子の山に着いて、扉が閉まっているのを見つけた。そこで小さな木片を探ったが、布を開けるとそれはなく、よい星たちの贈り物をなくしてしまったと分かった。どうすればよいのだろう? 兄たちを救いたいのに、硝子の山の城の鍵がない。そこでこの忠実な幼い妹は、懐から小刀を取り出して、なくした木片とちょうど同じ大きさだった自分の小指を切り落とし、それを扉に差し込んで開けた。

As she went in, a little dwarf came up to her, and said, ‘What are you seeking for?’ ‘I seek for my brothers, the seven ravens,’ answered she. Then the dwarf said, ‘My masters are not at home; but if you will wait till they come, pray step in.’ Now the little dwarf was getting their dinner ready, and he brought their food upon seven little plates, and their drink in seven little glasses, and set them upon the table, and out of each little plate their sister ate a small piece, and out of each little glass she drank a small drop; but she let the ring that she had brought with her fall into the last glass.

娘が中に入ると、小さな小人が寄って来て言った。「何をお探しですか?」「わたしは兄たち、七羽の大鴉を探しています」と娘は答えた。すると小人は言った。「ご主人たちは留守です。けれどもお帰りまで待たれるなら、どうぞお入りください。」ところで小さな小人は主人たちの食事の支度をしていて、七つの小さな皿に料理を、七つの小さなコップに飲み物を運んで来て、食卓に並べた。そして妹はどの小さな皿からも一切れずつ食べ、どの小さなコップからも一滴ずつ飲んだ。けれども持って来た指輪を、最後のコップに落とした。

On a sudden she heard a fluttering and croaking in the air, and the dwarf said, ‘Here come my masters.’ When they came in, they wanted to eat and drink, and looked for their little plates and glasses. Then said one after the other,

すると突然、羽ばたきと鳴き声が空に聞こえ、小人が言った。「ご主人たちがお帰りです。」大鴉たちは入って来ると、食べて飲もうとして、自分の小さな皿とコップを探した。すると次々にこう言った。

‘Who has eaten from my little plate? And who has been drinking out of my little glass?’

「誰がおれの小さな皿から食べた? それに誰がおれの小さなコップから飲んだ?」

‘Caw! Caw! well I ween Mortal lips have this way been.’

「カア! カア! さては人の口が、ここを通ったに違いない。」

When the seventh came to the bottom of his glass, and found there the ring, he looked at it, and knew that it was his father’s and mother’s, and said, ‘O that our little sister would but come! then we should be free.’ When the little girl heard this (for she stood behind the door all the time and listened), she ran forward, and in an instant all the ravens took their right form again; and all hugged and kissed each other, and went merrily home.

七羽めが自分のコップの底まで来て、そこに指輪を見つけると、それを見て父と母のものだと分かり、こう言った。「ああ、妹が来てくれさえしたら! そうすればおれたちは自由になれるのに。」幼い娘はこれを聞くと(娘はずっと戸の陰に立って聞いていたのである)、駆け出して行った。するとたちまち大鴉たちはみなもとの姿に戻り、みなで抱き合い口づけし合って、楽しく家へ帰った。