The Salad

As a merry young huntsman was once going briskly along through a wood, there came up a little old woman, and said to him, ‘Good day, good day; you seem merry enough, but I am hungry and thirsty; do pray give me something to eat.’ The huntsman took pity on her, and put his hand in his pocket and gave her what he had. Then he wanted to go his way; but she took hold of him, and said, ‘Listen, my friend, to what I am going to tell you; I will reward you for your kindness; go your way, and after a little time you will come to a tree where you will see nine birds sitting on a cloak. Shoot into the midst of them, and one will fall down dead: the cloak will fall too; take it, it is a wishing-cloak, and when you wear it you will find yourself at any place where you may wish to be. Cut open the dead bird, take out its heart and keep it, and you will find a piece of gold under your pillow every morning when you rise. It is the bird’s heart that will bring you this good luck.’

陽気な若い狩人が森を元気よく歩いていると、小さな老婆がやって来て言った。「こんにちは、こんにちは。ずいぶん浮かれておいでだね。だがわたしは腹が減って喉も渇いている。どうか何か食べるものをおくれ。」狩人は気の毒に思い、懐に手を入れて持っていたものをやった。それから行こうとしたが、老婆は狩人を引き止めて言った。「お聞き、これから言うことをね。親切のお礼をしよう。このまま行くと、しばらくして一本の木のところへ来る。そこに鳥が九羽、一枚の外套にとまっているのが見えるはずだ。その真ん中へ撃ち込めば、一羽が落ちて死ぬ。外套も落ちる。それを取りなさい。それは願いの外套で、身につければ、行きたいと願うどこへでも行ける。死んだ鳥を切り開いて心臓を取り出し、持っていなさい。そうすれば毎朝起きるたびに、枕の下に金貨が一枚見つかる。この幸運をもたらすのは、その鳥の心臓なのだよ。」

The huntsman thanked her, and thought to himself, ‘If all this does happen, it will be a fine thing for me.’ When he had gone a hundred steps or so, he heard a screaming and chirping in the branches over him, and looked up and saw a flock of birds pulling a cloak with their bills and feet; screaming, fighting, and tugging at each other as if each wished to have it himself. ‘Well,’ said the huntsman, ‘this is wonderful; this happens just as the old woman said’; then he shot into the midst of them so that their feathers flew all about. Off went the flock chattering away; but one fell down dead, and the cloak with it. Then the huntsman did as the old woman told him, cut open the bird, took out the heart, and carried the cloak home with him.

狩人は礼を言い、心の中で思った。「こんなことがみな起こるなら、たいそう結構なことだ。」百歩ほど行くと、頭の上の枝で騒がしく鳴き交わす声が聞こえた。見上げると、鳥の群れが嘴と足で一枚の外套を引っ張っていた。誰もが自分のものにしたいとばかりに、鳴きわめき、争い、引き合っている。「なるほど」と狩人は言った。「これは不思議だ。婆さんの言った通りではないか。」そしてその真ん中へ撃ち込むと、羽が一面に飛び散った。群れはぎゃあぎゃあ鳴きながら飛び去ったが、一羽が落ちて死に、外套もそれと一緒に落ちた。そこで狩人は老婆に言われた通りにして、鳥を切り開き、心臓を取り出し、外套を家へ持ち帰った。

The next morning when he awoke he lifted up his pillow, and there lay the piece of gold glittering underneath; the same happened next day, and indeed every day when he arose. He heaped up a great deal of gold, and at last thought to himself, ‘Of what use is this gold to me whilst I am at home? I will go out into the world and look about me.’

あくる朝、目を覚まして枕を持ち上げると、その下に金貨が光って横たわっていた。次の日も、いや起きるたびに毎日同じだった。狩人は大量の黄金を積み上げ、とうとう心の中で思った。「家にいるあいだ、この黄金が何の役に立つ? 世の中へ出て、あたりを見て回ろう。」

Then he took leave of his friends, and hung his bag and bow about his neck, and went his way. It so happened that his road one day led through a thick wood, at the end of which was a large castle in a green meadow, and at one of the windows stood an old woman with a very beautiful young lady by her side looking about them. Now the old woman was a witch, and said to the young lady, ‘There is a young man coming out of the wood who carries a wonderful prize; we must get it away from him, my dear child, for it is more fit for us than for him. He has a bird’s heart that brings a piece of gold under his pillow every morning.’ Meantime the huntsman came nearer and looked at the lady, and said to himself, ‘I have been travelling so long that I should like to go into this castle and rest myself, for I have money enough to pay for anything I want’; but the real reason was, that he wanted to see more of the beautiful lady. Then he went into the house, and was welcomed kindly; and it was not long before he was so much in love that he thought of nothing else but looking at the lady’s eyes, and doing everything that she wished. Then the old woman said, ‘Now is the time for getting the bird’s heart.’ So the lady stole it away, and he never found any more gold under his pillow, for it lay now under the young lady’s, and the old woman took it away every morning; but he was so much in love that he never missed his prize.

そこで狩人は友人たちに別れを告げ、袋と弓を首に掛けて旅立った。するとある日、道が深い森を通ることになり、その果ての緑の草原に大きな城があった。そして窓の一つに老婆が立ち、そのかたわらにたいそう美しい若い娘がいて、あたりを眺めていた。ところでこの老婆は魔女で、若い娘にこう言った。「森から若い男が出て来るよ。すばらしい宝を持っている。あれを取り上げてやらねばならないね、かわいい子や。あれはあの男よりわたしたちにふさわしいのだから。あの男は毎朝枕の下に金貨をもたらす鳥の心臓を持っているのさ。」そのあいだに狩人は近づいて来て、その娘を見ると心の中で言った。「あまりに長く旅をしてきたから、この城へ入って休みたいものだ。ほしいものは何でも払えるだけの金はあるのだから。」けれども本当の理由は、あの美しい娘をもっと見たかったからである。そして狩人は屋敷に入り、親切に迎えられた。そしてまもなく、あまりに深く恋に落ちて、娘の目を見つめ、娘の望むことを何でもすることのほかは何も考えなくなった。そこで老婆が言った。「いまが鳥の心臓を手に入れる時だよ。」そこで娘はそれを盗み取り、狩人は枕の下に黄金を見つけることが二度となくなった。金貨はいまや若い娘の枕の下にあり、老婆が毎朝それを持ち去ったからである。けれども狩人はあまりに深く恋していたので、宝がなくなったことにさえ気づかなかった。

‘Well,’ said the old witch, ‘we have got the bird’s heart, but not the wishing-cloak yet, and that we must also get.’ ‘Let us leave him that,’ said the young lady; ‘he has already lost his wealth.’ Then the witch was very angry, and said, ‘Such a cloak is a very rare and wonderful thing, and I must and will have it.’ So she did as the old woman told her, and set herself at the window, and looked about the country and seemed very sorrowful; then the huntsman said, ‘What makes you so sad?’ ‘Alas! dear sir,’ said she, ‘yonder lies the granite rock where all the costly diamonds grow, and I want so much to go there, that whenever I think of it I cannot help being sorrowful, for who can reach it? only the birds and the flies--man cannot.’ ‘If that’s all your grief,’ said the huntsman, ‘I’ll take you there with all my heart’; so he drew her under his cloak, and the moment he wished to be on the granite mountain they were both there. The diamonds glittered so on all sides that they were delighted with the sight and picked up the finest. But the old witch made a deep sleep come upon him, and he said to the young lady, ‘Let us sit down and rest ourselves a little, I am so tired that I cannot stand any longer.’ So they sat down, and he laid his head in her lap and fell asleep; and whilst he was sleeping on she took the cloak from his shoulders, hung it on her own, picked up the diamonds, and wished herself home again.

「さて」と年取った魔女は言った。「鳥の心臓は手に入れたが、願いの外套はまだだ。あれも手に入れなければ。」「あれくらい残しておいてやりましょう」と若い娘は言った。「あの人はもう財産を失ったのですから。」すると魔女はたいそう怒って言った。「あんな外套はめったにない不思議なものだ。どうしても手に入れるのだよ。」そこで娘は老婆に言われた通りにして、窓辺に身を置き、あたりの野を眺めてたいそう悲しげな様子をした。すると狩人が言った。「何がそんなにあなたを悲しませるのですか?」「ああ、あなた」と娘は言った。「向こうに御影石の岩があって、そこには高価なダイヤモンドがみな育つのです。わたしはそこへ行きたくてたまらなくて、それを思うたびに悲しくならずにいられません。けれども誰があそこへ行けましょう? 鳥と虫だけで、人には行けないのです。」「あなたの嘆きがそれだけなら」と狩人は言った。「喜んでお連れしましょう。」そう言って娘を外套の下に引き入れ、御影石の山にいたいと願ったとたん、二人はそこにいた。ダイヤモンドが四方できらめいて、二人はその眺めに歓び、いちばん見事なものを拾った。けれども年取った魔女は狩人に深い眠りを送り、狩人は若い娘に言った。「座って少し休みましょう。ひどく疲れて、もう立っていられない。」そこで二人は腰を下ろし、狩人は娘の膝に頭を載せて眠り込んだ。そして眠っているあいだに、娘は外套を肩から取り上げて自分の肩に掛け、ダイヤモンドを拾い集めて、家に帰りたいと願った。

When he awoke and found that his lady had tricked him, and left him alone on the wild rock, he said, ‘Alas! what roguery there is in the world!’ and there he sat in great grief and fear, not knowing what to do. Now this rock belonged to fierce giants who lived upon it; and as he saw three of them striding about, he thought to himself, ‘I can only save myself by feigning to be asleep’; so he laid himself down as if he were in a sound sleep. When the giants came up to him, the first pushed him with his foot, and said, ‘What worm is this that lies here curled up?’ ‘Tread upon him and kill him,’ said the second. ‘It’s not worth the trouble,’ said the third; ‘let him live, he’ll go climbing higher up the mountain, and some cloud will come rolling and carry him away.’ And they passed on. But the huntsman had heard all they said; and as soon as they were gone, he climbed to the top of the mountain, and when he had sat there a short time a cloud came rolling around him, and caught him in a whirlwind and bore him along for some time, till it settled in a garden, and he fell quite gently to the ground amongst the greens and cabbages.

狩人は目を覚まして、あの娘に騙され、荒れた岩の上に一人置き去りにされたと知ると、こう言った。「ああ! この世にはなんという悪だくみがあるものか!」そしてそこに深い嘆きと恐れのうちに座り、どうしてよいか分からなかった。ところでこの岩は、そこに住む獰猛な大男たちのものだった。そして三人が大股に歩いて来るのが見えたので、狩人は心の中で思った。「眠ったふりをするほかに助かる道はない。」そこで深く寝入っているかのように身を横たえた。大男たちが近づくと、一人めが足で押して言った。「ここに丸くなって寝ているこの虫けらは何だ?」「踏みつぶして殺せ」と二人めが言った。「その手間も要らん」と三人めが言った。「生かしておけ。どうせ山をもっと上へ登って行って、雲が転がって来てさらって行くさ。」そして三人は通り過ぎた。けれども狩人は彼らの言ったことをみな聞いていた。そして三人が行ってしまうとすぐ山の頂へ登り、しばらくそこに座っていると、雲が転がって来てまわりを包み、つむじ風にさらわれてしばらく運ばれた。そしてとうとう雲は一つの庭に降り、狩人は青菜とキャベツのあいだへごく穏やかに落ちた。

Then he looked around him, and said, ‘I wish I had something to eat, if not I shall be worse off than before; for here I see neither apples nor pears, nor any kind of fruits, nothing but vegetables.’ At last he thought to himself, ‘I can eat salad, it will refresh and strengthen me.’ So he picked out a fine head and ate of it; but scarcely had he swallowed two bites when he felt himself quite changed, and saw with horror that he was turned into an ass. However, he still felt very hungry, and the salad tasted very nice; so he ate on till he came to another kind of salad, and scarcely had he tasted it when he felt another change come over him, and soon saw that he was lucky enough to have found his old shape again.

狩人はあたりを見回して言った。「何か食べるものがあればいいのだが。なければ前より悪いことになる。ここには林檎も梨も、どんな果物も見あたらない。野菜のほかは何もない。」とうとう狩人は心の中で思った。「サラダ菜なら食べられる。元気が出て力もつくだろう。」そこで見事な一株を選んで食べた。ところが二口も飲み込まないうちに、体がすっかり変わったのを感じ、驚いたことに自分が驢馬になっているのを見た。それでもまだひどく空腹で、サラダ菜はたいそううまかったので食べ続けると、別の種類のサラダ菜のところへ来た。そしてそれを口にするかしないかのうちに、もう一度体が変わるのを感じ、まもなく運よくもとの姿を取り戻したと分かった。

Then he laid himself down and slept off a little of his weariness; and when he awoke the next morning he broke off a head both of the good and the bad salad, and thought to himself, ‘This will help me to my fortune again, and enable me to pay off some folks for their treachery.’ So he went away to try and find the castle of his friends; and after wandering about a few days he luckily found it. Then he stained his face all over brown, so that even his mother would not have known him, and went into the castle and asked for a lodging; ‘I am so tired,’ said he, ‘that I can go no farther.’ ‘Countryman,’ said the witch, ‘who are you? and what is your business?’ ‘I am,’ said he, ‘a messenger sent by the king to find the finest salad that grows under the sun. I have been lucky enough to find it, and have brought it with me; but the heat of the sun scorches so that it begins to wither, and I don’t know that I can carry it farther.’

そこで狩人は身を横たえ、疲れを少し眠って落とした。そしてあくる朝目を覚ますと、よい方と悪い方のサラダ菜を一株ずつ摘み取り、心の中で思った。「これで運も取り戻せるし、裏切り者たちに借りを返してやれる。」そして昔の友人たちの城を探しに出かけ、数日さまよったあげく、運よくそれを見つけた。そこで顔じゅうを茶色に塗って、母親にさえ分からないようにし、城へ入って宿を乞うた。「たいそう疲れて」と狩人は言った。「これ以上進めないのです。」「田舎の方」と魔女は言った。「あなたはどなたです? 何の用でおいでです?」「わたしは」と狩人は言った。「日の下に育つ最も見事なサラダ菜を探すよう、王から遣わされた使いの者です。運よく見つけて持って来ましたが、日の暑さに焼かれて萎れ始めてしまい、これ以上運べるかどうか分かりません。」

When the witch and the young lady heard of his beautiful salad, they longed to taste it, and said, ‘Dear countryman, let us just taste it.’ ‘To be sure,’ answered he; ‘I have two heads of it with me, and will give you one’; so he opened his bag and gave them the bad. Then the witch herself took it into the kitchen to be dressed; and when it was ready she could not wait till it was carried up, but took a few leaves immediately and put them in her mouth, and scarcely were they swallowed when she lost her own form and ran braying down into the court in the form of an ass. Now the servant-maid came into the kitchen, and seeing the salad ready, was going to carry it up; but on the way she too felt a wish to taste it as the old woman had done, and ate some leaves; so she also was turned into an ass and ran after the other, letting the dish with the salad fall on the ground. The messenger sat all this time with the beautiful young lady, and as nobody came with the salad and she longed to taste it, she said, ‘I don’t know where the salad can be.’ Then he thought something must have happened, and said, ‘I will go into the kitchen and see.’ And as he went he saw two asses in the court running about, and the salad lying on the ground. ‘All right!’ said he; ‘those two have had their share.’ Then he took up the rest of the leaves, laid them on the dish and brought them to the young lady, saying, ‘I bring you the dish myself that you may not wait any longer.’ So she ate of it, and like the others ran off into the court braying away.

魔女と若い娘はその見事なサラダ菜のことを聞くと味わってみたくてたまらず、こう言った。「ねえ田舎の方、ちょっと味見させてくださいな。」「もちろんです」と狩人は答えた。「二株持っていますから、一株差し上げましょう。」そう言って袋を開け、悪い方を渡した。すると魔女は自分でそれを台所へ持って行って料理させた。そしてでき上がると、運び上げるまで待ちきれず、すぐに葉を二、三枚取って口に入れた。ところが飲み込むか飲み込まないかのうちに、自分の姿を失い、驢馬の姿になって鳴きながら中庭へ駆け下りた。そこへ女中が台所に入って来て、サラダ菜ができているのを見て運び上げようとした。けれども途中で、女中も老婆と同じように味見したくなって葉を何枚か食べた。それでやはり驢馬になり、先の驢馬を追って駆け出し、サラダ菜の皿を地面に落としてしまった。使いの者はそのあいだじゅう美しい若い娘と座っていた。そして誰もサラダ菜を持って来ず、娘は味わいたくてたまらないので、こう言った。「サラダ菜はどこへ行ったのかしら。」そこで狩人は何かあったに違いないと思い、こう言った。「台所へ行って見て来ましょう。」そして行ってみると、中庭で驢馬が二頭駆け回っていて、サラダ菜が地面に落ちていた。「結構!」と狩人は言った。「あの二人は自分の分け前をもらったわけだ。」そして残りの葉を拾い上げ、皿に載せて若い娘のところへ持って行き、こう言った。「これ以上お待たせしないよう、わたし自身が皿をお持ちしました。」そこで娘はそれを食べ、ほかの者と同じように、鳴きながら中庭へ駆け出して行った。

Then the huntsman washed his face and went into the court that they might know him. ‘Now you shall be paid for your roguery,’ said he; and tied them all three to a rope and took them along with him till he came to a mill and knocked at the window. ‘What’s the matter?’ said the miller. ‘I have three tiresome beasts here,’ said the other; ‘if you will take them, give them food and room, and treat them as I tell you, I will pay you whatever you ask.’ ‘With all my heart,’ said the miller; ‘but how shall I treat them?’ Then the huntsman said, ‘Give the old one stripes three times a day and hay once; give the next (who was the servant-maid) stripes once a day and hay three times; and give the youngest (who was the beautiful lady) hay three times a day and no stripes’: for he could not find it in his heart to have her beaten. After this he went back to the castle, where he found everything he wanted.

そこで狩人は顔を洗い、自分だと分かるように中庭へ出た。「さあ、おまえたちの悪だくみの報いを受けてもらおう」と狩人は言い、三頭とも一本の縄につないで引いて行き、とうとう水車小屋に来て窓を叩いた。「何の用だ?」と粉屋は言った。「厄介な獣を三頭連れている」と狩人は言った。「引き受けて、餌と場所をやり、わたしの言う通りに扱ってくれるなら、言い値を払おう。」「喜んで」と粉屋は言った。「だがどう扱えばいい?」そこで狩人は言った。「年取ったのには一日に三度鞭を、干し草は一度やってくれ。次のには——これは女中だった——一日に一度鞭を、干し草は三度。いちばん若いのには——これは美しい娘だった——干し草を一日に三度、鞭はなし。」娘を打たせる気にはどうしてもなれなかったからである。そのあと狩人は城へ戻り、ほしいものを何もかも見つけた。

Some days after, the miller came to him and told him that the old ass was dead; ‘The other two,’ said he, ‘are alive and eat, but are so sorrowful that they cannot last long.’ Then the huntsman pitied them, and told the miller to drive them back to him, and when they came, he gave them some of the good salad to eat. And the beautiful young lady fell upon her knees before him, and said, ‘O dearest huntsman! forgive me all the ill I have done you; my mother forced me to it, it was against my will, for I always loved you very much. Your wishing-cloak hangs up in the closet, and as for the bird’s heart, I will give it you too.’ But he said, ‘Keep it, it will be just the same thing, for I mean to make you my wife.’ So they were married, and lived together very happily till they died.

数日して、粉屋が狩人のところへ来て、年取った驢馬は死んだと告げた。「あとの二頭は」と粉屋は言った。「生きていて餌も食べますが、たいそう悲しんでいて長くは持たないでしょう。」そこで狩人は二頭を気の毒に思い、こちらへ追って来るように粉屋に言った。そして二頭が来ると、よい方のサラダ菜を食べさせた。すると美しい若い娘は狩人の前にひざまずいて言った。「ああ、いとしい狩人さま! わたしがあなたにした悪事をみな許してください。母に強いられてしたことで、わたしの心からではありませんでした。わたしはいつもあなたをたいそう愛していたのです。あなたの願いの外套は物置に掛けてあります。鳥の心臓も、お返しします。」けれども狩人は言った。「持っていなさい。どのみち同じことだ。わたしはあなたを妻にするつもりなのだから。」こうして二人は結婚し、死ぬまでたいそう幸せに暮らした。