Why Spiders Are Always Found in the Corners of Ceilings

Egya Anansi was a very skilful farmer. He, with his wife and son, set to work one year to prepare a farm, much larger than any they had previously worked. They planted in it yams, maize, and beans—and were rewarded by a very rich crop. Their harvest was quite ten times greater than any they had ever had before. Egya Anansi was very well pleased when he saw his wealth of corn and beans.

エギャ・アナンシはたいそう腕のいい農夫だった。ある年、アナンシは妻と息子と一緒に、それまで耕したどの畑よりずっと大きな畑をこしらえにかかった。そこにヤムイモとトウモロコシと豆を植え、たいそう豊かな実りに報いられた。その収穫は、それまでに得たどの収穫よりもたっぷり十倍は多かった。エギャ・アナンシは、トウモロコシと豆がどっさりあるのを見てたいそう満足した。

He was, however, an exceedingly selfish and greedy man, who never liked to share anything—even with his own wife and son. When he saw that the crops were quite ripe, he thought of a plan whereby he alone would profit by them. He called his wife and son to him and spoke thus: “We have all three worked exceedingly hard to prepare these fields. They have well repaid us. We will now gather in the harvest and pack it away in our barns. When that is done, we shall be in need of a rest. I propose that you and our son should go back to our home in the village and remain there at your ease for two or three weeks. I have to go to the coast on very urgent business. When I return we will all come to the farm and enjoy our well-earned feast.”

けれどもアナンシは、ひどく自分勝手で欲の深い男で、何ひとつ——自分の妻や息子とさえ——分け合うのが嫌いだった。作物がすっかり熟したのを見ると、自分一人だけが得をする計略を考えた。妻と息子を呼んで、こう言った。「わしら三人はみな、この畑をこしらえるのにたいそう骨を折った。畑はたっぷり報いてくれた。これから取り入れをして、納屋にしまっておこう。それがすんだら、わしらには休みが要る。お前と息子は村の家へ帰って、二、三週間のんびりしていてはどうだろう。わしはたいそう急ぎの用で海辺へ行かねばならん。わしが戻ったら、みなで畑へ来て、骨折りに見合うごちそうを楽しもう」

Anansi’s wife and son thought this a very good, sensible plan, and at once agreed to it. They went straight back to their village, leaving the cunning husband to start on his journey. Needless to say he had not the slightest intention of so doing.

アナンシの妻と息子は、これをたいそうよい、もっともな計画だと思って、すぐに承知した。二人はまっすぐ村へ帰り、ずる賢い夫を旅に出るに任せた。言うまでもなく、アナンシにはそんなつもりは少しもなかった。

Instead, he built himself a very comfortable hut near the farm—supplied it with all manner of cooking utensils, gathered in a large store of the corn and vegetables from the barn, and prepared for a solitary feast. This went on for a fortnight. By that time Anansi’s son began to think it was time for him to go and weed the farm, lest the weeds should grow too high. He accordingly went there and worked several hours on it. While passing the barn, he happened to look in. Great was his surprise to see that more than half of their magnificent harvest had gone. He was greatly disturbed, thinking robbers had been at work, and wondered how he could prevent further mischief.

そうはせずに、アナンシは畑の近くにたいそう居心地のよい小屋を建て、あらゆる炊事道具をそろえ、納屋からトウモロコシや野菜をどっさり運び込んで、一人きりの宴の支度をした。これが二週間続いた。そのころになると、アナンシの息子は、雑草が伸びすぎないうちに畑の草取りに行く時分だと思いはじめた。そこで息子は畑へ行って、何時間か働いた。納屋のそばを通りかかったとき、ふとなかをのぞいた。見事な収穫の半分以上がなくなっているのを見て、息子はたいそう驚いた。泥棒のしわざだと思ってひどく心を乱し、どうすればこれ以上の悪さを防げるだろうかと考えた。

Returning to the village, he told the people there what had happened, and they helped to make a rubber-man. When evening came they carried the sticky figure to the farm, and placed it in the midst of the fields, to frighten away the thieves. Some of the young men remained with Anansi’s son to watch in one of the barns.

村へ戻ると、息子は起こったことを村の人々に話し、人々はゴム人形をこしらえるのを手伝ってくれた。夕方になると、人々はそのねばねばした人形を畑へ運び、泥棒を追い払うために畑のまんなかに据えた。若者の何人かが、アナンシの息子と一緒に納屋の一つに残って見張った。

When all was dark, Egya Anansi (quite unaware of what had happened) came, as usual, out of his hiding-place to fetch more food. On his way to the barn he saw in front of him the figure of a man, and at first felt very frightened. Finding that the man did not move, however, he gained confidence and went up to him. “What do you want here?” said he. There was no answer. He repeated his question with the same result. Anansi then became very angry and dealt the figure a blow on the cheek with his right hand. Of course, his hand stuck fast to the rubber. “How dare you hold my hand?” he exclaimed. “Let me go at once or I shall hit you again.” He then hit the figure with his left hand, which also stuck. He tried to disengage himself by pushing against it with his knees and body, until, finally, knees, body, hands, and head were all firmly attached to the rubber-man. There Egya Anansi had to stay till daybreak, when his son came out with the other villagers to catch the robber. They were astonished to find that the evil-doer was Anansi himself. He, on the other hand, was so ashamed to be caught in the act of greediness that he changed into a spider and took refuge in a dark corner of the ceiling lest any one should see him. Since then spiders have always been found in dark, dusty corners, where people are not likely to notice them.

すっかり暗くなると、エギャ・アナンシは(起こったことを何も知らずに)いつものように隠れ場所から出てきて、もっと食べ物を取りに来た。納屋へ行く途中、目の前に男の姿が見えて、はじめはたいそうおびえた。けれども男が動かないのがわかると、気を取り直して近寄っていった。「ここで何の用だ」とアナンシは言った。返事はなかった。もう一度尋ねたが、同じことだった。アナンシはそこでたいそう腹を立て、右手で人形の頬を一発殴った。もちろん、その手はゴムにしっかりくっついた。「よくもわしの手をつかんだな」とアナンシは叫んだ。「すぐに放せ。さもないとまた殴るぞ」それから左手で人形を殴ったが、その手もくっついた。膝や体で押して離れようとしているうちに、とうとう膝も体も手も頭も、みなゴム人形にしっかりくっついてしまった。エギャ・アナンシは夜明けまでそこにいるほかなかった。夜が明けると、息子がほかの村人たちと一緒に泥棒を捕まえに出てきた。人々は、悪者がアナンシその人だとわかって驚いた。アナンシのほうは、欲張りの現場を押さえられたのがあまりに恥ずかしくて、蜘蛛に姿を変え、だれにも見られないよう天井の暗い隅に逃げ込んだ。それ以来、蜘蛛はいつも、人の目にとまりにくい暗くほこりっぽい隅にいるのである。