Ímarasugssuaq, who ate his wives

It is said that the great Ímarasugssuaq was wont to eat his wives. He fattened them up, giving them nothing but salmon to eat, and nothing at all to drink. Once when he had just lost his wife in the usual way, he took to wife the sister of many brothers, and her name was Misána. And after having taken her to wife, he began fattening her up as usual.

大イーマラスグスアクは妻たちを食べるのが習いだったという。サケばかりを食べさせ、飲み物は何ひとつ与えずに、妻たちを太らせたのである。あるとき、いつものやり方で妻を亡くしたばかりのイーマラスグスアクは、大勢の兄弟を持つ姉妹を妻にめとった。その女の名はミサーナといった。そして妻にめとると、いつものようにミサーナを太らせはじめた。

One day her husband was out in his kayak. And she had grown so fat that she could hardly move, but now she managed with difficulty to tumble down from the bench to the floor, crawled to the entrance, dropped down into the passage way, and began licking the snow which had drifted in. She licked and licked at it, and at last she began to feel herself lighter, and better able to move. And in this way she afterwards went out and licked up snow whenever her husband was out in his kayak, and at last she was once more quite able to move about.

ある日、夫はカヤックで出かけていた。ミサーナはもうほとんど動けないほど太っていたが、このときやっとのことで寝台から床へ転げ落ち、入口まで這っていって通路へ落ち、吹き込んで積もった雪をなめはじめた。なめになめ続けていると、とうとう体が軽くなって、動きやすくなったように感じた。それからというもの、ミサーナは夫がカヤックで出かけるたびに外へ出て雪をなめ、とうとうまたすっかり動きまわれるようになった。

One day when her husband was out in his kayak as usual, she took her breeches and tunic, and stuffed them out until the thing looked like a real human being, and then she said to them:

ある日、夫がいつものようにカヤックで出かけていると、ミサーナは股引と上着を取って詰め物をして、ほんものの人間のように見えるようにした。それからそれに向かって言った。

"When my husband comes and tells you to come out, answer him with these words: I cannot move because I am grown so fat. And when he then comes in and harpoons you, remember then to shriek as if in pain."

「夫が来てお前に出てこいと言ったら、こう答えるのよ。『あんまり太ってしまったので動けません。』それから夫が入ってきてお前を銛で突いたら、痛いみたいに悲鳴をあげるのを忘れないでね。」

And after she had said these words, she began digging a hole at the back of the house, and when it was big enough, she crept in.

そしてそう言うと、ミサーナは家の裏に穴を掘りはじめ、十分に大きくなると、なかへ這い込んだ。

"Bring up the birds I have caught!"

「とってきた鳥を運び上げろ!」

But the dummy answered:

けれども人形は答えた。

"I can no longer move, for I am grown so fat."

「あんまり太ってしまったので、もう動けません。」

Now the dummy was sitting behind the lamp. And the husband coming in, harpooned that dummy wife with his great bird-spear. And the thing shrieked as if with pain and fell down. But when he looked closer, there was no blood to be seen, nothing but some stuffed-out clothes. And where was his wife?

さて、人形はランプのうしろに座っていた。そして夫は入ってくると、その人形の妻を大きな鳥突きの槍で突いた。するとそれは痛いみたいに悲鳴をあげて倒れた。ところがよく見てみると、血はどこにも見えず、詰め物をした服があるだけだった。では妻はどこだ。

And now he began to search for her, and as soon as he had gone out, she crept forth from her hiding-place, and took to flight. And while she was thus making her escape, her husband came after her, and seeing that he came nearer and nearer, at last she said:

そこで夫は妻を探しはじめ、夫が外へ出るやいなや、ミサーナは隠れ場所から這い出して逃げだした。そうして逃げていくと、夫があとを追ってきて、どんどん近づいてくるのが見えたので、とうとうミサーナは言った。

"Now I remember, my amulet is a piece of wood."

「そうだ、思い出した。わたしのお守りは木ぎれだった。」

And hardly had she said these words, when she was changed into a piece of wood, and her husband could not find her. He looked about as hard as ever he could, but could see nothing beyond a piece of wood anywhere. And he stabbed at that once or twice with his knife, but she felt no more than a little stinging pain. Then he went back home to fetch his axe, and then, as soon as he was out of sight, she changed back into a woman again and fled away to her brothers.

そう言うか言わないうちに、ミサーナは木ぎれに変わったので、夫は妻を見つけられなかった。夫はできるかぎり目を凝らしてあたりを見まわしたが、どこにも木ぎれのほかは何も見えなかった。そしてその木ぎれを小刀で一度か二度突いたが、ミサーナはちょっとちくりと痛いだけだった。それから夫は斧を取りに家へ戻り、夫の姿が見えなくなるやいなや、ミサーナはまた女に戻って兄弟たちのところへ逃げていった。

When she came to their house, she hid herself behind the skin hangings, and after she had placed herself there, her husband was heard approaching, weeping because he had lost his wife. He stayed there with them, and in the evening, the brothers began singing songs in mockery of him, and turning towards him also, they said:

兄弟たちの家に着くと、ミサーナは皮の垂れ幕のうしろに隠れた。そしてそこに身を置くと、夫が妻をなくしたと泣きながら近づいてくる声が聞こえた。夫は兄弟たちのところにとどまり、晩になると、兄弟たちは夫をあざける歌を歌いはじめ、夫のほうを向いてこう言った。

"Men say that Ímarasugssuaq eats his wives."

「イーマラスグスアクは妻を食べるという話だな。」

"Who has said that?"

「誰がそんなことを言った。」

"Misána has said that."

「ミサーナがそう言ったのさ。」

"I said it, and I ran away because you tried to kill me," said she from behind the hangings.

「わたしが言ったのよ。あんたがわたしを殺そうとしたから逃げてきたのよ」とミサーナは垂れ幕のうしろから言った。

And then the many brothers fell upon Ímarasugssuaq and held him fast that his wife might kill him; she took her knife, but each time she tried to strike, the knife only grazed his skin, for her fingers lost their power.

すると大勢の兄弟たちがイーマラスグスアクに飛びかかって、妻が殺せるようにしっかり押さえつけた。ミサーナは小刀を取ったが、突こうとするたびに小刀は夫の肌をかすめるだけだった。指から力が抜けてしまったのである。

And she was still standing there trying in vain to stab him, when they saw that he was already dead.

そしてミサーナがまだそこに立って突こうとしてはしくじっていると、みなは夫がもう死んでいるのに気づいた。

Here ends this story.

この話はこれでおしまい。