The Dwarfs

A man who was out in his kayak saw another kayak far off, and rowed up to it. When he came up with it, he saw that the man in it was a very little man, a dwarf.

カヤックで出ていた一人の男が遠くにもう一艘のカヤックを見つけて、そのほうへ漕いでいった。追いついてみると、乗っているのはたいそう小さな男、小人だった。

"What do you want," asked the dwarf, who was very much afraid of the man.

「何の用だ」と、男をひどく恐れている小人は尋ねた。

"I saw you from afar and rowed up," said the man.

「遠くからあなたが見えたので漕いできたのです」と男は言った。

But the dwarf was plainly troubled and afraid.

けれども小人は見るからにうろたえて怖がっていた。

"I was hunting a little fjord seal which I cannot hit," he said.

「小さなフィヨルドのアザラシを追っているのだが、当てられないのだ」と小人は言った。

"Let me try," said the other. And so they waited until it came up to breathe. Hardly had it come up, when the harpoons went flying towards it, and entered in between its shoulder-blades.

「わたしにやらせてください」ともう一人は言った。そこで二人はアザラシが息をしに上がってくるまで待った。上がってくるかこないうちに、銛がそのほうへ飛んでいって、肩甲骨のあいだに突き刺さった。

"Ai, ai--what a throw!" cried the dwarf in astonishment. And the man took the seal and made a tow-line fast.

「あい、あい——なんという投げっぷりだ!」と小人は驚いて叫んだ。そして男はアザラシを取って引き綱を結んだ。

Then the two kayaks set off together in towards land.

それから二艘のカヤックは連れ立って陸へ向かった。

"Hum--hum. Wouldn't care to ... come and visit us?" [5] said the dwarf suddenly.

「うむ——うむ。よかったら……うちへ寄っていかんかね」[5]と小人が突然言った。

But this the man would gladly do.

男は喜んでそうしようと思った。

"Hum--hum. I've a wife ... and a daughter ... very beautiful daughter ... hum--hum. Many men wanted her ... wouldn't have them ... can't take her by force ... very strong. Thought of taking her to wife myself ... hum--hum. But she is too strong for me ... own daughter."

「うむ——うむ。わしには妻と……娘がいる……たいそう美しい娘だ……うむ——うむ。大勢の男が欲しがったが……娘は相手にしなかった……力ずくではものにできん……とても強いのだ。わし自身が妻にしようかとも思った……うむ——うむ。だが娘はわしには強すぎる……実の娘だがな。」

They rowed on a while, and then the little one spoke again.

二人はしばらく漕ぎ続け、それから小さい男がまた口を開いた。

"Hum--hum. Might perhaps do for you ... you could manage her ... what?"

「うむ——うむ。ひょっとするとお前さんには向いているかもしれん……お前さんなら手なずけられるだろう……どうかね。」

"Let us first see her," said the man. And now they rowed into a great deep fjord.

「まずその娘さんに会ってみましょう」と男は言った。そして二人は大きな深いフィヨルドへ漕ぎ入った。

When they came to the place, they landed and went up at once to the house of the little old man. And those in the house did all they could that the stranger might be well pleased. When they had been sitting there a while, the old man said:

その場所に着くと、二人は上陸してすぐに小さな年寄りの家へ上っていった。そして家の者たちは、よそ者が気に入ってくれるようにできるかぎりのことをした。しばらく座っていると、年寄りが言った。

"Hum--hum ... our guest has made a catch ... he comes to us bringing game."

「うむ——うむ……お客人は獲物をとってこられた……獲物を持ってわしらのところへ来てくださった。」

Now it was easy to see that they would gladly have tasted the flesh of that little seal. And so the guest said:

さて、家の者たちがあの小さなアザラシの肉を味わいたがっているのは、見ればすぐにわかった。そこで客は言った。

"If you care to cook that meat, then set to work and cut it up as soon as you please. Cut it up and give to those who wish to eat of it."

「その肉を煮たいなら、すぐにでも取りかかって切り分けてください。切り分けて、食べたい人にあげてください。」

The little old man was delighted at this, and sent out his two women-folk to cut up that seal. But they stayed away a long while, and no one came in with any meat. So the little old man went out to look for them.

小さな年寄りはこれに大喜びして、家の二人の女をそのアザラシを切り分けに外へやった。ところが二人はなかなか戻らず、誰も肉を持って入ってこなかった。そこで小さな年寄りが二人を探しに出ていった。

And there stood the two women, hauling at the little fjord seal, which they could not manage to drag up from the shore. They could not even manage it with the old man's help. They hauled away, all three of them, bending their bodies to the ground in their efforts, but the seal would not move. Then at last the stranger came out, and he took that seal by the flipper with one hand, and carried it up that way.

すると二人の女がそこに立って小さなフィヨルドのアザラシを引っぱっていたが、浜から引き上げることができずにいた。年寄りが手を貸してもどうにもならなかった。三人そろって地面に体を折り曲げて力いっぱい引いたが、アザラシは動かなかった。するととうとうよそ者が出てきて、アザラシのひれを片手でつかみ、そうやって運び上げた。

"What strength, what strength! The man is a giant indeed," cried the little folk. And they fell to work cutting up the seal, but to them it seemed as if they were cutting up a huge walrus, so hard did they find it to cut up that little seal.

「なんという力だ、なんという力だ! この男はまさしく巨人だ」と小さな人々は叫んだ。そしてみなはアザラシを切り分けにかかったが、その小さなアザラシを切り分けるのがあまりに大変なので、まるで巨大なセイウチを切り分けているように思えた。

And people came hurrying down from the houses up above, and all wished to share. The women of the house then shared out that seal. Each of the guests was given a little breastbone and no more, but this to them was a very great piece of meat. When they held such a piece in their hands, it reached to the ground, and their hands and clothes were covered with fat.

そして上の家々から人々が急いで下りてきて、みな分け前を欲しがった。そこで家の女たちがアザラシを分けた。客にはそれぞれ小さな胸骨をひとつずつしか与えられなかったが、それでも彼らにとってはとても大きな肉のかたまりだった。そういうかたまりを手に持つと地面まで届き、手も服も脂だらけになった。

Inside on the bench sat an old hag who now began trying to make herself agreeable to the guest. She squeezed up close to him and kept on talking to him, and looking at him kindly. She was old and ugly, and the man would have nothing to do with her. Suddenly he gave a loud whistle.

なかの寝台には一人の醜い老婆が座っていて、客に気に入られようとしはじめた。老婆は客のすぐそばに身を寄せて、ひっきりなしに話しかけ、優しげに客を見つめた。老婆は年寄りで醜かったので、男は相手にしようとしなかった。突然、男は大きく口笛を吹いた。

"Ugh--ugh!" cried the old hag in a fright, and fell down from the bench. Then she stumbled down into the passage way, and disappeared.

「うげっ——うげっ!」と老婆は驚いて叫び、寝台から落ちた。それからよろよろと通路へ転がり落ちて、姿を消した。

And now after they had feasted on the seal meat, those from the houses up above cried out:

そしてアザラシの肉でごちそうを食べ終わると、上の家々の人々が叫んだ。

"Let the guest now come up here; we have foxes' liver to eat!"

「さあお客人、こちらへ上がってきなされ。狐の肝があるぞ!」

And as he did not come at once, they cried again. And then he went up. The house was full of people, all busy eating foxes' liver.

そして男がすぐに行かないので、人々はまた叫んだ。そこで男は上っていった。家は人でいっぱいで、みな狐の肝を食べるのに忙しくしていた。

"It is very hard to cut," said the dwarfs. "It is dried."

「これはたいそう切りにくい」と小人たちは言った。「干してあるからな。」

And the dwarfs worked away as hard as they could, but could not cut it through. But the guest took and munched and crunched as if it had been fresh meat.

そして小人たちは力のかぎり切ろうとしたが、切れなかった。けれども客はそれを取って、まるで生肉のようにむしゃむしゃばりばりと食べた。

"Ai, ai--see how he can eat," cried some.

「あい、あい——あの食べっぷりを見ろ」と何人かが叫んだ。

But all those in the house were very kind to him, and would gladly have seen him married into their family. And the young women had dressed their hair daintily with mussel shells, that the guest might think them the finer. But he cared for none of them, for the little old man's daughter was the most beautiful.

けれども家の者たちはみな男にたいそう親切で、男が自分たちの家族に婿入りしてくれればと願っていた。そして若い女たちは、客にいっそう美しく思ってもらおうと、イガイの殻で髪をかわいらしく飾っていた。けれども男は誰にも心を惹かれなかった。小さな年寄りの娘がいちばん美しかったからである。

And therefore he went down to that house again when it was time to go to rest. And he said he would have her to wife.

そこで男は、休む時分になるとまたあの家へ下りていった。そしてあの娘を妻にしたいと言った。

And so they lived happily together, and soon they had a child.

こうして二人は幸せに暮らし、まもなく子どもが生まれた。

And now the man began to long for his own place and kin. He thought more and more of his old mother, who was still alive when he started off.

ところがそのうちに、男は自分の土地と身内が恋しくなりはじめた。出発したときにはまだ生きていた年老いた母のことを、ますます思うようになった。

And so one day he said he was going to visit his home.

そこである日、男は故郷を訪ねに行くと言った。

"We will all go with you," said the little old man; "we will visit your kinsfolk."

「わしらもみな一緒に行こう」と小さな年寄りは言った。「お前さんの身内を訪ねよう。」

And so they made ready for the journey, and set out.

そこでみなは旅の支度をして出発した。

Now when they came to the place of real people, all these were greatly astonished to find their old comrade still alive. For they had thought him dead long since.

さて、ほんとうの人間の住む土地に着くと、人々はみな、昔の仲間がまだ生きているのを見てたいそう驚いた。とうの昔に死んだと思っていたからである。

And the dwarf people lived happily enough among the real men, and after a little time they forgot to be troubled and afraid.

そして小人の一家はほんとうの人間たちのなかでそれなりに幸せに暮らし、しばらくすると、うろたえたり怖がったりするのを忘れてしまった。

But one day when the little dwarf grandmother was sitting at the opening of the passage way with the little child, she dropped the child in the passage.

ところがある日、小人の小さなおばあさんが小さな子どもを抱いて通路の入口に座っていると、子どもを通路に落としてしまった。

"Hlurp--hlurp--hlurp," was all she heard. A great dog, his face black on one side and white on the other, lay there in the passage, and it ate up the child on the spot.

「ずるっ——ずるっ——ずるっ」という音だけが聞こえた。顔の片側が黒くもう片側が白い大きな犬が通路に寝そべっていて、その場で子どもを食べてしまったのである。

"Ai--ai," she cried. "Nothing is left but a little smear on the ground."

「あい——あい」とおばあさんは叫んだ。「地面にちょっとしみが残っているだけだよ。」

And now the dwarf folk were filled with horror, and the little old man was for setting off at once. So they gathered their belongings together and set out.

そこで小人の一家は恐ろしさでいっぱいになり、小さな年寄りはすぐにも出発しようと言った。そこでみなは持ち物をまとめて出発した。

And whenever they came to a village, they went up on shore, and the old man always went up with his tent-skins on his back.

そして村に着くたびにみなは岸に上がり、年寄りはいつも天幕の皮を背負って上っていった。

"Are there any dogs here? Is there a great beast with a black-and-white face?" was always the first thing he asked.

「ここに犬はいるかね。白黒の顔をした大きな獣はいるかね」と年寄りはいつもまっ先に尋ねた。

"Yes, indeed." And before they could turn round, the old man was back in his boat again, so great was his fear of dogs.

「ああ、いるとも。」するとみなが振り向く間もなく、年寄りはもう舟に戻っていた。それほど犬が恐ろしかったのである。

And at last the skin was worn quite away from his forehead with carrying of tent-skins up on to the shore in vain. [6]

そしてとうとう、天幕の皮をむなしく岸へ背負い上げているうちに、年寄りの額の皮はすっかりすり切れてしまった。[6]

One day they were lying-to, when a wind began to blow from the north.

ある日、一行が舟を止めて休んでいると、北から風が吹きはじめた。

"Are there dogs here?" asked the old man, and groaned, for his forehead was flayed and smarting, so often had he borne those tent-skins up and down. But before any could answer, he heard the barking of the dogs themselves. And in a moment he was back in his boat again.

「ここに犬はいるかね」と年寄りは尋ねてうめいた。何度も天幕の皮を背負って上り下りしたので、額の皮がむけてひりひりしていたのである。けれども誰かが答える前に、犬そのものの吠える声が聞こえた。するとたちまち年寄りは舟に戻っていた。

The wind had grown stronger. The seas were frothing white, and the foam was scattered about.

風は強くなっていた。海は白く泡立ち、しぶきがあたりに飛び散っていた。

Then the old dwarf stood up in his boat and cried:

すると小人の年寄りは舟のなかで立ち上がって叫んだ。

"The sky is clearing to the east with crested clouds."

「東の空が晴れていく、とさかのような雲を連れて。」

Now this was a magic song, and as soon as he had sung it, the sea was calm and bright once more.

さて、これは魔法の歌で、年寄りがそれを歌うやいなや、海はまた凪いで明るくなった。

Then the old man went on again. So great was the power of his magic words that he could calm the sea. But for all that he had no peace, by reason of the dogs.

それから年寄りはまた旅を続けた。年寄りの魔法の言葉の力はそれほど大きく、海を鎮めることができた。けれどもそれでも、犬のせいで心安らぐことはなかった。

And he went on his way again, but whither he came at last I do not know.

そして年寄りはまた旅を続けたが、とうとうどこにたどり着いたのか、わたしは知らない。