The Boy from the Bottom of the Sea, who frightened the people of the house to death

Well, you see, it was the usual thing: "The Obstinate One" had taken a wife, and of course he beat her, and when he wanted to make it an extra special beating, he took a box, and banged her about with that.

さて、いつものとおりのことだった。「強情者」が妻をめとって、もちろん妻を打ちすえた。そしてとびきりの打ちすえ方をしたいときには、箱を持ってきて、それで妻をさんざんに打った。

One day, when he had been beating her as usual, she ran away. And she was just about to have a child at that time. She walked straight out into the sea, and was nearly drowned, but suddenly she came to herself again, and found that she was at the bottom of the sea. And there she built herself a house.

ある日、いつものように打たれたあと、妻は逃げ出した。そして妻はちょうどそのころ子を産もうとしていた。妻はまっすぐ海のなかへ歩いていって、あやうく溺れかけたが、突然われに返ると、海の底にいるのに気づいた。そしてそこに自分の家をこしらえた。

While she was down there, the child was born. And when she went to look at it, she nearly died of fright, it was so ugly. Its eyes were jellyfish, its hair of seaweed, and the mouth was like a mussel.

海の底にいるあいだに子が生まれた。そして見に行ってみると、あまりに醜いので、母は怖さでほとんど死にそうになった。目はクラゲで、髪は海藻で、口はイガイのようだった。

And now these two lived down there together. The child grew up, and when it was a little grown up, it could hear the children playing on the earth up above, and it said:

そしてこの二人は海の底で一緒に暮らした。子は大きくなり、少し大きくなると、上の陸で子どもたちが遊んでいる声が聞こえるようになって、こう言った。

"I should like to go up and see."

「上へ行って見てみたいな。」

"When you have grown stronger, then you may go," said his mother. And then the boy began practising feats of strength, with stones. And at last he was able to pick up stones as big as a chest, and carry them into the house.

「もっと強くなったら行ってもいいよ」と母は言った。そこで男の子は石で力わざの稽古をはじめた。そしてとうとう、長持ほどもある石を持ち上げて家のなかへ運び込めるようになった。

One evening, when it was dark, they heard again a calling from above. The children, not content with simply shouting at their play, began crying out: "Iyoi-iyoi-iyoi," with all their might.

ある晩、暗くなると、二人はまた上から呼ぶ声を聞いた。子どもたちはただ遊びながら叫ぶだけでは物足りず、「イヨイ、イヨイ、イヨイ」と力いっぱい叫びはじめた。

"Now I will go with you," said the mother. "But you must not go into the houses nearest the shore, for there I often fled in when your father would have beaten me; I have suffered much evil up there. And when you thrust in your head, be sure to look as angry as you can."

「さあ、一緒に行こう」と母は言った。「でも、岸にいちばん近い家に入ってはいけないよ。お前の父さんに打たれそうになったとき、母さんはよくそこへ逃げ込んだのだから。上の陸では母さんはひどい目にたくさんあったんだよ。それから、頭を突っ込むときは、できるだけ怒った顔をするんだよ。」

There were two houses on the shore, one a little way above the other. As they went up, the mother suddenly saw that her son was going into the one nearest the shore. And she cried:

岸には家が二軒あって、一軒はもう一軒の少し上にあった。二人が上っていくと、母は突然、息子が岸にいちばん近い家に入っていこうとしているのに気づいた。そこで母は叫んだ。

"Ha-a; Ha-a! When your father beat me, I always ran in there. Go to the one up above."

「はあ、はあ! お前の父さんに打たれると、母さんはいつもそこへ駆け込んだんだよ。上のほうの家へお行き。」

And now the boy made his face fierce, and thrust in his head at the doorway, and all those inside fell down dead with fright. He would have beaten his father, but his father had died long since. Then he went down again to the bottom of the sea.

そこで男の子は恐ろしい顔をして入口から頭を突っ込んだ。するとなかにいた者はみな怖さのあまり倒れて死んだ。男の子は父親を打ちのめしてやりたかったが、父親はとうの昔に死んでいた。それから男の子はまた海の底へ下りていった。

When the day dawned, the people from the house nearest the shore came out and said:

夜が明けると、岸にいちばん近い家の人々が出てきて言った。

"Ai! What footsteps are these, all full of seaweed?"

「あい! この海藻だらけの足跡は何だ。」

And seeing that the tracks led up to the house a little way above, they followed there, and found that all inside had died of fright.

そして足跡が少し上の家まで続いているのを見て、人々がたどっていくと、なかの者がみな怖さのあまり死んでいるのを見つけた。