Puagssuaq

There was once a wifeless man who always went out hunting ptarmigan. It became his custom always to go out hunting ptarmigan every day.

むかし、妻のいない男がいて、いつもライチョウ狩りに出かけていた。毎日ライチョウ狩りに出かけるのが、男の習いになっていた。

And when he was out one day, hunting ptarmigan as was his custom, he came to a place whence he could see out over a rocky valley. And it looked a good place to go. And he went there.

そしてある日、いつもの習いでライチョウ狩りに出ていると、岩だらけの谷を見わたせるところに来た。そこは行ってみるのによさそうに見えた。そして男はそこへ行った。

But before he had come to the bottom of the valley, he caught sight of something that looked like a stone. And when he could see quite clearly that it was not a stone at all, he went up to it. He walked and walked, and came to it at last.

ところが谷の底に着く前に、男は石のように見えるものを見つけた。そしてそれがまるで石ではないとはっきり見えてくると、男はそのほうへ登っていった。男は歩きに歩いて、とうとうそこに着いた。

Then he looked in, and saw an old couple sitting alone in there. And when he had seen this, he crawled very silently in through the passage way. And having come inside, he looked first a long time at them, and then he gave a little whistle. But nothing happened when he did so, and therefore he whistled a second time. And this time they heard the whistle, and the man nudged his wife and said:

それから男がなかをのぞくと、年老いた夫婦が二人きりで座っていた。これを見ると、男はひっそりと通路を這って入っていった。そしてなかに入ると、まず長いあいだ二人を眺めていて、それから小さく口笛を吹いた。けれどもそうしても何も起こらなかったので、男はもう一度口笛を吹いた。今度は二人に口笛が聞こえて、夫が妻をつついて言った。

"You, Puagssuaq, you can talk with the spirits. Take counsel with them now."

「おい、プアグスアク、お前は霊と話ができる。今こそ霊にお伺いを立てろ。」

When he had said this, the wifeless man whistled again. And at this whistling, the man looked at his wife again and said earnestly:

夫がそう言うと、妻のいない男はまた口笛を吹いた。そしてこの口笛を聞くと、夫はまた妻を見て真剣に言った。

"Listen! It sounds as if that might be the voice of a shore-dweller; one who catches miserable fish."

「聞け! 海辺に住む者の声のようだ。しけた魚をとっている者の。」

And now the wifeless man saw that the old one's wife was letting down her hair. And this was because she was now about to ask counsel of the spirits.

そして妻のいない男は、年寄りの妻が髪をほどいているのを見た。これは妻がこれから霊にお伺いを立てようとしているからだった。

And he was now about to look at them again, when he saw that the passage way about him was beginning to close up. And it was already nearly closed up. But then it opened again of itself. Then the wifeless man thought only of coming out again from that place, and when the passage way again opened, he slipped out. And then he began running as fast as he could.

そして男がもう一度二人を見ようとすると、まわりの通路が閉じはじめているのに気づいた。もうほとんど閉じかけていた。けれどもそれから通路はひとりでにまた開いた。すると妻のいない男は、そこからまた出ることしか考えず、通路がまた開いたときにするりと外へ抜け出した。それから男は全速力で走りはじめた。

For a long time he ran on, with the thought that some one would surely come after him. But at last he came up the hillside, without having been pursued at all.

長いあいだ、きっと誰かが追ってくるだろうと思いながら男は走り続けた。けれどもとうとう、少しも追われることなく丘の斜面を登りきった。

And when he came home, he told what had happened.

そして家に帰ると、男は何があったかを話した。

Here ends this story.

この話はこれでおしまい。