Anarteq

There was once an old man, and he had only one son, and that son was called Anarteq. But he had many daughters. They were very fond of going out reindeer hunting to the eastward of their own place, in a fjord. And when they came right into the base of the fjord, Anarteq would let his sisters go up the hillside to drive the reindeer, and when they drove them so, those beasts came out into a big lake, where Anarteq could row out in his kayak and kill them all.

むかし、年老いた男がいて、息子は一人しかおらず、その息子はアナルテクといった。けれども娘はたくさんいた。一家は自分たちの土地の東のフィヨルドへ、トナカイ狩りに出かけるのが大好きだった。そしてフィヨルドのいちばん奥まで来ると、アナルテクは姉妹たちを丘の斜面に登らせてトナカイを追わせた。そうして追われると、獣たちは大きな湖に出てくるので、アナルテクはカヤックで漕ぎ出して一頭残らず仕留めることができた。

Thus in a few days they had their umiak filled with meat, and could go home again.

こうして数日のうちに、一家はウミアクを肉でいっぱいにして、また家に帰ることができた。

One day when they were out reindeer hunting, as was their custom, and the reindeer had swum out, and Anarteq was striking them down, he saw a calf, and he caught hold of it by the tail and began to play with it. But suddenly the reindeer heaved up its body above the surface of the water, and kicked at the kayak so that it turned over. He tried to get up, but could not, because the kayak was full of water. And at last he crawled out of it.

ある日、いつものようにトナカイ狩りに出ていて、トナカイが泳ぎ出し、アナルテクが仕留めていると、一頭の子どもが目に入ったので、アナルテクはその尾をつかんで戯れはじめた。ところが突然、トナカイが体を水面の上に躍り上がらせてカヤックを蹴ったので、カヤックはひっくり返った。アナルテクは起き上がろうとしたが、カヤックが水でいっぱいになっていたので起き上がれなかった。そしてとうとうカヤックから這い出した。

The women looked at him from the shore, but they could not get out to help him, and at last they heard him say:

女たちは岸からアナルテクを見ていたが、助けに漕ぎ出すことはできなかった。そしてとうとう、アナルテクがこう言うのが聞こえた。

"Now the salmon are beginning to eat my belly."

「サケがおれの腹を食べはじめた。」

And very slowly he went to the bottom.

そしてアナルテクはゆっくりと底へ沈んでいった。

Now when Anarteq woke again to his senses, he had become a salmon.

さて、アナルテクがまたわれに返ると、サケになっていた。

But his father was obliged to go back alone, and from that time, having no son, he must go out hunting as if he had been a young man. And he never again rowed up to those reindeer grounds where they had hunted before.

けれども父親は一人で帰らなければならず、それからは息子がいないので、若者のように自分で狩りに出なければならなかった。そして前に狩りをしたあのトナカイの狩り場へは、二度と漕いでいかなかった。

And now that Anarteq had thus become a salmon, he went with the others, in the spring, when the rivers break up, out into the sea to grow fat.

そしてこうしてサケになったアナルテクは、春、川の氷が割れると、ほかのサケと一緒に太るために海へ出ていった。

But his father, greatly wishing to go once more to their old hunting grounds, went there again as chief of a party, after many years had passed. His daughters rowed for him. And when they came in near to the base of the fjord, he thought of his son, and began to weep. But his son, coming up from the sea with the other salmon, saw the umiak, and his father in it, weeping. Then he swam to it, and caught hold of the paddle with which his father steered. His father was greatly frightened at this, and drew his paddle out of the water, and said:

けれども父親は、昔の狩り場へもう一度行きたくてたまらなくなり、何年もたってから、一行の頭としてまたそこへ出かけた。娘たちが漕いだ。そしてフィヨルドの奥近くまで来ると、父親は息子のことを思い出して泣きはじめた。ところが息子が、ほかのサケと一緒に海から上ってきて、ウミアクと、そのなかで泣いている父親を見た。そこで息子はそのほうへ泳いでいって、父親が舵を取っている櫂をつかんだ。父親はこれにたいそう驚いて、櫂を水から引き上げて言った。

"Anarteq had nearly pulled the paddle from my hand that time."

「今のはアナルテクが、わしの手から櫂をもぎ取りそうになったのだ。」

And for a long while he did not venture to put his paddle in the water again. When he did so at last, he saw that all his daughters were weeping. And a second time Anarteq swam quickly up to the umiak. Again the father tried to draw in his paddle when the son took hold of it, but this time he could not move it. But then at last he drew it quite slowly to the surface, in such a way that he drew his son up with it.

そして長いあいだ、父親は櫂をまた水に入れる気になれなかった。とうとう入れてみると、娘たちがみな泣いているのが見えた。そしてふたたびアナルテクがすばやくウミアクのほうへ泳いできた。息子が櫂をつかむと、父親はまた櫂を引き上げようとしたが、今度は動かせなかった。けれどもとうとう、父親はとてもゆっくりと櫂を水面へ引き上げ、そうやって息子を一緒に引き上げた。

And then Anarteq became a man again, and hunted for many years to feed his kin.

するとアナルテクはまた人間になり、それから何年も狩りをして身内を養った。